Tidal vs YouTube Music: A Complete Comparison for 2025

Part 1. Tidal & YouTube Music: Overview

Tidal is a music streaming service that puts audio quality and artist support at the forefront. Launched in 2014, it has grown into a platform that offers over 110 million tracks in lossless audio formats. Tidal's commitment to high-fidelity sound, including options for HiRes FLAC and Dolby Atmos, makes it popular and the go-to platform for audiophiles and music enthusiasts. In addition to its crystal-clear audio quality, Tidal also prides itself on its artist-centric approach, offering exclusive content and a program called Tidal Rising to support emerging artists.

YouTube Music is a music streaming service from YouTube, which is founded by Google in 2015. It combines songs, music videos, and live performances all in one place. YouTube Music's popularity stems from its seamless integration of audio and video content, allowing users to switch between listening to a song and watching its music video effortlessly. Many people view YouTube Music as a versatile platform that goes beyond just audio streaming.

Both services cater to different preferences in the music streaming world, with Tidal focusing on audio quality and artist support, while YouTube Music emphasizes variety and video integration.

Part 2. Tidal vs YouTube Music: User Interface

Tidal and YouTube Music app are both available on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. But to avoid too much length, the following only shows the images of Windows version of Tidal and YouTube Music.

Tidal User Interface (on Desktop)

YouTube Music Interface (on Desktop)

Regarding user interface, both Tidal and YouTube Music provide seamless and user-friendly platforms. Below, we've compared the different content you will get in different sections within the Tidal app and the YouTube Music app.

Winner: Both
Tidal's interface is designed to prioritize music discovery through curated playlists and exclusive content. It has a simple layout that makes browsing for albums, playlists, and artist information straightforward.

YouTube Music, on the other hand, integrates closely with YouTube's broader platform. Its interface is also user-friendly, with easy access to music videos, live performances, and user-generated content. This design is especially appealing for users who enjoy watching music videos alongside listening to tracks.

Part 3. Tidal vs YouTube Music: Audio Quality

Both Tidal and YouTube Music provide different levels of audio quality, and the choice depends largely on your listening preferences and equipment.

Tidal is famous for its audio quality, offering lossless and high-resolution audio options. The standard quality starts at 320 kbps (AAC), and it supports FLAC, HiRes FLAC, and Dolby Atmos audio up to a maximum of 9216 kbps.

Whereas YouTube Music, you may wonder "does youtube music have lossless audio?" Unfortunately, it doesn't. However, it is decent for casual listening, especially for users who are not highly sensitive to small audio nuances. Check out more data in the table below:

Winner: Tidal
Tidal is the clear winner when it comes to audio quality. It offers lossless and high-resolution audio options that surpass YouTube Music's maximum bitrate of 256 kbps.

Part 4. Tidal vs YouTube Music: Pricing

Tidal and YouTube Music offer several subscription plans to suit different needs, but there are a few notable differences in their pricing structures.

When it comes to pricing, Tidal and YouTube Music have very similar plans across individual, family, and student subscriptions, with only slight differences. Tidal puts a heavy emphasis on music quality and artist support, offering a special DJ extension add-on for users who want more curated content.

Meanwhile, YouTube Music pulls its content mainly from YouTube videos, so if you're already a YouTube Premium subscriber, subscribing to YouTube Music might be more cost-effective, as it bundles both services together.

Both platforms cater to most users' needs with personalized recommendations, offline listening, and ad-free play. However, the biggest difference comes with what is offered to free users. Since Tidal focuses more on generating revenue for its artists, it will only offer its high quality sound to its members, while YouTube Music has a lot of music videos produced and published by individuals, so you can listen to all the songs even if you don't pay for them, just as you can watch most of the videos for free on the YouTube platform.

Winner: Both
There is no clear winner here; it all depends on your personal preferences. Tidal's prices are affordable for you if you care about sound quality, and YouTube's prices are attractive if you care about diverse music content. Just saying, if you don't plan on subscribing to any of the music platforms, but still want access to a wide variety of songs, YouTube Music has a slight edge, as it provides more content for free.

