Top 6 Tidal to FLAC Converters (Free & Paid)

Part 1. Why Converting Tidal to FLAC

Before starting to convert Tidal to FLAC format, first, let's learn more about why you need to do that.

Lossless Audio Quality: FLAC is a lossless format. It can preserve the original quality of Tidal HiFi tracks without compression.

Future-Proof Format: FLAC is widely supported across devices and apps, ensuring longevity and compatibility for future playback.

Enhanced Listening Experience: Audiophiles prefer FLAC for its superior sound quality, especially when using high-end audio equipment.

Offline Listening: Getting editable Tidal FLAC files, users can play Tidal music offline with high-quality audio anytime.

Part 2. How to Convert Tidal to FLAC Losslessly via AudFree Tidable

It is a shame Tidal doesn't offer a download option on the desktop app. Don't worry. You can use other Tidal to FLAC converters to do so. The tool in this part is highly recommended.

AudFree Tidal Music Converter is the top 1 Tidal FLAC downloader in our list. It is specially designed for downloading FLAC from Tidal losslessly. All the downloaded tracks have no copyright restrictions, and you can use them freely.

As an all-in-one Tidal music solution, this smart software can do more than just a FLAC Tidal music converter. It is also capable of converting Tidal to other audio formats, including MP3, WAV, AIFF, Lossless, M4A and M4B. It can also detect and preserve all ID3 tags of Tidal music, such as title, genre, year, album art, etc.

AudFree Tidal Music Converter runs at up to 37X faster speed to obtain Tidal FLAC downloads on Windows and Mac computers. With this tool, you can play Tidal files on any media player, game console, smartphone, Bluetooth speaker, etc. outside of the Tidal app.

Now, let's see how to download FLAC from Tidal with AudFree Tidal Music Converter. Please first download and install the tool on your computer to get ready. Next, refer to the following detailed tutorial to start.

Step 1Load Tidal music to AudFree Tidal to FLAC Converter

AudFree Tidal Music Converter allows you to add your Tidal songs, playlists or albums from the built-in Tidal web player window. Simply find the album or playlist you want to download from Tidal and click them to go for details. Then, tap the '+' button > 'Add to list' to load the whole Tidal playlist.

Step 2Set Tidal output format as FLAC

As the default output format of AudFree Tidal Music Converter is MP3, you need to change it manually. Go to 'Menu' from the upper-right corner and select the 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' option. Here in this settings window, you can select FLAC as the Tidal output format and customize other parameters according to your needs.

Step 3Convert Tidal to FLAC losslessly

The final step is to hit the 'Convert' button from the 'Converting' window to launch the converting process. AudFree Tidal Music Converter will start to convert Tidal to FLAC local files while keeping the original sound quality and full ID3 tags. Once completed, you can hit the 'Converted' icon to open the history list and locate all downloaded Tidal FLAC files in the destination folder on your computer.

Video GuideHow to Get FLAC Tidal downloads

Follow this video to learn how to get local FLAC Tidal music with AudFree Tidal Converter.

Part 3. How to Download FLAC from Tidal Freely

It is noted that AudFree Tidal Music Converter is not free totally. It only offers a forever free trial but with limits. So, if you want a free Tidal to FLAC downloaders, here, we have listed 2 free tools for you.

Tool 1: How to Get Tidal FLAC Downloads Freely via Tidal-dl & Tidal-gui

Tidal-Media-Downloader is a free Tidal converter to FLAC on GitHub. It is an open-source and cross-platform tool that allows you to download tracks, albums and playlists from the built-in Tidal web player. What's more, it is convenient for you to download Tidal videos to M4A. It has two versions: Tidal-gui for Windows and Tidal-dl for Windows, Mac, Linux and even Android.

When working as a Tidal music downloader, it is able to automatically add metadata information to Tidal songs. You can choose the output Tidal quality from Normal to Master. However, note that you must rely on a paid Tidal subscription. In addition to that, some newly released Tidal songs cannot be downloaded timely.

How to Download Tidal FLAC via Tidal-gui

Step 1. Open Tidal-gui and it will bring you to the Tidal web player.

Step 2. Please sign in to your Tidal account. And then it will require you to link your device to your Tidal account by entering the device code.

Step 3. After that, please go back to the Tidal-gui and it will show a new window below.

Step 4. You can copy & paste the link of Tidal music into the search box of Tidal-gui or search for a certain song to download.

Step 5. Click the target Tidal music that you want to download to FLAC. Then the download window will pop up.

Step 6. Now, you can customize output Tidal FLAC download quality as Normal, High, HiFi, or Master.

