DistroKid vs Ditto Music: which one fits you?
Ditto Starter is $19 a year and DistroKid Musician $24.99; both include unlimited releases, automatic splits, pre-save links and 100% of streaming royalties. For YouTube Content ID, DistroKid sells an add-on ($4.95 per single per year plus 20%) and Ditto needs Pro ($59). DistroKid also sells cover licences; Ditto does not.
SOURCE: Ditto Music pricing · CHECKED 16 October 2026Music Distributor Picker runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
On the basics DistroKid and Ditto match: unlimited releases, splits, pre-saves and no cut of streaming money. Ditto is $5.99 cheaper. The extras and the AI rules separate them.
Pick DistroKid if
- You release covers: DistroKid licenses them for $12 per song per year.
- You want Content ID for a few singles: the add-on costs less than Ditto Pro.
- You make AI-assisted music and want it in every store with AI credits.
Pick Ditto Music if
- You want the lowest yearly price: $19.
- You will use publishing collection or sync pitching on Pro.
- You want to pitch to Ditto's own Spotify playlists.
AI music on each
DistroKid accepts music made with AI tools if you fill in the AI credits, own all the rights and do not copy anyone's voice. Ditto lets you upload AI-made music too, but says stores such as Apple Music, Beatport, Pandora and YouTube Content ID might reject fully AI releases. Check our AI music rules for each store.
DistroKid vs Ditto Music: the facts side by side
| DistroKid | Ditto Music | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Yearly subscription with unlimited uploads. Some extras, like video monetisation and cover licences, cost more per release. | Yearly subscription with unlimited releases. A free Collab account is only for people who receive a split. |
| Plans (first 12 months) | Musician: $24.99 a year; Musician Plus: $44.99 a year; Ultimate: $89.99 a year | Starter: $19 a year; Pro: $59 a year; Labels: $109 a year |
| Royalties you keep | You keep 100% of streaming royalties. Money from YouTube and TikTok videos goes through a paid add-on that keeps 20%. | 100% of streaming income on every plan. Publishing and sync money (Pro and Labels) has a 15% commission. |
| YouTube Content ID | Extra cost. Paid add-on (Social Media Pack): $4.95 per single per year, or $14.95 per album per year, plus 20% of the ad money. | Yes. YouTube Content ID setup is on Pro and Labels, not Starter. |
| Automatic splits | Yes. Automatic splits between collaborators on every plan; DistroKid pays them. | Yes. Automatic royalty splits from Starter up. |
| Pre-save and pitching | Yes. Free pre-save pages (HyperFollow), and a chance to be featured on DistroKid's own Spotify playlists. You pitch Spotify's editors yourself in Spotify for Artists. | Yes. Free pre-save links from Starter. Ditto pitches to its own Spotify playlists. |
| Cover song licences | Yes. Sells cover song licences: $12 per cover song per year. | No. Does not sell cover licences; you buy one elsewhere and upload the paperwork. |
| AI music | Yes, with AI credits. DistroKid accepts music made with AI tools if you own all the rights, do not copy anyone's voice or likeness without permission, and are not flooding stores. The upload form asks whether AI generated any part of the track. | Yes, but not to every store. Ditto lets you upload music made with AI tools if you hold all the rights and do not impersonate anyone, but stores such as Apple Music, Beatport, Pandora and YouTube Content ID might reject fully AI releases. |
| Upload lead time | Upload about 4 weeks before release day, so it goes live everywhere on the day. | No lead time published on its own pages. |
| Artificial streaming fee | DistroKid does not publish its own fee for artificial streaming. Spotify charges distributors per track (TuneCore puts it at €10 per track per month); check your DistroKid notice and statements for any amount. | Ditto passes Spotify's per-track fines on to your balance. Ditto's page does not state the amount. |
What the first year costs
| Singles in 12 months | DistroKid | Ditto Music |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24.99 on Musician | $19 on Starter |
| 4 | $24.99 on Musician | $19 on Starter |
| 12 | $24.99 on Musician | $19 on Starter |
Costs are for the first 12 months on the cheapest plan, from the prices on each distributor's page, in US dollars before tax, with no add-ons. Yearly plans renew every year; one-off fees do not. The picker above adds Content ID, splits and a cover licence when you need them.
Stage is not paid by any distributor and none of the links on this page are affiliate links. We read each distributor's own pricing and help pages on the date shown and link every fact to the page it came from. Prices change, so open the source before you pay.
Questions artists ask
Is Ditto cheaper than DistroKid?
Yes: $19 a year for Ditto Starter against $24.99 for DistroKid Musician. Both include unlimited releases.
Do DistroKid and Ditto both keep 0%?
Yes, both say you keep 100% of streaming money. Ditto keeps 15% of publishing and sync money on Pro; DistroKid's video add-on keeps 20% of ad money.
Which has YouTube Content ID?
DistroKid through the Social Media Pack add-on; Ditto on Pro ($59 a year) and Labels, not Starter.
Can I release a cover on Ditto?
Yes, but Ditto does not sell the licence. You buy one elsewhere and upload the paperwork. DistroKid sells it for $12 per song per year.
Related
- Which music distributor should I use?
Answer 7 questions and get a ranked shortlist of 12 music distributors, with each one's price, cut and rules, read on its own site on 16 October 2026. - DistroKid vs TuneCore: which one fits you?
DistroKid vs TuneCore: both start at $24.99 a year and keep 0% of streaming money. Content ID, pre-saves, covers and AI rules compared, with sources. - DistroKid vs CD Baby: yearly plan or pay once?
DistroKid charges $24.99 a year and keeps 0%. CD Baby charges $9.99 per single once and keeps 9%. Which fits you depends on how often you release. - TuneCore vs CD Baby: which one fits you?
TuneCore is $24.99 a year and keeps 0% of streaming money. CD Baby is $9.99 per single once and keeps 9%. Both include YouTube Content ID. Sources linked. - Music release planner: every deadline from upload to release day
Free release planner: pick a date and distributor and get every deadline (upload, Spotify pitch, pre-save, release day), each with its dated source. - Can you upload AI music? Rules for 24 platforms and distributors
Spotify: yes. Bandcamp and CD Baby: no. Most distributors: yes, with limits. AI music rules for 24 platforms in each company's own words, dated. - Streams to money calculator: what every platform pays per stream
What Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and 7 more pay per stream in 2026, after your distributor's cut and splits. Sourced, dated ranges. Free. - Artificial streaming checker: your Spotify numbers, notice and fee
Got an artificial streaming notice? Check your Spotify for Artists numbers, estimate the €10 per track fee, and see what your distributor says to do.
Sources
- DistroKid pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid plans and pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid help: What Are Album Extras? · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid: Spotify · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid cover song licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid Help: Can I Upload Music Made With AI Tools to DistroKid? · checked 15 October 2026
- DistroKid help: How to Release Music on DistroKid · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid Help: I Received an "Artificial Streaming" Notice from Spotify. What Should I Do? · checked 16 October 2026
- Ditto Music pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- Ditto support: covers, remixes and samples · checked 16 October 2026
- Ditto Help: Can I release AI-generated music with Ditto Music? · checked 15 October 2026
- Ditto Help: Why do I have negative Spotify royalties? · checked 15 October 2026
Found something out of date? Email info@groovegainer.com and we fix it, usually the same week. How we check our sources.