Apple Music vs TIDAL: Which is right for your music?

In the ever-evolving world of music streaming, choosing the right service can significantly elevate your listening experience. Apple Music and TIDAL, both launched in 2015, have emerged as major players in the industry, each offering unique features and high-quality audio. This comprehensive comparison will help you decide which service best suits your needs in 2024.

A Brief History: Apple Music vs TIDAL

Apple Music: Building on a Legacy

Apple Music launched in June 2015, building upon the foundations of iTunes and incorporating Beats Music, which Apple had acquired. From the outset, Apple adopted an aggressive strategy, leveraging its existing ecosystem and brand power. The service quickly gained traction, offering a vast library, exclusive content, and seamless integration with Apple devices.

Key milestones:

• 2015: Launch with Beats 1 radio
• 2019: Introduction of time-synced lyrics
• 2021: Addition of Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
• 2023: Launch of Apple Music Classical

TIDAL: The Artist-Centric Streaming Service

TIDAL also debuted in 2015, positioning itself as a premium, artist-owned platform focused on high-fidelity audio. Launched with great fanfare and backed by Jay-Z, TIDAL aimed to differentiate itself by offering superior sound quality and better compensation for artists.

Key milestones:

• 2015: Launch with emphasis on CD-quality audio
• 2017: Introduction of Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio
• 2021: Sold majority stake to Jack Dorsey’s Square (now Block)
• 2024: Merged HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers, offering high-res audio at a lower price point

Sound Quality Comparison

Both Apple Music and TIDAL pride themselves on offering high-quality audio, but there are some notable differences:

Apple Music:

• Offers Lossless Audio (up to 24-bit/192 kHz)
• Provides Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
• Uses Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

TIDAL:

• Offers HiFi quality (CD-quality, 16-bit/44.1 kHz) with FLAC
• Provides Max audio (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) with HiRes FLAC
• Provides Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos

TIDAL is often perceived to have a slight edge in audio quality, especially for trained listeners. However, the difference may not be noticeable to all listeners, especially when using Bluetooth headphones or lower-end audio equipment.

TIDAL also recently simplified its subscription model, offering its highest quality audio at a more competitive price point.

Music Discovery and Curation

Both Apple Music and TIDAL offer various features to help users discover new music, but their approaches differ slightly.

Apple Music:

• Personalized playlists like “New Music Mix”
• Radio stations, including Apple Music 1 (formerly Beats 1)
• Human-curated playlists
• “For You” recommendations based on listening history
• Search by lyrics

TIDAL:

• “My Mix” and “My Daily Discovery” personalized playlists
• TIDAL Rising program to promote emerging artists
• Human-curated playlists
• Track Radio feature

In our experience, TIDAL’s discovery features are more useful for finding new artists. In my experience, the algorithm is far better than Spotify, and I’ve discovered artists and songs I’ve never heard of through TIDAL. On the other hand, Apple Music tends to offer more well-known or mainstream songs.

However, Apple Music’s radio stations and live content are strengths with a wider selection than other streaming platforms.

Content Libraries

Both Apple Music and TIDAL boast extensive music libraries:

• Apple Music: Over 100 million songs
• TIDAL: Over 110 million songs

While TIDAL claims a slightly larger library, the difference is negligible for most users. Both platforms offer a vast selection of music across various genres, but you may find a few bands that you like that are on TIDAL but not Apple.

However, there are some differences in content availability, mainly when it comes to non-music content. For instance, Apple Music tends to have more Dolby Atmos mixes available compared to TIDAL. Both platforms also offer exclusive content like artist interviews and live radio stations. There are 650,000 videos on TIDAL, many of which are high-quality interviews.

Apple Music includes a karaoke feature called “Apple Music Sing,” which allows users to adjust vocal levels.

Apple Music’s integration with users’ existing iTunes libraries could be an advantage to some. Apple Music has the iCloud Library, which allows you to add your own music, and it syncs as if it were native to Apple Music.

User Interface and Experience

The user interface and overall experience can make or break your choice between Apple Music and TIDAL. Here’s how they compare:

Apple Music:

• Clean, familiar design consistent with other Apple products
• Integrated with the iOS ecosystem
• Some users find the desktop app less intuitive, especially on Windows

TIDAL:

• Sleek, minimalist design
• More customization options
• Some users find the mobile app UI to be unstructured

TIDAL’s search functionality has been noted to be less refined or accurate than Apple Music’s, particularly when searching for Dolby Atmos versions of albums.

However, many people do not like Apple Music’s large library approach. Their biggest pet peeve is that if you remove something from your library, it deletes it across all of your playlists. Additionally, if you switch your iCloud account to another country, your entire library will irreversibly and irrecoverably disappear. Props to whoever designed that.

Both services have their strengths in UI/UX, and the preference often comes down to individual taste and ecosystem integration.

Pricing and Subscription Options

As of 2024, TIDAL has adjusted its pricing structures to be more competitive with Apple Music. The table below contains up-to-date pricing information.

It’s worth noting that Apple Music is included in the Apple One bundles, which iOS users might appreciate.

TIDAL also offers an additional DJ-focused tier for $9/month on top of the regular subscription. As mentioned above, it allows the use of TIDAL’s music library with select DJ software and provides access to Stems.

Device Compatibility and Ecosystem Integration

The integration with various devices and ecosystems can be a crucial factor in choosing between Apple Music and TIDAL.

Apple Music:

• Seamless integration with Apple devices
• Available on Android devices and web browsers
• CarPlay integration

Apple Music’s integration with the Apple ecosystem is a significant advantage for some users. If you own a lot of Apple devices, Apple Music is probably more convenient simply because of the ecosystem features. If you are outside of the walled garden, there are often too many obstacles to jump through.

TIDAL:

• Available on iOS and Android devices
• TIDAL Connect for direct streaming to compatible audio devices
• Integrations with various hi-fi systems and DACs

Professional DJ Integration

TIDAL distinguishes itself with comprehensive DJ software integration through its DJ Extension add-on ($9/month). This unique feature provides:

• Integration with major DJ platforms (Serato, rekordbox, VirtualDJ, djay Pro, Denon DJ, and more)
• Access to TIDAL’s entire 110M+ song catalog for mixing
• Stem separation capability (varies by partner)
• High-quality audio streaming within DJ software
• Offline mode on select platforms
• Music video integration for visual mixing
• Curated DJ-focused playlists with BPM-specific collections

This professional integration makes TIDAL particularly appealing for DJs who need reliable, high-quality streaming access during performances, a feature currently unmatched by Apple Music or other major streaming platforms.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Which Service is Right for You?

Both services offer good sound quality and vast music libraries. Apple Music may have a slight edge in user interface and ecosystem integration, especially for Apple device users. TIDAL, on the other hand, may appeal more to audiophiles and those seeking a more artist-centric platform.

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your personal preferences, the devices you use, and the specific features you value most in a music streaming service. Both platforms offer free trials, so it’s worth experiencing both to see which one suits you better.

Apple Music vs Tidal: Frequently Asked Questions