Spotify vs Tidal Which is the best music streaming service for you Tom's Guide Skip to main content Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
thumb_upLike (16)
commentReply (2)
shareShare
visibility393 views
thumb_up16 likes
comment
2 replies
L
Lily Watson 1 minutes ago
Here's why you can trust us. Spotify vs Tidal Which is the best music streaming service for y...
D
David Cohen 2 minutes ago
(Image credit: Spotify/Tidal) You've probably noticed Spotify has been making the news lately -...
S
Sebastian Silva Member
access_time
4 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Here's why you can trust us. Spotify vs Tidal Which is the best music streaming service for you By Simon Lucas Contributions from Lee Dunkley published 25 August 2022 With Spotify subscribers seemingly on the wane, what does alternative streaming platform Tidal offer and could it make more sense for you?
thumb_upLike (22)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up22 likes
comment
1 replies
Z
Zoe Mueller 1 minutes ago
(Image credit: Spotify/Tidal) You've probably noticed Spotify has been making the news lately -...
A
Amelia Singh Moderator
access_time
6 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
(Image credit: Spotify/Tidal) You've probably noticed Spotify has been making the news lately - and, for once, it's for reasons other than its ubiquity. A very public calling-out by Neil Young has led to the sort of debate around freedom of speech and artistic integrity that social media thrives on.
thumb_upLike (44)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up44 likes
J
James Smith Moderator
access_time
16 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
(It should probably be noted that Neil Young has, during the course of his six-decade recording career, cared very little about the way other people perceive him. Not every recording artist has been sued by their own record company for producing music 'unrepresentative' of their previous recordings, for example…)
It's resulted in the first reverse in Spotify's financial trajectory since the company was founded in 2006. And it's led to any number of Spotify subscribers wondering about alternative music-streaming services… If you're one of them, read on - this face-off is for you.
We're comparing Spotify to Tidal.
thumb_upLike (37)
commentReply (2)
thumb_up37 likes
comment
2 replies
I
Isaac Schmidt 5 minutes ago
Tidal was the first music streaming service to offer a couple of significant points of difference to...
A
Amelia Singh 1 minutes ago
But does it make more sense than Spotify for you? Spotify vs Tidal Price
If you can tolerate ads b...
E
Ethan Thomas Member
access_time
5 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Tidal was the first music streaming service to offer a couple of significant points of difference to Spotify: (supposedly) superior audio quality and (supposedly) higher payments to recording artists. And its artist-centric position has been championed by the likes of - hey! - Neil Young.
thumb_upLike (29)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up29 likes
I
Isabella Johnson Member
access_time
24 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
But does it make more sense than Spotify for you? Spotify vs Tidal Price
If you can tolerate ads between songs and ads interrupting your app experience, then Spotify can be yours for free. Options for its ad-free paid-for service include handy discounts for students, a two-account package called 'Duo' (which includes a curated and evolving playlist based on listening habits) and a family membership giving up to six accounts.
While Tidal recently introduced a free subscription option called (unsurprisingly) Tidal Free, offering 160kbps streams of its entire music catalog with "limited interruptions," the perks of the music streaming service lie elsewhere.
thumb_upLike (45)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up45 likes
R
Ryan Garcia Member
access_time
28 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
In terms of subscriptions, there are a couple of packages that are differentiated (mostly) by sound quality: 'HiFi' and 'HiFi Plus', both of which are available as single or family subscriptions plus useful student discounts. Spotify vs Tidal At a glance SpotifyTidalStarting pricefree$9.99 p/mOffline mode, no ads$9.99 p/m$9.99 p/m (HiFi); $19.99 p/m (HiFi Plus)Student price$4.99 p/m$4.99 p/m (HiFi); $9.99 p/m (HiFi Plus)'Duo' household$12.99 p/m (two accounts)n/aFamily package$15.99 p/m (six accounts)$14.99 p/m (six accounts, HiFi); $29.99 (six accounts, HiFi Plus)Annual plan$99n/aExclusivesSpotify Studios podcastsTIDAL X concerts
Spotify vs Tidal Music library
Despite some reasonably high-profile artists asking for their music to be removed from its roster, Spotify continues to offer a catalogue of over 70 million titles.
thumb_upLike (23)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up23 likes
comment
1 replies
C
Charlotte Lee 26 minutes ago
A couple of million of these are podcast titles (not all of them as contentious as Joe Rogan's)...
N
Natalie Lopez Member
access_time
16 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
A couple of million of these are podcast titles (not all of them as contentious as Joe Rogan's). Tidal, meanwhile, is claiming over 80 million titles, as well as getting on for half a million video titles.
