TuneCore vs Ditto Music: which one fits you?
Ditto Starter is $19 a year and TuneCore Rising Artist $24.99, both with unlimited releases and 100% of streaming money. TuneCore includes YouTube Content ID on that plan (20% fee on YouTube and social money). Ditto puts Content ID on Pro at $59 a year. No Content ID needed: Ditto costs less.
SOURCE: Ditto Music pricing · CHECKED 16 October 2026Music Distributor Picker runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Ditto and TuneCore both sell yearly plans with no cut of streaming money. The $5.99 gap at the bottom flips once you need YouTube Content ID.
Pick TuneCore if
- You want YouTube Content ID on the cheapest plan ($24.99).
- You use AI tools trained on licensed data and want a clear written rule.
- You want covers licensed through the distributor ($17 for under 500 downloads, from an older page).
Pick Ditto Music if
- You want the lowest yearly price with splits and pre-save links: $19.
- You do not need Content ID, or you will pay for Pro anyway for publishing collection and sync pitching.
- You want to pitch to Ditto's own Spotify playlists.
Publishing and sync
Ditto Pro and Labels add publishing royalty collection and sync pitching, with a 15% commission on that money. Streaming money stays at 100% on every Ditto plan.
TuneCore vs Ditto Music: the facts side by side
| TuneCore | Ditto Music | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Yearly subscription with unlimited releases. A pay per release option is also listed (a single at $24.99 a year). | Yearly subscription with unlimited releases. A free Collab account is only for people who receive a split. |
| Plans (first 12 months) | Rising Artist: $24.99 a year; Breakout Artist: $44.99 a year; Professional: $54.99 a year | Starter: $19 a year; Pro: $59 a year; Labels: $109 a year |
| Royalties you keep | No commission on store and streaming money. A 20% fee applies to money from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. | 100% of streaming income on every plan. Publishing and sync money (Pro and Labels) has a 15% commission. |
| YouTube Content ID | Yes. Included from Rising Artist up. TuneCore keeps 20% of YouTube and social money. | Yes. YouTube Content ID setup is on Pro and Labels, not Starter. |
| Automatic splits | Yes. Automatic splits with collaborators, no commission, from Rising Artist up. | Yes. Automatic royalty splits from Starter up. |
| Pre-save and pitching | Not stated. We found no TuneCore pre-save tool of its own. On Professional, in some countries, Artist Pitch Forms put your release forward for TuneCore's playlists and store partners, with no promise of placement. | Yes. Free pre-save links from Starter. Ditto pitches to its own Spotify playlists. |
| Cover song licences | Yes. Sells cover licences through a partner: $17 for under 500 downloads, $70 above. Downloads only, and the page looks old. | No. Does not sell cover licences; you buy one elsewhere and upload the paperwork. |
| AI music | Only from licensed AI tools. TuneCore distributes AI-made music only if every AI model used was trained on fully licensed data. Google Flow Music is its named approved partner, and Suno says tracks from its new partner model are eligible. | 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 | Spotify's monthly €10 penalty for each track with high levels of artificial streaming is passed on to the TuneCore account holder in local currency. | 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 | TuneCore | Ditto Music |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $19 on Starter |
| 4 | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $19 on Starter |
| 12 | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $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 TuneCore?
Yes on the entry plan: $19 against $24.99 a year. With Content ID, TuneCore is cheaper because Ditto needs Pro at $59.
Do they take a cut?
Neither keeps a share of streaming money. TuneCore keeps 20% of TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube money; Ditto keeps 15% of publishing and sync money on Pro.
Does Ditto accept AI music?
Yes, 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.
Does Ditto sell cover licences?
No. Ditto says you will probably need to buy a licence elsewhere; you upload the paperwork in the release builder.
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
- TuneCore pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore home page · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore help: Artist Pitch Forms · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore cover song licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore Help: TuneCore's GenAI Music Content Framework · checked 15 October 2026
- TuneCore help: How long does it take for my music to go live in stores? · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore Help: Fees & Penalties for Artificial Streaming (updated 15 Oct 2026) · 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.