- Not every alternative is a streaming service
- Streaming catalogues with apps everywhere
- Buying music to keep
- Playing a library you already own
- All seven compared
- Sound claims, in each service's own words
- What to check before you commit
- Self-hosting music in plain terms
- How to move your listening without losing your favourites
- Frequently asked questions
Leave Tidal if you want a bigger ecosystem, a different catalogue mix or a different way to own your music. Mainstream streamers suit people who want a licensed catalogue and apps everywhere, music stores suit people who'd rather buy, and self-hosted players suit people who already own their files and want to keep listening to them.
Block, Inc. holds the majority stake in Tidal, a music streaming service with Norwegian-American roots. Listeners start looking elsewhere for all sorts of reasons: a household that wants to share one plan, a wish for podcasts in the same app, or a growing feeling that renting music forever isn't the only way to listen.
This guide sorts seven options by what kind of service they are, because a song catalogue you rent, a shop where you buy records and a home server you run yourself each solve different problems.
Not every alternative is a streaming service
Two options here play music you already own, and one is a shop where you buy it. So moving off Tidal doesn't have to mean signing up for another subscription. It can mean swapping a subscription for a library.
That changes the question you're asking. If you mostly listen to a few hundred albums you love, owning them and playing them through your own server might suit you better than any catalogue. If you discover new music every day, a licensed catalogue is hard to beat. You can also run both: a streaming service for discovery and a library for the records you never want to lose.
Streaming catalogues with apps everywhere
These are the like-for-like swaps. You keep the habit of searching a huge licensed catalogue; you change the company behind it.
Amazon Music Unlimited
A good match for people who already split their listening between songs and books, since subscribers get an Audible audiobook benefit, and it offers HD and Spatial Audio too.
Apple Music
It promises listening without adverts, and adds Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, which rewards anyone with kit that supports it.
Deezer
A family plan covers several accounts in one household, and Deezer says you can cancel its offers whenever you like.
Spotify
You can listen without subscribing or pick a subscription, and podcasts sit in the same app as your music.
Buying music to keep
For listeners who'd rather own what they love.
Bandcamp
Here you buy digital albums, vinyl, CDs and cassettes, and its editorial site, Bandcamp Daily, points you towards new releases worth hearing.
Playing a library you already own
If you have years of downloads or ripped CDs sitting on a drive, these turn that collection into your own private streaming service.
Navidrome
Released as open source under the GNU GPL v3 licence, it serves your collection through a web interface and third-party apps, and converts formats on the fly when a device needs it.
Plexamp
Plex built it as a music app for audiophiles, and Plex says it's now free for music lovers to use.
All seven compared
| Option | Kind | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Music Unlimited | Rented catalogue | Audiobook listeners |
| Apple Music | Rented catalogue | Immersive sound fans |
| Deezer | Rented catalogue | Shared households |
| Spotify | Rented catalogue | Podcast fans |
| Bandcamp | Shop | Collectors of physical formats |
| Navidrome | Self-run server | Owners of big file collections |
| Plexamp | Player app | Audiophiles with their own files |
If you're replacing a family subscription, start with Deezer's family plan. If you're tired of renting, the bottom three are your starting point.
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Sound claims, in each service's own words
Several of these lead with sound. Apple Music says it supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, Amazon Music Unlimited offers HD and Spatial Audio, and Plexamp is pitched as a music app made for audiophiles. Those are the services' own descriptions, and what you hear still depends on the headphones, speakers and connection you use every day.
If sound is your main reason for leaving, test the same three tracks on each candidate, through the same headphones, at the same volume. Pick songs you know well, including one quiet passage and one busy one, and trust your ears over the feature list.
What to check before you commit
Catalogues differ, so search each service for the artists you play most before you move. Pay attention to the albums you'd be upset to lose rather than chasing a bigger number on a homepage.
Then think about where you listen. A service that's great on your phone but awkward on your car stereo or living-room speakers will annoy you every day. If you're going the self-hosted route, test it away from home on mobile data, because that's when a home server shows its weak spots.
Self-hosting music in plain terms
If the library route appeals but sounds technical, here's what it involves. You need your music files in one place, a computer that stays switched on at home, and the server software installed on it. Then you add an app to your phone or open a browser, and your collection plays wherever you are.
The trade-off is that you're now the one keeping it running. If the computer goes to sleep or the home connection drops, the music stops. For many people that's a fair trade for owning their collection outright, but it's worth knowing before you cancel anything. Keep a backup of the files somewhere else too, because a library you own is only as safe as the drive it sits on.
How to move your listening without losing your favourites
If you're still weighing up whether to stay, our guide to the Tidal free trial explains what you get before you commit. If you've decided to go, work through this list in order.
- Export or screenshot your playlists and liked tracks before you cancel anything.
- Decide whether you want a new catalogue, a store, your own library, or a mix.
- Try one streaming option for a fortnight and search for ten albums you care about.
- If you own files, put a self-hosted player on a spare machine and try it from your mobile while you're out.
- Check that every device you listen on, from car to speakers, has an app or works in a browser.
- Cancel your old subscription only once your playlists exist somewhere else.
- Give it a month before judging. The first week always feels strange, whichever service you pick.
Don't rush the playlist step. Rebuilding years of saved music by memory is the part people regret, and it's easy to avoid with ten minutes of preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep listening to music I've bought if I stop streaming?
If the downloads sit on your own drive, nothing stops them playing; point a home music server or library app at that folder and carry on.
Can I move my playlists automatically?
Some third-party transfer services exist, but check what access they ask for before you sign in with them.
Do I need a Plex setup to use Plexamp?
Plexamp is Plex's own music app, so read Plex's pages for what you need before you plan around it.
Can I buy on Bandcamp and play the files through Navidrome?
If you download your digital purchases to your own drive, a self-hosted server can stream them. Check which download formats Bandcamp offers first.
What happens to my offline Tidal downloads when I cancel?
Confirm it with Tidal's support before you cancel, rather than assuming those tracks will keep playing. For albums you can't live without, buying digital copies on Bandcamp gives you files of your own.
