Tidal GUI & Tidal DL: 2026 Review and Best Alternative

Tidal is one of the popular streaming music services, providing 110 million songs and high-fidelity audio, including Tidal Lossless, Tidal HiRes FLAC, Tidal MQA, and Tidal Dolby Atmos. Whether you are a casual listener or a dedicated music enthusiast, you can get an enjoyable music streaming experience on Tidal. Tidal also provides a downloading feature, but it is only available for Premium subscribers. If you want to download Tidal music without limits, Tidal GUI and Tidal DL, the two different versions of Tidal-Media-Downloader, are excellent choices. In case you’re unfamiliar with the tool, this post provides a complete and detailed review of it for your reference. What’s more, we recommend the best alternative to Tidal GUI/DL. Now, dive into the following content to start your Tidal music journey with ease.

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Part 1. What Is Tidal Media Downloader (Tidal GUI & Tidal DL)?

Tidal Media Downloader is an unofficial, open-source tool hosted on GitHub. It enables users to download songs directly from Tidal’s servers for offline playback. Unlike the official app, which only offers cache files, Tidal Media Downloader saves music in standard audio formats like MP3. To meet users’ different demands, this project is split into two different versions - Tidal GUI and Tidal DL.

1.1 What is Tidal GUI?

Tidal GUI is the graphical user interface version of Tidal Media Downloader, offering a simple UI that makes downloading easier without needing command lines. Just notice that the Tidal GUI is only compatible with Windows computers.

Address: https://github.com/yaronzz/Tidal-Media-Downloader-PRO?tab=readme-ov-file

1.2 What is Tidal DL?

Tidal DL is the command-line version of Tidal Media Downloader. It performs similar functions to Tidal-GUI, but it is compatible with more devices, including Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android. The steps to use are a bit complicated compared to the Tidal GUI, since you need to input commands to download Tidal music. It’s better for users who have basic knowledge of Python and a pre-installed Python app.

Address: https://github.com/yaronzz/Tidal-Media-Downloader

1.3 Is Tidal-DL and Tidal-GUI on GitHub Safe to Use?

Let’s put it clear: yes, Tidal GUI and Tidal DL are safe to use. Many users are worried about the privacy concerns of Tidal DL and Tidal GUI. As we mentioned above, the two tools are open-source on GitHub, so you should not face any security concerns when using the tools. Just make sure you have installed these tools from the official GitHub page, and you are fine.

However, it is wise to remember that the safety and reliability of free tools can change over time. It is thus advisable to stay informed and exercise caution when using a third-party online tool. If you are looking for professional tools that have official support and updates to save your preferred Tidal music, we recommend you check the best alternative to Tidal GUI/DL on Part 4.

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Part 2. How to Use Tidal GUI Downloader [Windows]

For Windows users or beginners, Tidal GUI is the first choice due to its simplicity. It removes the complexity of command-line operations. The following steps indicate how you can save audio and video files from Tidal to your Windows computer via Tidal GUI:

How to Install Tidal-GUI on Windows

Step 1. Navigate to the Tidal-Media-Downloader-Pro page on GitHub and scroll down to find the "Releases" section.

Step 2. Tap the "tidal-gui" option to find the latest version of Tidal GUI.

Step 3. On the new page, go to "Assets", and click the "tidal-gui.exe" to install Tidal GUI on your Windows computer directly.

How to Use Tidal GUI to Download Tidal Music

Step 1. After launching the software, log in to your Tidal premium account on the program.

Step 2. Then, set the configurations according to your requirements. You can adjust various parameters such as audio or video quality, saving cover files, and more.

Step 3. Copy the URL to your Tidal playlists or tracks and paste them into the program. The software will download the selected tracks to your device.

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Part 3. How to Use Tidal DL Downloader [Windows/Mac/Linux/Android]

If you are using a Mac, Linux, or Android device, Tidal GUI doesn’t work for you. In such a case, you can consider using Tidal DL. It offers better flexibility but requires command-line knowledge. If you are OK with the command-line interface, follow the steps below to download Tidal songs via Tidal DL:

How to Install Tidal DL on Mac/Windows/Linux/Android

Step 1. Before installing Tidal DL, ensure you have Python installed on your computer, as Tidal DL typically requires Python. You can download Python from Python's official website.

