Trying to understand the differences between the three big-name sources: Spotify Very High vs Tidal High vs Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless. Picked the top three streaming services.
Can someone help me understand how each one of these differ from each other? They use different audio formats like Ogg/Vorbis, AAC, and FLAC. What are downsides and upsides to each of them? What is considered the "highest"
Note: not comparing with Tidal's HiFi Plus. not sure if people would suggest bringing that up for comparison
Thinking of switching from Spotify to either Apple Music or Tidal
Spotify Very High vs Tidal High vs Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless Quality Comparisons
Apple Music vs Spotify vs TIDAL Audio Quality Test - 2022 Tesla Holiday Update
tidal vs apple music
Tidal has a better UI, better recommendations, bit perfect playback, direct artist payments
More on reddit.comIs Tidal actually better than Spotify?
Whether Tidal is “better” than Spotify depends on individual preferences. Tidal offers hi-fi and master-quality sound, which may appeal to audiophiles or those who prioritize sound quality. Spotify, on the other hand, has a vast music library and is well-known for its curated playlists and discovery features. So, if sound quality is a priority, Tidal might be viewed as better, but for playlist variety and discovery, Spotify has its strengths.
Which is cheaper, Spotify or Tidal?
As of 2025, Tidal is more affordable than Spotify.
Is TIDAL louder than Spotify?
Both streaming services utilize loudness normalization, so music shouldn’t sound much louder on one versus the other.
Videos
I have been using Spotify since 2020, but I wanted better sound quality and a more simple and better ui without podcasts too.
I switched to Apple Music for a month.
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It has some problems like wrong album dates after adding to library
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Slower and buggier experience
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I don’t like the windows app too which is slow (iTunes/Apple Music beta app).
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Removing albums deletes all the songs from library too.
I tried Tidal too at the same time. Currently have the Hi Fi plus trial of Tidal.
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Windows app is way better than AM, but iOS app isn’t, and in iPhone, the sound quality is better and louder with Apple Music
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Some less known artists are shown wrong like albums from wrong years or duplicates of same artists names
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There are too many versions of the same album (max, normal, and more)
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Tidal Apple Watch app isn’t available for me as a home screen shortcut like Apple Music and Spotify which is strange
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Tidal doesn’t have wrapped year playlist and Shazam app sync. (Instead it has monthly wrapped, and I have to add manually the songs from Shazam to a Tidal playlist I created)
I use iPhone 14 Pro with AirPods Pro & Windows Gaming PC with Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and Yamaha AG06 Mixer. (If needed I can get a better amp/dac).
Which one should I choose, then?