Is DistroKid or Starz better?

Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Starz at $6.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Starz?

DistroKid starts at On request and Starz at $6.99/month.

Does DistroKid or Starz run on more platforms?

DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Starz runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-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 Starz is typically brought in for.

What can DistroKid do that Starz cannot?

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

Music · head to head

DistroKid vs Starz

DistroKid

Music

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

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Starz

Entertainment

Premium originals and hit series

From: $6.99/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.; Starz standard monthly rate after 3-month promotion not disclosed on landing page; requires signup to see renewal pricing
They diverge on capability: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, Starz covers Streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DistroKid and Starz actually diverge.

Attributes where DistroKid and Starz differ
Attribute	DistroKid	Starz
Starting price	On request	$6.99/month
Pricing model	One-time purchase	subscription
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv
Category	Music	Entertainment
Founded	Unknown	1994

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 Starz

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

Starz

Drama streamingnot DistroKid
Original series 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.

Starz

Standard monthly rate after 3-month promotion not disclosed on landing page; requires signup to see renewal pricing

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

Starz

$6.99/month

Standard$6.99/month
- HD
- Ad-supported
Premium$12.99/month
- 4K
- Ad-free
- Downloads

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 Starz if

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

Starz review

Questions people ask

Is DistroKid or Starz better?: Neither clearly leads. DistroKid starts at On request and Starz at $6.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DistroKid or Starz?: DistroKid starts at On request and Starz at $6.99/month.
Does DistroKid or Starz run on more platforms?: DistroKid runs on Web, iOS, Android. Starz runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-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 Starz is typically brought in for.
What can DistroKid do that Starz cannot?: DistroKid covers Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming, Scheduled release dates, Leave a Legacy. Starz covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Exclusive content.

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.

Starz: What is the current STARZ subscription cost?

STARZ offers a limited-time promotional rate of $4 per month for the first three months. The standard monthly rate after this period is not displayed on the website and appears during signup.

Source

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.

Starz: How many devices can stream simultaneously on STARZ?

STARZ subscriptions allow streaming on up to 4 devices at the same time, with unlimited HD streaming and downloads included.

Source

DistroKid: Is there a free tier?

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

DistroKid vs Starz

DistroKid

Starz

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in DistroKid

Only in Starz

What people use each for

DistroKid

Starz

Where each one falls short

DistroKid

Starz

Pricing, plan by plan

DistroKid

Starz

Which should you pick?

Choose DistroKid if

Choose Starz if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on DistroKid

More on Starz

Keep looking

Other head to heads