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Tidal Review

Depends

Should I use Tidal?

Not disclosed - tidal.com

· 1 month ago

Buy if hi-res sound and artist-first streaming matter more to you than price and polish. Skip if you want cheap, reliable background music — Spotify does that for less.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~15 public sources; unrelated companies named 'Tidal' (Cyber, Software, Audio speakers, Cloud) excluded.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support-quality evidence found
  • Security postureNo public vulnerabilities found in sources

Pricing

$11.99/mo

Individual

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo

Best for

  • Audiophiles with hi-fi gear
  • Spotify switchers chasing better sound
  • DJs needing high-quality streaming
  • Listeners who prioritize artist payouts

Not for

  • Casual background-music listeners — pure overkill
  • Anyone wanting a free tier
  • Budget streamers after the 2026 price hikes
  • People who prize playlist organization — reviewers call it weak

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Free tier removed in 2024 — no costless way to test it long-term

medium

Hi-res plan reportedly $19.99/mo, double the base price; users question the value

medium

Experience is polarized: users say it is 'either great or it's' broken

low

DJ community has organized in protest of fee increases

Pros and cons

Pros

  • High-quality and hi-res audio is the headline feature
  • Free playlist transfer from rival services
  • Users praise the library and recommendations
  • One switcher reported no noticeable audio downside

Cons

  • Users report broken features and inconsistent reliability
  • Subscribers report a 2026 price increase
  • No free tier since the 2024 overhaul
  • Tidal Connect called clumsy and battery-draining

Sources & method

- 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x6news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $11.99/mo

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Price hikes; $19.99 hi-res tier questioned
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Clumsy Connect, broken features reported
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Hi-res audio, DJ use, developer API
  • Support quality. No support-quality evidence found
  • Security posture. No public vulnerabilities found in sources
  • $11.99/mo Starting price Individual plan, Tidal's most popular
  • None Free tier Removed in 2024 plan overhaul
  • 3M+ Claimed users Wikipedia; ~721K US-based per SoundGuys
  • $19.99/mo Hi-res tier price User-reported high-res plan price

Pricing

Individual

$11.99/mo

  • Full catalog
  • High-quality audio
  • Most popular plan

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Switchers praise sound quality and the library but report inconsistent app reliability, weak organization, and rising prices.

“Tidal hasva good library, decent algorithm”
Reddit, r/TIdaL (Worth it?)
“Tidal: too many broken features”
Reddit, r/TIdaL
“Tidal connect very clumsy”
Trustpilot reviewer
Full analysis

Based on ~15 public sources; unrelated companies named 'Tidal' (Cyber, Software, Audio speakers, Cloud) excluded.

Superb hi-res audio for audiophiles; everyone else gets bugs, no free tier, and rising prices.

Methodology

Based on ~15 public sources; unrelated companies named 'Tidal' (Cyber, Software, Audio speakers, Cloud) excluded.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Subscription Types - TIDAL Supportsupport.tidal.com
    official
  2. TIDAL pricing pagetidal.com
    official
  3. TIDAL homepage (free transfer)tidal.com
    official
  4. Worth it? : r/TIdaLreddit.com
    review
  5. Price increase announcement : r/TIdaLreddit.com
    review
  6. I love Tidal's high-quality audio, but I'm still going back to Spotify - What Hi-Fi?whathifi.com
    review
  7. TIDAL Music: HiFi Sound - Google Playplay.google.com
    review
  8. Tidal overhauls plans, removes free tier - HardwareZonehardwarezone.com.sg
    news
  9. How does Tidal justify the $19.99/month price for high res? - Roon Communitycommunity.roonlabs.com
    review
  10. Read Customer Service Reviews of tidal.com - Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  11. Tidal (service) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  12. Is this the end of Tidal? - SoundGuyssoundguys.com
    news

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