MediaInfo vs Raven Lite
MediaInfo
mediaarea.netRaven Lite
ravensoundsoftware.comSide by side
| Figure | MediaInfo | Raven Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Audio Analysis Software | 9.2 (#1) | 7.7 (#24) |
| Headquarters | Pignan, France | Ithaca, New York, USA |
| Platforms | Official downloads cover Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Raspbian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, Arch, Gentoo, Flatpak, Snap and AWS Lambda. | Raven Lite 2.0.5 has 64-bit downloads for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux; Windows versions require 64-bit Windows. |
| Purpose | MediaInfo displays technical and tag data for video and audio files. | Raven Lite records, saves, and visualizes sounds as spectrograms and waveforms. |
| Support | Users are directed to FAQs, bug reports, feature requests, issue trackers, and a forum; developers can use the SDK and source build instructions. | The maker provides a Knowledge Base with documentation and FAQ articles and a support request form that includes Raven Lite. |
Plans
MediaInfo
- Free MediaInfoFree
- MediaInfoFree
- macOS app$0.99, paid once
- More features (yearly)$2.99 a year
- More features (lifetime)$7.99, paid once
- Professional servicesPriced on request
In their own words
MediaInfo
MediaInfo displays technical and tag information for video and audio files. It reports details about the container, video and audio streams, text, and chapters, and reads formats including MPEG-4, Matroska, AVI, MXF, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MP3, AAC, FLAC, SRT, and ASS. Results can be viewed in text, sheet, tree, or HTML form and exported as text, CSV, or HTML. The software is available as a graphical interface, command-line tool, and library, with operating-system shell integration through drag and drop and context menus. MediaInfo is open-source under a BSD-style license; its listed software price is free. MediaInfoOnline offers a browser-based option and states that files remain on the user's machine rather than being uploaded to MediaArea servers, though it is described as a technology preview. Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux distributions, as well as a JavaScript module and source builds. MediaArea separately offers integration, maintenance, development, and support services at unlisted prices.
Raven Lite
Raven Lite records, saves, and visualizes sounds as spectrograms and waveforms. It is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists, including people learning about sound, recognizing birdsong, or teaching music. Users can combine waveform, spectrogram, spectrogram slice, and selection spectrum views. It opens WAV, AIF, MP3, and FLAC files, supports any number of audio channels, and lets users choose all channels or a subset. Time-frequency selections can be measured in a selection table and annotated; tables can be saved as text, while views and sound windows can be exported as graphics or copied to the clipboard. Paged sound windows support navigation through recordings of any length, and auto-paging enables visual review faster than real time. Raven Lite runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The free demo runs for 10 minutes at a time until registered with a free serial number for uninterrupted use. Installation requires administrator privileges.