Qobuz vs Tidal: 2024 Latest Comparison

Part 1. Qobuz vs Tidal: Overview

Qobuz is a French music streaming service. Founded in 2007, it is one of the oldest online music streaming platforms. Initially, the service was only available in a few overseas markets, including the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Now the company is expanding its service to more countries, including the US. Now, Qobuz is available in 24 countries. It offers lossless CD-quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and Hi-Res audio (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). Qobuz's plans include Studio and Sublime. They both have Solo, Duo, and Family plans.

Tidal is an American audio subscription service owned by Jay Z, launched in 2014. On Tidal, you can find music, audiobooks, podcasts, music videos, and more. It is available in over 61 countries around the world, which makes it a great choice for people across the globe. You can get lossless FLAC (up to 16-bit/44.1 kHz) and HiRes FLAC (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) audio. Now, Tidal has HiFi and HiFi Plus plans. They both have Individual, Student, Family, Military and First Responders plans. But starting April 10, 2024, you can get a cost-effective plan called 'Tidal'.

Is Qobuz better than Tidal? You can learn the Tidal Qobuz comparison in the following important aspects.

Part 2. Qobuz vs Tidal: Price Plans

Qobuz has two main subscription plans, Studio for $12.99 per month and Sublime for $14.99 per month (for an annual single payment subscription). They both offer three tiers, including Solo, Duo, and Family. Before you subscribe to them, you can enjoy a one-month free trial.

Similar to Qobuz, Tidal also has two subscription plans, HiFi and HiFi Plus. HiFi plans start at $10.99 per month, while HiFi Plus starts at $19.99 per month. Tidal also has a free plan that allows you to access all of Tidal's music library with some ads. However, only the two paid plans allow you to listen to music offline. In these two subscriptions, there are Individual, Student, Family, Military and First Responders to meet your needs.

📢 The latest news about Tidal plan is that Tidal decided to change its subscription. The Tidal HiFi and HiFi Plus are combined into a package. The latest plan called 'Tidal' costs $10.99/month. It provides functions of the original Tidal HiFi Plus plan but the price of it becomes cheaper. People who use the app's DJ integration feature will need to pay an extra $9/month.

💥 Tips: You can use AudFree Tidal Music Converter to download music from Tidal to play offline without HiFi/HiFi Plus.

In Qobuz vs Tidal price, Some of Tidal's plans are cheaper than Qobuz's. However, Tidal's special feature, free plan, cannot be used after April 10, 2024. But for its current HiFi subscribers, it is a good news because they can enjoy all features at a cheaper price.

🏆 Winner: Tidal

Part 3. Qobuz vs Tidal: Sound Quality

When it comes to Tidal vs Qobuz sound quality, you should consider two main factors. The bit rate in 'Kbps' represents the number of bits of sound in one second. Another key factor is the audio format, which can be lossless or lossy. Fortunately, both Tidal and Qobuz offer FLAC lossless formats. But Tidal also offers the MQA format. In comparison, the MQA format is considered a smaller file size with the same quality as the FLAC format.

Qobuz Audio Quality

Qobuz offers MP3 at 320 Kbps, CD quality at 16-bit/44.1 kHz, and high-resolution audio at 24-bit/up to 192 kHz.

Tidal Audio Quality

Tidal offers up to 320Kbps low quality, 16-bit/44.1 kHz in FLAC lossless quality, and up to 24-bit/192 kHz in MQA. Besides, Tidal provides lots of Tidal 360 Reality Audio and Tidal Dolby Atmos.

See More: Tidal HiFi vs Master: Which One Is Better

When talking about Tidal MQA, users have different opinions. Some of them think that it is an advantage for Tidal but others consider Tidal made the big mistake of going with MQA.

See More: How to Download Tidal MQA Files

📢 It's worth mentioning that you need a high-quality audio output device to truly enjoy Hi-Res and Hi-Fi audio files. Otherwise, you may hear no difference between MP3 audio files and Hi-Fi. Note that downloading higher-quality sound files takes more space than standard MP3 320Kbps files.

🏆 Winner: Tidal

Part 4. Tidal vs Qobuz: User Interface

Qobuz is available in three different forms: a web player, a PC app, and a mobile app. It has a very easy-to-navigate and intuitive system, though it might take a bit of time to get used to the finer intricacies of the various tabs. The Qobuz desktop app offers an exceptional user interface, and the mobile app has a dark mode and a standard interface. The mobile app is similar to the desktop app but with menu buttons at the bottom.

