Tidal vs Spotify
Tidal is for people who care most about sound quality and have the gear to hear it. Spotify is the better all-rounder and still has a free plan.
- Individual
- $11.99/mo
- Duo
- Not offered
- Family
- $19.99/mo
- Student
- $6.99/mo
- Max quality
- Hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz
- Lossless
- Yes
- Hi-res
- Yes
- Catalog
- 110M+ tracks
- Free tier
- No, free plan ended in 2024
- Podcasts
- No
- Lyrics
- Yes
- Social
- Limited
- Artist payout
- Pro-rata, higher per-stream rate
- Individual
- $12.99/mo
- Duo
- $18.99/mo
- Family
- $21.99/mo
- Student
- $6.99/mo
- Max quality
- Lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz
- Lossless
- Yes
- Hi-res
- No
- Catalog
- 100M+ tracks, large podcast and audiobook library
- Free tier
- Yes, with ads
- Podcasts
- Yes
- Lyrics
- Yes
- Social
- Jam, Blend, shared playlists
- Artist payout
- Pro-rata, 1,000-stream minimum per track
Price
Tidal raised US prices in August 2026 (Tidal support). It's now $11.99 a month for one person and $19.99 for Family. Spotify is $12.99 and $21.99. Tidal has no Duo plan and no free tier. It dropped its free plan in 2024.
Price calculator
Not checked yet: SoundCloud. Left out until we confirm current prices.
US prices, checked Sep 26, 2026. Yearly figure is 12 months at the monthly rate.
Sound quality
Every Tidal plan includes hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz and Dolby Atmos. Spotify's lossless tops out at 24-bit/44.1 kHz (Spotify). If you listen on wired headphones or a streamer with a good DAC, Tidal is the clear winner. Over Bluetooth, both sound about the same.
Catalog
Both have well over 100 million tracks, so gaps are rare. Spotify has far more podcasts and includes audiobook hours with Premium. Tidal has more hi-res masters and video content from artists.
Features
Spotify's recommendations, Jam and huge device support are hard to beat. Tidal Connect works with a lot of hi-fi gear, and there's a paid DJ extension for supported DJ software.
Verdict
Pick Tidal if you have good headphones or a hi-fi system and want the best sound per dollar among the big names. Pick Spotify if you want better discovery, podcasts, a free tier, or a cheaper plan for two.