Step 7. Once done, please hit on the 'Download' button to download Tidal music to local FLAC files.

How to Download FLAC from Tidal via Tidal-dl

Step 1. Run Tidal-dl and enter "1" to log into your account.

Step 2. Type "2" and click "Enter" to configure FLAC as the output format and HiFi as the audio quality.

Step 3. Copy the Tidal music link to Tidal-dl to download Tidal as FLAC files.

Tool 2: How to Download FLAC from Tidal for Free via Athame Tidal Downloader

Athame Tidal Downloader is also a free and open-source tool released on GitHub. It offers a straightforward way to download Tidal music for offline listening. Also, it provides a user-friendly method for building an offline collection of your favorite tracks.

However, it is worth noting that the Athame Tidal Downloader is only available for Windows. And it may take a long time to rip Tidal playlists, and the output quality is not ideal.

Step 1. Find the Athame Tidal Downloader software on GitHub and download the software.

Step 2. Once installed, open it and enter your Tidal account credentials (username and password). Click "Log in" to access your Tidal account.

Step 3. Click the "Settings" icon in the top-right corner and choose the output format as FLAC and customize other settings according to your preferences.

Step 4. Open the Tidal app and find the Tidal playlist that you want to download in FLAC format.

Step 5. Copy the playlist link, go back to Athame Tidal Downloader, and paste the link into the "URL" textbox.

Step 6. Click the "Add" button to load the Tidal playlist, then you will see the Tidal music show up in the download queue.

Step 7. Click the "Start" icon to start getting Tidal FLAC downloads.

Part 4. How to Rip Tidal to FLAC

Apart from using Tidal downloaders, you can also apply a traditional ripping and recording way. They not only can grab Tidal audio but also offer functions for editing and trimming your recordings. Here are 2 Tidal music recorders for you to get Tidal to FLAC audio files.

Tool 1: How to Rip Tidal Music to FLAC via AudFree Audio Capture

As a full-featured streaming music recording tool, AudFree Audio Capture can grab any audio from applications on your computer (including Tidal) without losing the original quality. Besides, it can record audio as FLAC, MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A and other formats. With the built-in audio editor, it can also split recorded Tidal FLAC tracks and customize ID3 tags of Tidal audio.

The flexible output setter is another attraction of this tool. It enables you to adjust the encoder, channels, sample rate, bit depth, and even output presets of Tidal music according to your needs.

Step 1. To begin, please install the AudFree Audio Capture and Tidal app on your desktop. Then, open the AudFree software and choose the "Select/Add an App" area to add the Tidal app to AudFree Audio Capture.

Step 2. Next, head to the "Format" section at the bottom. Here, select "FLAC" as the output format and choose the quality you want. Next, locate the "Edit" icon next to it and hit on it. Then you can go to customize other parameters like encoder, sample rate, bit depth, etc.

Step 3. Once set up, click "Create and apply" to save your settings and leave for the main interface. Now, touch the Tidal option from the added apps list and hit "Start" to open the Tidal app. Then you can start to play your favorite Tidal song. Then AudFree Audio Capture will automatically start ripping Tidal HiFi tracks to FLAC without protection.

Step 4. After recording, touch "Stop" to finish the process. If needed, touch the "Trim" and "Edit Tag" buttons on Tidal recordings to trim unpleasant tracks and edit metadata info of Tidal music. Thereafter, you can save FLAC files to your local computer by using the "Save" button.

Video Guide: How to Rip FLAC from Tidal via AudFree Audio Capture

Tool 2: How to Download from Tidal FLAC via Audacity

Audacity is a free and open-source audio recorder and editor that can record Tidal music and export the recordings for offline listening. It can keep high-quality Tidal audio and allows you to export Tidal recordings to multiple file formats, like FLAC.

Moreover, Audacity provides a range of editing tools to enhance the audio quality, trim unwanted portions, and apply effects, thus you can customize your Tidal FLAC recordings to your liking. However, there are some drawbacks to downloading FLAC from Tidal using Audacity, such as it's not user-friendly for new users. If you don't mind that, you can follow the steps below to learn how to get Tidal FLAC download for free.

Step 1. Download and install Audacity on your desktop, then open it.

Step 2. Click the "Edit" option from the top-left corner. Then choose "Preferences" > "Audio Host Box" > "Windows WASAPI" to set up the playback devices.

Step 3. Set "Recording Device" to "Loopback: Tidal", then play the Tidal song or album you want to download in FLAC format.

Step 4. Press the red "Record" button in Audacity to start recording.

