When it comes to choosing the best music streaming service, Spotify and Tidal are two of the most popular contenders. While price is a crucial factor, it’s not the only thing to consider. Let’s delve into a detailed comparison of these services across key aspects, helping you make an informed decision.
Price
Spotify offers a flexible pricing structure, catering to individual, family, and student needs. The free, ad-supported tier provides access to Spotify’s entire library, but with limitations on features and advertisements. Spotify Premium, the full-featured paid plan, currently costs $12 per month for new subscribers. Additionally, Spotify offers Spotify Premium Duo for two individuals at $17 per month and a six-person Family plan with parental controls for $20 per month. Students can enjoy a discounted rate of $6 per month, which also includes a free ad-supported Hulu account. New users can try Spotify Premium free for 30 days. Spotify’s paid plans allow you to download up to 10,000 songs for offline listening on up to five devices and include access to audiobooks.
Tidal, on the other hand, revamped its pricing earlier this year to simplify its offerings and remain competitive. The company discontinued its HiFi and HiFi Plus plans, replacing them with new plans that offer lossless audio, hi-res FLAC, and Dolby Atmos Music. The new pricing includes an Individual plan for $11 per month, a Family plan for $17 per month (covering up to six family members), and a Student plan for $5.49 per month. Tidal for DJs is available as a $9 per month add-on to the Individual plan. All subscription tiers provide access to over 110 million tracks in lossless, hi-res FLAC, and Dolby Atmos. Additionally, the service includes ad-free listening, personalized mixes, editorial playlists, and live sessions. New users can enjoy a 30-day free trial.
While Tidal’s new prices are more aligned with Spotify, Spotify retains the edge in pricing due to the availability of a free tier. However, ultimately, the choice depends on your individual preferences and budget.
Supported Devices
Both Spotify and Tidal offer apps for major platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, tvOS, Android, and Android TV. Spotify boasts broader device compatibility, extending to smart speakers, smartwatches, and even some high-end audiophile brands, making it arguably the most device-friendly music streaming service. Tidal, though also compatible with many devices, has limited support for game consoles and the Roku platform. Users wanting Tidal on these devices may need to subscribe to Plex. Unfortunately, Tidal will be discontinuing Plex integration on October 28, 2024.
Music Variety and Catalog Size
Determining the winner in this category is challenging. As of April 2024, Tidal claims a library of 110 million tracks and 650,000 videos, while Spotify claims over 100 million tracks, 5 million podcasts, and 350,000 audiobooks. While it’s difficult to verify these claims independently, Tidal’s catalog is perceived to skew towards rap and hip-hop artists, particularly newer and lesser-known ones. This reflects Tidal’s original ownership structure, where successful musicians, like Jay-Z, promoted other talents. However, this perception may be evolving now that Block, formerly Square, owns Tidal. Spotify’s catalog appears more balanced, potentially due to the service’s ability to customize itself based on users’ listening habits. It’s important to note that some artists have refused to allow Spotify to carry their music due to concerns about inadequate royalty payments, especially from the free, ad-supported tier. Taylor Swift famously boycotted Spotify in 2014, although some of her albums have since returned.
With both services boasting vast catalogs, it’s difficult to declare a winner in this category.
Sound Quality
Spotify offers compressed 320kbps streaming quality, while Tidal provides lossless, CD-quality streams. Spotify has hinted at introducing a hi-res audio option in the future, but for now, Tidal reigns supreme in sound quality. It’s worth noting that to fully experience Tidal’s high-bandwidth streams, users might need compatible devices and, in some cases, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). While most of Tidal’s supported devices can handle lossless CD-quality streams, mobile users should be mindful that these streams consume data at a much faster rate than non-hi-res tracks. Tidal supports various formats like Dolby Atmos Music and FLAC. While it previously supported MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio, that support has ended as of July 24, 2024. Keep in mind that some formats, like FLAC, might require external devices like DACs to achieve maximum quality.
Videos, Podcasts, and More
Music streaming services are evolving to offer more than just music. Videos, podcasts, interviews, and live concerts are becoming increasingly important. Tidal focuses on videos and live concert recordings, some of which are exclusive to the service. Its catalog boasts over 650,000 videos, including concert excerpts, full concerts, and exclusive shows. Mobile users can download these videos for offline viewing. Spotify also offers videos, but the company is less vocal about promoting them. There’s no dedicated video category when browsing, and even search filtering options lack a “see all videos” option. To find videos, you must search for a specific song or podcast and check if a video is attached. Some users have reported difficulties accessing video content, even when available. To resolve this, you might need to toggle off Audio Quality in the Spotify mobile app settings.
Spotify holds a significant advantage in podcast content, with over 5 million podcasts in its catalog. Tidal offered a limited selection of podcasts at the time of this writing. While Tidal’s video catalog is impressive, music streaming is primarily about audio. Considering the growing popularity of podcast listening, Spotify wins this round.
Conclusion
For most users, Spotify’s vast music catalog, extensive device support, and diverse range of paid and free plans make it the clear winner. Its popularity as the world’s leading music streaming service is no accident. However, Tidal’s high-fidelity music packages offer a unique experience for audiophiles, providing true high-quality audio from an easily accessible subscription service. While newer platforms, like Qobuz, are challenging Tidal’s dominance in HiFi listening, Tidal remains a top contender in the ultra-premium audio realm, showcasing no signs of slowing down.
