Is DistroKid or Infuse better?

Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Infuse at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Infuse?

Infuse has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DistroKid and Free for Infuse.

Does DistroKid or Infuse run on more platforms?

DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Infuse runs on Mac, iOS, tvOS.

Can I use Infuse for free?

Yes. Infuse has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DistroKid starts at On request.

What is DistroKid best used for?

DistroKid is most often used for a working artist releasing multiple singles a year who wants to keep 100% of streaming royalties above a flat annual fee, a songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of release, a small label managing several artists under one account using a label tier, an artist who wants their catalogue to survive a lapsed subscription and pays for leave a legacy on key releases. Of those, a working artist releasing multiple singles a year who wants to keep 100% of streaming royalties above a flat annual fee and a songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of release are not what Infuse is typically brought in for.

What can DistroKid do that Infuse cannot?

DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming, Scheduled release dates, Leave a Legacy. Infuse covers Apple TV app, Network share streaming, Cloud storage support, Automatic metadata and artwork.

Music · head to head

DistroKid vs Infuse

DistroKid

Music

Flat annual subscription music distribution where artists keep 100% of streaming royalties

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Infuse

Entertainment

Paid media player for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac with strong network share and cloud library streaming

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Infuse has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: DistroKid if the annual fee is not paid, DistroKid can pull releases from stores, and only releases with the separate Leave a Legacy add-on are protected from that.; Infuse it costs money in every form, subscription or lifetime, where IINA performs equivalent local Mac playback for free.
They diverge on capability: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, Infuse covers Apple TV app.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DistroKid and Infuse actually diverge.

Attributes where DistroKid and Infuse differ
Attribute	DistroKid	Infuse
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	One-time purchase	Per user per month
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Mac, iOS, tvOS
Category	Music	Entertainment

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DistroKid

Unlimited uploads
0% royalty commission on streaming
Scheduled release dates
Leave a Legacy
Songwriter splits
YouTube Content ID

Only in Infuse

Apple TV app
Network share streaming
Cloud storage support
Automatic metadata and artwork
Subtitle and audio track handling
Cross-platform library

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DistroKid

A working artist releasing multiple singles a year who wants to keep 100% of streaming royalties above a flat annual feenot Infuse
A songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of releasenot Infuse
A small label managing several artists under one account using a Label tiernot Infuse
An artist who wants their catalogue to survive a lapsed subscription and pays for Leave a Legacy on key releasesnot Infuse

Infuse

Someone with a NAS full of ripped or downloaded video who wants it browsable on Apple TV like a streaming servicenot DistroKid
A household that wants one media library accessible from the living room television, phones and a Macnot DistroKid
A user who wants automatic artwork and metadata for a personal library rather than plain file namesnot DistroKid
Someone already invested in the Apple TV ecosystem who wants better playback than the built in Apple TV app supportsnot DistroKid

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DistroKid

If the annual fee is not paid, DistroKid can pull releases from stores, and only releases with the separate Leave a Legacy add-on are protected from that.
The 0% royalty claim applies to streaming stores only; social platform monetisation through TikTok, Instagram and YouTube is charged at a 20% commission.
Publishing administration, if used, carries its own 20% commission on top of the base subscription.
Extra artist profiles beyond the one included per plan cost an additional $14.99 a year each, which adds up for artists running side projects.
Customer support is primarily self-serve and ticket-based rather than a dedicated account manager, which some artists moving from CD Baby’s more service-heavy model find thin.

Infuse

It costs money in every form, subscription or lifetime, where IINA performs equivalent local Mac playback for free.
Full functionality depends on the Pro tier, so the free version alone is limited enough that most serious users end up paying.
It has no Android or Windows app, so it does not help a household with non-Apple television or phone hardware.
Streaming quality from a network share depends heavily on local network speed and NAS performance, which is outside the app control and can cause buffering.
Regional pricing and promotional lifetime pricing has varied over time, so the exact lifetime cost is worth checking on the App Store before buying.

Pricing, plan by plan

DistroKid

On request

Musician$24.99/year
- Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming stores
- No custom release scheduling
Musician Plus$44.99/year
- Scheduled release dates, daily stats
- Custom label name, multiple artist names
Ultimate$89.99/year
- Everything in Musician Plus
- Higher-tier support and additional artist management features
Label plans$undefined/year
- Label 5, Label 10 and Label 25 tiers for multiple managed artists

Infuse

Free

Infuse (free)Free
- Basic local file playback
- Limited compared to Pro
- No network share or cloud streaming
Infuse Pro Monthly$1.99/month
- Full network share and cloud streaming
- Metadata and artwork fetching
- All future updates included while subscribed
Infuse Pro Lifetime$149.99/one-time
- One-time purchase, no recurring fee
- All future major version updates included
- Regional pricing varies by App Store

Which should you pick?

Choose DistroKid if

You need unlimited uploads.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want 0% royalty commission on streaming.

DistroKid review

Choose Infuse if

You need apple tv app.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Mac, iOS, tvOS.
You also want network share streaming.

Infuse review

Questions people ask

Is DistroKid or Infuse better?: Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Infuse at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Infuse?: Infuse has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DistroKid and Free for Infuse.
Does DistroKid or Infuse run on more platforms?: DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Infuse runs on Mac, iOS, tvOS.
Can I use Infuse for free?: Yes. Infuse has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DistroKid starts at On request.
What is DistroKid best used for?: DistroKid is most often used for a working artist releasing multiple singles a year who wants to keep 100% of streaming royalties above a flat annual fee, a songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of release, a small label managing several artists under one account using a label tier, an artist who wants their catalogue to survive a lapsed subscription and pays for leave a legacy on key releases. Of those, a working artist releasing multiple singles a year who wants to keep 100% of streaming royalties above a flat annual fee and a songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of release are not what Infuse is typically brought in for.
What can DistroKid do that Infuse cannot?: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming, Scheduled release dates, Leave a Legacy. Infuse covers Apple TV app, Network share streaming, Cloud storage support, Automatic metadata and artwork.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DistroKid: Does DistroKid really take 0% of royalties?

On core streaming store royalties, yes. It takes 20% on social platform monetisation (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube) and 20% on publishing administration if used.

Infuse: Is Infuse free?

A limited free version exists, but network share and cloud streaming, the main reason people choose Infuse, requires Infuse Pro, sold as a subscription or lifetime purchase.

DistroKid: What happens if I stop paying?

Your releases can be removed from stores. Leave a Legacy is a per-release add-on that keeps specific releases live regardless of subscription status.

Infuse: Does Infuse work on Apple TV?

Yes, it has a dedicated Apple TV app with a television-optimised browsing interface, which IINA does not offer at all.

DistroKid: Is there a free tier?

No. Every tier is a paid annual subscription; there is no free plan.

Infuse: Is there a one-time payment option?

Yes, a lifetime purchase is available alongside monthly and yearly subscriptions, currently around 149.99 US dollars depending on region.

DistroKid vs Infuse

DistroKid

Infuse

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in DistroKid

Only in Infuse

What people use each for

DistroKid

Infuse

Where each one falls short

DistroKid

Infuse

Pricing, plan by plan

DistroKid

Infuse

Which should you pick?

Choose DistroKid if

Choose Infuse if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on DistroKid

More on Infuse

Keep looking

Other head to heads