# Alternatives to Tidal

Hi-res streaming with artist-friendly payouts.

Tidal ranks #10 of 10 in Music streaming, with an Alt Score of 37. It is proprietary, sold by subscription and available on Web, iOS and Android. 4 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tidal/
Category: Music streaming

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Audiophiles and dedicated music listeners who want the highest available streaming audio quality rather than standard-bitrate streaming, and who care about how their listening supports artists.
- **What you get**: Every Tidal plan includes lossless FLAC (16-bit/44.1kHz), Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz, and Dolby Atmos Music across a catalog of 180+ million tracks. The service is ad-free with offline downloads and editorial playlists curated by Tidal's in-house team. Tidal also runs Tidal Rising, a program that spotlights and funds emerging artists.
- **How it works**: Subscribe to an Individual, Family, or Student plan, then stream or download tracks through Tidal's app on phone, desktop, or Tidal Connect-compatible hardware, with playback quality set automatically based on the track and output device.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Subscription (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Deezer](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/deezer.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [Spotify](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spotify.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 3 | [YouTube Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/youtube-music.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [Amazon Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/amazon-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Apple Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [Pandora](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pandora.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 7 | [SoundCloud](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/soundcloud.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Qobuz](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/qobuz.md) | 60 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 9 | [Bandcamp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandcamp.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Music streaming checklist | Tidal | Deezer | Spotify | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Apple Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starts at | ? | $11.99/month | $12.99/month | ? | $13.99/month | $10.99/month |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Lossless / hi-res tier | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier with ads | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Offline downloads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Artist payout reputation | ? | Partial | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Podcasts included | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Music videos | ? | Partial | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Lyrics | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Import playlists from competitors | ? | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Web player | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Tidal. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “© 2025 TIDAL”
- **Pricing model**: Subscription — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Subscription automatically renews on a monthly basis. Cancel anytime”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch”
- **Status**: active — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Thank you for choosing TIDAL! We're always improving your listening experience and updating our app regularly.”
- **Lossless / hi-res tier**: Yes — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Millions of songs in HiRes lossless sound quality up to 24-bit, 192 kHz and Dolby Atmos”
- **Free tier with ads**: No — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Ad-free listening, unlimited skips”
- **Offline downloads**: Yes — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Offline mode”
- **Family plan**: Yes — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidal-music-hifi-sound/id913943275> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “TIDAL Family $22.99”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/