Song request apps
CrowdFuel and GigTag: two ways for a band to take requests
Requests are one part of a gig. You also want the room to know where you play next and how to book you, and you want to stay in charge of the set. GigTag gives a band all of that from one tag on the mic stand, with a free plan to begin on. If you were looking at CrowdFuel and its ranked requests, here is GigTag's case.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
Why bands put GigTag ahead of CrowdFuel
CrowdFuel is a request list for bands, ordered partly by what the crowd gives. GigTag covers more of a working band's night: requests in a queue you control, gigs and residencies, links, booking enquiries and invoices, on one permanent printed code.
- 1
You keep the set list
GigTag shows requests in a live queue and leaves the order to the band. You know when a ballad will land and when the floor needs lifting. CrowdFuel ranks requests by the tip attached and the time received, which hands part of that decision to the room.
- 2
More than a request line
The same scan shows your next gig and weekly residencies, links to your socials, website and music, and carries a booking enquiry form. All of that is on the free plan. A request tool does one of those jobs, and a GigTag page does them together, on a single code.
- 3
A gig that leads to bookings
A bar gig is an audition for someone's party. With GigTag they enquire from the page, GigTag takes no commission, and on Pro you send an invoice in your own design that they pay online. A good night can then lead to future work as well as to what is in the jar.
- 4
One permanent printed code
Your code never changes. Print the tag once, take it on the road, and anyone who photographed it in one town still reaches your page from the next. Rename the band and old links keep working. You can have the tag printed and delivered, or print the file yourself for free.
- 5
Works in every country
GigTag's requests, gigs, residencies, links, enquiries, invoices and tips work wherever you play, with tips going into your own Ziina or Stripe account and 0% of them taken by GigTag. CrowdFuel is aimed at the United States, so a band elsewhere will find GigTag ready for its own circuit.
In short
CrowdFuel and GigTag, in four lines
- CrowdFuel is a request app for bands in the United States that ranks requests by what the crowd gives.
- GigTag keeps you in charge: requests arrive in a live queue and the band picks the next song.
- One printed code also shows your gigs, your links and a commission free booking form.
- Choose GigTag for a whole gig on one tag, while CrowdFuel suits bands who want ranked requests.
Side by side
GigTag vs CrowdFuel, topic by topic
Taking requests
One scan, no app, no account
Fans scan the tag on the mic stand and request from your song list. The requests arrive in a live queue during the set.
CrowdFuelCrowdFuel helps a band run live song requests at its shows, according to its store listing, so the audience can ask for songs during the set.
The running order
You choose what to play next
The band reads the live queue and decides what to play next, fitting requests around the shape of the set.
CrowdFuelIts listing says requests are ranked by tip amount and by the time they came in, which puts them in an order for the band.
Being tipped
0% taken from tips
Tips by card or Apple Pay go into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else. GigTag takes 0%.
CrowdFuelTips are collected at shows together with the requests, and the amount tipped is one of the things that ranks a request.
Who it is for
Solo acts, duos and bands, any country
GigTag is for solo acts, duos and bands in any country. Tips and everything else work wherever you play.
CrowdFuelIt is described as an app for bands, and it is aimed at the United States. Check its store listing for where it is available.
After the show
Next gig, links and a booking form
Fans can return to your page for your next gig, residencies and links, or send a booking enquiry through the form.
CrowdFuelSee its site for how it handles this.
The quick view
| GigTag | CrowdFuel | |
|---|---|---|
| A QR code your audience scans | Yes, one that never changes | – |
| Song requests from the crowd | Yes, on Pro | Yes |
| Tips by card or Apple Pay | Yes, on Pro, into your own Ziina or Stripe. GigTag takes 0% | Yes |
| Booking enquiries | Yes, on the free plan | – |
| Your gigs and weekly residencies | Yes, on the free plan | – |
| Invoices for bookings | Yes, on Pro | – |
| A printed tag for your mic stand | Yes, in your own design | – |
| Works without an app for the audience | Yes, it opens in the browser | – |
A dash means we did not confirm it for CrowdFuel, not that it is missing: see what CrowdFuel offers above, or ask its makers.
