Spotify dominates with superior user experience, larger catalog, and better algorithm recommendations, making it ideal for casual listeners. Tidal excels in audio quality with lossless and hi-res options, appealing to audiophiles willing to pay premium prices.
Tidal vs Spotify — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Artist-first streaming service with lossless audio HiFi, exclusive content, and premium payouts.
World's largest music streaming platform with 574 million users, advanced AI recommendations, and integrated podcast ecosystem.
Audio Quality. Global Subscribers. Music Catalog. Artist Payouts. Recommendation Algorithm. Free Tier Availability. Artist Discovery Features. Offline Downloads
Choose Spotify for everyday listening, superior discovery features, and broader device compatibility with the largest user base. Choose Tidal if you're an audiophile demanding lossless audio quality and want to support artists with higher per-stream payouts. Both services offer comprehensive 2026 music catalogs, but they cater to distinctly different user priorities.
Tidal: All tiers | Spotify: Premium only
Tidal: Good (Spotlight Program) | Spotify: Excellent (Discover Weekly)
Tidal: Multi-platform (limited partners) | Spotify: Universal compatibility
Tidal: Basic sharing | Spotify: Advanced (Blend, Collaborative playlists)
Tidal: Integrated music videos | Spotify: Limited/None
Tidal: 320 (MQA Hi-Res) | Spotify: 320 (Standard)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)
Tidal: Yes (HiFi tier) | Spotify: No (Spatial Audio instead)
Tidal: Estimated 5-10 | Spotify: 281 (Q3 2025)
Tidal: Lossless HiFi + MQA | Spotify: 320 kbps AAC (standard)
Tidal: Undisclosed | Spotify: 4.3 (Q3 2025)
Tidal: Limited/Ad-based | Spotify: Full ad-supported tier
Tidal: 24-bit/192 kHz (via MQA) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: 9216 kbps (Dolby Atmos) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: iOS, Android, Web, Desktop, Windows | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Limited visibility | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: 16-bit / 44.1kHz (HiFi tier) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Modern, streamlined design | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Excellent across platforms | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: HiRes FLAC (9216 kbps) | Spotify: 256 kbps AAC lossy
Tidal: 100+ million | Spotify: 100+ million
Tidal: No | Spotify: Yes (with ads, skip limits)
Tidal: 1411 kbps (lossless) | Spotify: 320 kbps (lossy)
Tidal: Yes (HiFi on all tiers) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Yes (all subscribers) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Standard interface | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Artist-first model (higher payouts) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Limited (embedded from partners) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: FLAC, MQA, WAV (3 formats) | Spotify: N/A
Monthly Subscription Price (Standard Tier)
Tidal: $10.99/month (Premium) or $14.99/month (HiFi Plus) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: $120/year (HiFi Plus annual discount) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Yes (16-bit/44.1kHz minimum) | Spotify: No
Tidal: 100+ million | Spotify: ~100 million
Tidal: Yes, available on all paid tiers | Spotify: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
Tidal: 10,000 (HiFi+) | Spotify: Unlimited
Tidal: Limited (Rising videos only) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: Limited (select devices) | Spotify: N/A
Tidal: $22.99 (HiFi) | Spotify: N/A (no lossless option)
Tidal: Unlimited | Spotify: 10,000 per device
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Lossless (HiFi tier)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Full platform integration with exclusives
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Secondary feature, available but limited
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Strict verification required
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Spotify Individual
Artist Growth Multiplier (focused strategy)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 3-5x faster monthly listener growth
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: $0.003-0.005 per stream
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Requires distribution service
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Algorithm-driven, slower direct feedback
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Limited exclusive release functionality
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: HiFi Tier (additional cost)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Song/Artist Radio, Song Credits expansion
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: $11.99/month (Premium)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 320 kbps (Premium)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 6+ major platforms
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: All platforms equally
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Annual Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Ogg Vorbis, MP3, AAC
Discover Weekly Playlists Generated Weekly
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes — included, no extra charge
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes — largest catalog
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes (limited per plan)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes (ad-supported, shuffle-limited)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes (Blend, Friend Activity)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes (DJ, Smart Shuffle)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Via Spotify Connect
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 9+ (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web, PlayStation, Xbox, Alexa, Smart TVs)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 6 skips/hour on ad-supported tier
User Satisfaction with Discovery (2024 survey)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 73% satisfied with personalization
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 500+ (Android, iOS, web, consoles, smart TVs)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 6 users at $16.99/month
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Required (strict verification)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 6 hours (with ads)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 320kbps Ogg Vorbis
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: 10,000 (5 devices max)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Full free tier with ads (shuffle-only on mobile)
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: iOS, Android, Web, Windows, Mac, Gaming Consoles, Smart Speakers
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: Yes—full real-time collaboration
Tidal: N/A | Spotify: ~40% preference match
Tidal vs Spotify — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Tidal vs Spotify. Contains 197 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Tidal vs Spotify — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Tidal vs Spotify.
Yes, but only under the right conditions. Tidal's lossless FLAC audio (44.1kHz/16-bit) and Hi-Res Audio (up to 24-bit/192kHz) are objectively higher quality than Spotify's 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis streams. However, you need wired high-end headphones or a DAC/amplifier setup to hear the difference. On Bluetooth earbuds or phone speakers, the audio quality gap is imperceptible to most listeners.
No. Tidal has no free tier — every user pays. The Individual plan is $10.99/month (same price as Spotify Premium). There is no ad-supported free version. This is a key difference from Spotify, which offers free listening with ads alongside its premium tier.
Spotify has announced lossless audio (previously called "Spotify HiFi") multiple times since 2021 but as of mid-2026, it has not launched. Spotify streams at up to 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis, which is high-quality but not lossless. Apple Music and Tidal both offer lossless audio; Spotify has not yet released it.
Which pays artists more — Tidal or Spotify?
Tidal has historically paid higher per-stream royalties than Spotify: approximately $0.013 per stream vs Spotify's $0.003-0.005 per stream. However, Tidal's user base (approximately 11 million) is dramatically smaller than Spotify's 640+ million, so total artist earnings depend heavily on listener volume as well as per-stream rate.
Which has better music discovery — Tidal or Spotify?
Spotify has significantly better music discovery. Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes, Radio stations, and the AI DJ feature are the industry standard for personalized curation. Tidal has improved its discovery features, but with 11 million users versus Spotify's 640 million, the algorithmic data advantage Spotify holds for recommendation quality is enormous.
Audio Quality: Tidal has Lossless & Hi-Res (up to 320kbps MQA), while Spotify has Standard (320kbps) & Premium (Spatial Audio).
Global Subscribers: Tidal has ~3 million, while Spotify has ~600+ million.
Music Catalog: Tidal has 100+ million tracks, while Spotify has 100+ million tracks.
Artist Payouts: Tidal has Highest per-stream rate (~$0.01284), while Spotify has Standard rate (~$0.003-0.005).
Recommendation Algorithm: Tidal has Basic personalization, while Spotify has Industry-leading Discovery Weekly & Release Radar.
Free Tier Availability: Tidal has No free tier, while Spotify has Ad-supported free tier.
Artist Discovery Features: Tidal has Spotlight Program (emerging artists), while Spotify has New Music Daily playlists.
Offline Downloads: Tidal has Yes (all tiers), while Spotify has Yes (Premium only).