Deezer vs Tidal: In Depth Analytical Review

The two most known online music streaming platforms, Deezer & Tidal are massively been loved by the slant community. Most of the slant prefers Deezer over Tidal, whereas there are people who carry different opinions as well. let’s find out about Deezer vs Tidal.

Deezer is ranked 3rd worldwide. Plus This online streaming service is available in more than 180 countries, which is huge!

On the other side, Tidal is ranked 7th, which is also the first music streaming service globally. It has hi-def audio and video quality, along with the playlists curated expertly.

Now the question is, “Which one is better among Deezer Hifi vs Tidal?”.

Clearly, it is that easy to decide as both the services provide similar features. Such as, both of them allow the audiophiles to access thousands of tracks just simply by tapping the touch screen. However, Besides these obvious features, there are also few differences that we want to look at in a deeper way.

This review will definitely help you to decide, who is better. Because we will be comparing Deezer vs Tidal in-depth, through this you can decide the perfect match for you! Plus, we will also be revealing some interesting features of Deezer and Tidal that you have never heard of before! So, keep on reading.

Specifications

Feature
Deezer
Tidal
Platforms
Android, Web, iOS, Windows, 
iOS, Web(Chrome for Hifi), Android,  Windows, MacOS,
Availability
182countries
54countries
Number of audio/songs
40million
60million
Offline download 
Available 
Available 
Audio Quality
128 kbps(Free) 320 kbps MP3(Premium) 1411 kbps FLAC(HiFi)
320 kbps AAC(Premium) 1411 kbps ALAC/FLAC(HiFi)
Algorithmic Radio
Yes 
No
User-created playlists
Yes 
No
Other platforms
Blackberry, Apple Watch, Android TV,  Hisense, Bang & Olufsen TV,  Samsung TV, LG TV, Sony Bravia, Amazon Fire TV, etc.
Cyrus players, Apple CarPlay ,  Sonos, iTunes, Google Chromecast, Bluesound,TV apps
Subscription  Price
$14.99/month(HiFi) $12.99/month(Premium) $14.99/month up to 6 family members(Family)
$19.99/month(HiFi) $9.99/month(Premium)
Playlist sharing
Available
Unavailable
Feature
Deezer
Platforms
Android, Web, iOS, Windows, 
Availability
182countries
Number of audio/songs
40million
Offline download 
Available 
Audio Quality
128 kbps(Free) 320 kbps MP3(Premium) 1411 kbps FLAC(HiFi)
Algorithmic Radio
Yes 
User-created playlists
Yes 
Other platforms
Blackberry, Apple Watch, Android TV,  Hisense, Bang & Olufsen TV,  Samsung TV, LG TV, Sony Bravia, Amazon Fire TV, etc.
Subscription  Price
$14.99/month(HiFi) $12.99/month(Premium) $14.99/month up to 6 family members(Family)
Playlist sharing
Available
Feature
Tidal
Platforms
iOS, Web(Chrome for Hifi), Android,  Windows, MacOS,
Availability
54countries
Number of audio/songs
60million
Offline download 
Available 
Audio Quality
320 kbps AAC(Premium) 1411 kbps ALAC/FLAC(HiFi)
Algorithmic Radio
No
User-created playlists
No
Other platforms
Cyrus players, Apple CarPlay ,  Sonos, iTunes, Google Chromecast, Bluesound,TV apps
Subscription  Price
$19.99/month(HiFi) $9.99/month(Premium)
Playlist sharing
Unavailable

Features and benefits of Deezer: In details

Audio Quality

Truly speaking, the audio quality of Deezer HiFi has attractively gotten into a higher note. This is basically the result of the upgrading. It already had ‘better’ or ‘attractive’ options before the upgrade, so after it the results it offers you have become more exclusive.

 Apart from the excellent quality of bit rate 320kbps and a standard of bit rate 128kbps, Deezer gives you a better and improved offer of ‘HiFi’ at a bit rate of 1411kbps. Moreover, it also offers audio files that are totally uncompressed as well as encoded in the format FLAC.

Music Library

Whether it be Tidal or Deezer or any other Spotify, these services display millions of songs for their users. Similarly, Deezer offers more than 54 to 56 million podcasts, tracks, and playlists.