(Image credit: Moma Okgo Shutterstock)
When you're talking about numbers of this size, it's obvious there's a massive amount of overlap between the two libraries - the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell notwithstanding. Unless you've particularly catholic tastes (I am still waiting for Ginger Thompson's glorious Boy Watcher to show up on either service), you'll be able to find the content you're after on either Spotify or Tidal.
thumb_upLike (29)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up29 likes
E
Evelyn Zhang Member
access_time
27 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Winner: Draw
Spotify vs Tidal Music quality
Here's where the most significant differences between Spotify and Tidal can be found. Spotify's streams run at three compression rates: a frankly miserly 96kbps, 160kbps and 320kbps. If you're paying for Spotify, rather than using the free tier, everything comes across at 320kbps.
thumb_upLike (15)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up15 likes
comment
1 replies
C
Christopher Lee 7 minutes ago
Tidal, by way of contrast, streams at a CD-quality 1411kbps on its 'HiFi' tier. A top-of-t...
H
Harper Kim Member
access_time
30 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Tidal, by way of contrast, streams at a CD-quality 1411kbps on its 'HiFi' tier. A top-of-the-shop 'HiFi Plus' subscription, meanwhile, buys access to some music mastered in Sony 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, plus access to millions of truly high-resolution audio titles. 'Tidal Masters' use MQA technology to stream at a giddy 9216kbps.
thumb_upLike (26)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up26 likes
comment
1 replies
L
Liam Wilson 10 minutes ago
Spotify has been promising a 'HiFi' tier of its own for quite a while now - but details (o...
N
Natalie Lopez Member
access_time
44 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Spotify has been promising a 'HiFi' tier of its own for quite a while now - but details (of the launch date, of the number of titles that will be available, and of exactly what 'HiFi' means in this context) remain sketchy in the extreme.
Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Availability
Obviously both services have been working on making themselves available on as wide a variety of platforms as possible. Spotify is available on the most recent Sony and Microsoft games consoles, for example, and can be accessed on quite a few smartwatches and other connected wearables too. Its app also shows up on any number of smart TV interfaces.
thumb_upLike (17)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up17 likes
comment
3 replies
D
Dylan Patel 5 minutes ago
Tidal can be accessed via quite a few televisions, too - it's pretty much a fixture on the Andr...
J
James Smith 42 minutes ago
Tidal has to make do with integration into Apple CarPlay. But the advantage it held for quite a whil...
Tidal can be accessed via quite a few televisions, too - it's pretty much a fixture on the Android TV interface. It's available on iOS too, and can be integrated into your Sonos system. And naturally enough both Spotify and Tidal support Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay.
(Image credit: Spotify)
Spotify's 'Car Thing' (a little touchscreen device to enable safe and stable streaming while you're driving) is a nice point of difference.
thumb_upLike (23)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up23 likes
comment
1 replies
M
Mia Anderson 9 minutes ago
Tidal has to make do with integration into Apple CarPlay. But the advantage it held for quite a whil...
D
Dylan Patel Member
access_time
13 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Tidal has to make do with integration into Apple CarPlay. But the advantage it held for quite a while with 'Spotify Connect', which allows paying customers to stream directly to systems on a common network, has lately been removed. Tidal has a very similar feature now, called - can you guess?
thumb_upLike (45)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up45 likes
comment
3 replies
E
Ethan Thomas 4 minutes ago
- 'Tidal Connect'. Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Tidal Playlists and curated content
There...
C
Charlotte Lee 3 minutes ago
They'll also both recommend artists you may not have listened to. Most of the time they're...
- 'Tidal Connect'. Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Tidal Playlists and curated content
There's not a huge amount of difference here. Both Spotify and Tidal will present the user with personalized playlists, based on listening history and algorithmic jiggery-pokery.
thumb_upLike (20)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up20 likes
comment
1 replies
O
Oliver Taylor 4 minutes ago
They'll also both recommend artists you may not have listened to. Most of the time they're...
D
Dylan Patel Member
access_time
75 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
They'll also both recommend artists you may not have listened to. Most of the time they're both pretty successful, and not as predictable as you might imagine. They can trip themselves up, though - it seems unlikely I'll ever forget the time Spotify recommended Nat King Cole to me on the basis I enjoyed listening to Patti Smith.
thumb_upLike (43)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up43 likes
comment
3 replies
I
Isabella Johnson 61 minutes ago
(Image credit: Spotify)
Spotify's efforts in helping you discover new musi...
S
Sophie Martin 66 minutes ago
It certainly has the edge over Tidal, though the latter's 'My Daily Discovery' and &#...
