Tidal is one of the most popular music streaming services out there that does things a bit different than most other similar streaming services.
Higher royalties towards artists, higher quality music streaming, and a heavy focus on securing exclusive deals when it comes to music all make Tidal the perfect choice for audiophiles who are usually a bit pickier about their music.
As expected, Tidal can run on all platforms via its nice web app, as well as its bespoke client apps for Windows, macOS, as well as iOS and Android. Linux is a bit left out when it comes to an official client, and that’s understandable especially considering the high number of different Linux distributions and versions.
Thankfully, Linux users can always turn to unofficial third-party client apps, one of which is Tidal-hifi.
Introduction to Tidal-hifi
So, what is Tidal-hifi, and why should you give it a try? The short answer is – it’s an Electron-based app that basically brings the web version of listen.tidal.com directly to your Linux desktop.
It’s available in a plethora of formats (RPM, DEB, AppImage, Snap package, etc.) and should work without problems on the large majority of Linux distros.
What does it offer?
To be frank, it offers pretty much everything the Tidal web app provides, wrapped around a basic desktop app. You get Hi-Fi playback, neat notification and the ability to control them, custom hotkeys, API integration for status and playback, as well as a series of useful custom integrations.
The app comes with the following integrations out of the box: MPRIS – media player control/status, and Discord integration (displays on Discord what you’re currently listening to). More configuration is available in the Integrations tab in the app’s Settings menu.
Other noteworthy features include the ability to mute artists automatically, the ability to disable various functionalities, and AlbumArt integration (via best-effort).
Verdict
So, is Tidal-hifi a good Tidal client for Linux? The answer is definitely yes. It’s one of the few Linux clients for Tidal that offers the platform’s hifi option, it looks good, and it provides enough extra configuration that makes it worth your while.