Compatibility

In terms of compatibility, Deezer works excellently on Android, Web, iOS, Windows, and other platforms like Blackberry, Roku, Apple Watch, Android TV, Chromecast, Hisense, Bang & Olufsen TV, Samsung TV, LG TV, Sony Bravia, Amazon Fire TV, etc along with other wi-fi speakers & systems.

Moreover, in any Parrot in-car Carplay or system, Android Auto, or any other MusicCast devices, this online music streaming service allows the users to have their way with any device they have.

However, it does not have any exclusive artist window like competitor Tidal. But, it gives you the opportunity to play on any platform, which is such a feature that you cannot ignore.

Paste

Music Discovery

Deezer, with a view to exploring music, designs playlists, channels & shows. You can look for any specific album, artist, song, etc by typing the name in the search bar.

Deezer is super organized, not only the shows and the playlists, the format is automatically designed in such a way that the songs you play are kept in an appropriate list and the other songs of the same type or genre pops up daily for a recommendation.

Availability

Deezer bears an attractive and all-inclusive portfolio when it comes to availability. It is not only available in the United States but also in 181 other countries!

Besides, Deezer has an inbuilt lyrics utility, which is a great spot for experiencing and discovering fresh tracks as well as playlists. But as stated earlier, it does not have any exclusive artist window or album; interestingly, this feature of Deezer enables it in growing the business by larger size.

Furthermore, the user is also allowed to customize the tracks according to their preference, bringing forward an idiosyncratic feel every time.

User Interface

Deezer is super user-friendly, which means it has a kind of interface that is easy-to-navigate, including its lyrics feature. It allows the user to see the lyrics whenever she/he selects any track/song to play.

Moreover, the interface and appearance of Deezer are praiseworthy. It has a lot of space in order to make any moves, making it a quite clean and spacious service.

Review: How was my experience using it? And what are the Pros and cons?

Personally, I loved the UI of Deezer and its functionality is smooth enough. Also, it is well organized and the sound quality is also good. I have also pointed out the pros and cons of this music streaming service, below.

Pros

  1. The Deezer is available in more than 180 countries around the globe.
  2. It has a huge collection and a vast of songs which is more than 40 million. 

iii. It comes with built-in lyrics, which means it has a lyrics feature where you can see the lyrics while playing the track.

  1. This music streaming service comes with a radio! I mean radio-like service known as ‘Flow’ which plays music randomly based on your choice.
  2. Deezer is available on a vast number and types of platforms, such as Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, smart TV, etc.

Cons

  1. It doesn’t contain any settings to configure “Flow”, but it was advertised:

Flow doesn’t work as the way it was told. The idea is it listens to what you like and adds suggestion tracks. Here you can play music randomly according to your choice. But it mostly plays your selected song over and over. Sometimes it also pops in some sort of track you would never like/ listened to before(of the same type). I haven’t found any settings to fix this problem.

  1. Sometimes the songs skip automatically:

In spite of being a premium user, I have faced this problem which is a bit annoying. 

  1. Audio Distortions occurs sometimes:

Though it is very rare, I have faced it once. Sometimes the audios are cut in the middle or at the end which can be really frustrating.

Read: How to Make All Speakers Work on Surround Sound

Subscription Plans

You have already known about the subscription fee of Deezer from the table above, yet to tell more in detail this paragraph is for.

Deezer offers four packages among which one is free. Firstly, the Deezer premium package charges around $9.99/month and there is a limitation in sound quality in this package, which is a bit of around 320kbps. However, don’t need to worry as there won’t be any sort of ads during this streaming session.

Then comes the HiFi and family package. Both of them cost around $15 per month, in Deezer Family you can cover more than 3 and up to 6 profiles, but the mobile app use is a bit limited here.

And in Deezer HiFi, you can enjoy high fidelity sound, millions of FLAC songs/tracks – 16-bit 1,411 kbps without any loss which will make you feel like you are in any recording studio. Besides, you can also play any song without the disturbance of any ad and can listen to it offline as well.

Both the packages offer high-end audio compatibility and also lets the users

enjoy very clear music on their home sound system.

Lastly, the free one which I named ‘the student-friendly one’! It is totally free of cost, where the sound quality is 128 kbps. This is very standard quality, however, you might feel the sound a bit compressed, but it is considerable I guess, as it is free, right? Also, there is a condition, if you want to use it for free. Read below to know about it.