A CrowdFuel alternative
Where GigTag is different from CrowdFuel
Who sets the running order
CrowdFuel ranks requests by the tip attached and the time they arrived, so the room helps set the order and the band has a list to work down. GigTag shows you a live queue of requests during the set, and you choose from it. You may know that a slow song works after the interval, or that one table is about to leave. Both are fair ways to run a night, and they suit different bands.
Where tips are available
CrowdFuel builds tips into the request. On GigTag a request never needs a tip, and tips work in every country. They are paid by card or Apple Pay into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else, and GigTag takes 0%. If tipped requests at shows in the United States are what you are after, that is the ground CrowdFuel is aimed at.
A printed tag, dates and a booking form
GigTag is built around a physical tag for the mic stand with one permanent QR code. Behind it is a page for the act: next gig, weekly residencies to add to a calendar, socials and music links, and a booking enquiry form, all on the free plan. On Pro, invoices in your own design let a client pay online. A request is one of several things a scan can lead to.
A night with GigTag
A band on a weekend run of shows
Three towns in three nights, and nobody in tonight's room has heard you before. The tag goes on the mic stand at soundcheck, the same tag as last night. During the set, people scan it and your page opens in their browser. They request from your song list, and the requests gather in the live queue on the phone at the front of the stage. You pick from it as you go, keeping the set moving the way you know it should.
For a touring band the scan matters most after the last song. New listeners follow your socials and open your music links before they have left the bar. They can see the rest of the run on your page, and some add tomorrow's show to their calendar to send friends in the next town. A promoter sends a booking enquiry through the form for a return date. Tomorrow, in another room, the code is unchanged, so anyone who photographed the tag tonight still lands on your page.
About CrowdFuel
What is CrowdFuel?
CrowdFuel is an app for bands. According to its store listing, it helps a band run live song requests and collect tips at shows. The feature that sets it apart is the ranking: requests are ordered by the size of the tip attached and by the time they came in. So the audience has a say in what is played next, and the band has a clear list to work down. It is aimed at the United States.
At a show, that means the crowd sends in songs and tips, and the list sorts itself. A bigger tip moves a request up, and the time a request arrived counts as well. The band sees the order and plays through it. Its app store listing is the place to check how it is set up and what the audience needs to do to take part.
- Where
- United States
How CrowdFuel works
- 1
The band opens requests. At a show, the band uses CrowdFuel to take live song requests from the audience, and tips are collected alongside them through the same app.
- 2
The list ranks itself. Its listing says requests are ranked by the amount tipped and by the time they came in, so the order is set by the crowd's choices.
- 3
The band plays through it. The band can see which request stands highest and work down the list during the set. See its store listing for how setup and payment work.
Who CrowdFuel is for
Bands that take requests. CrowdFuel is described as an app for bands. It is for groups that already invite requests from the stage and want them collected in one list on a phone instead of shouted from the floor or written on napkins.
Shows where tips matter. Because tips are collected with requests, it fits shows where the band's night depends on what the audience gives: bar gigs and similar rooms where a tip jar would otherwise sit at the front of the stage.
Crowds that like a contest. Ranking by tip and time gives the audience a say in the set. That suits a lively room where groups enjoy pushing their song up the list, and a band that is happy to follow the order.
The verdict
GigTag or CrowdFuel: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For a band that wants to run its own set and build its own diary, GigTag is the one to choose. The strongest reason is breadth: one printed code handles requests, the next gig, links, booking enquiries and invoices, where CrowdFuel concentrates on ranking requests. CrowdFuel still suits bands in the United States who want the crowd's tips to drive the order of songs. GigTag's own tips work in every country, with 0% taken.
At a single show you would run one or the other, since both take requests. A band in the United States that wants tips to drive the set list has a reason to pick CrowdFuel. A band that wants a permanent printed code, its gigs and residencies on show, and booking enquiries from the room has a reason to pick GigTag.
- Step 1
Pick one per show
Both take requests, so choose before each show. Use CrowdFuel where you want the crowd to rank the requests, and GigTag where you want to choose from a queue.
- Step 2
Keep GigTag for your dates
Whichever you use for requests, your GigTag page can still carry your gigs, residencies, links and booking enquiry form, all of it on the free plan.
