Song request apps
HelloBand and GigTag: what the crowd can do from a scan
A band on stage wants the crowd's phones to do something useful: ask for a song, save the next date, send a booking enquiry. GigTag puts those behind one small tag on your mic stand, with a free plan to start. If you were looking at HelloBand, which centres on messages to the stage and a fan list, here is the case for GigTag.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
What GigTag adds for a band weighing up HelloBand
The two share an idea: one QR code between the stage and the crowd. GigTag takes it towards the working side of gigging: requests in an ordered queue from your own song list, weekly residencies, booking enquiries with no commission and invoices clients pay online.
- 1
Requests arrive as a queue
On GigTag a request is a song chosen from your list, and it lands in a live queue you can read at a glance between numbers. HelloBand's Say Hello button is a message line to the stage, good for greetings and shout-outs. GigTag keeps requests in one ordered place for the band.
- 2
From enquiry to paid invoice
The page has a booking enquiry form on the free plan, and GigTag takes no commission on bookings. On Pro you send the client an invoice in your own design and they pay it online. The whole path, from someone watching you to money for the next gig, runs through one account.
- 3
Card tips in every country
Fans tip by card or Apple Pay into your own Stripe account, or your own Ziina account in the UAE, and GigTag takes 0%. That works in every country. HelloBand routes tips to apps such as Venmo, CashApp or PayPal, which fits audiences in the United States.
- 4
Every line-up on one account
Play in a five-piece and an acoustic duo? On GigTag Pro both acts sit on one account, each with its own page and permanent code, and band members can join the band. You choose which tag goes on the stand that night and manage everything else in one place.
- 5
Free to start, anywhere
GigTag's free plan covers one act: the custom tag design and print file, the page, links, every gig and residency and the enquiry form. It works in every country, and you can print the tag yourself at no cost before deciding whether you want Pro.
In short
HelloBand and GigTag, in four lines
- HelloBand is a fan engagement app centred on messages to the stage, a gig schedule and a fan email list.
- GigTag keeps song requests in a live queue, chosen from your own list, while you play.
- Booking enquiries are free and commission free, and Pro adds invoices that clients pay online.
- Choose GigTag if bookings matter most or you play outside the United States, where HelloBand is most at home.
Side by side
GigTag vs HelloBand, topic by topic
Messages and requests
Requests in an ordered live queue
Fans request a song from your list, or any song if you open requests. Requests collect in a live queue you manage during the set.
HelloBandThe Say Hello button sends a private message to the device on stage. Its site says fans use it to say hello, request a song or ask for a birthday shout-out.
Being tipped
Card and Apple Pay tips in every country
Fans tip by card or Apple Pay into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else, and GigTag takes 0%.
HelloBandFans see whichever payment apps the performer already uses, such as Venmo, CashApp or PayPal, and its site says tips go directly to the performer.
Gig dates
Gigs and weekly residencies, free
Your page shows the next gig and each weekly residency, and fans can add them to their calendar. Every gig and residency is on the free plan.
HelloBandIts site describes a list of upcoming gigs with date, time, venue and notes, and an add to calendar button so fans get a reminder on their own phone.
Staying in touch
Booking enquiries, then invoices paid online
Fans follow your socials, website and music links from the page, and anyone wanting to hire you sends a booking enquiry through the form.
HelloBandThe Follow button lets a fan join the performer's email list by giving a name, zip code and email address, which the performer manages in the app.
Printed materials
One small tag made for the mic stand
You design a small tag for the mic stand. GigTag prints and delivers it, free in Dubai and the UK, or you print the file yourself.
HelloBandHelloBand runs its own print shop for banners, posters, table tents, table cards and its QR Wings signs, so the code is easy to spot at a gig.
The quick view
| GigTag | HelloBand | |
|---|---|---|
| A QR code your audience scans | Yes, one that never changes | Yes |
| 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 HelloBand, not that it is missing: see what HelloBand offers above, or ask on its site.
A HelloBand alternative
Where GigTag is different from HelloBand
Tips: payment apps or card
HelloBand sends tips through apps such as Venmo, Cash App or PayPal, which suits an American crowd that already has them. GigTag tips 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%. So the honest answer on tips depends on your crowd: if they already tip through those apps, HelloBand's approach fits. If they would rather tap a card or use Apple Pay, GigTag's does.