Before that let’s have a look at the Deezer subscription plans’ list:

Deezer Free: It is free

Deezer Premium: $9.99 USD per month

Deezer HiFi: $14.99 USD per month

Deezer Family: $14.99 USD per month

Getting back to the condition, with Deezer’s free subscription, the user can only enjoy/listen to the playlists and songs online. If that’s a problem for you then don’t worry, there is a solution! ,

You can download the Deezer music offline with the help of professional music downloading tool. This will help you to play all the tracks offline.

Read: Jbl Xtreme vs Onyx Studio-Let’s Find Out The Differences

Features and benefits of Tidal: In details

Audio Quality

By now you might have already known about Deezer, so among Tidal vs Deezer, Tidal has a better audio quality. The MQA or Master Quality audio allows the users to receive the best streaming quality.

How does TIDAL deliver MQA?

MQA files are basically compressed via a procedure called ‘Music Origami’. This process is used to turn them enough small in order to download or steam along with getting the best streaming quality.

At first, Tidal utilizes the core decoder compression technology of MQA in order to get the initial unfold and deliver a great quality, specifically higher than the CD quality. This initial unfold is able to deliver an output of bit 88.2kHz to 96kHz.

Then the Master Quality audio Renderers does the second unfold. It comes in the shape or form of products like headphones or Digital Analog Converters. After pairing with any core decoder the final unfold is completed. This will enable the user to experience exactly the artist’s creation.

Music Library

Among Tidal music vs Deezer music, both of them have millions of tracks and songs available in their service. The official amount of tracks Tidal offers is more than 70 million! It is a huge number, highlighting the fact that the music library is updated with current and old playlists and around 54 countries of the world can play them Therefore, Tidal covers all sorts of(almost) music in a different field.

Unlike Deezer, it has exclusive windows for the artists. Plus, the music you can not find or find on Deezer can be found on Tidal. So, in this regard, Tidal is shining!

Compatibility

Tidal is accessible through different types of applications. Besides, this music streaming service is a grooming platform for some known names, such as Rhianna, Kanye West, etc. And it also helps you to come in contact with such big artists just by enabling access through the mobile client and desktop app.

It works on iOS, Web, Android, Windows, and macOS. Note that, if you want to use Tidal Hi-fi on the web, you have to use chrome. 

Moreover, few recent reports have stated about Tidal’s expanding into Cyrus players, Apple CarPlay, Sonos, iTunes, Google Chromecast, Bluesound, and TV apps.

Music Discovery

Tidal’s music list keeps updating consecutively. It has an option named “What’s New”, where it contains expertly curated albums, playlists, artists, Tidal videos, and podcasts, etc. These are categorized by moods, genres, events, and much more. Plus, like YouTube, it also suggests playlists and tracks according to the user’s usual practice, choice, and preference.

Availability

Three years ago, Tidal got a celebrity-studded re-launch after which it has got a rise. Currently, this music streaming service is available in more than 52 countries. 

Clearly, in this case, Tidal is not inferior to Deezer, yet Tidal is aiming to expand it more internationally in the future. The more it grows, the greater content from it will keep coming. Therefore, it is quite something to look forward to for the Tidal users.

Read: Best Front Speaker: Home Theater

User Interface

In terms of user interface Tidal is decent. Its flow functionality works like an agent which finds the music of any genre that might fit the user’s mood of the moment. Besides, it can also play music randomly depending upon the user’s suggestion or favorite music. 

Review: How was my experience using it? And what are the Pros and cons? 

Tidal is great! The reason I choose tidal over Spotify is that it has room integration and better audio quality than the CD-quality audio. And also how can forget to mention about its streaming and lossless! 

I have also pointed out other pros and some cons of this music streaming service, below.

Pros 

  1. It has amazing sound quality. The bit rate of its maximum streaming quality is 1,411Kbps, which is FLAC formatted (lossless files). 
  2. It offers Discounts to the students.it gives around a 50% discount for students who are making the monthly payments. To avail of this discount and enjoy its features you need a valid university email id or g suite account. 

iii. It is an awesome desktop application.

  1. This music streaming service has a mobile app that comes with a built-in option to search audio.
  2. It provides huge discounts to veteran and Military persons.

Cons

1) The songs sometimes may take time to load:

This music streaming service sometimes buffers for near around 10 seconds loading or playing any song. Also, sometimes the tracks buffer in the mid-way.