Tidal's UI is intuitive and straightforward, with a typical boxy layout that is prevalent among streaming apps. The web player and desktop app share identical dark-themed designs, which translates well on the mobile app. Tidal's desktop app and web player feature a stationary sidebar that houses all the important sections, making it easy to navigate the app.

Based on the search results, it seems that Qobuz has a more straightforward interface, while Tidal has more features and a more modern design.

🏆 Winner: Draw

Part 5. Tidal vs Qobuz: Music Library

Qobuz has more than 100 million tracks, including 60 million CD-quality tracks and 424,000 Hi-Res audio tracks. It's good for enjoying high-resolution music. But you can't find podcasts, audiobooks, and other types of content on Qobuz.

As for Tidal, it offers over 100 million tracks and 650,000 music videos in its music library. Users can find music in Tidal sections like Albums, Explore, and more. Plus, it offers over 25,000 songs in high-resolution quality. Users can access the newest and oldest exclusive interviews with their favorite artists, and more.

See More: How to Download Tidal Hi-Res Music

So, in Qobuz vs Tidal catalog data, Tidal has a larger library for users. If you want to listen to more types of songs, podcasts, and audiobooks and watch music videos, then you can choose Tidal. If you're an audiophile and want to stream Hi-Res tracks, you can go to Qobuz.

🏆 Winner: Draw

Part 6. Qobuz vs Tidal: Compatibility

When it comes to compatibility with Tidal and Qobuz, they both have a lot of options. They have apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and a web player version.

Not only that, but you can also install Qobuz or Tidal on your Apple TV, Roku or other digital devices. Tidal clearly has partnerships with more partners while only a few companies stream to Qobuz, such as Sony, Linn, etc. However, Qobuz allows users to stream music using Google Chromecast.

See More: How to Stream Tidal on Apple TV

📢 : Streaming music services have copyright protection for their music, which restricts them from listening to it only on their official apps. So, if you want to play Tidal music on some devices without the Tidal app, it will be a bit difficult. Thankfully, you can use AudFree Tidal Music Converter to transfer Tidal music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A and M4B with 100% lossless quality. Then you can freely import the converted Tidal music files to any device for listening.

🏆 Winner: Tidal

Part 7. Tidal versus Qobuz: Music Discovery

On Qobuz, there is a 'Discover' section that displays playlists across genres and similar albums based on the category you selected when signing up. There's also a 'News' section that discusses recent gossip and other happenings in the music industry.

However, Qobuz's recommendations are only based on high-resolution tracks in various genres and new music releases. This might be a problem for some subscribers who want to have custom playlists of their favorite artists, bands, genres, and more.

Advanced Tidal recommends personalized playlists for users based on what they like to listen to. In addition, Tidal also comes with categories like 'Recently Played', 'Mixed For You', 'New Albums Added Since You', and 'Suggestions'. These categories help subscribers discover new music based on their preferences. These algorithmically personalized tracks ensure Tidal subscribers have access to the music content they actually want to hear.

See More: Best Tidal Audiophile Playlists Recommended [2024 Hot]

🏆 Winner: Tidal

Part 8. Tidal vs Qobuz: Social Media

If you plan to log in to Tidal or Qobuz, you can use your Email. Besides, Qobuz supports using your Facebook account and Tidal allows you to log in with Facebook, Google, Apple as well as Twitter. This function allows for a streamlined login process and quick synchronization of your profile and social network information. It also makes it easier to share music and recommended albums with friends.

See More: How to Share Tidal to Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories

Additionally, you can find 'Qobuz Club', a subscribers-only social platform, to share their musical likes on Qobuz. Tidal has a 'Tidal Live session'. You can enjoy music and share your opinion with other fans in real-time. It is amazing that you can feel the vibes from anywhere and everywhere.

Part 9. Qobuz vs Tidal: Artist Payment

In terms of artist payment, Qobuz has been quite secretive with what royalties they pay out, but there have been figures such as $0.04 mentioned in articles that claim Qobuz is giving more back to artists than other services. Qobuz also offers the feature for artists to sell their music on the service, which brings in much more PPL money. During the first lockdown, Qobuz stood behind artists, donating 100% of all new first-month subscriber revenues to rights holders.

Tidal prides itself on its focus on artist ownership and ensuring the artists receive fair compensation for sharing their music with all of us. Tidal's Direct-to-artist payment is a monthly scheme where a percentage of your membership fee is given to your most streamed artist of the month. So you can actually control which artists benefit from your cash. However, Tidal recognizes some plans as discounted, and they do not count towards artist payout.

