Scottish
Aberdeen Press and Journal described the song as "inspirational".
Larry Flick from
Billboard magazine wrote, "Carey offers a faithful rendition of the eternally sweet
pop ballad", adding that the "song's arrangement is infused with all the romance and drama it requires, with Carey rising above the mix with a vocal that is more heartfelt and gutsy than note-scaling and acrobatic." Troy J. Augusto from
Cash Box named it Pick of the Week, stating that "Carey has thankfully learned the important difference between dynamic control and sonic overkill, never more evident than here. Her recent short concert tour revealed Mariah to be an anxious, under-confident live performer, but this song, with its accompanying tale of her own childhood loneliness made "Without You" the show's climax. Expect a long chart life."
David Browne of
Entertainment Weekly called
Carey's cover a "by-the-numbers remake of
Nilsson's melodramatic 1972 hit." John Kilgo from
The Network Forty concluded that "exhibiting her dynamic vocal range with powerful emotion, Mariah scores again with her rendition of Harry Nilsson's chart topper." A reviewer from
People Magazine noted that "she takes on a sensuality—in a lower register—that is often sacrificed for her "look Ma, no hands" vocal fireworks." In a 2015 retrospective review, Pop Rescue stated that "Without You" gives the singer "a ton of space to really let her vocals reach wherever they want to", adding it as "an epic track, and a fantastic showcase of her vocals."
Stephen Holden of
Rolling Stone called it the "likeliest contender" for
ballads like "
I Will Always Love You", praising how Carey "dips into her lower register and is accompanied by backup singers (including herself) magnified to sound like a mighty
gospel chorus." Mike Joyce from
The Washington Post stated, "Unlike Nilsson, Carey has the pipes to pull off this anguished pop aria". ==Chart performance==