Software · head to head
REAPER vs Tidal
R
REAPER
Software
Full digital audio workstation with a 60 day evaluation and a USD 60 personal licence
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: REAPER the USD 60 discounted licence requires that yearly gross revenue does not exceed USD 20,000, above which the commercial licence at USD 225 applies; Tidal tIDAL has no permanently free listening tier; after a 30-day trial a paid subscription is required
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which REAPER and Tidal actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in REAPER
Nothing recorded that Tidal does not also cover.
Only in Tidal
- HiFi streaming
- Master quality
- Music videos
- Exclusive content
- High-end audio systems
- Smart speakers
- Download protection
- Account security
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
REAPER
- Music productionnot Tidal
- Audio recordingnot Tidal
- Audio editingnot Tidal
- Post productionnot Tidal
- Podcast editingnot Tidal
Tidal
- Streaming music in HiRes lossless up to 24-bit 192 kHz and Dolby Atmosnot REAPER
- Offline listening to a personal librarynot REAPER
- Casting lossless audio to supported hi-fi hardware over TIDAL Connectnot REAPER
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
REAPER
- The USD 60 discounted licence requires that yearly gross revenue does not exceed USD 20,000, above which the commercial licence at USD 225 applies
- The commercial licence at USD 225 is nearly four times the discounted one for identical software, since the price is set by who is using it rather than by what it does
- The evaluation lasts 60 days, after which continued use requires a purchased licence
- Sold as a paid licence with no free tier beyond the evaluation period
Tidal
- TIDAL has no permanently free listening tier; after a 30-day trial a paid subscription is required
- The subscription renews automatically on a monthly basis
- Lossless quality on external hardware needs TIDAL Connect and a supported device
- The iOS app requires iOS 17 or later
Pricing, plan by plan
REAPER
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the REAPER review.
Tidal
$10.99/month- HiFi$10.99/month
- Lossless audio
- Downloads
- HiFi Plus$19.99/month
- Master quality
- Direct artist payouts
Which should you pick?
Choose Tidal if
- You need hifi streaming.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want master quality.
Questions people ask
- Is REAPER or Tidal better?
- Neither clearly leads. REAPER starts at On request and Tidal at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, REAPER or Tidal?
- REAPER starts at On request and Tidal at $10.99/month.
- Does REAPER or Tidal run on more platforms?
- REAPER runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Tidal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- What is REAPER best used for?
- REAPER is most often used for music production, audio recording, audio editing, post production. Of those, music production and audio recording are not what Tidal is typically brought in for.
- What can REAPER do that Tidal cannot?
- Tidal covers HiFi streaming, Master quality, Music videos, Exclusive content.
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