Tips and digital tip jars
Liberapay and GigTag for musicians who play live
At a gig, support looks different from a donation. It is a request called across the room, a date written down, a number pressed into your hand. GigTag gathers those into one scan: song requests, your next gig in their calendar, a booking enquiry form. Liberapay, which you were reading about, handles the other kind: steady donations over time.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
What GigTag adds for musicians who use Liberapay
Liberapay collects recurring donations, and GigTag does not. GigTag is for the performance: one printed code on the mic stand that opens your song list, your dates, your links and a booking enquiry form in the browser. Add your Liberapay profile to those links and each tool does its own work.
- 1
It works while you are playing
A listener scans the tag between tunes and can act straight away: ask for a song, save your next gig, follow a link. Nothing waits until they get home. Liberapay is built for considered, regular giving. GigTag is built for the moment a room is enjoying itself.
- 2
Tune requests in a live queue
Your page carries your own list of songs or tunes. A fan picks one, or types anything if you open requests, and it appears on your phone during the set. For a folk night or a session, that is a friendly way to let the room steer the second half.
- 3
Gigs and festival dates they can save
Every gig and residency goes on your page at no cost, and a listener can add them to their calendar. People who care about your music want to know where to hear it next. GigTag puts the answer one scan away.
- 4
Workshops and bookings come to you
Arts centres, festivals and private hosts can send a booking enquiry from your page. You manage enquiries on the website or the GigTag app, and on Pro you invoice in your own design. GigTag takes no commission on bookings. It is not an agency.
- 5
A duo, a band, several acts
A band is one act with its own page and tag, and members can join it. With Pro, one account holds more than one act, so the duo and the ceilidh band each have a code. The free plan covers one act, with the tag design and print file included.
In short
Liberapay and GigTag, in four lines
- Liberapay is a non-profit, open source platform for recurring donations to creators and projects.
- GigTag works during the gig: requests in a live queue, your next date saved, a booking enquiry sent.
- The audience needs only a phone camera, and one account can hold a duo, a band or both.
- Our recommendation: add GigTag for live work and keep Liberapay for donations. GigTag tips are one-off, at the gig.
Side by side
GigTag vs Liberapay, topic by topic
How support is given
Keep Liberapay for recurring donations
GigTag is not a donations or membership platform. A fan can leave a one-off tip that goes to your own Stripe or Ziina account.
LiberapayDonors pick an amount and a weekly, monthly or yearly period, and choose between renewing by hand and renewing automatically.
What is given in return
A requested song and a saved date
The audience gets something on the night: a song they asked for, your next date in their calendar, a way to book you.
LiberapayIts FAQ says donations must not be tied to a contract or a promised reward: they are gifts to support the work.
Who runs it
You run it, from website or app
GigTag is a service for live acts, managed by you from the website or the GigTag app. It is not a marketplace or an agency.
LiberapayIts site says a non-profit organisation runs the service openly, and the source code is published for anyone to read.
Groups of people
Bands, duos and several acts on Pro
A band is an act with its own page and tag. Band members can join it, and Pro allows more than one act.
LiberapayTeams let several people receive donations together and divide them among themselves, without having to form a legal entity first.
Languages and currencies
Works in every country, tips included
The page, requests, gigs, links, booking enquiries and tips work in every country.
LiberapayIts site says the service has been translated into many languages and that donations can be made in many different currencies.
The quick view
| GigTag | Liberapay | |
|---|---|---|
| A QR code your audience scans | Yes, one that never changes | – |
| Song requests from the crowd | Yes, on Pro | – |
| 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 Liberapay, not that it is missing: see what Liberapay offers above, or ask on its site.
A Liberapay alternative
Where GigTag is different from Liberapay
A standing donation, a night out
Liberapay is for people who decide, calmly and at home, to support your work over time. GigTag is for a room that is having a good night. A fan scans the tag on your mic stand between drinks, your page opens in the browser, and they can ask for a song or see when you are next playing. There is nothing to sign up for on their side.
A team on Liberapay, a band on GigTag
Liberapay teams let a group share donations. A band on GigTag is a different kind of group: an act with its own page, song list, gigs and tag. Band members can join the band, and on Pro one account can hold more than one act, so your solo set and your duo each get their own page. Rename an act and the old links still work.
Donations online, tips at the gig
The two handle money in different places. Liberapay takes recurring donations online. GigTag takes one-off tips at the gig, in every country: card or Apple Pay, into your own Stripe account, or your own Ziina account in the UAE, with 0% taken by GigTag. It does not take recurring donations, so the two do not overlap.
A night with GigTag
A folk duo at a community arts centre
The arts centre runs a folk night once a month in its café, and tonight it is the two of you: fiddle, guitar, two voices. The GigTag tag is on the mic stand you share. The audience sits close and listens hard. In the interval someone scans the tag, your page opens in the browser, and they ask for a tune from your list for the second half. You see it in the live queue on your phone and work out where it fits.
People here like to know what is next. Several open your gigs on the page and add the summer festival date to their calendars. A member of the centre's committee sends a booking enquiry about a workshop afternoon, through the form on your page. You pick it up on the GigTag app on the train home. Your Liberapay profile is among your links, for the listeners who would like to support the recordings you give away. The tag goes back in the fiddle case for next time.
About Liberapay
What is Liberapay?
Liberapay is a platform for recurrent donations. Its site says a non-profit organisation runs it in the open, with the source code public, and that it exists to pay for the work of creators and projects people value: art, knowledge and software that are shared openly. A donor chooses an amount, a period of a week, a month or a year, and whether to renew by hand or automatically. Donations go to the creator through Stripe or PayPal.