Step 2. Go to the Tidal-Media-Downloader page on GitHub to find the repository to install Tidal DL or visit the source where the Tidal DL package is hosted.

Step 3. You can download the latest release of Tidal DL based on your computer system by following these steps:

Windows: Click the "tidal-dl.exe" directly.

Linux: pip3 install tidal-dl --upgrade

macOS:

• brew install ffmpeg
• brew install python
• curl -O http://python-distribute.org/distribute_setup.py
• python distribute_setup.py
• curl -O https://raw.github.com/pypa/pip/master/contrib/get-pip.py
• python get-pip.py
• pip3 install --upgrade tidal-dl
• tidal-dl

Android: Install Termux from your Google Play Store. Open permission: termux-setup-storage. Then copy the following command prompts to install Python and tidal-dl on Android.

• pkg install python clang libjpeg-turbo ffmpeg zlib -y
• apt update
• apt upgrade
• pkg update
• pip3 install --upgrade pip
• pip3 install --upgrade tidal-dl
• tidal-dl

How to Use Tidal-DL on GitHub to Download Tidal Music

Step 1. Fire up the tidal-dl.exe from your computer and enter the Tidal username and password.

Step 2. Type '2' and click the 'Enter' from your keyboard. Now, you can set the config file, such as download path, audio quality, output format, save covers, etc.

Step 3. Copy and paste the Tidal track\video\album\playlist\artist URL to download Tidal music on Mac, Windows, Linux, or Android devices automatically.

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Part 4. Safer and Smarter Alternative to Tidal GUI/DL

Tidal-GUI and Tidal-DL are excellent tools for downloading Tidal music with ease. However, they come with certain limitations. For instance, you must have a Tidal subscription to use them, and Tidal-DL’s command-line interface can be challenging for new users. Therefore, we recommend the best alternative to Tidal Media Downloader, which addresses all the limitations of Tidal-GUI and Tidal-DL, allowing you to download Tidal music freely and easily. This amazing tool is TunesMake Tidal Music Converter.

4.1 Tidal GUI vs Tidal DL vs Best Alternative

4.2 How to Download High-Quality Tidal Music

TunesMake Tidal Music Converter is a powerful and dedicated music downloader designed for Tidal users. You can use this tool to download songs, playlists, albums, and podcasts from Tidal to your local Windows or Mac computer. According to your needs, you can choose to save your favorite Tidal songs in multiple formats, including MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF. What counts most is that the TunesMake tool smartly keeps the high sound quality and all ID3 tags to ensure your listening experience. Once downloaded, there is nothing easier than playing Tidal on any device as you wish.

Step 1 Enter music from Tidal to TunesMake Tidal Music Converter

Depending on the operating system of your computer, you can download the Windows or Mac version of the TunesMake Tidal Music Converter in advance. Then, double-click its icon to launch it. At the same time, it will open the Tidal web player on the interface automatically. Next, you can sign in to your account and find the playlist you want to download. To load all the songs to the TunesMake program, you should select the playlist. And then click the lower Add icon > Add to List.

Step 2 Configure music output settings

Once you add all the Tidal songs you like, you can click the menu icon at the top right corner. Then, tap Preferences to enter the Conversion tab. Here you can select one output format according to your needs. Other settings like channel, sample rate, and bit rate are all changeable. You can customize them as you wish. When it is finished, click OK to save your changes.

Step 3 Download Tidal music without hassle

Now everything is ready. You just need to click the Convert button, and the TunesMake program will begin downloading your Tidal songs automatically. The time it consumes depends on how many tracks you add. Once done, you can enjoy the DRM-free Tidal music on your computer or other devices as you wish. To find its location in the local folder of your computer, you need to click the Converted icon.

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Part 5. Conclusion

Tidal GUI and Tidal DL are 2 versions of Tidal Media Downloader on GitHub. It has the ability to help you remove DRM protection and download the Tidal music you like locally. It is effective but also has some limitations. For users who just want a simple method to save Tidal songs, Tidal GUI and Tidal DL are enough. But if you are seeking a better and more reliable method, a dedicated tool like TunesMake Tidal Music Converter is absolutely worth trying.

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