Part 5. Tidal vs YouTube Music: Music Library

In terms of music library, Tidal has a larger collection of tracks, however YouTube Music stands out for its wider range of music videos and genres. This is why many users say YouTube Music is better for music discovery, as its large library of millions of tracks and videos. So, if you want to broaden your musical horizons and find new content, YouTube Music can be the best option.

Winner: YouTube Music
YouTube Music takes the win for its expansive music library, which not only includes a wide range of tracks but also offers millions of music videos, live performances, remixes, audiobooks, and podcasts.

Part 6. Tidal vs YouTube Music: Device Compatibility

Tidal supports a wide range of devices, from portable devices and audio streamers to car systems, giving you direct access to Tidal. One of the best features of Tidal is Tidal Connect, which allows you to connect to Tidal-compatible devices. If you're a Tidal subscriber, you can use Tidal on up to five different devices at the same time.

YouTube Music also supports many devices, and as long as a device supports YouTube, you can download the YouTube Music app. A standout feature of YouTube Music Premium is the ability to use the same account on up to 10 devices.

Winner: Tidal
Tidal offers more flexibility with device compatibility and the added benefit of Tidal Connect. While YouTube Music allows for more devices per account, Tidal's device variety and simultaneous device usage make it a stronger choice for users looking for versatility.

Part 7. Tidal vs YouTube Music: Offline Listening

Tidal and YouTube Music both support offline listening, but there are key differences. Tidal only allows downloads on mobile devices, while YouTube Music supports downloads on mobile and desktop via the YouTube Music app. Tidal offers high-quality downloads, but YouTube Music's Smart Downloads feature automatically saves songs based on your listening habits, including those you've heard and those you haven't. However, both platforms require a premium subscription for offline listening.

Winner: YouTube Music
YouTube Music allows downloads on more devices and has Smart Downloads, making offline listening more convenient. However, if you want the highest quality downloads, Tidal is still the better option.

Bonus Tip 1: How to Listen Offline on Tidal without a Subscription

Tidal requires a premium subscription to download music, but there's a way to save songs offline without paying. ViWizard Tidal Music Converter allows you to download and convert Tidal tracks to MP3, FLAC, or other formats in HiRes audio quality. Once converted, you can transfer the songs to any device and listen without an internet connection or a subscription.

Key Features of ViWizard Tidal Music Converter

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• Download full songs, albums, playlists, and artists from Tidal without ads offline
• Convert Tidal tracks in bulk at up to 35x faster speed
• Export Tidal music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B
• Support various quality options up to a maximum of 24-bit, 192 kHz

Bonus Tip 2: How to Listen Offline on YouTube Music without a Subscription

YouTube Music doesn't allow free users to download songs, but you can use the ViWizard Audio Capture to record music from YouTube Music, or other music streaming platforms you like. ViWizard records the sound playing on your PC or Mac and saves it as a universal format, like MP3. After recording, you can listen to the YouTube music offline without paying for the subscription.

Key Features of ViWizard Audio Capture

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* Security verified. 5, 481,347 people have downloaded it.

• Record any audio from streaming services, live broadcasts, and system sounds
• Support multitrack recording and save files in MP3 and more formats
• Automatically detect and retain ID3 tags while allowing manual editing
• Offer flexible audio splitting and merging tools for full customization

Part 8. Comparison Overview Chart: Which One Is Best for You?

Winner: It depends on your priporities
If you prioritize sound quality, Tidal is the best choice.
If you want easy access to music videos, broader content variety, and greater device flexibility, YouTube Music stands out.

Part 9. Final Verdict

Both Tidal and YouTube Music offer great music streaming experiences, but they cater to different needs. Tidal stands out with Hi-Res FLAC audio, exclusive content, and superior sound quality, making it the best choice for audiophiles. YouTube Music, on the other hand, excels in music discovery, video content, and broad device compatibility, making it ideal for casual listeners who enjoy variety. Ultimately, the best platform depends on your listening preferences, budget, and device setup.