Qobuz alternative
Artyfile Stream vs Qobuz: an honest comparison
Qobuz is a 100-million-track hi-res service; Artyfile Stream is a label’s hi-fi service that streams its own recordings as uncompressed WAV masters and guarantees rights holders at least €0.03 per stream.
Qobuz is one of the best hi-res services for listening to almost anything. Artyfile Stream is something different: a single label streaming its own studio recordings as the untouched WAV master, with a fixed minimum artist payout. Here is where each one wins.
The short answer
If you want 100 million tracks from every label in hi-res, Qobuz is the better choice. If you want studio masters straight from the label that recorded them, a fixed payout of at least €0.03 per stream to the artists, and the option to own a share of the recordings you love, Artyfile Stream is the alternative — and many listeners run it as a second, hi-fi subscription alongside a large service.
| Artyfile Stream | Qobuz | |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue | 850+ own studio recordings | 100M+ tracks from all labels |
| Delivery format | WAV master, 44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 24-bit, no transcoding | FLAC, up to 24-bit / 192 kHz |
| Price | from €9.90 / month | Studio €15.99 / month, or €13.99 / month billed yearly |
| Listening model | 100 / 250 / 500 streams per month | Unlimited |
| Try before paying | 30-second preview of every track | Free trial |
| Payout per stream | At least €0.03, guaranteed; €0.20 at 60 streams on Standard | US$0.01873 (€0.018) average, fiscal 2024 |
| Own a share of the recording | Limited Editions on artyfile.com | No |
| Upload your own music | My Music, 10–50 GB, private | No |
| Browser player + iOS/Android | Yes | Yes |
| Network players (Roon, Connect) | No | Yes |
| AI-generated music | None in the catalogue | — |
Qobuz prices, features and payout figure from qobuz.com and Qobuz’s press release of 20 March 2025, retrieved 27 September 2026. See sources below.
Where Qobuz is stronger
Catalogue breadth (more than 100 million tracks), FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz, unlimited listening, a free trial, a download store and integrations with network players such as Qobuz Connect and Roon. Artyfile has none of those network-player integrations today.
Where Artyfile Stream is different
Every track is recorded or produced by Artyfile and streamed as the WAV master (44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 24-bit), with no FLAC conversion. And there is no AI-generated music in the catalogue.
Qobuz presents itself as the platform that combines high resolution with fair artist pay, and it published an average of US$0.01873 (€0.018) per stream for its fiscal year 2024, paid to labels and publishers. Artyfile guarantees at least €0.03 per counted stream — about 1.7 times that average as a floor — and pays €0.20 per stream for a Standard subscriber who plays 60 tracks a month. Numbered Limited Edition shares in the master recordings are available on artyfile.com.
Questions
- Is Artyfile Stream cheaper than Qobuz?
- The entry plan is: €9.90 a month for 100 streams versus Qobuz Studio at €15.99 a month (€13.99 a month billed yearly). Qobuz is unlimited, Artyfile counts streams — heavy listeners pick the 500-stream Standard plan for €19.90.
- Does Artyfile Stream have hi-res audio like Qobuz?
- Artyfile streams uncompressed WAV masters at 44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 24-bit. It does not offer 96 or 192 kHz files; Qobuz does. Artyfile’s focus is delivering the original master of its own recordings unchanged.
- Which pays artists more per stream, Qobuz or Artyfile?
- Per stream, Artyfile: Qobuz published an average of US$0.01873 (€0.018) per stream for fiscal 2024; Artyfile guarantees at least €0.03 per counted stream and pays €0.20 for a Standard subscriber with 60 streams a month.
- Can I use Artyfile Stream together with Qobuz?
- Yes — Artyfile Stream is designed as a second subscription: a large service for everything, Artyfile Stream for its studio recordings, your own uploads and a fixed minimum payout to the artists.
Sources
- Qobuz (Germany): Studio plan prices, retrieved 27/09/2026
- Qobuz (Germany): Offers, audio quality and catalogue, retrieved 27/09/2026
- Qobuz: average payout per stream for fiscal year 2024 (published 20 Mar 2025), retrieved 27/09/2026
- Artyfile Terms and Conditions, §5 Artyfile Stream and §6 Artyfile for Artists, retrieved 27/09/2026
Facts checked on 27 September 2026.