FLV vs MP4 |How to Choose between FLV or MP4 Format

If you’re looking for an insightful comparison of the FLV vs. MP4 showdown, this is the right page. The world is currently lucky to have a myriad of digital video formats. This technology enables us to watch videos on any platform smoothly. However, choosing the right video format might need some extensive knowledge. Lucky for you, I’ve already done the digging work to help you choose between FLV and MP4 formats.

• Part 1. The FAQ About FLV and MP4
• Part 2. The Best Software to Convert FLV and MP4 on Windows and Mac
• Part 3. Online Free Steps of Converting FLV and MP4

Part 1. The FAQ About FLV and MP4

What is FLV?

FLV (Flash Video) is a container audiovisual format that was developed by Adobe Systems in 2002. It comes with a .flv file extension and is used to stream digital video content like movies and TV shows online using Adobe Flash Player 6 or newer. Sometimes, FLV contents may be embedded inside SWF files. It’s also paramount to note that Flash Video can come in either FLV or F4V formats. Lastly, you can play FLV using MPlayer, RealPlayer, Winamp, VLC, Media Player Classic, and Adobe Media Player. Mac users can also use the QuickTime to open FLV files, though with additional components like the Perian.

What is MP4?

MP4, on the other hand, is a MPEG-4 video format that has a .mp4 file extension. It was created in 2001 by the Motion Picture Experts Group in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization. The first version of MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 12) was established in 2001 and is based on the popular MOV (QuickTime File Format). The current version of MP4 is MPEG-4 Part 14 and was released in 2003. It can hold different data like text, video, and audio. You can easily play MP4 files using any media player on Macs, PCs, and other mobile devices.

So, is FLV better than MP4? Although FLV offers vivid pictures and clear sounds, it still can’t compare to the universal MP4 format. This standardized video format is compatible with all video players and websites. Apart from desktops, you can also open MP4 on iDevices and Android smoothly. Therefore, MP4 wins without an iota of doubt.

Part 2. The Best Software to Convert FLV and MP4 on Windows and Mac

If you want to convert FLV and MP4 to another video or audio format, use the Wondershare UniConverter to do that losslessly. This desktop app is lightweight, powerful, and straightforward to use. It also supports batch conversion. Therefore, you can transcode MP4 and FLV to MP3, MOV, VOB, AAC, and many other target formats concurrently. It also allows video editing by cropping, cutting, adding watermarks, applying effects, and more.

Wondershare UniConverter - Your All-in-One Tool

• Convert between all standard audio/image/video formats with lossless quality.
• Convert movies files to optimized preset for almost all devices.
• Download videos from popular sites like YouTube, Dailymotion, Vevo, etc.
• It has a 90X faster conversion speed than any conventional converters.
• Edit, enhance & personalize your videos file.
• Download/record videos from YouTube and other 10,000 video sharing sites.
• Versatile toolbox combines video metadata, GIF maker, video compressor, and screen recorder.
• Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7, macOS 11 Big Sur, 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6.

Free Download Free Download

Step 1 Add your videos.

After free downloading, installing, and running this video converter, drop your MP4 and FLV videos on the Video Converter window. Alternatively, open the button to load locally saved videos.

Step 2 Select a target format.

Next, tap the Output Format button then choose either the Audio or the Video tab. You can also click the Device to select a device-specific preset.

Step 3 Convert your videos.

Now choose a folder path for your converted videos. After that, tap the Start All, and Wondershare UniConverter will transcode your video to your target format quickly.

Part 3. Online Free Steps of Converting FLV and MP4

Apart from the Wondershare UniConverter, these top-class free conversion sites will also transcode your FLV and MP4 videos to any format. Take a look!

1. Online-Convert

Online-Convert is a free video converter that supports all video formats, MP4 and FLV included. Here, you can encode FLV/MP4 to any video format in batch. It can also convert videos from local storage, URL links, and Cloud storage. More importantly, Online-Convert can change vital video settings like size, bitrate, frame rate, as well as cut videos. Don’t forget that Online-Convert can also crop videos from top to bottom and left to right.

Pros:

• Nice, intuitive UI.
• It offers several target formats.
• Edits videos.

Cons:

• Ad-infested UI.
• It has a slow upload and conversion.

3. ConvertFiles

ConvertFiles is another great FLV and MP4 converter that supports a variety of formats, codecs, containers, and file attributes. It can convert MP4/FLV to VOB, 3GP, MPEG-2, MOV, and more. And after the conversion, ConvertFiles will delete your file after an hour to maintain maximum data security. Unfortunately, ConvertFiles doesn’t support the downloading and transcoding of data from YouTube, Vimeo, and many other video-sharing websites.

Pros:

• Easy to use.
• It converts several video formats.
• Fast conversion.

Cons:

• Ads on the interface.
• It cannot download videos.

4. Convertio

Convertio has been bossing the online file conversion space for a while now, thanks to the 200+ supported formats. From WebM to MP4 and FLV to 3GP, Convertio offers it all. It also supports the changing of video quality, codec, size, sampling rate, and bitrate. More fundamentally, Convertio is a secure site that uses SSL encryption.

Pros:

• It supports several formats.
• It allows video editing.
• Fast conversions.

Cons:

• A few ads.
• Can’t transcode more than 100MB.

5. Convert Files

Convert Files is an impressive conversion site that transcodes anything to anything. It can convert FLV/MP4 to WMV, 3GP, VOB, MJPEG, MPG, and more. Convert Files also allows users to change their video quality to either low, moderate, high, or very high. You can also change the size with more than 20 ready-made presets. However, this site is full of ads, so be careful.

Pros:

• It converts several video formats.
• Edits videos.
• Quick conversions.

Cons:

• Ad-laden interface.
• It can’t download videos.

6. Online Converter

Our last online conversion option is Online Converter. It’s simple, fast, and converts several video formats. Here, you’ll transcode MP4 to VOB, MTS, MPG, FLV, AVCHD, and more. Even better, Online Converter can upload videos from a URL link of your choice. It can also edit the file size as well as cut videos. Sadly, the free version of this app has ads everywhere.

Pros:

• It supports various formats.
• Decent video editing functions.
• Downloads videos from URL links.

Cons:

• It can’t upload more than 200MB.
• Ad-infested UI.

So was this article helpful? I’m sure it is. With the Wondershare UniConverter, you can convert files offline to any format you wish. And yes, don’t forget to use the “Transfer” function to send your videos to any device effortlessly.