In October 2014, the Scandinavian music streaming service Tidal launched in the UK and US with a library of over 25 million tracks in 16-bit/44.1 FLAC quality. Unlike Spotify, Tidal does not offer any free streaming (with adverts) but costs £19.99/month.

“The music is just one part of the service. The expert editorial educates, entertains and enriches the music experience while the music videos complement the music perfectly”

- Tidal’s chief executive Andy Chen.

Streaming

  • AAC 96, Standard
  • AAC 320, High
  • FLAC 1411 16-bit/44.1, HiFi

What we like

  • Tidal claims that there are over 25 million tracks
  • Playback is fast, usually without any noticeable buffering
  • Save music for offline playback on both iPhone & Android
  • Useful curated content

Screenshot of Tidal running in Chrome

Tidal is also available on Android as well as Mac and Windows.

What we don’t like

  • The Mac application is disappointing
  • HiFi playback is only supported in Google Chrome, the Desktop application, the iPhone and a number of Android devices.
  • Tidal costs £19.99/month ($19.99 in the US).