A small tag and a booking form
GigTag puts the code on a small tag you design for the mic stand, printed for you or printed yourself. The page behind it lists your next gig and your weekly residencies, which a fan can add to their calendar, and it carries a booking enquiry form on the free plan. HelloBand's page shows dates too, and adds a Follow button for an email list. So the choice is about what you want the scan to lead to: a mailing list, or an enquiry from someone who wants to hire you.
Enquiries, invoices and second line-ups
Bands get booked by people who have just watched them. GigTag's page has a booking enquiry form on the free plan. On Pro you can send an invoice in your own design that the client pays online, and keep more than one act on one account, so the full band and the acoustic duo each have their own page. Band members can join the band on GigTag too.
A night with GigTag
A bar band's weekly Thursday residency
It is the same room every Thursday, so half the crowd knows you and half is new. The tag is on the mic stand as usual. A newcomer scans it and your page opens in their browser. They see that you are here every week, because the residency is listed, and they add it to their calendar. Then they scroll to your song list and send a request. It joins the live queue on the phone by the monitor, where the singer can see it.
The regulars use the page differently. One checks whether you are playing anywhere at the weekend and finds the Saturday gig. Another sends a booking enquiry for a work party, from the same page, without leaving their seat. After the set you open the GigTag app, read the enquiry and reply. The drummer and the bassist have joined the band on GigTag as members. Next Thursday the tag goes back on the stand, and the code is the one everybody already has.
About HelloBand
What is HelloBand?
HelloBand is a QR code service for musicians, DJs and other performers. Fans scan the code and can message the act on stage: say hello, request a song, or ask for a shout-out. Its site also describes a list of upcoming gigs, links to social sites and a Follow button that builds an email list. Tips are not routed through a new payment system. They go through the payment apps the performer already uses, such as Venmo, Cash App or PayPal, which many American audiences have on their phones.
In use, the code goes where the crowd can see it, and its site suggests table cards, posters and a stage banner. A hello or a shout-out gives the singer something to say to the room, and a request arrives as a message on the device on stage. Someone who wants to tip is pointed to the performer's own Venmo, Cash App or PayPal. Check with HelloBand for the details of setting it up.
- Where
- United States
- Website
- helloband.io
How HelloBand works
- 1
Download the performer app. The performer installs HelloBand on an iOS or Android device and receives a QR code that leads to a landing page for the act and everything it shares.
- 2
Customise the landing page. You choose the colours and arrange the page with tiles: tipping, the Say Hello button, your gig schedule, social sites, email sign-up and links to any webpage you choose.
- 3
Put the code on show. Its site suggests table cards, table tents, posters and a stage banner, plus a mention over the microphone during the set. It runs a print shop for those materials.
- 4
Receive messages and tips. Fans scan with their phone camera and the page opens without an app or account. Messages arrive on the device you have on stage, and tips go to your own payment apps.
Who HelloBand is for
Working musicians and bands. Its site says HelloBand was created by musicians for musicians and entertainers. A band at a live show can receive hellos, song requests and birthday shout-outs on a device on stage, without giving out a mobile number or an email address.
DJs and other entertainers. DJs and live performers of other kinds are named alongside bands. The same page gives them digital tips through the payment apps they already use, a schedule of upcoming gigs, and links to their social sites and other webpages.
Performers building a fan list. A recurring theme on its site is owning your audience. The Follow button asks a fan for their name, zip code and email address, so the performer builds an email list to contact directly, apart from social media.
The verdict
GigTag or HelloBand: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For acts that treat gigging as a business, GigTag is the choice to make. Its strongest reason is the path it gives a booking: a guest scans, sends an enquiry, and you invoice them online, with no commission. It also keeps requests in a live queue and works in every country, tips included. HelloBand remains well suited to performers in the United States who want messages from the floor, an email list and payments through Venmo or CashApp.
They do much the same job at the gig, so run one. If you perform in the United States, your crowd tips by Venmo or Cash App, and you want chat from the floor and an email list, HelloBand is the natural choice. If you play in the UAE or the UK, or want a requests queue, a booking form and invoices tied to the same code, choose GigTag.
