Choosing the right music streaming service: Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal or Qobuz?

In recent years, music streaming services have cemented their position as the dominant platform for music consumption. These services, easily accessible through smartphones – the primary device for many users – provide unlimited access to expansive libraries of music, both online and offline. Spotify spearheaded this revolution, offering a blend of free and premium services, thus democratising music access through a user-friendly interface enriched with curated playlists and radio stations.

However, other services have carved out their niches, presenting a rich array of options for discerning listeners. Tidal resonates with audiophiles seeking the pinnacle of sound quality, offering CD-quality and hi-res streams. Apple Music emerges as the go-to choice for iPhone users, integrating seamlessly with the iOS ecosystem, while Qobuz appeals to purists with a penchant for hi-res audio devoid of any compression.

As users navigate the sea of options available, considerations extend beyond just music quality and user interface. According to ExpressVPN, a growing concern is the stance and practices of these platforms concerning privacy and data collection policies. Prospective users are urged to scrutinise the privacy policies of these services to ensure a secure and comfortable user experience.

Selecting a streaming service has hence evolved to be a highly personal choice, influenced by individual preferences in audio quality, user experience and budget considerations, alongside respect for user privacy. Prospective users are urged to leverage free trials in order to explore the unique offerings and interfaces before committing to a service potentially for the long haul. This preliminary research paves the way for a tailored music listening experience, optimally aligned with the user’s lifestyle and preferences. Here’s a breakdown of the four major services:

Tidal: Supreme sound and expansive library

As a pioneer in high-quality music streaming, Tidal has revamped its service to become even more accessible. Its enriched catalogue, characterised by great sound quality and hi-res Masters tracks, facilitates an exceptional auditory experience – a hallmark of the brand. The standard plan now encompasses lossless 16-bit 44.1kHz audio streams, a feature that was previously only available premium plans.

Under the umbrella of the newly introduced Tidal HiFi and Tidal HiFi Plus, subscribers enjoy uninterrupted access to audio with up to CD quality and even immersive sound formats like Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Audio recordings. The latter permits access to millions of hi-res tracks encoded using MQA technology, a detail that promises efficient packing of high-resolution data, despite some critics.

The service’s US-based customers can make use of the Tidal Free plan, which offers a substantial library of tracks accompanied by educational interruptions to foster understanding of the music industry. Available through various platforms and devices, including a browser-based player, Tidal assures compatibility with a range of products from reputed manufacturers through Tidal Connect. Despite having a premium price tag, this service remains a strong contender for enthusiasts seeking remarkable sound quality, direct artist payments and comprehensive device support. For individuals untethered to the Apple ecosystem and eager to explore high-quality streaming with a vast catalogue and improved discovery features, Tidal stands as a compelling choice.

Spotify: A gateway to endless music

With its user-friendly interface and exhaustive discovery features, Spotify securely holds its position as a leading choice for music aficionados. It facilitates anintuitive navigation through an extensive library, albeit missing a few prominent artists due to recent disagreements over the platform’s approach to misinformation and paying for music.

Despite the absence of lossless or high-resolution offerings – a shortfall that distinguishes it from its contemporaries – Spotify still stands strong, offering commendable quality of around 320kbps. Its unmatched algorithm skilfully crafts weekly playlists tailored to individual preferences, evolving as users engage more with the service. This attribute notably augments the experience, fostering a personalised music exploration journey.

The accessible Spotify Connect further enhances this, enabling seamless streaming across a wide array of devices including smart TVs and connected speakers. While it has followed in the steps of Tidal by increasing its subscription rates, it maintains a level of accessibility through its student discounts and an ad-supported free tier.

Spotify’s anticipated HiFi tier, promising “CD-quality” lossless audio, hints at an exciting enhancement in sound experience, with tracks potentially being elevated from the existing “Very High” 320kbps bitrate to a substantial 1411kbps. Despite the delay and existing speculations around its launch, this signals a promising augmentation to Spotify’s offering, aiming to deliver a richer auditory experience to its substantial user base, who eagerly await the upgrade that intends to revolutionise their music-listening journey with improved sound quality. The potential upgrade has kept interest piqued, ensuring Spotify remains a strong contender in the dynamic landscape of music streaming services.

Apple Music: Tailored for the Apple ecosystem

Apple Music emerges as a highly competitive option in the music streaming landscape, especially for users already integrated into the Apple ecosystem. The service shines with its meticulously curated playlists and a commendable catalogue of over 100 million tracks, offering CD-quality and high-resolution audio options to enhance the listening experience. While the Music Voice Plan comes at a budget-friendly price of £5 per month, it restricts access to premium features such as spatial audio and lossless audio. To unlock these, one would need to opt for individual or family plans, priced at £11 and £17 respectively.

A highlight of Apple Music is its support for spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless audio, delivering rich sound quality without additional charges. The service also provides complimentary access to the Apple Music Classical service – a boon for classical music enthusiasts.

However, it’s important to note the hardware restrictions that accompany the high-quality audio offering. Not all Apple devices support the high-res lossless format; moreover, to enjoy tracks above 24-bit/48kHz on an iPhone, users will require an external DAC and wired headphones, incurring added expenses.

Despite not disclosing the bitrate for standard streams, Apple Music guarantees a crisp and captivating sound, showcasing a finer subtlety and clarity compared to its counterparts, and even rivalling Tidal’s openness and subtlety in ALAC streams. For Apple users valuing hi-res sound and immersive audio experiences, Apple Music presents itself as an attractive, value-for-money choice.

Qobuz: The hi-res lover’s choice

Despite not being as renowned as some of its competitors, Qobuz asserts itself as a potentially superior choice for audiophiles, priding itself on advanced file quality through its offering of FLAC streams up to 24-bit/192kHz. Accessible at a starting price of £12.99 per month, users can explore an eclectic catalogue that showcases an impressive array of hi-res and CD-quality streams, available extensively across desktop, mobile and integrated car systems via its Carplay Online feature.

A distinctive trait of Qobuz is its AI-powered recommendation engine, termed My Weekly Q, which promises a personalised playlist derived from the listening habits of individuals with music tastes akin to the user’s, enhancing the discovery of new musical gems. Moreover, the service triumphs with the filter options in its search engine, presenting a user-friendly interface that encourages easy navigation.

However, Qobuz has its fair share of downsides, most notably in its library, which, although diverse, doesn’t quite match the robust offerings of its rivals, harbouring conspicuous gaps in its music catalogue. While it champions a substantial hi-res library, it falls slightly short when compared to Tidal’s hi-res streams in terms of timing and dynamics.

That said, Qobuz carves out a niche by being the pioneer in bringing 24-bit hi-res audio streaming to Sonos speakers, standing as a favourable option for users within the Sonos ecosystem. Given its ever-evolving library and unique features, it certainly warrants consideration, especially for users eager to explore a large hi-res library. It’s advisable to take advantage of Qobuz’s free trial to gauge its compatibility with specific music preferences.

The editorial unit