Step 5. After recording, you can edit the audio as you like with the provided functions.

Step 6. Once you have recorded the Tidal song, you can export the recording as a FLAC file by clicking on "File" > "Export" >> "Export as FLAC". Choose the location where you want to save the FLAC file and click the "Save" icon.

Part 5. How to Get FLAC Tidal Downloads Online

If you don't wanna download a program on your device to get Tidal FLAC music, you should consider an online Tidal downloader. Unfortunately, we cannot find a direct Tidal FLAC downloader online. But everything is possible. With the help from Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder & Online-Convert, you can reach the goal. Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder is an online MP3 recorder and Online-Convert is an online MP3 to FLAC converter.

Section 1. How to Use Apowersoft to Get Tidal MP3 Downloads

Step 1. Visit the Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder website and click "Start Recording".

Step 2. Before recording, select the system sound (output) as your audio source.

Step 3. To record the audio of Tidal music, you can select "Browser Tab".

Step 4. Then select the Tidal tab and tap "Share tab audio" > "Share".

Step 5. Once the Tidal recording is started, you can use "Pause" to leave the recording for later and resume the recording when you're back.

Step 6. After stopping the recording, you can simply click "Save" to download the Tidal audio file in MP3 format.

Section 2. How to Use Online-Convert to Convert Tidal MP3 Files to FLAC

Step 1. Go to its website and click "Choose File" to add your Apowersoft MP3 file.

Step 2. Then you can define some settings in the following "Optional Settings" list.

Step 3. Now, you can hit the "Start" button. Afterwards, please "Download" the converted Tidal FLAC file onto your device.

Part 6. Compare 6 Tidal to FLAC Converters

Above are the Tidal to FLAC downloader we shared with you. But which one is better for you? You can check the comparison table below to learn more before choosing.

Features	AudFree Tidable	Tidal-dl & Tidal-gui	AudFree Audio Capture	Athame Tidal Downloader	Audacity	Apowersoft & Online-Convert
Supported OS	Windows, Mac	Tidal-gui: Windows Tidal-dl: Win/Mac/Linux/Android	Windows, Mac	Windows	Windows, Mac, GNU, Linux	Online
Input Formats	Any Tidal music	Tidal music and videos	Any audio	Any Tidal music	Any audio	Any audio
Output Formats	FLAC, MP3, M4A, AIFF, Lossless, M4B, WAV	FLAC, M4A	FLAC, MP3, M4A, AAC, M4B, WAV, AIFF, OGG, MP2, WMA, AU, etc.	FLAC, MP3	WAV, AIFF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC and MP2	MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, OGG
Output Quality	Lossless	Lossless	Lossless	Lossy	Lossy	Lossless
Conversion Speed	37X	Real-time	Real-time	1X	Real-time	Real-time
Tidal Paid Subscription Needed	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Batch Download	✔	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌
Retain ID3 Tags	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌
Customize Output Parameters	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌
Ease of Use	✔	❌	✔	❌	✔	✔
Security	High	Low	High	Low	Medium	Low
Price	Free Trial; $14.95/month	Free	Free Trial; $14.95/month	Free	Free	Free

Part 7. FAQs about Tidal FLAC

What's the Difference between Tidal FLAC vs AAC vs MP3?

FLAC is short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, which is similar to MP3 but in a lossless format. AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding, which is an audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression. AAC is the successor of MP3 but with better sound quality when encoding the same bit rate. The 'high-quality' tracks offered by Tidal Free stream in 160 kbps AAC format.

What Is the Best Tidal FLAC Downloader?

After carefully evaluating various ways, it is evident that AudFree Tidal Music Converter stands out as the top choice. It is the ideal tool for obtaining high-quality FLAC files from Tidal. Its advanced output formats, faster & lossless conversion capabilities, and user-friendly interface ensure an unparalleled listening experience.

Will I Lose Audio Quality after Converting Tidal to FLAC?

No. If you use a professional Tidal to FLAC downloader, it will keep the original audio data when converting.

Part 8. Summary

With lots of Tidal to FLAC converters in the market, you can easily get and enjoy Tidal FLAC audio. If you prefer free tools, you can pick up Tidal-dl, Tidal-gui, Athame, etc. Yet, they have limitations, including low output audio quality, insecure, etc. So, if you want a better listening experience, you can't miss the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. It downloads music from Tidal in lossless audio quality. And it provides other 5 output formats besides FLAC so you can upload the downloaded music to plain platforms.

If you have used other tools, you can share your experience in our comment section to let more friends know.

See also: How to Download FLAC from Deezer