Qobuz vs. Tidal: Which Hi-Res Music Streamer Is Best in 2025?

Part 1. Qobuz & Tidal: Brief Overview

What Is Qobuz?

Qobuz is a French digital music store and streaming service with over 100 million tracks. Unlike most music streaming platforms, Qobuz also supports the purchase of music in lossless formats. Many users have stated online that "Qobuz is one of the places where I can buy music in lossless CD quality". Clearly, Qobuz's dedication to music quality has been recognized by many users.

What Is Tidal?

Tidal is becoming increasingly popular and a mainstream music platform due to its high sound quality and vast music library. Compared to Qobuz, Tidal is more like an artist centric platform. It pays artists higher fees than other music platforms and guarantees their high fidelity (HiFi) and lossless music. In addition, due to Tidal's loyalty to sound quality and music creation, it provides integration with different DJ software, making it more widely used by audiences.

🌟 Qobuz vs Tidal Basic Info

Part 2. Qobuz vs Tidal Price Plans

Qobuz Price

Qobuz offers two subscription plans: Qobuz Studio and Qobuz Sublime. Under these two plans, there are subdivided into Individual, Duo, Family, and Student, depending on the number and type of subscribers. This is more flexible than the Tidal plan. But you should note that the price of Qobuz depends on whether you pay monthly or annually. If you pay monthly, all the prices are higher than Tidal except for student which is cheaper than Tidal. So Qobuz is more suitable for those who can pay for a yearly membership at once.
➡️ See Also: How to Get Qobuz Student Discount in 2025

Tidal Price

Tidal canceled the previous free plan, and combined HiFi and HiFi Plus into one plan called TIDAL. You'll notice that Tidal doesn't require you to pay yearly to get the cheaper price. Even for the family plan, the price is about $17 per month, which is a dollar less than Qobuz's price. Meanwhile, the price of a single account is not much different between Tidal and Qobuz. So, all things considered, Tidal is more cost-effective.
➡️ See Also: 10 Ways to Get Tidal Free Trial 1/3/4/6 Months [Latest]

💰 Qobuz vs Tidal Price Comparison

🏆 Winner: Tidal
Overall, Tidal has a lower price, especially for family plan, although it doesn't have a Duo plan or a one-time annual payment price. If you're a student, maybe Qobuz would be a better choice.

Part 3. Qobuz vs Tidal Audio Quality

Qobuz Sound Quality

Qobuz offers three sound qualities: MP3 320Kbps, CD Quality (16-Bit/44.1 kHz) and Hi-Res Audio (24-Bit/ up to 192kHz). Qobuz uses FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), which allows you to hear the songs in their original quality. This format does not require special hardware, except for the DAC, which can handle high sample rates (up to 24-bit/192 kHz).
➡️ See Also: How to Download Qobuz FLAC in 24-Bit Quality

Tidal Sound Quality

Tidal offers three sound qualities, Low (up to 320kbps), High (up to 16-Bit/44.1kHz) and Max (up to 24-Bit/192kHz). There are a lot of people who look at Qobuz HiRes vs Tidal MQA to compare the sound quality of the two, but it's worth noting that Tidal has upgraded its MQA (Mastering Quality Authentication) to Hi-Res FLAC, which is designed to provide users with completely lossless sound quality. So, technically, Tidal offers the highest sound quality up to FLAC 24-Bit/192kHz, just like Qobuz!
➡️ See Also: How to Download FLAC from Tidal [PC & Mobile]

🏆 Winner: Qobuz
In my listening tests with the Chord Mojo 2 DAC, Qobuz consistently presented a slightly more open and natural soundstage. The Qobuz store also supports Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD) audio formats, so the sound quality is more specialized and refined than Tidal.

Part 4. Qobuz vs Tidal Catalog

🏆 Winner: Tidal
Tidal is a great app for users who want access to mainstream music and exclusive content. Qobuz excels for niche music lovers, especially classical and jazz.

Part 5. Qobuz vs Tidal User Interface

Qobuz User Interface

Qobuz's app is clean and functional and prioritizes information and searchability. However, Qobuz does not prioritize showcasing popular music, but rather some relatively niche music. Secondly, because Qobuz has a variety of features, including online streaming, a music store section, and built-in magazines, the user interface of Qobuz may not be intuitive enough for new user.

Tidal User Interface

Tidal's interface is more modern and meets the aesthetic preferences of young people. The user interface focuses more on displaying personalized recommendations and playlists, as well as some popular new song recommendations. I really like its dark theme, which gives an immersive feeling.

🏆 Winner: Tidal
In my daily usage experience, the interface design of both music platforms, whether on the computer or mobile phone, is quite user-friendly. However, from the user's perspective, Qobuz tends to be more commercialized, while Tidal excels because it can provide you with more well-rounded music content.

Part 6. Qobuz vs Tidal Compatibility

Qobuz Device Compatibility: Available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web player, and a variety of Hi-Fi audio systems (e.g., Sonos, Bluesound).
Qobuz Integration: Roon.
Qobuz Connect: It has just been released (launched in May 2025) and supports relatively few devices. It focuses more on connecting to speakers and audio systems.

