Apple Music vs Tidal: Which is Better

The music streaming industry has seen tremendous growth recently. Much of this success is down to the sharp rise in internet coverage worldwide. However, finding the best music streaming site is not a walk in the park. Apple Music and Tidal are some of the most used music streaming sites currently only second to Spotify. While Apple Music is great for any Apple device user, Tidal boasts of high fidelity lossless audio.

In this Apple Music vs Tidal comparison article, you’ll find out which one is the best online streaming service for ordinary users. Keep reading!

Apple Music vs Tidal: Subscriptions

Typically, a monthly subscription for Apple Music will set you back $9.99 in the US. With this membership, you can stream Apple Music’s catalog, access new releases and exclusives, and download music for offline listening. Tidal also costs $9.99/month for individual subscriptions, although, you can pay $19.99/month to get high fidelity lossless audio for the Tidal HiFi.

The subscription comparison doesn’t stop there, though, because both of them offer exciting student plans. While Apple Music provides a single $4.99/month Student plan, Tidal offers two – the $9.99 HiFi service and $4.99 Premium service. Just remember that you’ll need to re-verify your identity after 12 months on both of these platforms.

A typical Tidal family plan costs $14.99, just like Apple Music. But if you want superior audio quality, Tidal offers a $29.99 monthly subscription for the Tidal HiFi service. Active military personnel also get their discount with the Tidal Premium for only $5.99/month and HiFifor $11.99/month, respectively. Obviously, the outcome of the Tidal HiFivs Apple Musicduel is a no brainer.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Music Discovery

So far, Tidal offers tracks, curated playlists, Top 20 charts, albums, and editor’s picks. But it’s the curated playlists feature that’s the main selling point at Tidal. You’ll access playlists handcrafted by top music stars like Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Future, Kanye West and many others. Tidal editors also put up playlists such as the “Future vs Young Thug.” Lest I forget, Tidal offers hundreds of Full HD videos, including behind-the-scene footages, interviews, latest hits, etc.

As for the Apple Music, you can access a considerable music catalog with over 50 million tracks available. You’ll even be the first to get exclusive albums from Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, and Drake. You can also download up to 100,000 tracks, thanks to the iCloud Music Library. And guess what, you can go ahead and sync your Apple Music library to up to five devices using the same account. Overall, Apple Music slightly edges out Tidal here.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Music Quality

When it comes to Apple Music vs Tidal music quality, Tidal undoubtedly carries that day. Why do I say this? With Tidal Premium, you can stream music at an impressive bit rate of 320Kbps. Even better, the Tidal HiFi Plan streams at a mind-boggling bit rate of 1411Kbps (CD Quality). Apple Music, on the other hand, streams at a flat bit rate of 256Kbps. In short, Tidal will give you better music quality on your professional speakers.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Voice Assistants and Speakers

Talking of speakers, Apple Music subscribers can use powerful Siri as their DJ. With it, you can control song playback, add songs to the library, find song facts, queue up songs, or even select to play your best playlist. Honestly, this is one area where Apple Music bosses all the other popular music streaming services, including Spotify.

Other Apple Music compatible sound devices include Apple TV, Apple Watch, Homepod, and other Apple products. Tidal, however, can’t be accessed on many devices except Squeezebox, Sonos, Android TV, and Chromecast. Apple Music is undoubtedly the clear winner when it comes to built-in devices.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Music Sharing

Apple Music comes with an exciting social platform that allows users to follow fellow subscribers and share personal playlists. You’ll even know what your Apple Music friends are listening to. After all, there is nothing wrong with doing checking out your friends’ favorites.

Unfortunately, Tidal doesn’t boast of a similar social feature. But on a bright note, it allows users to connect to Facebook. This way, you can see which tracks your Tidal friends are listening to. You can also share music links via texts.

Below is a comparison table that summarizes what Apple Music and Tidal have to offer:

Apple Music vs Tidal: Final Verdict

So which is better, Apple Music or Tidal? Apple Music tends to be a bit quicker off the blocks with its music suggestions. It also boasts of a more balanced content in terms of music tastes. And if you invest in an Apple ecosystem, you’ll get a true value for the money.

With Tidal, you’ll get superior sound quality thanks to its 320Kbps streaming. But it’s the Tidal HiFi streaming plans that make it stand out from the rest. All in all, both Tidal and Apple Music are exciting music streaming services.

Tip: Because both Apple Music and Tidal are DRM protected, downloading your favorite tracks is not possible. Therefore, you can’t store them on your computer, phone, CD, USB, or even SD card for future playback. Lucky for you, you can download and install iTunes Audio Converter For Mac for Apple Music or Tidal Music Converter. With these powerful tools, you can convert your favorite tracks to popular formats like MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, AAC, or FLAC before downloading. You can also adjust the sample rate, bit rate, codec, and many more. Moreover, you can edit the volume pitch, speed, ID3 tag info, and more.

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For the complete guide, you should go to: Apple Music vs Spotify