Tidal prioritizes audio quality with HiFi streaming up to 9216 kbps and Dolby Atmos, while YouTube Music offers convenience through YouTube integration and a 256 kbps standard bitrate at a lower price point. Tidal is the choice for audiophiles; YouTube Music suits casual listeners.
Tidal vs YouTube Music — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Artist-first streaming service with lossless audio HiFi, exclusive content, and premium payouts.
Music streaming with 100+ million songs, official music videos, AI discovery, and YouTube integration.
Maximum Audio Bitrate. Spatial Audio Support. Song Library. Integration with Ecosystem. Artist Payout Model. UI/UX Innovation. Target Audience
Choose Tidal if you're an audiophile who values lossless HiFi audio, Dolby Atmos spatial sound, and supporting artists directly with higher payouts. Choose YouTube Music if you want convenience, seamless YouTube integration, competitive pricing, and a modern UI for casual listening without advanced audio requirements.
Tidal: Good (Spotlight Program) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Multi-platform (limited partners) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Basic sharing | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Integrated music videos | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 320 (MQA Hi-Res) | YouTube Music: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)
Tidal: $12.99-14.99 | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Yes (HiFi tier) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Undisclosed | YouTube Music: 1000+ million
Tidal: Estimated 5-10 | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: $0.007-$0.013 | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Lossless HiFi + MQA | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Limited/Ad-based | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 24-bit/192 kHz (via MQA) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 9216 kbps (Dolby Atmos) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Not available | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: iOS, Android, Web, Desktop, Windows | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Limited visibility | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 16-bit / 44.1kHz (HiFi tier) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Over 100 million | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Tidal: Yes (HiFi+ tier) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Streaming only | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Modern, streamlined design | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Excellent across platforms | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: HiRes FLAC (9216 kbps) | YouTube Music: AAC 256kbps (lossy)
Tidal: 100+ million | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Tidal: No | YouTube Music: Yes—ad-supported with limitations
Tidal: $10.99/month | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Yes, all tiers | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 1411 kbps (lossless) | YouTube Music: 256 kbps
Tidal: 110+ million | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Tidal: Yes (HiFi on all tiers) | YouTube Music: No
Tidal: Yes (all subscribers) | YouTube Music: Limited
Tidal: No | YouTube Music: Full integration (2.7B videos)
Tidal: Standard interface | YouTube Music: Split-view Now Playing redesign rolling out
Tidal: Artist-first model (higher payouts) | YouTube Music: Standard streaming splits
Tidal: $22.99 | YouTube Music: Not available
Tidal: 100 million | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Tidal: Limited (embedded from partners) | YouTube Music: 800+ million
Tidal: FLAC, MQA, WAV (3 formats) | YouTube Music: None (AAC only)
Monthly Subscription Price (Standard Tier)
Tidal: $10.99/month (Premium) or $14.99/month (HiFi Plus) | YouTube Music: $10.99/month
Tidal: $120/year (HiFi Plus annual discount) | YouTube Music: $139/year (Premium + YouTube ad-free)
Tidal: Yes (16-bit/44.1kHz minimum) | YouTube Music: Not available
Tidal: ~3 million | YouTube Music: ~80+ million (estimated YouTube Music users)
Tidal: $0.0084 | YouTube Music: $0.003-0.005 (estimated)
Tidal: Yes, available on all paid tiers | YouTube Music: Yes, available on Premium
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
Tidal: 10,000 (HiFi+) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Limited (Rising videos only) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: $23.99 (HiFi+) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 70.7 million | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 24-bit lossless | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 1.284 cents | YouTube Music: $0.003-0.005
Tidal: 6.4 million | YouTube Music: 100M+
Tidal: Limited (select devices) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: 3 million | YouTube Music: 80+ million
Tidal: $22.99 (HiFi) | YouTube Music: N/A
Tidal: Unlimited | YouTube Music: Unlimited
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Not available
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Data not available
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 320 kbps standard
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: YouTube-hosted only
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Primary growth engine via YouTube Shorts
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Wider access via Partner Program
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Audio + Video (music videos, official content, shorts)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Requires YouTube Partner Program verification
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (Premium members)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 100+ million tracks
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Deep (Google Assistant, Workspace, Search, Android)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Ad revenue sharing, Super Chat, channel memberships
