“Why can’t I play Tidal music on my SanDisk MP3 player? I have already downloaded the music from Tidal. But I still cannot copy the downloads to my MP3 player. Is there anything wrong? How can solve it?” – Sophia
This is a common frustration for many Tidal subscribers. The issue isn’t your device; it’s the format. Tidal music is protected by a specific encoded format (DRM), ensuring that tracks can only be played within the official Tidal app. Even if you have a “HiFi” or “HiFi Plus” subscription and download songs for offline listening, they are cache files, not actual MP3s.
To listen to your favorite tracks on an MP3 player, smart speaker, or older car stereo, you need to convert Tidal music to MP3. In this guide, we will show you the best tools to rip MP3s from Tidal, ranging from professional converters to free online tools.
Part 1. Best Way to Convert Tidal Music to MP3 Without Quality Loss
Specially designed for Tidal music, AudKit Tidizer Music Converter is professional in downloading and converting tracks, playlists, albums, mixes&radio from Tidal to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, M4B, and such common file formats. It’s a delicate Tidal to MP3 converter that keeps original sound quality after conversion. Also, it maintains all the metadata of Tidal music, such as title, artists, album, album art, and so forth.
Built with the latest technology, AudKit Tidizer allows you to freely customize the Tidal music output settings. You can choose multiple kinds of output formats. You can customize the bitrate, sample rate, channel, archive ways, etc. The conversion speed can reach up to 5X. And if you’d like a more stable conversion, you can select 1X.
Main Features of AudKit Tidizer Music Converter
- Convert Tidal HiFi and Master tracks to MP3 without quality degradation.
- Batch convert entire playlists significantly faster than real-time recording.
- Listen to Tidal on any device (iPod, SanDisk, Sony Walkman, etc.) without the app.
- Automatically organizes output files by Artist or Album.
AudKit offers a free trial so you can test the performance before committing. Follow these 3 simple steps to convert your library.
How to Convert Tidal to MP3 with AudKit Tidizer Music Converter
Although AudKit Tidizer is not a free Tidal music converter, it offers you a free trial. You can first try the free trial to decide whether this Tidal to MP3 converter suits you. Here comes three simple steps to use AudKit Tidizer to rip MP3 from Tidal.
Step 1 Add Tidal tracks to AudKit Tidizer
You can first download AudKit Tidizer Music Converter from the above “Download” button. Then launch it, and you will need to log into your Tidal account in this phase. Here you can search for what you want to download. Select the track or playlist and copy the URL of it from the ‘…’ icon > ‘Share’ > ‘Copy Track/Playlist Link’. Hit the ‘+’ icon to add your selections to the AudKit Tidal converter. Alternatively, there is a more simple way: you can drag and drop the song to AudKit’s main interface.
Step 2 Select the output format of Tidal to MP3
Open the first menu icon from the top-right toolbar. Choose ‘Preferences’ > ‘Conversion’. In the newly opened window, you can reset the output format, bitrate, sample rate, channel, conversion speed, archive ways, and so on. Just change the output format to MP3 and reset other parameters according to your desire. The raw conversion speed is 5X. You can tick the 1X conversion speed for a more stable conversion.
Step 3 Convert and download MP3 from Tidal
Now click the Convert button from the bottom-right place. This professional Tidal converter will start to convert Tidal to MP3 and save as much high as possible sound quality. The converting process sometimes pauses at 99.9% but it is normal. Just wait until all tasks finish. After that, hit the ‘Converted’ icon to check the converted Tidal MP3 files list. You can also move the cursor to a Tidal item and the ‘search’ icon will show up, which can lead you to the storage location of all Tidal MP3 tracks.
Part 2. How to Convert Tidal Music to MP3 Online
If you don’t want to install extra apps, you can choose a Tidal to MP3 converter online. Here we will introduce to you Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder. As its name suggests, it is an online audio recorder. It allows you to record audio from your microphone and computer.
Therefore, you can use it to record and rip music from Tidal. And you can choose the MP3 output format. It also allows you to customize ID3 tags, including year, title, and more. It’s very easy and convenient, but the shortcoming is that you cannot use it to record Tidal HiFi music.
How to Convert Tidal to MP3 with Apowesoft：
Step 1. Go to Apowersoft’s official website and then click the big “Start Recording” button.
Step 2. Select “System Audio” as the audio source.
Step 3. Click “Tool” and then select “Options” to choose the MP3 output format.
Step 4. Play a Tidal song on the Tidal Web Player and click “Start” to convert Tidal to MP3 online.
Step 5. You can find the converted Tidal music in “Show in Folder”.
Part 3. How to Convert Tidal Music to MP3 Free
Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder is a free tool. And in this section, you can also get a free Tidal to MP3 converter. That is called Athame Tidal Downloader. It’s an open-source Tidal downloader on GitHub. You can use it to download any song from Tidal. it’s easy to use for most users. And there are the steps to use the Athame Tidal downloader:
How to Convert Tidal to MP3 Free with Athame Tidal Downloader:
Step 1. Open the Athame Tidal Downloader and click “Menu” to go to the “Settings” section.
Step 2. Select “Tidal” and log in to your Tidal account.
Step 3. In the Tidal app, copy and paste the link to Tidal songs. Then paste the link into the “URL” textbox. Click “Add” to load them all.
Step 4. Click the “Start” button to start downloading and converting Tidal music to MP3.
Comparison: Which Method Should You Choose?
To help you decide, here is a quick comparison of the three methods discussed above.
| Feature | AudKit Tidizer | Apowersoft Online | Athame (Free) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output Quality | Lossless / High | Medium (Lossy) | Variable |
| Speed | 5X (Batch Mode) | 1X (Real-time) | Variable |
| Stability | High (Regular Updates) | Medium | Low |
| ID3 Tags | Yes (Auto-kept) | No | Sometimes |
| Difficulty | Easy | Medium | Hard |
FAQs About Converting Tidal to MP3
1. Is it legal to convert Tidal music to MP3?
Converting streaming music to MP3 for commercial use is illegal. However, recording or converting songs for personal, offline use (such as playing on your own MP3 player) is generally considered a gray area, similar to recording radio onto a cassette tape. Always ensure you have a valid Tidal subscription.
2. Can I get Tidal Master quality in MP3 format?
No. The MP3 format is compressed and caps at 320kbps. If you want to preserve Tidal Master (MQA) quality, you should use AudKit Tidizer to convert the files to FLAC or WAV, which are lossless formats.
3. Why do I need to convert Tidal music if I can download it in the app?
Tidal’s in-app “Download” feature creates cache files that are encrypted. These files can only be read by the Tidal app. Converting them to MP3 removes this encryption, allowing you to move the files to other devices like iPods, USB drives, or DJ software.
Conclusion
Listening to Tidal music shouldn’t be restricted to just your phone or computer. By converting Tidal to MP3, you unlock the freedom to enjoy your playlists on any device.
For the best balance of speed, ease of use, and audio quality, AudKit Tidizer Music Converter is the recommended choice. It ensures your HiFi tracks remain crisp and clear. However, if you only need a quick ringtone, the online recorder is a handy backup. Choose the method that fits your needs and enjoy your music offline!
Elle Johnson
Staff Editor
Elle Johnson has been working in the technology and music software field for over 5 years. She is dedicated to providing easy-to-use guides and effective tips to play music anywhere.