Which has better audio quality MP3 or MP4?
Most experts would argue that an AAC-encoded MP4 audio file sounds better than a similarly sized MP3. That makes sense as AAC is a newer compression technology. However, it would help if you kept in mind where and how you plan to play your music files.
There is no best bitrate, only the right bitrate.
Audio CD bitrate is always 1,411 kilobits per second (Kbps). The MP3 format can range from around 96 to 320Kbps, and streaming services like Spotify range from around 96 to 160Kbps. High bitrates appeal to audiophiles, but they are not always better.
What is the best audio format for sound quality? The best audio formats for sound quality are uncompressed or lossless compression files—think WAV, FLAC, and M4A. That's because these formats retain the original sound quality, though you'll have to put up with the fact these files will be large.
MP4 can handle a number of media, such as audio, image, video, text. MP3 can handle only one type of media, which is an audio file. Devices which are made for MP4 are both audio and video file players. Devices that are made for MP3 are simply an audio file player.
However, MP4 is a lossy format. This means that every time you save the same audio or video file as an MP4, you lose a little bit of data, and thus a little bit of quality. If you re-save an MP4 file enough times, eventually, the quality will be unrecognizable.
MP3 files are the sound part of an MPEG file. They are incredibly popular with users because the audio files are compressed to about one tenth of the original size. As a result, they take up very little disk space and are quick to download. At the same time, they are able to deliver audio that is almost CD quality.
One huge difference between WAV and MP3 files is the way that they're encoded. MP3s are compressed to make their file size more manageable. As a result, they lose some audio quality and are considered a "lossy" audio file type.
MP4 is a newer file format and supports video encoding, compared with MP3, which is older and is only for audio files. MP4 is a multimedia container and can technically support not just audio and video but also text and images.
mp3 — 256k or higher, variable bit rate – this is nearly as good as iTunes store quality. Most people on most systems won't hear a difference between this and CD quality. mp3 — 128 k or lower bit rate—- this is where you start to hear what are often called “swirlies” especially in the high frequencies of the music.
MP3 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, and it is an audio-only container. This format compresses audio files for an easy and versatile way to store sound bites and music. An MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14), on the other hand, is a multimedia container that can store audio, video, still images, subtitles, and text.
What has better sound quality MP3 or M4A?
MP3 vs. M4A. The majority of desktop and mobile devices sold nowadays come with native support for MP3 and M4A files alike. For higher quality results, I recommend you choose M4A, which can offer higher sonic results at the same settings, all while still resulting in smaller file sizes than MP3.
Best audio format for video editing
In an ideal world, use uncompressed formats such as . WAV or . AIFF whenever possible. They'll give you the most latitude in post, and they have the most support.

Additionally, MP4 provides high quality video while maintaining relatively small file sizes.
References
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-mp4-and-mp3/
- https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/discover/best-video-format.html
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/MP3_vs_MP4
- https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/mp3-vs-mp4/
- https://squirreltrenchaudio.com/2014/11/01/cd-quality-versus-mp3-quality-whats-good-enough/
- https://www.descript.com/blog/article/how-to-choose-the-best-audio-file-format-for-your-project
- https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/trends/8-best-video-file-formats-for-2020/
- https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/wav-vs-mp3-audio-for-video/
- https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/whats-the-difference-between-file-formats.html
- https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/hub/features/does-mp4-provide-lossless-compression
- https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/when-to-use-wav-files-when-to-use-mp3-files-what-is-the-difference-between-the-two-formats/
- https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/discover/audio-bitrate.html
- https://riverside.fm/blog/wav-vs-mp3