- Step 1
Choose by where you play
For shows in the United States, where audiences tip through Venmo or CashApp, HelloBand's tipping fits. Where fans would rather pay by card or Apple Pay, GigTag tips go into your own Stripe account, or your own Ziina account in the UAE.
- Step 2
Put one code on stage
Show the crowd a single code on any one night. Two codes for much the same job are harder to explain, and one is simpler to mention from the microphone.
- Step 3
Use GigTag for the paperwork
If you settle on HelloBand at gigs, GigTag can still handle what follows a booking: an enquiry form on your page and, on Pro, invoices the client pays online.
Choose GigTag if
You want the scan to show your next gig and residencies, take requests and bring booking enquiries, from a printed tag that works in any country.
Start freeHelloBand may still suit you if
You perform in the US, your crowd tips by Venmo or Cash App, and you want messages from the floor and an email list as well as requests.
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 HelloBand for a function band?
For a band that lives on private bookings, GigTag has the more direct route. Guests at tonight's event send a booking enquiry from the tag on your mic stand, GigTag takes no commission, and on Pro you invoice the client online in your own design. Requests come from your song list into a live queue while you play.
Why would a band outside the US choose GigTag over HelloBand?
GigTag works in every country for requests, gigs, residencies, links, enquiries and invoices, and delivers printed tags free in Dubai and the UK. Its tips, by card or Apple Pay with 0% taken, work in every country too. HelloBand's tipping runs through apps such as Venmo and CashApp, which are most at home in the United States.
What is HelloBand?
HelloBand is a QR code service for musicians, DJs and other performers, most at home in the United States. Fans scan the code and message the act on stage: they can say hello, request a song or ask for a shout-out. Its page also shows upcoming gigs and lets fans join an email list. Tips go through the payment apps the performer already uses, such as Venmo, Cash App or PayPal.
Is GigTag a HelloBand alternative for bands outside the US?
Yes. GigTag works in every country for song requests, gigs, residencies, links, booking enquiries and invoices. Printed tags are delivered free in Dubai and in the UK, or you can print your own tag for nothing. Tips work there too, by card or Apple Pay into your own Stripe account, or your own Ziina account in the UAE.
How do tips work on GigTag compared with HelloBand?
HelloBand points fans to payment apps the band already uses, such as Venmo, Cash App or PayPal. GigTag tips are paid by card or Apple Pay into the performer's own account, Ziina in the UAE or Stripe everywhere else, and GigTag takes 0%. Fans do not need Venmo, Cash App or PayPal, only a card or Apple Pay.
Does HelloBand or GigTag suit a solo act or a duo?
Both do. HelloBand's site names musicians, bands, DJs and other entertainers. GigTag is made for any live act: solo, duo or band. Each act gets one permanent QR code and its own page. If you play in more than one line-up, GigTag Pro lets you keep more than one act on one account, and members of a band can join it.
Does HelloBand show a band's upcoming gigs?
Yes. Its site describes a Gigs section listing upcoming shows with date, time, venue and notes, and an add to calendar button for fans. GigTag does this as well: your page shows the next gig and each weekly residency, fans can add them to their calendar, and every gig and residency is included on the free plan.
Do fans need to download the HelloBand app?
No. Its site says fans scan the QR code with their phone camera and the landing page opens straight away, with no app to download and no account to create. The HelloBand app, on iOS and Android, is for the performer. GigTag works the same way for the audience: the page opens in the browser.
How does a client pay me after booking at a gig?
With GigTag Pro you send an invoice in your own design and the client pays it online. The usual path is short: someone at the gig scans your tag, sends a booking enquiry through the form on your page, you agree the details, and the invoice goes out from the website or the GigTag app.
Can the other members of my band use GigTag with me?
Yes. On GigTag, band members can join the band. On Pro, one account can also hold more than one act, which helps players who work in several line-ups. Each act keeps its own page and its own permanent QR code for the mic stand. The free plan covers one act.
Looking for HelloBand itself?
This page is GigTag's. HelloBand's sign-in, prices, reviews and support are on its own site.
Apps like HelloBand: more song request apps compared
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- Requestinvs GigTag
- RequestNowvs GigTag
- Rockbotvs GigTag
HelloBand is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about HelloBand here comes from its own public website, 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.