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 320kbps Opus (lossy)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.007 (blended average)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes - full catalog with shuffle
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Android, Wear OS, web browser only
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: YouTube ecosystem video performance + watch history
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.006-$0.012
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.002-$0.004
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Premium subscribers only
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.005-$0.009
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Android-optimized only
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 256 kbps AAC
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes — full library
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (ad-supported)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (auto-mix)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Google Assistant
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (preferred on Android)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $11.99/mo ($15.99 w/ YT Premium)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $26.99/mo (w/ YT Premium)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: No skipping allowed
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Unlimited downloads
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: ~0.3-0.4 cents per stream
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $22.88 saved (buy yearly)
Monthly Subscription Price (Premium/Paid Tier)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 100,000 watches/month (YouTube Partner)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Google Assistant (500M+ devices)
Annual Prime/YouTube Premium Bundle Cost
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $139.99 (YouTube Premium music only)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.003-$0.005
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: No (requires distributor)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 15-20 per hour
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Full integration with official videos/Shorts
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $11.99/month
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 100+ million songs
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Under 1 million (limited availability)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Select Google devices + Google Home ecosystem
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $18.99/month (6 accounts)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 256 kbps (AAC)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 100,000 songs maximum
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Full official videos
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Not applicable
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 70+ official videos
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Unlimited with Premium
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Separate subscription
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: No (Premium required)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Via distributor only
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $167.88/year
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: $143.88 standalone
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Millions of official videos
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: 360 Reality Audio (8,000+ tracks)
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Full YouTube podcast library
Tidal: N/A | YouTube Music: Advanced mood/activity detection AI
How to choose between Tidal and YouTube Music
Tidal vs YouTube Music — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Tidal vs YouTube Music. Contains 198 attribute comparisons, 3 FAQ pairs.
Tidal vs YouTube Music — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Tidal vs YouTube Music.
Is Tidal HiFi actually better quality than Spotify or YouTube Music?
Yes — Tidal HiFi streams FLAC at 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD quality, 1,411 kbps) compared to Spotify's 320kbps AAC and YouTube Music's 256kbps AAC. Tidal HiFi Plus goes further with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) up to 24-bit/192kHz — studio master quality. The difference is most audible with good headphones ($200+) or an external DAC/amp. On phone speakers or earbuds, most listeners cannot distinguish.
Is YouTube Music free with YouTube Premium?
Yes — YouTube Premium ($13.99/month) includes YouTube Music Premium at no extra cost. If you already pay for YouTube Premium to remove ads, you're getting a full music streaming service included. This makes YouTube Music arguably the best value music service for people who watch YouTube regularly.
No — Tidal has no free tier (unlike Spotify and YouTube Music which have ad-supported free tiers). Tidal requires a paid subscription starting at $10.99/month for HiFi lossless quality. There is typically a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.
How to Choose Between Tidal and YouTube Music
Maximum Audio Bitrate: Tidal has 9216 kbps (HiFi), while YouTube Music has 256 kbps (Premium tier).
Spatial Audio Support: Tidal has Dolby Atmos on all plans, while YouTube Music has Limited availability.
Song Library: Tidal has 110+ million songs, while YouTube Music has 100+ million songs.
Integration with Ecosystem: Tidal has Standalone platform, while YouTube Music has YouTube integration built-in.
Artist Payout Model: Tidal has Artist-first platform with higher payouts, while YouTube Music has Standard streaming model.
UI/UX Innovation: Tidal has Standard interface, while YouTube Music has Split-view Now Playing redesign (2026).
Target Audience: Tidal has Audiophiles and music enthusiasts, while YouTube Music has Casual listeners and YouTube users.