Is DistroKid or Showtime better?

Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Showtime?

DistroKid starts at On request and Showtime at $10.99/month.

Does DistroKid or Showtime run on more platforms?

DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.

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 Showtime is typically brought in for.

What can DistroKid do that Showtime cannot?

DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming, Scheduled release dates, Leave a Legacy. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

Music · head to head

DistroKid vs Showtime

DistroKid

Music

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

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Showtime

Entertainment

Signature entertainment and sports

From: $10.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

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.; Showtime showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
They diverge on capability: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, Showtime covers Streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DistroKid and Showtime actually diverge.

Attributes where DistroKid and Showtime differ
Attribute	DistroKid	Showtime
Starting price	On request	$10.99/month
Pricing model	One-time purchase	subscription
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv
Category	Music	Entertainment
Founded	Unknown	1983

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Showtime

Streaming
Original series
Movies
Sports
Live events
Smart TVs
Streaming devices
Account security

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 Showtime
A songwriter needing automated collaborator splits handled at the point of releasenot Showtime
A small label managing several artists under one account using a Label tiernot Showtime
An artist who wants their catalogue to survive a lapsed subscription and pays for Leave a Legacy on key releasesnot Showtime

Showtime

Premium streamingnot DistroKid
Sports watchingnot 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.

Showtime

Showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current subscription period rather than immediately, with continued access through the paid period, per the App Store listing

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

Showtime

$10.99/month

Showtime Standalone$10.99/month
- Original content
- Ad-free

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 Showtime if

You need streaming.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
You also want original series.

Showtime review

Questions people ask

Is DistroKid or Showtime better?: Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Showtime?: DistroKid starts at On request and Showtime at $10.99/month.
Does DistroKid or Showtime run on more platforms?: DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
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 Showtime is typically brought in for.
What can DistroKid do that Showtime cannot?: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming, Scheduled release dates, Leave a Legacy. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

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.

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.

DistroKid: Is there a free tier?

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

DistroKid vs Showtime

DistroKid

Showtime

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in DistroKid

Only in Showtime

What people use each for

DistroKid

Showtime

Where each one falls short

DistroKid

Showtime

Pricing, plan by plan

DistroKid

Showtime

Which should you pick?

Choose DistroKid if

Choose Showtime if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on DistroKid

More on Showtime

Keep looking

Other head to heads