Short answer
A genuinely free distributor exists, but “free” almost always means the service keeps a share of your royalties instead of charging a fee. Among the services whose own pages we could read, that share is 10–15% of streaming income. The alternative is a cheap annual plan with no cut, which is a better deal once you earn more than the fee.
Every service below is described only from terms it publishes itself. Those terms change, so check the current pricing page before you upload.
How we ranked them
- Cost: no subscription, no per-release fee, no renewal fee on the free tier.
- Share: what percentage of royalties the artist keeps, and whether the rate is flat or tiered.
- Rights: whether the artist keeps ownership of the masters.
- Reach and review: which stores are covered and how releases are checked.
- Clarity: whether the terms are stated on the service’s own site.
The ranking
| # | Service | Cost | Artist keeps | Review time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YourLabel | $0, no upload fees | 85% of net revenue, flat | Usually within 24 hours (YourLabel) | Major platforms; no AI music until Dec 29, 2026 |
| 2 | RouteNote (Free) | $0 | 85% of net revenue | 26–27 working days (RouteNote, Oct 12, 2026) | Paid Premium keeps 100% for $10–$45 per release plus $9.99 yearly per release |
| 3 | FreshTunes (Free) | $0 | Streaming split not stated on pricing page | No official figure; user reviews report weeks | 20% commission on YouTube Content ID, songwriter and UGC royalties; one artist; payouts up to 30 days |
1. YourLabel
YourLabel charges no subscription and no upload fees. The artist keeps 85% of net revenue at one flat rate, with no tiers or thresholds, and the service keeps 15%. It states that the artist retains 100% ownership of the masters. Each release goes to the major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Instagram. Every release is checked by a person, usually within 24 hours, and the service says it aims to answer support requests within 24 hours. Payouts go by PayPal or bank transfer once the balance reaches the minimum.
Two limits matter. YourLabel is not accepting AI-generated or AI-assisted music until December 29, 2026, citing updated platform rules. And 15% is a real cost: an artist earning $2,000 a year in royalties pays $300 for the service.
AnalysYourLabel takes first place on simplicity and support, not on the size of the share. Its 85% matches RouteNote’s free tier. What separates them is a flat rate that never changes, a named review window, and delivery to the major platforms. If your priority is the highest possible share, a paid plan beats every free option here.
2. RouteNote (Free)
RouteNote’s support hub says the free plan costs $0 and pays the artist 85% of the net revenue it receives from use of the music. The paid Premium option keeps 100% of streaming and download revenue, at $10 for a single, $20 for an EP, $30 for an album and $45 for an extended album, plus a $9.99 yearly renewal per release. Note the wording: 85% of net revenue, meaning after platform deductions, not of the gross figure.
3. FreshTunes (Free)
FreshTunes’ pricing page lists a free plan for one artist, with support responses up to 10 days and payouts up to 30 days. It lists a 20% commission on YouTube Content ID, songwriter royalties and UGC platforms. The page does not describe the streaming split, so we cannot state it. Read the full terms before relying on it, particularly the rules on inactive accounts.
How long review takes
RouteNote’s Support Hub (page dated October 12, 2026) puts moderation at 26–27 working days after submission, then up to 24 hours to send an approved release to stores and 7–14 days for the stores to ingest it. FreshTunes does not publish a figure on its pricing page, which lists only “standard review time” for the free plan. Reviews on Trustpilot range from about two days to several weeks, and the company has said in a reply that quality-control review now takes longer than usual; those are anecdotes, not a guarantee. YourLabel states that every release is checked by a person, usually within 24 hours. After approval, each store still publishes on its own schedule, from a few hours to several weeks.
AnalysReview speed is where the free tiers differ most. At 26–27 working days, a RouteNote release submitted today may not reach stores for about five to six weeks, once store ingestion is added. If you have a release date, that wait matters more than a few percentage points of royalties.
Services that are no longer free
Older roundups still list some names as free. On their own pages today, UnitedMasters’ lowest plan, DEBUT+, costs $19.99 a year with 100% of royalties, and Amuse lists paid plans from $23.99 a year with no free plan shown. Both may still suit you, but neither is free.
TikTok’s SoundOn was announced in 2021–2022 with free distribution and 100% of royalties in the first year and 90% afterwards on non-ByteDance platforms. We could not confirm its current terms on an official page, and one secondary source describes a 2026 change we could not verify, so check SoundOn directly.
Free or cheap: a quick check
- Under roughly $150 a year in royalties: an 85% free tier costs you less than about $22.50, comparable to a yearly plan, with no upfront payment.
- Above that, a paid plan with no royalty cut usually costs less than the percentage you give up.
- Releasing many tracks a year: compare per-release fees against a flat annual plan.
- Whatever you pick: read the payout minimum, the review process and what happens to your catalog if you leave.
AnalysThe break-even arithmetic is ours: it takes a $20–$25 annual plan and a 15% cut and finds where they cross, at about $130–$170 of yearly royalties. Real plans differ in fees, stores and payout rules, so treat it as a rule of thumb.