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Music · head to head

SoundHound vs Tidal

SoundHound logo

SoundHound

Music

Song identification app that can match hummed or sung melodies, from SoundHound AI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tidal logo

Tidal

Music

High fidelity music streaming

From
$10.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SoundHound has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: SoundHound the consumer app is a secondary product for a company whose real revenue and investment focus is enterprise voice AI licensing, and consumer feature development has been comparatively modest as a result.; Tidal tIDAL has no permanently free listening tier; after a 30-day trial a paid subscription is required
  • They diverge on capability: SoundHound covers Audio fingerprint matching, Tidal covers HiFi streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SoundHound and Tidal actually diverge.

Attributes where SoundHound and Tidal differ
AttributeSoundHoundTidal
Starting priceFree$10.99/month
Pricing modelFree with ads; no consumer subscription, company revenue comes from enterprise voice AI licensingsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Desktop
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Music).

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 SoundHound

  • Audio fingerprint matching
  • Hum-to-search
  • Lyrics and artist info
  • Streaming service links
  • Music charts and history
  • Voice search

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.

SoundHound

  • Someone wanting to identify a song by humming or singing it when no recorded original is playing nearbynot Tidal
  • A user wanting an alternative to Shazam that also offers voice search for songs and lyricsnot Tidal
  • Someone identifying a song and wanting a direct link to play it on their existing streaming servicenot Tidal
  • A listener wanting to browse trending identification charts across genresnot Tidal

Tidal

  • Streaming music in HiRes lossless up to 24-bit 192 kHz and Dolby Atmosnot SoundHound
  • Offline listening to a personal librarynot SoundHound
  • Casting lossless audio to supported hi-fi hardware over TIDAL Connectnot SoundHound

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

SoundHound

  • The consumer app is a secondary product for a company whose real revenue and investment focus is enterprise voice AI licensing, and consumer feature development has been comparatively modest as a result.
  • The free app carries advertising with no option to pay for an ad-free experience, unlike Shazam, which carries no ads at all.
  • Hum-to-search accuracy depends heavily on how closely a user pitch and rhythm approximate the original melody, and it performs inconsistently on complex or heavily produced songs.
  • As a smaller company relative to Apple, which owns Shazam, SoundHound has less resource depth to invest in its consumer recognition database and matching accuracy over time.
  • The company brand and business have shifted heavily toward voice AI and conversational assistant licensing, so the long-term priority given to the consumer identification app is not guaranteed to remain stable.

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

SoundHound

Free
  • SoundHoundFree
    • Unlimited song identification including hum-to-search
    • Ads shown within the app
    • No premium consumer tier

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 SoundHound if

  • You need audio fingerprint matching.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want hum-to-search.
SoundHound review

Choose Tidal if

  • You need hifi streaming.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want master quality.
Tidal review

Questions people ask

Is SoundHound or Tidal better?
Neither clearly leads. SoundHound starts at Free and Tidal at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SoundHound or Tidal?
SoundHound has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for SoundHound and $10.99/month for Tidal.
Does SoundHound or Tidal run on more platforms?
SoundHound runs on iOS, Android. Tidal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
Can I use SoundHound for free?
Yes. SoundHound has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tidal starts at $10.99/month.
What is SoundHound best used for?
SoundHound is most often used for someone wanting to identify a song by humming or singing it when no recorded original is playing nearby, a user wanting an alternative to shazam that also offers voice search for songs and lyrics, someone identifying a song and wanting a direct link to play it on their existing streaming service, a listener wanting to browse trending identification charts across genres. Of those, someone wanting to identify a song by humming or singing it when no recorded original is playing nearby and a user wanting an alternative to shazam that also offers voice search for songs and lyrics are not what Tidal is typically brought in for.
What can SoundHound do that Tidal cannot?
SoundHound covers Audio fingerprint matching, Hum-to-search, Lyrics and artist info, Streaming service links. Tidal covers HiFi streaming, Master quality, Music videos, Exclusive content.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SoundHound: Is SoundHound free?

Yes, the consumer app is free with ads and no subscription tier.

SoundHound: What is SoundHound's actual business?

Its primary revenue comes from licensing voice AI and conversational assistant technology to businesses such as automakers and restaurants, not from the consumer identification app.

SoundHound: Can SoundHound identify a song from humming?

Yes, it can match a song from humming, singing or whistling, a capability Shazam does not offer.

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