(Image credit: Spotify)
Spotify's efforts in helping you discover new music shouldn't be understated, though. Between its 'Discover Weekly' feature and 'Release Radar' weekly playlist, you're unlikely to be stuck for something new and interesting to listen to.
thumb_upLike (9)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up9 likes
N
Noah Davis Member
access_time
51 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
It certainly has the edge over Tidal, though the latter's 'My Daily Discovery' and 'Mixes For You' playlist are undeniably worthwhile too. Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Tidal Social media
Spotify is, to put it bluntly, all over this. You can share Spotify content on Instagram and Facebook, and create links to share playlists and the like on pretty much any messaging platform.
thumb_upLike (40)
commentReply (2)
thumb_up40 likes
comment
2 replies
L
Lucas Martinez 4 minutes ago
If it can't embed Spotify, basically, it's not really social media. Tidal's desktop a...
I
Isabella Johnson 20 minutes ago
Check. Big search bar?...
C
Chloe Santos Moderator
access_time
18 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
If it can't embed Spotify, basically, it's not really social media. Tidal's desktop app lets you check artists' social media channels directly, and if you connect your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts you can easily scroll through your favourite artist's feed(s). Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Tidal Design
(Image credit: Tidal)
Large images?
In truth, Tidal has copped a lot from Spotify's design and interface - but it's no less usable and effective for that. Winner: Draw
Spotify vs Tidal Value
Given that Spotify can be yours for free, it's hard to suggest it's anything other than good value. But once you start talking about paying for these streaming services, Tidal makes a very compelling case for itself.
thumb_upLike (50)
commentReply (2)
thumb_up50 likes
comment
2 replies
E
Ethan Thomas 4 minutes ago
Pay the same amount as you'll pay for Spotify and the music you have access to is far less comp...
O
Oliver Taylor 18 minutes ago
Basically, if you're willing to spend, spend on Tidal. Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Ti...
L
Lily Watson Moderator
access_time
69 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Pay the same amount as you'll pay for Spotify and the music you have access to is far less compressed. Pay more and genuinely high-resolution audio is on the menu, as well as spatial audio mixes.
thumb_upLike (24)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up24 likes
comment
1 replies
E
Ella Rodriguez 60 minutes ago
Basically, if you're willing to spend, spend on Tidal. Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Ti...
S
Sofia Garcia Member
access_time
96 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Basically, if you're willing to spend, spend on Tidal. Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Artist remuneration
Given that one of the founding principles of Tidal is to offer a (slightly) more reasonable deal to the artists whose music it features, you won't be staggered to learn it has the better of Spotify where this sort of thing is concerned.
thumb_upLike (30)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up30 likes
D
David Cohen Member
access_time
100 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Spotify doesn't pay a set amount per stream of each individual song. Instead, it calculates a 'stream share' by totalling up the number of streams per month and estimates the proportion of those that were for a particular artist or song. It's probably more easily expressed as "give most of the money to Ed and Taylor'.
thumb_upLike (16)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up16 likes
comment
3 replies
A
Andrew Wilson 38 minutes ago
If you're a subscriber to Tidal HiFi Plus, you at least can take comfort in the knowledge that ...
V
Victoria Lopez 66 minutes ago
Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Audio performance
First of all, let's accept that it's f...
If you're a subscriber to Tidal HiFi Plus, you at least can take comfort in the knowledge that almost 10% of your subscription is shared between the artists you listen to the most. And starting this year, your most-streamed artists will be paid based on your streaming habits.
thumb_upLike (48)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up48 likes
comment
3 replies
A
Ava White 51 minutes ago
Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Audio performance
First of all, let's accept that it's f...
R
Ryan Garcia 2 minutes ago
If you're paying, and if you're likely to listen using a smartphone and an inexpensive pai...
Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Audio performance
First of all, let's accept that it's fair enough to get what you're given if you're using Spotify for free. 96kbps is a chronically inadequate bit-rate, and music streamed at this standard is a cheap facsimile of the real thing - but at $0.00 per month it's nevertheless unarguable value for money.
thumb_upLike (46)
commentReply (2)
thumb_up46 likes
comment
2 replies
H
Harper Kim 22 minutes ago
If you're paying, and if you're likely to listen using a smartphone and an inexpensive pai...
O
Oliver Taylor 54 minutes ago
Using an appropriate system (whether that's mobile with headphones or in the home with speakers...
H
Henry Schmidt Member
access_time
84 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
If you're paying, and if you're likely to listen using a smartphone and an inexpensive pair of headphones, there's a chance you won't discern much difference between Spotify's 320kbps files and Tidal's 1411kbps equivalents - although the differences in detail levels, in particular, should be obvious to pretty much any listener. (Image credit: Tidal)
It's those who are in this for musical pleasure, rather than straightforward convenience, who have the most to gain by shelling out for Tidal's top tier, though.
thumb_upLike (8)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up8 likes
comment
1 replies
A
Aria Nguyen 75 minutes ago
Using an appropriate system (whether that's mobile with headphones or in the home with speakers...
