TIDAL vs Apple Music: Which Is Better?

tide and Apple Music are two of the biggest names in streaming music. Both offer their own perks, and while Apple Music is more popular, there are key reasons why TIDAL and TIDAL HiFi remain popular in 2020.

Both services start at $9.99 a month or less with discounts, but TIDAL also has a HiFi solution with higher quality music streaming options — including studio master quality sound.

When comparing TIDAL and Apple Music, we’ll help you understand which sounds better and which is more valuable to you.

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Price and Discounts

The standard price for Apple Music or TIDAL is $9.99 a month, but there are a number of plans available from $4.99 to $29.99 a month. Here’s a breakdown of plans and options to enroll as a student, first responder, or military member.

All discounted plans require you to sign up and verify with a service. You must re-validate the student plan each year.

Free trials

There are many free trial options for Apple Music, and if you’re using Verizon, you can get a free trial for up to six months. TIDAL offers a standard 30-day trial, but you can also get five months for $5 – which is a pretty great deal if you want to try it out long term.

If you’ve already tried TIDAL, the five-month $5 plan should be available. For users who have tried Apple Music in the past, it’s possible to get a one-month trial shortly after, just open your app and search for an offer.

When any of the free trials or limited-time offers expire, the plan automatically switches to a paid subscription.

Music Quality Options

TIDAL offers higher quality streaming.

While Apple Music only offers one quality option, TIDAL offers a range of audio quality options for you to choose from.

Apple Music streaming quality is 256 kbps AAC and you cannot change this setting.

TIDAL streaming is available in four quality options;

You can set them up for streaming over WiFi, Cellular and downloads so you can manage how much data you use and work on slower connections.

Music Selection and Offline Playback

TIDAL and Apple Music offer similar music options. Both services have over 60 million songs in their libraries with lots of crossovers.

There are still some special and limited-time privileges, but you’ll mostly find the same music on every service.

TIDAL offers Hi-Fi quality for these 60 million tracks with a Hi-Fi subscription, and you can listen to over 200,000 Masters Quality songs with this subscription.

Both services allow you to download music for offline playback to save data usage or listen while on the plane or not connected to the Internet.

Apple allows you to download up to 100,000 songs on an unlimited number of devices signed in with the same Apple ID. TIDAL lets you download as many songs as you want to up to five offline devices.

Apps and Web

Apple Music and TIDAL offer apps on both iPhone and Android, as well as streaming in web and desktop apps.

Both apps work fine, but TIDAL is a bit easier to use. You can download music for offline playback and create and manage playlists on both.

Smart Speakers and Devices

Where can you stream TIDAL or Apple Music?

It offers tight integration with Apple Music, Siri, and HomePod. You can also use it with Alexa to control your music by voice. You can also use your Apple TV or Bluetooth speakers.

You can use Alexa or Google Assistant to play music with TIDAL. You can also listen on Apple TV and through a wide variety of audio and video equipment. You get support for many popular smart TVs and devices, as well as Chromecast.

TIDAL is the clear winner in terms of devices you can play on, but Siri could be an advantage over Apple Music depending on how you use your devices.

Playlists, Music & Discovery

Both services include custom and curated playlists.

Whichever app you choose, you’ll have access to curated playlists and an array of options to suit your musical tastes.

When you start using Apple Music, it asks for the artists you like and creates your playlists from it. TIDAL learns as you listen, and over time you have a My Mix section that is overflowing with mixes according to your tastes.

On the TIDAL home screen, you’ll find new albums, new songs to listen to, and other recommendations. This helps new content get on your radar. You can also explore playlists, radio stations and more on this screen.

You’ll find a selection of playlists made for you in the Apple Music app, and you can also see the best playlists and mixes designed for you.

Listening in the Car

Apple Music and TIDAL offer Apple CarPlay apps. You can use both apps with Android Auto.

If you do not have a car that supports these options, you can use Bluetooth, USB plug-in or listen in your car using a 3.5 mm headphone jack.