Why OGG exists alongside MP3
OGG (specifically the Vorbis codec it typically carries) was created as a free, open, patent-unencumbered alternative to formats like MP3, which historically carried licensing complications for commercial software. That open licensing is exactly why OGG became the default audio format for a huge number of video games and open-source applications — developers could embed it without navigating patent licensing at all.
At equivalent bitrates, OGG Vorbis generally compresses somewhat more efficiently than MP3, meaning a given quality level can often be achieved at a smaller file size — a genuine technical advantage, not just a licensing one.
Where you've probably already encountered it without noticing
Many video games store their sound effects and music as OGG files specifically because of the licensing freedom mentioned above — if you've ever opened a game's asset folder and seen a wall of .ogg files, that's this format at work. Several voice chat and streaming platforms also use Vorbis or Opus (a related, newer open codec) internally, meaning most people have relied on this format extensively without ever choosing it deliberately.
Compatibility is the real trade-off versus MP3
OGG's main disadvantage isn't technical quality — it's that hardware and software support, while broad, still isn't quite as universal as MP3's decades-long ubiquity. Some older devices, certain car stereos, and a handful of legacy applications may not play OGG files natively, which is the main practical reason to convert to or from it: matching whatever the target playback environment actually supports.
Converting to OGG for a specific purpose
If you're preparing audio for a game engine, an open-source project, or a platform that specifically expects OGG, converting to it is straightforward and the format handles both music and spoken content well at appropriate bitrates — similar bitrate guidance applies as with other lossy formats: higher for music, lower for speech, since the fundamental relationship between content type and required bitrate doesn't change across codecs.