Guide

DistroKid vs TuneCore: prices, stores and what happens if you stop paying

DistroKid and TuneCore both start at $24.99 a year, so the price alone won't decide it. The differences are in what you keep on social platforms, which smaller stores they list, and whether you can bring your own codes.

Updated November 2, 2026

Short answer

DistroKid and TuneCore both start at $24.99 a year. DistroKid lists 100% earnings on its plans, while TuneCore keeps 20% on YouTube Music, TikTok and social platforms. DistroKid lists Audiomack as a free opt-in, and TuneCore's store list doesn't name it. Neither list names SoundCloud. TuneCore lets you use your own UPC on some plans, and DistroKid doesn't on any. DistroKid's top plan also emails you about changes on Spotify and Apple Music.

What to do, in order

List the platforms you need
Check the store list for any platform your fans use. A service can be missing from one company's list and offered as an opt-in by another.
Work out what you'd pay over time
Compare the yearly price with any cut of your earnings, and with what each extra costs, such as Content ID.
Check what happens if you stop paying
Some services take music down, some keep it up for a bigger cut, and some charge per release to keep it up.
Check you can keep your codes
If you are moving music, ask whether you can bring your ISRCs and UPCs. Keeping the ISRC helps a store recognize the same recording.

DistroKid and TuneCore side by side

Prices are in US dollars. Not described means the pages we checked don't say either way.

Feature	DistroKid	TuneCore
Yearly plans	Musician $24.99, Musician Plus $44.99, Ultimate from $89.99	Rising Artist $24.99, Breakout Artist $44.99, Professional $54.99
Pay per release	Not described	Single $24.99 a year; Album $44.99 first year, then $56.49 a year
What you keep	100%	100% of distribution; 80% on YouTube Music, Content ID, CapCut, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
SoundCloud	Not on its list	Not on its list
Audiomack	Free opt-in; needs an Audiomack account	Not on its list
Content ID	Social Media Pack: $4.95 per single or $14.95 per album a year, plus 20% of ad revenue	No upfront fee; 20% commission
Your own ISRC	Musician Plus and Ultimate	Yes, no plan limit stated
Your own UPC	Not on any plan	Professional or pay per release
If you stop paying	Music can be removed. Leave a Legacy, $29 per single or $49 per album once, keeps a release up	Taken down after 42 days. Takedowns are permanent, and a re-release needs a new UPC
Artificial streaming fee	Not described	Spotify's €10 monthly per-track penalty is charged to the account holder
Store change alerts	Ultimate: Artist Profile Alerts for Spotify and Apple Music	Not described. Release Tracker follows a new release up to going live

Not on its list means the company's public store list doesn't name it. It doesn't prove the service can't deliver there.

What each is better for

Neither wins on everything, so pick by the row that matters most to you.

DistroKid suits you if you want Audiomack delivered, or a way to pay once to keep one release up.
TuneCore suits you if you want to reuse your UPC, or pay per release rather than per plan.
For artists who earn mostly from YouTube, TikTok or social platforms, compare TuneCore's 20% with the cost of DistroKid's Social Media Pack.

If you need SoundCloud

Neither company's store list names SoundCloud, and neither says it can't deliver there. SoundCloud lets you upload directly, so check with the distributor or upload yourself.

Does DistroKid distribute to SoundCloud?

How Traxure helps

Traxure is not a distributor, and it works with whichever one you pick. If you have DistroKid Ultimate, Artist Profile Alerts already covers Spotify and Apple Music. Traxure checks your Spotify profile every 12 hours and your full catalog every day, and it also checks Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Pandora. It confirms a change with a second check, then emails you the before, the after and a note to your distributor ready to send. If you switch, Move Guard gives you your UPC, ISRCs and release details for the new distributor and tells you when it's safe to take the old upload down. Monitoring starts with a seven-day free trial.

Prices, store lists and terms were checked on each company's own pages on 2 November 2026. They change, so check before you decide.

Questions artists ask

Is DistroKid cheaper than TuneCore?

Both start at $24.99 a year and have a $44.99 plan. TuneCore's Professional plan is $54.99 plus $14.99 a year per additional artist. DistroKid's Ultimate starts at $89.99.

Does TuneCore take a cut of my royalties?

TuneCore pays 100% of distribution net receipts, but you keep 80% on YouTube Music, Content ID, CapCut, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Can I use my own UPC?

On TuneCore, yes with Professional or pay per release. DistroKid says custom UPCs aren't possible on any plan.

What happens if I stop paying TuneCore or DistroKid?

TuneCore takes releases down after 42 days. DistroKid says music can be removed unless you paid for Leave a Legacy on that release.

Can I switch without losing my streams?

Both companies have rules on codes, so check them first. TuneCore describes keeping your ISRC and UPC when the release is unchanged. DistroKid lets you reuse ISRCs on Musician Plus and Ultimate, but not UPCs.

Sources

Traxure

Know the same day, not weeks later.

Traxure checks your releases on Spotify and other platforms around the clock, confirms a change before alerting you and tells you what to do next. Seven-day free trial.

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Pricing

Plans from $12 a month.

7-day free trial on every plan. Cancel anytime.

Artist $12/mo
Manager $69/mo
Label $199/mo

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