Self-Hosted Tidal Alternatives
Why Replace Tidal?
Cost: Tidal HiFi Plus costs $11/month ($132/year). The standard tier is $11/month since the free tier was eliminated. Over 5 years, that’s $660 minimum — and you own nothing.
Uncertain future: Tidal has changed ownership (from Jay-Z to Square/Block), restructured its tiers repeatedly, eliminated the free tier, and reduced payouts to artists. Its market position is precarious — significantly smaller than Spotify or Apple Music, with constant pricing and feature changes.
You already have lossless files. If you’re a Tidal user, chances are you care about audio quality. You likely have a collection of FLAC files, ripped CDs, or purchases from Bandcamp and HDTracks. Self-hosting lets you stream that collection at full quality without paying a monthly fee.
Privacy: Tidal tracks your listening habits. Self-hosting means your music data stays on your hardware.
Best Alternatives
Navidrome — Best Overall Replacement
Navidrome is a lightweight music server that streams your FLAC, WAV, ALAC, and other lossless files at full quality. It supports the Subsonic API, giving you access to audiophile-grade mobile apps with gapless playback, ReplayGain normalization, and bit-perfect streaming.
Why it replaces Tidal: You get lossless streaming to any device, no quality caps, no subscription fees. Apps like Symfonium (Android) support exclusive audio output, bypassing the OS mixer for bit-perfect playback — something Tidal offers on select devices.
What’s different from Tidal: No catalog of 100+ million songs. You stream your own collection. No MQA (which is arguably a positive — MQA is controversial in the audiophile community and Tidal has been moving away from it). No Dolby Atmos mixes.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Navidrome]
Jellyfin — Best for Multi-Media Lossless
Jellyfin handles lossless music alongside video, audiobooks, and more. Its music player supports FLAC and other lossless formats. The Finamp mobile app provides a dedicated music experience with offline downloads.
Why it works for audiophiles: Jellyfin serves your files without re-encoding by default. If you have 24-bit/96kHz FLAC files, that’s what gets delivered to the client. Combined with a good DAC and headphones, the experience matches or exceeds Tidal.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Jellyfin]
Plex with Plexamp — Best for Tidal Refugees
Plexamp’s loudness normalization and sonic analysis features create a streaming-service-like experience from your own library. It handles FLAC, ALAC, WAV, DSD, and other audiophile formats natively.
Why Tidal users like it: Plexamp’s UI and feature set feel the most like a commercial streaming app. Sonic Sage creates “radio stations” from your library based on mood and tempo analysis — the closest self-hosted equivalent to Tidal’s discovery features.
Cost: Plex Pass is $5/month, $40/year, or $120 lifetime. Cheaper than Tidal and a one-time cost.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Plex]
Migration Guide
Step 1: Download Your Purchased Music
If you purchased downloads through Tidal’s store, download them before canceling. Check your purchase history in the Tidal desktop app.
For music you only had through Tidal streaming — there’s no way to download these. You’ll need to acquire them from other sources.
Step 2: Build Your Lossless Collection
Sources for lossless music:
- Bandcamp — FLAC downloads, artist-friendly pricing
- HDTracks — Hi-res audio store (24-bit masters)
- Qobuz — Another lossless store with hi-res downloads
- CD ripping — Use dBpoweramp or Exact Audio Copy for bit-perfect FLAC rips
- Existing collection — If you have CDs, vinyl rips, or previous digital purchases
Step 3: Organize and Tag
Use MusicBrainz Picard to organize your collection:
/music/
├── Artist/
│ └── Album (Year)/
│ ├── 01 - Track.flac
│ └── cover.jpgProper tagging ensures your music server displays correct metadata — artist, album, year, genre, album art.
Step 4: Deploy Navidrome
The simplest option for a dedicated music server. Point it at your lossless collection and start streaming.
Step 5: Choose Your Client Apps
Audiophile-focused Subsonic clients:
- Android: Symfonium (exclusive audio output, gapless, ReplayGain)
- iOS: play:Sub, Amperfy
- Desktop: Sonixd, Sublime Music
- Web: Navidrome built-in player
Cost Comparison
| Tidal (HiFi Plus) | Tidal (Standard) | Self-Hosted (Navidrome) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $11/month | $11/month | $0 |
| Annual cost | $132/year | $132/year | $0 |
| 5-year cost | $660 | $660 | ~$50 (electricity) |
| Max audio quality | Hi-Res FLAC (24/192) | HiFi (16/44.1) | Whatever you own |
| Catalog size | 100M+ tracks | 100M+ tracks | Your collection |
| MQA | Phased out | No | N/A |
| Dolby Atmos | Select tracks | No | If you have Atmos files |
| Offline listening | Yes | Yes | Yes (client download) |
| Privacy | Tracks listening | Tracks listening | Complete privacy |
| Cancel risk | Lose everything | Lose everything | Own files forever |
What You Give Up
- Massive catalog. Tidal has 100+ million tracks. Self-hosting has only what you own. For deep catalog exploration, this is a real loss.
- Algorithm-curated playlists. Tidal’s “My Daily Discovery” and editorial playlists require a streaming catalog. Use Last.fm or ListenBrainz for self-hosted recommendations (less sophisticated but functional).
- New release day access. Albums appear on Tidal at midnight. Self-hosting means buying each release.
- Dolby Atmos Music. Spatial audio mixes are streaming-exclusive. Self-hosting plays stereo (or surround if your files include it).
- Tidal Connect. Streaming to Tidal-compatible devices (some DACs, speakers) won’t work. Most Subsonic clients support AirPlay, Chromecast, or DLNA as alternatives.
- Artist credits and liner notes. Tidal’s detailed credits are a nice feature. Self-hosting relies on whatever metadata your files contain.
What you gain: Permanent ownership, no subscription, true lossless without quality tiers, privacy, and the satisfaction of owning your music.
FAQ
Is self-hosted audio quality actually as good as Tidal?
It can be better. If your source files are 24-bit/96kHz FLAC (or higher), you’re getting the same or better quality than Tidal HiFi Plus. Self-hosted servers don’t re-encode or downsample your files.
What about MQA?
MQA is being phased out by Tidal. It was always controversial in the audiophile community — a proprietary “lossy masquerading as lossless” format. Standard FLAC on your own server is genuinely lossless. This is a non-issue.
How much storage for a lossless library?
- CD-quality FLAC (16-bit/44.1kHz): ~300 MB per album
- Hi-Res FLAC (24-bit/96kHz): ~1-2 GB per album
- 1,000 albums in CD-quality FLAC ≈ 300 GB
- A 4 TB drive holds approximately 13,000 CD-quality albums
Can I use Roon with a self-hosted server?
Roon doesn’t integrate with Navidrome or Jellyfin. Roon is its own ecosystem. If you’re a Roon user, consider keeping it for playback while using Navidrome for mobile streaming.
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