Spotify for Artists vs DistroKid
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spotify for Artists
This official app provides artists and their teams with free tools to grow their fanbase and manage their music business on Spotify. Understand your audience, update your profile, and track your music's performance in real-time from anywhere.
- Audience insights
- Real-time listener stats
- Profile management
- Playlist and follower milestones
- Canvas visuals for tracks
- Artist roster management
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Spotify for Artists gives you free tools to reach your goals on Spotify. Built for artists and their teams, Spotify for Artists lets you understand your audience, manage your artist profile, upload videos & visuals, and celebrate new releases and milestones. With our app, you can make updates and see your stats from anywhere – in the studio, on tour, or when planning your next release. With Spotify for Artists, you can: • Understand who’s listening and where you’re being heard through your song, playlist, and audience insights. • See a real-time count of how many listeners around the world are streaming your music at any moment. • Celebrate your successes with real-time stats for new releases, updates when you’ve been added to a playlist, and follower milestones. • Control your presence on Spotify by editing your profile, playlists, and Artist Pick. • Showcase your creativity by adding a short looping visual to each of your tracks with Canvas. • Easily switch between artists to keep track of your entire roster’s new releases, stats, and profiles. • Learn the latest tips and tricks with access to our latest articles, product updates, and videos. • Share feedback with us and get answers to your questions. We’re here to support you. Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spotifyforartists/ Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/spotifyartists Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@spotifyforartists Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/spotify-for-artists/
DistroKid
This app simplifies music distribution, allowing artists to upload unlimited songs to over 150 streaming platforms. Artists retain 100% of their earnings and can manage their official artist accounts, track stats, and create promotional materials on the go.
- Unlimited music uploads
- 100% earnings retention
- Access to official artist accounts
- Create promo cards
- Real-time streaming stats
- Seamless earnings withdrawal
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DistroKid is the easiest way to get your music on 150+ streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, YouTube Music & more. Keep 100% of your earnings and upload as many songs as you want. Over 4 million independent artists worldwide trust DistroKid as their music distribution service. Features: · Enjoy easy, fast, unlimited uploads right from the app · Keep 100% of your earnings · Access your official artist accounts including Spotify for Artists, TikTok Artist Account, YouTube, and more · Create Promo Cards to share your release on socials · Get push notifications when you have earnings to claim and withdraw them seamlessly · Check your streaming stats on the go · Edit your releases anytime Log in with your existing DistroKid account or sign up to share your music with the world. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: DistroKid at 64% against Spotify for Artists's 18%. DistroKid also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.9) and ratings volume (27K vs 1.8K). Spotify for Artists's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. DistroKid sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Spotify for Artists asks for nothing beyond the download.
DistroKid holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DistroKid has 27K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Spotify for Artists's written reviews are positive against 64% of DistroKid's.
Spotify for Artists ships an update fortnightly, DistroKid every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Spotify for Artists | DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (1.8K ratings) | 4.9 (27K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.2% of reviews | 64.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | 27K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #142 | #15 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Spotify | DistroKid Holdings, LLC |
Customer experience
Spotify for Artists
DistroKid
User reviews
Spotify for Artists
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 📊 Helpful analytics
- 🎨 Customizable profile
- 🚀 Smooth performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔒 Login issues
- 📉 Inaccurate or missing data
- 🚫 Lack of features for smaller artists
DistroKid
From 27K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Quick distribution
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💡 Affordable pricing
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Withdrawal issues
- 🐛 Accounts being deleted without notice
- 🐛 Delayed customer support response
- 💰 Expensive additional features
- 🐛 Inability to edit artist profiles
Bugs and requests
Spotify for Artists
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to update profile images and bio
- App crashing or not loading
- Streams and listener counts not updating properly
- Forced updates requiring newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to see all-time stream counts for songs under 1,000 streams
- More granular date range options for analytics
- Integration with other streaming platforms
- Tools for interacting with fans
DistroKid
Reported bugs
4 issues- Subscription plan issues
- Inability to log in or access account
- Incorrect file uploads
- Unresponsive customer support
Requested features
6 requests- Add draft option for uploads
- Expand genre options
- Improve credit management during uploads
- Reevaluate pricing structure
- Integrate music video distribution
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Provide more detailed earnings reports
In-app purchases
Spotify for Artists
No in-app purchases
DistroKid
- Musician Plan$24.991 Year
- Musician Plus$44.991 Year
- Ultimate - 5$89.991 Year
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Ultimate - 10$157.991 Year
- Ultimate - 20$269.991 Year
Questions
Is Spotify for Artists free?
Is DistroKid free?
Which has better reviews, Spotify for Artists or DistroKid?
Do Spotify for Artists or DistroKid have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spotify for Artists or DistroKid?
Which is more popular, Spotify for Artists or DistroKid?
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