A creator sets up a profile, connects a payment processor and shares the page. Donors can change or stop a donation whenever they like. There is a teams feature, so a group can receive donations and divide them without forming a company. Its FAQ is clear that a donation is a gift, not a purchase tied to a reward. The interface comes in many languages and currencies.
- Where
- Worldwide
- Website
- liberapay.com
How Liberapay works
- 1
Create a profile. You open an account and write a profile explaining your work. The site lets you link it to accounts on other platforms, such as GitHub or Mastodon.
- 2
Connect Stripe or PayPal. To receive money you connect a payment processor. Its FAQ says donations then reach you through it directly, with no wallet held by Liberapay in between.
- 3
Supporters set a donation. A donor visits your profile and chooses an amount, whether it is weekly, monthly or yearly, and whether to renew it by hand or have it renew automatically.
- 4
It continues until changed. Donors can alter or stop what they give at any time from their own account. Until they do, the support carries on at the rhythm they picked.
Who Liberapay is for
Free software developers. People who write open source software are central to its site, which mentions linking a profile to code hosting accounts. Recurring donations are presented as a way to keep that kind of work funded over time.
Artists and educators. The site also names people who make art and spread knowledge. Its wording covers creators of all kinds whose work is shared openly, and supporters give because they value that work, not in exchange for a product.
Groups and projects. The teams feature is for a project or collective with several contributors. Its site says a team can receive donations and share them among its members without first setting up a legal body of its own.
The verdict
GigTag or Liberapay: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For a musician who plays live, GigTag earns its place on the stand. The strongest reason is that it works during the gig: one scan lets a listener request a tune, save your next date or send a booking enquiry, with no app or account. Liberapay is the right tool for recurring donations, which GigTag does not take, and GigTag tips are one-off, at the gig. Keep Liberapay for giving, add GigTag for gigs, and link the two.
Easily. Liberapay collects steady donations from people who believe in your work. GigTag works the room: requests, your next gig, booking enquiries. Add your Liberapay profile to the links on your GigTag page, and the fan who wants to keep supporting you after tonight has somewhere to go. Neither asks you to give up the other.
- Step 1
Keep Liberapay for giving
Recurring donations stay on Liberapay, where your supporters have already chosen their own amounts and periods. GigTag does not take recurring payments of any kind.
- Step 2
Add GigTag for gigs
Make a page with your song list, your gigs and your links, and put the tag on your mic stand whenever you play to an audience.
- Step 3
Link your profile
Include your Liberapay profile in the links on your GigTag page, so a listener can go from tonight's gig to giving you regular support afterwards.
Choose GigTag if
You want a code on your mic stand that takes song requests, shows your gigs and residencies, and brings booking enquiries from the audience.
Start freeLiberapay may still suit you if
You want recurring donations from supporters, through a non-profit, open source service.
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 a better choice than Liberapay for a gigging musician?
For gigs, yes, because it is made for them. GigTag gives you a tag for the mic stand and a page with requests, dates, links and a booking enquiry form. Liberapay is made for recurring donations online, which GigTag does not do. A musician who gigs and also has supporters would sensibly keep both. GigTag tips are one-off, at the gig.
Why add GigTag if my supporters already donate through Liberapay?
Because your supporters are not the only people at your gigs. GigTag is for everyone in the room, including those hearing you for the first time. They can request a song, save your next gig, follow your links or enquire about booking you, with no account. Your Liberapay profile can be one of the links they find.
What is Liberapay?
Liberapay is a recurrent donations platform run by a non-profit organisation, with open source code. Donors choose an amount and a weekly, monthly or yearly period, and the money reaches the creator through Stripe or PayPal. Its site describes it as a way to keep creators and projects you value going.
Can a band receive donations on Liberapay and use GigTag at gigs?
Yes. Liberapay has a teams feature for groups that share donations. GigTag gives the band a page and one permanent QR code for the mic stand, and band members can join the band. Link your Liberapay profile from the GigTag page so fans at a gig can find it.
Does GigTag take recurring donations like Liberapay?
No. GigTag is not a membership or donations platform. On Pro, fans can leave a one-off tip by card or Apple Pay, which goes to your own Stripe or Ziina account with 0% taken by GigTag. For recurring donations, keep Liberapay and link to it.
What does a fan need to do on GigTag compared with Liberapay?
On Liberapay a donor sets an amount, a period and a renewal method. On GigTag a fan scans the QR code on your tag and your page opens in the browser. There is no app, no account and nothing to download. From there they can request a song, see your next gig or send a booking enquiry.
How can an audience support a musician after the gig?
Give them a link while they are still listening. A GigTag page has your socials, website and music links, and you can include a donation profile such as Liberapay among them. They can also add your next gig to their calendar, which brings them back to hear you again.
Can a folk duo or session band use GigTag?
Yes. GigTag is for any live act: solo, duo or band. Your page has your own song or tune list for requests, your gigs and residencies, your links and a booking enquiry form. Band members can join the band. The audience needs no app or account to use it.
Is Liberapay open source?
Yes. Its site says the source code is public and that a non-profit organisation runs the service. GigTag is a different kind of tool: a QR tag and a page for live acts, used for song requests, gig dates, links and booking enquiries at the gig itself.
Does GigTag cost anything to start?
No. The free plan includes the custom tag design and print file, your page, links, every gig and residency, the booking enquiry form and one act, and you can print the tag yourself. Pro adds song requests, tips, invoices and more than one act.
Looking for Liberapay itself?
This page is GigTag's. Liberapay's sign-in, prices, reviews and support are on its own site.
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Liberapay is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about Liberapay 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.