L
Liam Wilson Member
access_time
87 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Using an appropriate system (whether that's mobile with headphones or in the home with speakers), a Tidal Masters file (of which, let's not forget, there are literally millions) compares to Spotify's equivalent file in the same sort of way three courses at a posh restaurant compares to a service-station sandwich. You don't need to be an audiophile, you don't need to have spent a fortune on headphones and you don't need golden ears.
thumb_upLike (39)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up39 likes
L
Lucas Martinez Moderator
access_time
150 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
You just have to listen. Winner: Tidal
Spotify vs Tidal Which is best
Spotify broke this new ground.
thumb_upLike (45)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up45 likes
I
Isabella Johnson Member
access_time
124 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
It did it first and, for a long time, it did it best. But those days are over. Tidal's not the only streaming service to have adopted the Spotify model and adapted it for its own purposes - but where pure sound quality is concerned it's one of the best streaming services around.
thumb_upLike (10)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up10 likes
comment
3 replies
S
Sophia Chen 58 minutes ago
Which is only as it should be, because it's one of the most costly. Tidal still lags behind Spo...
S
Scarlett Brown 35 minutes ago
But if it's the music that primarily concerns you, and you're prepared to pay to listen to...
Which is only as it should be, because it's one of the most costly. Tidal still lags behind Spotify where broad integration (especially games consoles) and social media smarts are concerned, and it's debatable whether its curation and discovery algorithms are on a par.
thumb_upLike (38)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up38 likes
S
Sebastian Silva Member
access_time
132 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
But if it's the music that primarily concerns you, and you're prepared to pay to listen to it, there's only one place to put your subscription money - and that's Tidal.
Still not convinced? Find out what our audio editor has to say about why Tidal sounds better.
SpotifyTidalMusic Library✔✔Music quality✔Availability✔Content✔✔Social media✔Design✔✔Value✔Remuneration✔Performance✔ Next: You can also check out our detailed list of the best music streaming services. Plus, three things I love and hate about switching from Spotify to Tidal and Spotify vs. Apple Music vs.
thumb_upLike (41)
commentReply (0)
thumb_up41 likes
L
Luna Park Member
access_time
70 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Tidal: who pays artists more?
Be In the Know
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Simon LucasSimon is a freelance technology journalist and consultant, with particular emphasis on the audio/video aspects of home entertainment. Before embracing the carefree life of the freelancer, he was editor of What Hi-Fi?
thumb_upLike (12)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up12 likes
comment
3 replies
S
Scarlett Brown 9 minutes ago
– since then, he's written for titles such as Wired, Metro, The Guardian and...
L
Lily Watson 15 minutes ago
Reply Simon Lucas I know that's the case in the United States, but in 'overseas' terr...
– since then, he's written for titles such as Wired, Metro, The Guardian and Stuff, among many others. Given time, Simon likes nothing more than publishing and then quickly deleting tweets about the state of the nation (in general), the state of Aston Villa (in particular) and the state of his partner's cat.With contributions fromLee DunkleyAudio Editor Topics Apps Audio Music See all comments (2) 2 Comments Comment from the forums samuraishogun1 Tidal has had an ad-supported free version since November.
thumb_upLike (38)
commentReply (1)
thumb_up38 likes
comment
1 replies
M
Mason Rodriguez 19 minutes ago
Reply Simon Lucas I know that's the case in the United States, but in 'overseas' terr...
H
Henry Schmidt Member
access_time
111 minutes ago
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Reply Simon Lucas I know that's the case in the United States, but in 'overseas' territories (I'm based in the UK) there's no access to the free tier. Reply View All 2 Comments MOST READMOST SHARED1Rick and Morty season 6 episode 6 release date and time - How to watch online tonight, channel and more2House of the Dragon episode 8 release date and time - how to watch online tonight3MLB Playoffs live stream 2022: How to watch Wild Card baseball online right now4Nvidia RTX 4090 leak points to killer performance and plenty of stock5I just tested the AirPods Pro 2 for workouts - and I was surprised1Rick and Morty season 6 episode 6 release date and time - How to watch online tonight, channel and more2House of the Dragon episode 8 release date and time - how to watch online tonight3MLB Playoffs live stream 2022: How to watch Wild Card baseball online right now4Nvidia RTX 4090 leak points to killer performance and plenty of stock5I just tested the AirPods Pro 2 for workouts - and I was surprised
thumb_upLike (7)
commentReply (3)
thumb_up7 likes
comment
3 replies
H
Hannah Kim 70 minutes ago
Spotify vs Tidal Which is the best music streaming service for you Tom's Guide Skip to main...
S
Sofia Garcia 64 minutes ago
Here's why you can trust us. Spotify vs Tidal Which is the best music streaming service for y...