2) It is not free:

Tidal only offers a 7-day trial which helps to learn about the service, But in this limited time, it might not be possible to get a complete picture of it. 

Subscription Plans

In order to use Tidal, you have to pay for sure. Unlike Deezer, it does not provide any free streaming service, but it gives around a 50% discount for students who are making the monthly payments. 

To avail of this discount and enjoy its features you need a valid university email id or g suite account. There are zero free tiers in Tidal except for a trial of 7-days.

The premium plan includes a standard sound quality at 320kbps costing $9.99 USD. Tidal Hi-Fi costs $19.99 USD per month with a lossless high fidelity audio quality at 1411 Kbps and 9216 Kbps in MQA. It also provides Dolby Atmos Music and 360 Reality Audio.

Moving on to the family package, it is two types, family premium, and family HiFi. Actually, not only the family package but also the other sessions contain premium and HiFi subscription plans.

Coming back to the point, the family premium is worth $14.99 USD, where you can add up to 5 additional family members excluding you. Here the sound quality is around 320 Kbps.

And family HiFi is $29.99 USD per month, where you can also add up to 5 additional family members excluding you. So what’s the difference?

It’s the sound quality. You will get lossless high-fidelity audio/ sound quality at 1411 Kbps and 9216 Kbps in MQA. It also provides Dolby Atmos Music and 360 Reality Audio.

Moreover, there are some Military plans, which have some terms and conditions for eligibility and it is only available in the US. The Military premium costs $5.99 USD and Military HiFi cost $11.99 per month. This plan is not available in all regions.

Similarly, there is a Community Heroes plan, which is available to EMS, EMT, Police officers, and Firefighters and it is only available in the US. The Community Heroes – First Responder Premium plan costs $5.99 USD and the Community Heroes – First Responder HiFi is $11.99 USD per month.

Remember, the price range of HiFi, Premium, Family plans depend on the local currency and region. Also, the student plan requires to be re-verified every year.

Tidal’s subscription plan:

Premium Standard: $9.99 USD per month 

Tidal Premium Family: $14.99 USD per month

Premium Student: $4.99 USD per month

Tidal Premium Military: $5.99 USD per month

Premium First Responder: $5.99 USD per month

Tidal HiFi Standard: $19.99 USD per month

HiFi Family: $29.99 USD per month

Tidal HiFi Student: $9.99 USD per month

HiFi Military: $11.99 USD per month

Tidal HiFi First Responder: $11.99 USD per month

Deezer or Tidal: Which one is better and why?

In this detailed discussion on Deezer HiFi vs Tidal HiFi, many known and unknowns features of both services have come to light. After viewing and considering all the aspects, I think Tidal is the best option for audiophiles. Especially for its audio quality, high fidelity audio.

If compared Deezer does not yet provide high-fidelity audio, still it works great for most users. Plus, Deezer is available in almost all the countries of the globe and it has an easy interface that attracts people to sail through it.

Both the music streaming services are great, but if I have to choose the best one it would be Tidal, as it has excellent high fidelity audio and also it aims to widen the scope of the fresh, upcoming, and new artists. Also, I believe, what serves the objective of streaming music is the service’s capability to provide the user with quality music. So, for me, Tidal.

However, if the audio quality is not exactly what drives the user, then it is not an easy call to make. And truly speaking, both of them are quite similar in terms of features. So, between Deezer vs Tidal which one to choose, the call is completely yours.

 If you prefer audio quality over anything then Tidal, or if you want to enjoy the music streaming service for free then Deezer.

FAQ

Are Deezer and Tidal the same in terms of usability?

No, though both the streaming music services are amongst the most loved and highly rated services for the same purpose, in tidal vs Deezer HiFi, they do not have anything common or similar in terms of usability.

Among Tidal and Deezer which one is the best?

Both are great, but in terms of audio quality Tidal is the best. The MQA or Master Quality audio allows the users to receive the best streaming quality.

How can I play Tidal music without the app?

If you want to play Tidal music without the Tidal app, use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. Here, you can convert the Tidal music into FLAC, MP3, AAC, WAV, M4B, and M4A with no quality loss. After this conversion, you can transfer it to any other device if you want and then enjoy the music.

What is the cost of the Deezer premium?

$9.99 USD per month.

Is Deezer better than tidal?

In terms of audio quality Tidal is better.

Between tidal master vs Deezer HiFi, which plan is better?

In terms of quality, Tidal.