Comparison

DistroKid vs MerchMaster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Unlimited music uploads
  • 100% earnings retention
  • Access to official artist accounts
  • Create promo cards
  • Real-time streaming stats
  • Seamless earnings withdrawal
Features
Read full description

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/

About

MerchMaster

Features
Read full description

Merchmaster is a merchandise selling app that let's you track your sales and inventory. It also gives you detailed reports about what payment options were used, what your most popular items are and what merchcuts you need to pay to the venue. The app syncs all your sales data from each show to all your devices so everybody can sell merchandise and a quick overview over your sales performance. It takes into account the cost to produce the items, taxrates, fees for the different payment options and more. The show reports are stored in your account and can be easily exported to excel.

Screenshots

DistroKid4 screens
MerchMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: DistroKid at #15 against MerchMaster's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DistroKid sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year and MerchMaster sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DistroKid ships an update every 5 weeks, MerchMaster monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
DistroKid versus MerchMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDistroKidMerchMaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (27K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings27K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
Best chart rank#15 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDistroKid Holdings, LLCDavid Schiminski

Bugs and requests

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 more
  • Provide more detailed earnings reports

MerchMaster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

DistroKid

Subscriptions5
  • Musician Plan$24.991 Year
  • Musician Plus$44.991 Year
  • Ultimate - 5$89.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Ultimate - 10$157.991 Year
  • Ultimate - 20$269.991 Year
2 purchases

MerchMaster

One-time2
  • 999 volume$8.99
  • 2499 volume$22.99

Questions

Is DistroKid free?
DistroKid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MerchMaster free?
MerchMaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DistroKid or MerchMaster have ads?
Neither DistroKid nor MerchMaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DistroKid or MerchMaster?
DistroKid ships an update every 5 weeks, and MerchMaster monthly. Most recently, DistroKid was updated on November 4, 2026 and MerchMaster on October 10, 2026.

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