TIDAL vs Spotify

TIDAL and Spotify both stream lossless music now, so the choice turns on the quality ceiling, what else sits in the app and how you start. TIDAL's App Store listing promises HiRes lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz and Dolby Atmos on every plan, after a 30-day trial. Spotify has a free plan, lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz on Premium, plus podcasts and audiobooks.

Editor Sebastiaan Smits

Published Last reviewed How we review

Choose TIDAL if

you listen through a wired DAC and headphones that can use high sample rates, want Dolby Atmos, or like a service claiming over 180 million songs, and a 30-day trial is enough to decide.

Read the TIDAL review

Choose Spotify if

you want to start on a free plan, keep podcasts and audiobooks in the same app, or already pay for Premium, which now includes lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz on compatible devices.

Read the Spotify review

TIDAL and Spotify side by side

 TIDALSpotify
Company TIDAL Spotify AB
Headquarters Oslo, Norway Stockholm, Sweden
Founded 2014 2006
Jurisdiction EEA, not EU (Norway) EU (Sweden), US-listed
Where the data sits EEA EU (Sweden)
Pricing From about €9.99/month Free with advertising / Premium subscription
Free tier or trial Free trial Free tier
Certifications and checks GDPR GDPR
Source code Closed source Closed source
Usually replaces Spotify, Apple Music Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music
Position in our Music Streaming guide #2 of 12 #6 of 12

Both are listed in our European Music Streaming guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries; how we check it is described in the editorial process.

Where TIDAL and Spotify differ

Across the four points below, TIDAL has the edge on 1 point, Spotify on 1 point and 2 are a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.

Audio quality and the equipment to hear it

Spotify's support page gives Premium a lossless setting equivalent to up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC on compatible devices, while the free plan stops at compressed settings of around 160 kbit/s. TIDAL's listing says all plans include HiRes lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz and Dolby Atmos. The higher sample rate only counts with a capable DAC and headphones; over Bluetooth earbuds neither ceiling is reached.

Edge: TIDAL

Catalogue, podcasts and audiobooks

Spotify's company page lists over 100 million tracks, 7 million podcast titles and 700,000 audiobooks, and the Dutch Premium plan includes 12 hours of audiobook listening a month. TIDAL's listing claims over 180 million songs, with mixes built from your listening and playlists from its editors and other fans. For music alone TIDAL claims more; for spoken word Spotify offers far more.

No clear winner on this point.

What it costs to get started

Spotify can be used without paying: its free plan needs no credit card. Premium Individual costs EUR 13.99 a month on the Dutch price page after a free month, with Student at EUR 6.99, Duo at EUR 19.99 and Family at EUR 23.99. TIDAL's listing offers a 30-day free trial and monthly renewing plans and describes no free plan, so Spotify is the easier start.

Edge: Spotify

DJ software

Algoriddim lists both TIDAL and Spotify as streaming sources in djay, and for TIDAL mentions music video streaming and a DJ Extension for Neural Mix stems. Spotify's own support page lists djay, rekordbox, Serato, Virtual DJ, Cross DJ and edjing for Premium users, but limits use to personal, non-commercial mixing: club, venue, event and livestream performance is not permitted.

No clear winner on this point.

When neither TIDAL nor Spotify fits

If one particular recording matters more than a huge library, look beyond both. Qobuz sells downloads next to its stream and lists Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz, while IDAGIO is a classical-only service with search designed for classical music and lossless FLAC at 16-bit/44.1 kHz.

TIDAL vs Spotify: questions

It has the higher ceiling on paper: TIDAL lists lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz and Dolby Atmos, Spotify Premium lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. Both are lossless, so the audible gap is smaller than it used to be, and it depends on equipment, room and ears. Over Bluetooth earbuds the difference disappears.

Spotify has one: its free plan needs no credit card, and Premium Individual costs EUR 13.99 a month on the Dutch price page after a free month. TIDAL's App Store listing describes a 30-day free trial followed by monthly renewing plans, and no free plan.

Spotify AB in Stockholm is the data controller named in Spotify's privacy policy, which also says data may be processed outside the EU/EEA under safeguards such as standard contractual clauses. TIDAL's app is published by TIDAL Music AS, and Block, Inc. lists TIDAL among its businesses alongside Square and Cash App.

Both appear in Algoriddim's djay as streaming sources. Spotify supports DJ software for Premium users only and for personal, non-commercial use: playing mixes in clubs, venues, events or livestreams is not permitted, and tracks play only while online. For public gigs, read the licence terms before relying on either stream.

Sources

Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.

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