Overall, Qobuz's reputation for paying the highest royalties in the industry gives it a slight edge in this regard.

🏆 Winner: Qobuz

Part 10. Qobuz versus Tidal: Additional Features

Qobuz offers a unique feature called 'Qobuzissime', which is a selection of the best albums across various genres, curated by Qobuz's team of experts. They also offer exclusive editorial content, such as artist interviews and album reviews, as well as high-resolution audio streaming for audiophiles.

Tidal offers a feature called 'Tidal Rising', which highlights emerging artists and promotes their music to a wider audience. If you prioritize high-resolution audio streaming and exclusive live events, Tidal might be a better choice for you. If you value expertly curated music selections and exclusive editorial content, Qobuz could be the better option.

🏆 Winner: Draw

Part 11. Qobuz Tidal Comparison Table

Both Tidal and Qobuz are good platforms for listening to Hi-Res music. But they also have some differences in terms of pricing, music quality, and more. Check out the quick Tidal vs Qobuz comparison.

Part 12. How to Download Tidal Music as Local Files

Here you can get tips to download Tidal music on your computer locally. So you are easily able to upload your favorite Tidal music to other music players including Qobuz. The tool, AudFree Tidal Music Converter, we also introduce above. It is a practical Tidal music downloader, supporting reset sample rate, bitrate, channel and format like MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, M4B and M4A. With this tool, you can download and save batches of Tidal tracks at once time efficiently. Conveniently, it keeps the original ID3 tags of each song so you can classify them on your folder with no effort.

AudFree Tidal Music Converter

• Allow to customize output formats for Tidal music
• Convert Tidal music to FLAC, MP3, WAV, M4A, etc.
• Save Tidal audio forever on devices locally
• Keep all metadata for modifying and classifying

Download

Download

Step 1. Download, install, and open AudFree Tidal Music Converter on your Windows/Mac computer.

Step 2. Drag and drop songs from Tidal to AudFree software. Or you can copy and paste the song's link into the top 'address box' and click '+' to load songs.

Step 3. The default output format is MP3 and it's supported by most devices. If you want to change it, go to the 'menu' icon and then choose 'Preferences' > 'Convert'. Then you can reset it and you also can alter the sample rate, bit rate, and so on.

Step 4. Click 'Convert' at the bottom right to start the conversion process. Once completed, you can find the plain Tidal music files in 'history'.

Now you can listen to Tidal music offline without Tidal plans. You can also move these well-converted Tidal songs to other devices like Qobuz that don't support Tidal for free listening.

See More: How to Transfer Playlists from Tidal to Qobuz

Part 13. FAQs about Tidal vs Qobuz

Q1: Which Is Better, Qobuz vs Tidal Classical Music?

A: For the Qobuz vs Tidal classical music comparison, Qobuz is outstanding. Qobuz positions itself as a top choice for classical music streamers, highlighting that 19% of its library consists of classical music. Additionally, almost half of Qobuz's exclusive reviews focus on classical music albums.

Q2: Which Is Better, Tidal vs Qobuz vs Spotify vs Apple Music vs Deezer vs Amazon Music?

A: Qobuz is known for its extensive collection of high-resolution audio, particularly in the classical genre.

Tidal is well-known for its high-fidelity audio quality and is special in its artist-first and fan-centered platform.

Spotify offers a vast library of songs and playlists, personalized recommendations, and collaborative playlists.

Apple Music integrates seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, offering curated playlists and exclusive releases.

Deezer emphasizes music discovery with its 'Flow' feature and extensive editorial recommendations.

Amazon Music provides a wide range of music, including exclusive content for Prime members and integration with Alexa devices for voice control.

We can't say in general which is better. Each music streamer has their own characteristics. You can compare the areas you care about most and select a better music streaming service.

Part 14. In Conclusion

The comparison of Tidal vs Qobuz ultimately changes as their plans are updated. For now, if you're an audiophile and enjoy listening to Hi-Res tracks, both Tidal and Qobuz are good choices. But it's clear that their prices are a little different and Qobuz has a larger library of Hi-Res tracks.

Anyway, we hope this Qobuz vs Tidal comparison is helpful to you. By the way, the AudFree Tidal Music Converter is a great tool to help you listen to Tidal music. It allows downloading Tidal music even without a paid Tidal subscription. You can use it to listen to your favorite Tidal music anytime and anywhere.