- Step 3
Tell the audience plainly
Announce one code from the stage and say what it does, so the room knows where to send a request and where to find your next date.
Choose GigTag if
You want to choose the order yourself from a live queue, and you want the same scan to show your gigs and bring booking enquiries.
Start freeCrowdFuel may still suit you if
You want the size of the tip to help decide which request is played next.
GigTag FreeYour page, your tag design, every gig and residency, a booking form. One act.
GigTag ProSong requests, tips, invoices, more than one act. AED 30, £11.99 or $15.99 a month.
GigTag Printed tagFrom AED 100 in the UAE, £24.99 in the UK or €28.99 in the EU, delivered free, with a large size for more; $32.99 elsewhere, plus postage from the UK. Or print your own, anywhere, for free.
Is GigTag better than CrowdFuel for a covers band?
If you want one tool for the whole gig, yes. GigTag takes requests from your song list into a live queue you control, shows your gigs and residencies, links to your socials and music, and takes booking enquiries with no commission. CrowdFuel is built around one idea, ranking requests by tip and time, for bands in the United States. GigTag tips work in every country too, with 0% taken.
Why choose a live queue over ranked requests?
Because the band usually knows the room. With GigTag's live queue you see every request and decide what comes next, so the set keeps its shape and you can fit a request to the moment. CrowdFuel's ranking by tip and time suits bands who enjoy letting the crowd set the order. GigTag tips, for the record, work in every country, with 0% taken.
What is the CrowdFuel app?
CrowdFuel is an app that helps bands run live song requests and collect tips at shows. Its listing says requests are ranked by tip amount and by the time they came in, so the order reflects what the audience has asked for and backed. It is aimed at bands in the United States. Check its app store listing for current details.
Is GigTag a CrowdFuel alternative for a covers band?
It can be, depending on what you want from it. GigTag gives a band one permanent QR code on a mic stand tag. Fans scan it to request from your song list, see your gigs and residencies, follow your links and send a booking enquiry. Requests and tips are on Pro, and tips go into your own Ziina or Stripe account.
Who keeps the tips on GigTag?
The performer does. GigTag takes 0% of tips. Fans pay by card or Apple Pay and the money goes into the performer's own account: Ziina in the UAE, or Stripe everywhere else. Tips, song requests, gigs, residencies, links, enquiries and invoices work in every country. For how CrowdFuel handles tips, see its app store listing.
Can a solo act or duo use GigTag, or is it for bands like CrowdFuel?
GigTag is for any live act: solo, duo or band. Each act has its own page and permanent QR code. On Pro, one account can hold more than one act, which helps if you play solo midweek and with a band at weekends, and band members can join the band. CrowdFuel describes itself as an app for bands.
How does CrowdFuel rank song requests?
Its store listing says requests are ranked by tip amount and by the time they came in. So two things decide a request's place: how much was tipped with it and when it arrived. For exactly how the two are weighed, check the listing itself. GigTag shows requests in a live queue and the band chooses from it.
Is CrowdFuel for bands or for DJs?
It is described as an app that helps bands run live song requests and collect tips at shows, so bands are its audience, mainly in the United States. GigTag is also made for people who perform live, whether a solo act, a duo or a band, and works in every country, tips included.
Can fans follow my band after scanning a QR code at a show?
Yes. A GigTag page carries links to your socials, your website and your music, so someone who scans the tag at a show can follow you there and then. The page also lists your next gig and weekly residencies. All of that is on the free plan, and the code stays the same from show to show.
Does GigTag work without installing the phone app?
Yes, on both sides. The audience never needs an app: your page opens in their browser. As the performer you can manage everything from the website, including the live queue of requests, your gigs and residencies, booking enquiries and invoices. The GigTag phone app does the same jobs if you would sooner use your phone.
Apps like CrowdFuel: more song request apps compared
- DJ Intelligencevs GigTag
- djrequestsvs GigTag
- Emsivs GigTag
- Enjoy the Clubvs GigTag
- HelloBandvs GigTag
- Lime DJvs GigTag
CrowdFuel is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about CrowdFuel here comes from its own public store listing, checked on 7 October 2026. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
For musicians
One code on your stand. Requests, tips and the next gig behind it.
No app for your audience, nothing to download. Free to start.