Tidal Device Compatibility: Available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web player, and integrates with smart devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and smart TVs.
Tidal Intergration: Roon, Tidal Connect, Car integration (Carplay, Tesla, Android Auto and more), DJ integration (Rekordbox, djay, DEX 3 and more).
Tidal Connect: It has been widely used and is compatible with various devices. However, according to user feedback, there are some connection problems, such as frequent dropouts.
➡️ See Also: Easy Guide to Use Tidal Connect

🏆 Winner: Draw
Tidal has wider compatibility on more devices. However, there are some connection issues when using Tidal Connect, which can reduce widespread compatibility. Qobuz, on the other hand, doesn't support as many devices as Tidal, but has a more reliable connection. That's why it's hard to tell the winner of this game.

Part 7. Qobuz vs Tidal Features

Qobuz Exclusive Features

• Digital Music Store: Qobuz is not only a streaming platform but also a digital music store. You can permanently purchase and download high-resolution music in DRM-free audio formats, which is rare in streaming services. Users with Sublime subscriptions can also enjoy discounts on purchasing Hi Res albums, making it an ideal choice for music collectors.
• Selected Editorial Content: It includes in-depth artist profiles, album reviews, and curated playlists written by real music journalists, which attracts audiophiles and serious music enthusiasts who want more than algorithm driven recommendations.

Tidal Exclusive Features

• DJ Integration: Tidal places great emphasis on the music creation of its creators, so one of its major features is Tidal's integration with many DJ apps. This feature allows you to directly log in to your Tidal account in collaborative DJ software, such as Serato, rekordbox, and djay, to access your music library and achieve online seamless music mixing


• Dolby Atmos: In addition to lossless HiRes FLAC audio quality, Tidal also supports the Dolby Atmos, providing you with an immersive surround sound experience.

🏆 Winner: Draw
Both Qobuz and Tidal have their own special features, and there's no one-size-fits-all winner here. It depends on what kind of listener (or creator) you are. If you're an audiophile or collector who values ownership, sonic purity and editorial depth, Qobuz is your best bet. If you're a music creator, DJ or immersive sound enthusiast, Tidal offers more relevant tools and experiences.

Part 8. Qobuz vs Tidal Offline Listening

Qobuz Offline Listening

• Downloads for Offline Playback: Qobuz allows members to download music for offline listening through its desktop and mobile applications. The format is usually in high fidelity FLAC (up to 24 bits/192kHz), depending on the quality of the original audio source. But these downloaded music are in encrypted format, which means you cannot play them on apps or players outside of Qobuz, and once your subscription ends, offline tracks will also disappear.
• Downloads for Collecting Music: If you purchase a song or album, you can download its lossless audio files and keep them permanently without subscribing to Qobuz membership. The best thing is that they do not contain DRM and can be played on any device.

Do you want to download music from Qobuz and permanently save it without actually making a purchase? ViWizard Streaming Audio Recorder can help you achieve this! This is an all-in-one music downloader that helps you download any music in MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B formats on Qobuz, while preserving 24 bit 192kHz quality. You can click the download button and try it out today!

Streaming Audio Recorder

A versatile all-in-one streaming music recorder to extract songs, albums, playlists, and exclusive content from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora, SoundCloud, Qobuz and LINE MUSIC into popular formats like MP3 — with support for original sound quality, fast batch conversion, and built-in music management to help you save, organize, and enjoy your favorite tracks anytime, anywhere.

Free Download

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Tidal Offline Listening

Tidal also allows users to download music for offline playback, which is part of its subscription. Whether you use a mobile phone or desktop application, you can download full albums, playlists or singles in Hi-Res quality.

However, all offline downloads are DRM-protected and cannot be exported or played outside the Tidal app. When the subscription ends, all downloaded music will be unavailable. Unlike Qobuz, Tidal offers no options to purchase or permanently own music.

How to Download Music from Tidal to Computer & Mobile

Wanna download music from Tidal to your devices? This post is introducing how you can download Tidal music to phones, computers, and more.

If you want to keep your Tidal downloads forever, ViWizard Tidal Music Downloader is one of the best solutions. It allows you to download Tidal tracks, playlists, albums, and music library in open file formats such as MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, etc. In this way, you can freely play them anytime, anywhere on any device, and still have the highest Tidal audio quality offline.

Tidal Music Downloader

A splendid Tidal downloader for both free and paid users that downloads full songs, albums, playlists, artists, and audiobooks to MP3, FLAC, WAV, and more while keeping the original lossless audio and ID3 tags so you can save Tidal music offline on Windows, Mac, or any device without streaming restrictions.

Free Download

Free Download

🏆 Winner: Qobuz
Both platforms allow you to download music for offline playback. However, Qobuz allows users to download music files of music by purchasing them for their permanent collection.

Part 9. Comparison Overview Chart

Final Verdict: Should You Choose Qobuz or Tidal?

Choose Qobuz if:

• you want to achieve unmodified and perfect sound quality.
• you love classical, jazz, or acoustic genres.
• you value human-curated content and detailed liner notes over algorithms.
• you have a high-quality DAC.

Choose Tidal if:

• you prefer pop music, R&B, and hip-hop music.
• you enjoy discovering new music through playlists created using professional algorithms.
• you want to get Dolby Atmos audio effect.
• you value exclusive content and support your favorite artists in a direct way.

But anyway, the best way to evaluate Qobuz and Tidal is to personally use them every day and make the most suitable decision for you. If you want to enjoy Qobuz and Tidal music offline with the least amount of money, you can use ViWizard Streaming Audio Recorder and ViWizard Tidal Music Downloader to download your favorite music.