I hate giving this answer because it comes across the wrong way, but...... You've used both. You really need to decide for yourself which fits your needs better. I will never pay for Spotify. I already have Amazon prime, so I get my podcasts ad free. I've always found what I want on tidal. What I liked about tidal is the integration with my pkex music library. Now that it is going away, I'll probably just go back to Amazon music unlimited. I think the point is everyone has different preferences. There is not, and never will be, a one size fits all answer. Answer from More_Armadillo_1607 on reddit.com
What Hi-Fi?
whathifi.com › streaming & entertainment › music streaming
Tidal vs Spotify: which streaming service is best for you? | What Hi-Fi?
October 24, 2025 - Like hi-res music, which came to the service in September 2025 under the name Spotify Lossless (though it was eight years late). This brings audio in up to 24-bit/44.1kHz in FLAC across "nearly every song" in Spotify's extensive catalogue. That is higher than CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz), although it's not as high quality as rival services' hi-res offerings (Tidal included).
Reddit
reddit.com › r/tidal › tidal or spotify?
r/TIdaL on Reddit: Tidal or Spotify?
August 28, 2024 -
About a year ago I changed to Tidal, from Spotify, but I still use Spotify for podcasts. The primary reason as to why I switched to Tidal is the bitrate (I went for their at the time HiFi 1XXX bitrate subscribtion as a student). I had just gotten my Sony WH-1000XM5 at the time, but I often find myself wondering why in the world Tidal does not have certain songs, altough their libary is huge I've never had this problem with Spotify before. So my question is whether or not Tidal is actually better in terms of audio quality when listening though Sony WH-1000XM5, or the Sony Linkbuds-S
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I hate giving this answer because it comes across the wrong way, but...... You've used both. You really need to decide for yourself which fits your needs better. I will never pay for Spotify. I already have Amazon prime, so I get my podcasts ad free. I've always found what I want on tidal. What I liked about tidal is the integration with my pkex music library. Now that it is going away, I'll probably just go back to Amazon music unlimited. I think the point is everyone has different preferences. There is not, and never will be, a one size fits all answer.
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Tidal's superior sound quality isn't very appreciable if you're going to be on Bluetooth, even with LDAC. People vastly overestimate the importance of codec/bitrate when it comes to sound quality. The huge majority of sound quality comes from your transducers (aka earbud/IEM/headphone/speaker). Many audiophile who have some of the best gear in the world still use Spotify. I'd pick whichever you like based on user experience and availability of songs based on your music genres.
Can you noticeably appreciate the difference between tidal and spotify? - Page 3 - Music Talk - HifiGuides Forums
Tidal tends to have the same songs, but with more breadth and pacing, likely sourced from CDs(?). Spotify, in comparison, has what you’d typically hear on the radio or Youtube. Of course, this may not be the same for everyone depending on what you listen to. More on forum.hifiguides.com
Tidal lossles vs Spotify, I can't hear it and I don't know why. : audiophile
Tidal vs Spotify quality with official Tesla factory sound system. : ModelY
Has anyone discerned better sound quality listening to music in Tidal as opposed to Spotify? I’m interested to know this without upgrading the... More on old.reddit.com
Spotify Premium vs Tidal HiFi vs Deezer HiFi - which streaming service is the best? : audiophile
• audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound and music. r/audiophile is a... More on old.reddit.com
Is TIDAL louder than Spotify?
Both streaming services utilize loudness normalization, so music shouldn’t sound much louder on one versus the other.
soundguys.com
soundguys.com › home › music streaming › tidal vs spotify
TIDAL vs Spotify - SoundGuys
Which is cheaper, Spotify or Tidal?
As of 2025, Tidal is more affordable than Spotify.
soundguys.com
soundguys.com › home › music streaming › tidal vs spotify
TIDAL vs Spotify - SoundGuys
Does Tidal sound better than Spotify Bluetooth?
Tidal’s hi-fi and master quality tracks offer better sound quality compared to Spotify’s standard streaming. However, when streaming over Bluetooth, there can be a limitation based on Bluetooth’s bandwidth. This means that the advantages of Tidal’s hi-fi and master quality might be somewhat diminished. But for devices or setups that support higher-quality Bluetooth codecs (like aptX HD or LDAC), the difference might be noticeable.
soundguys.com
soundguys.com › home › music streaming › tidal vs spotify
TIDAL vs Spotify - SoundGuys
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AV.com
av.com › home › tidal vs. spotify – we put the industry-leading streaming services to the test
Tidal vs. Spotify | AV.com Blog
January 24, 2025 - Its music library is extensive, boasting 110 million tracks and counting. If you have the right equipment, Tidal should definitely be high on your list. When it comes to functionality, Spotify just works. You can tell it’s been around since 2006 as it has refined all those features that other platforms are still trying to perfect, delivering a seamless and polished experience.
SoundGuys
soundguys.com › home › music streaming › tidal vs spotify
TIDAL vs Spotify - SoundGuys
June 5, 2025 - Both TIDAL and Spotify offer various music discovery features and enable browsing by genre, mood, activity, and more. Whether you’re on TIDAL or Spotify, you have access to a radio feature that makes it easy to discover music similar to what you’re already listening to.
Free Your Music
freeyourmusic.com › blog › tidal-vs-spotify
Free Your Music - TIDAL or Spotify – Which One Wins in 2025?
TIDAL launched in 2014 and is known for high-fidelity streaming and being artist-friendly. It has 100M+ songs, exclusive live shows and videos, and pays higher royalties — about $0.012 per stream compared to Spotify’s $0.004 per stream.
