The Audiophile
TIDAL review 2026
MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio are gone – TIDAL now runs entirely on open FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Tidal Connect lets your network streamer pull straight from the cloud while your phone becomes the remote.
€12.99 / month
Visit provider TIDAL (external link, opens in new tab)Key facts at a glance
- Audio
- Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos
- Lossless
- Yes
- Dolby Atmos
- Yes
- Catalogue
- 110M+ tracks
- Payout model
- Pro-rata, above-average payout
- Per stream
- $0.0128–0.0135
- Strength
- Open FLAC, Tidal Connect & Roon Ready
- Best for
- Hi-fi systems, network streamers, Roon users
How TIDAL ranks in the market
-
Price Rank 6 of 8cheapest service = rank 1
-
Audio quality Rank 1 of 8highest resolution = rank 1
-
Artist payout Rank 2 of 8highest payout per stream = rank 1
Our review
TIDAL has evolved from an expensive niche service into a hi-fi favourite for everyone. For €12.99 you get more than 110 million tracks in guaranteed lossless quality – up to studio masters at 24-bit/192 kHz, plus Dolby Atmos. TIDAL has completely removed the controversial, licence-bound MQA format and Sony 360 Reality Audio; the entire catalogue now runs on the open FLAC standard.
For hi-fi owners, Tidal Connect is the strongest argument: the network streamer pulls music straight from the cloud while the phone acts only as a remote. Together with Roon Ready certification, that is the gold standard for audiophile setups. Artists benefit too: at around $0.013 per stream, TIDAL pays significantly more than Spotify.
Our verdict: if you own a dedicated system, reject proprietary formats and care about fair pay, this is the most mature product technically. Students pay just €4.99 – less than anywhere else.
Features
- Offline downloads: Yes
- Synced lyrics: Yes
- Podcasts in the app: No
- Audiobooks included: No
- Upload your own music: No
- CarPlay & Android Auto: Yes
- Sonos: Yes
- Stream to speakers & streamers: Yes Tidal Connect
Changes at TIDAL
- Prices in the comparison updated
- TIDAL raises prices in Europe
- TIDAL removes MQA and 360 Reality Audio
- TIDAL: hi-res at no extra cost
TIDAL head to head
Against every other service in the comparison – point by point, with a clear recommendation.