PCMAG
pcmag.com › home › comparisons › music & audio › streaming music services
Spotify vs. Tidal: Which Music Streaming Service Is Best for You? | PCMag
January 31, 2023 - Spotify leads the streaming music pack with its deep music well, countless podcasts, early album access, collaborative playlists, and AI-powered curation. ... Tidal, with its audiophile-friendly audio, large catalog, and excellent curated content, ...
Headphonesty
headphonesty.com › home › spotify vs. tidal: which is better?
Spotify vs. Tidal: Which Is Better? | Headphonesty
October 27, 2023 - Tidal HiFi provides CD-quality audio at the same price as Spotify Premium and HiFi Plus extends to HiRes FLAC audio up to 192 kHz. Meanwhile, Spotify offers multiple audio quality settings, including a 24 kbps option for saving data, but it ...
Sage Audio
sageaudio.com › articles › spotify-or-tidal-which-streaming-service-sounds-the-best
Spotify or Tidal: Which Streaming Service Sounds the Best?
Although which service sounds better may be subjective to some, Tidal provides higher quality masters using lossless files, whereas Spotify streams music using an AAC lossy format.
CNET
cnet.com › tech › services & software › streaming services › best music streaming services for november 2025
Best Music Streaming Services for November 2025 - CNET
3 weeks ago - The service runs second to Spotify in terms of subscribers but surpasses its rival in that it has hi-res lossless and spatial audio albums, plus classical music app at no extra charge.
Android Police
androidpolice.com › home › applications › 6 reasons why i switched from spotify to tidal and won't go back
6 reasons why I switched from Spotify to Tidal and won't go back
August 27, 2025 - I was tired of Spotify's high prices, bloated app, poorly implemented AI features, and irrelevant algorithms. I wasn't going to switch to YouTube Music. I don't like how Google crams video content into its "music" app. Tidal's music-first approach, lower prices, and minimalist app design appealed to me, and since I switched, I can say I won't be going back unless both apps undergo significant changes.
TIDAL
tidal.com › pricing
TIDAL - High Fidelity Music Streaming
TIDAL is an artist-first, fan-centered music streaming platform that delivers over 100 million songs in HiFi sound quality to the global music community.
What Hi-Fi?
whathifi.com › streaming & entertainment › music streaming
I love Tidal's high-quality audio, but I'm still going back to Spotify | What Hi-Fi?
May 19, 2023 - While Tidal's high-quality audio and music-first approach is appealing, I'm getting sucked back into Spotify.
Sudo Science
sudoscience.blog › 2024 › 06 › 10 › i-tried-3-spotify-alternatives-within-a-month-heres-how-they-compare
I Tried 3 Spotify Alternatives within a Month. Here’s How They Compare.
August 30, 2025 - I’m even going to state it right here: I originally planned to finish writing all of this much sooner, but I found myself growing so comfortable with TIDAL as a whole that I simply wanted to keep using it instead of giving Deezer a real go. The more the current song plays, the more the bar fills up from the left to right with a less opaque grey color. Songs that already played are also greyed out in the queue, which is not a supported feature with Spotify.
Minimum Viable Blog
isaaclyman.com › blog › posts › tidal-vs-spotify
Tidal vs Spotify: a music-lover's comparison • Minimum Viable Blog
March 30, 2022 - I’ve been with Tidal for a couple of months now. It’s an improvement over Spotify in some areas but has some catching up to do in others. That’s why you’re here.
HifiGuides
forum.hifiguides.com › music talk
Can you noticeably appreciate the difference between tidal and spotify? - Page 3 - Music Talk - HifiGuides Forums
February 28, 2022 - Tidal tends to have the same songs, but with more breadth and pacing, likely sourced from CDs(?). Spotify, in comparison, has what you’d typically hear on the radio or Youtube. Of course, this may not be the same for everyone depending on ...
Sidify
sidify.com › topic › tidal-and-spotify-comparison.html
[2025 Updated] Tidal and Spotify Side by Side Comparison | Sidify
Verdict: 1) The price for a Tidal HiFi Plan and a Spotify Premium almost the same, while Tidal HiFi Plus is twice the monthly price of Spotify's Premium. 2) If you are a military, Tidal may be your better choice, from a cost perspective.
Zoomrecordingstudio
zoomrecordingstudio.com › blog › tidal-vs-spotify-which-is-better
Tidal Vs Spotify – Which Is Better ? | Recording Studio Services
Here, Spotify takes the lead. It is more affordable and offers better free plans and features on premium plans. The basic subscription plan for the two is nearly the same but you need to pay some extras to have an access to those sweet FLAC ...
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ViWizard
viwizard.com › home › spotify › differences between tidal and spotify: which is better?
Differences Between Tidal and Spotify: Which Is Better?
December 25, 2024 - Spotify: User Interface and Experience · Tidal vs.
Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › entertainment › streaming › music streaming
Spotify vs. Tidal: Which is the best music streaming service for you? | Tom's Guide
July 25, 2023 - 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.
The Guardian
theguardian.com › music › 2025 › jul › 29 › how-to-quit-spotify-music-alternatives-apple-youtube-amazon-tidal-ntwnfb
Four alternatives to Spotify: swapping is easier than you think | Music streaming | The Guardian
July 29, 2025 - It can seem daunting to make the switch after years of being with Spotify – but it is really easy. Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music and Tidal are all viable alternatives.