Tips and digital tip jars
Keep your Venmo sign, and give the scan more to do
A reception or a bar gig is where your next booking is sitting, and you need a way for that person to reach you before the night ends. GigTag gives you one code on the mic stand for booking enquiries, song requests and your next dates, opened in the browser. Venmo, which you were looking at, moves the money.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
Why bands add GigTag to their Venmo sign
Venmo is a payment app, and in the US it stays a way to be tipped. GigTag takes card tips too, and does everything around them: requests in a live queue, your gigs, your links, a booking enquiry form and invoices, from one permanent code built for a live act.
- 1
The next booking, caught on the night
Guests who want you for their own event can scan the tag and send a booking enquiry with their date. It waits for you on the website or the GigTag app. GigTag takes no commission on bookings, and it is not a marketplace: these are people who heard you play.
- 2
Invoices clients can pay online
A wedding or a company party calls for an invoice. On Pro you send one in the band's own design and the client pays it online, from the same place the enquiry arrived. Your paperwork looks like your act, and the whole job stays in one place.
- 3
Requests in order, on your phone
A fan picks a song from your list, or types one if you open requests, and it joins a live queue. You see what is waiting between songs and choose what fits the floor. Requests are part of Pro and work in the US.
- 4
Works on every guest's phone
The page opens in the browser from a phone camera. There is no app to have and no account to make, so everyone at the reception can use it, from the bridesmaids to the grandparents. That keeps the scan quick while the dance floor is busy.
- 5
One account for the whole band
A band is one act with its own page and tag, and band members can join it. With Pro you can keep the wedding band, the acoustic duo and a solo act on one account, each with a code that never changes.
In short
Venmo and GigTag, in four lines
- Venmo is a US payments app for sending money, which many performers use for tips with a printed QR code.
- GigTag catches bookings on the night: an enquiry form on your page and invoices on Pro.
- Requests arrive in a live queue, and the page opens in the browser for every guest.
- Our recommendation: add GigTag to your stand for requests, bookings and card tips, and keep Venmo for fans who tip on it.
Side by side
GigTag vs Venmo, topic by topic
What it is for
A page built for a live act
A page for a live act: song requests, your next gig and residencies, your links and a booking enquiry form.
VenmoIts site describes sending money to friends, splitting bills between a group, paying businesses and checking out with it when you shop.
What the audience needs
A camera and a browser, nothing else
Only a phone camera. The page opens in the browser, with no app, no account and nothing for them to download.
VenmoIts business page says customers pay in person by scanning the profile's QR code with the Venmo app on their phone.
Where it works
Every country, card tips included
The page, requests, gigs, links, enquiries, invoices and tips work in every country.
VenmoVenmo is a service for people in the United States, and the small print on its site refers to the US and its territories.
Business use
Enquiries and invoices, no commission on bookings
On Pro you send clients an invoice in your own design and they pay it online. Booking enquiries arrive through your page.
VenmoBusiness profiles let sole proprietors, casual sellers and small businesses take payments for their work separately from their personal Venmo account.
Telling people your dates
Gigs and residencies they can save
Your next gig and weekly residencies are listed on your page, and anyone who scans the tag can add them to their calendar.
VenmoSee its site for how it handles this.
The quick view
| GigTag | Venmo | |
|---|---|---|
| A QR code your audience scans | Yes, one that never changes | Yes |
| 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 Venmo, not that it is missing: see what Venmo offers above, or ask on its site.
A Venmo alternative
Where GigTag is different from Venmo
A payment app and an act's page
Venmo moves money. GigTag is a page about your act. When someone scans the tag on your mic stand, they see your song list, your next gig and weekly residencies, your socials and music links, and a booking enquiry form. It opens in the phone's browser, with no app, no account and nothing to download, so anyone in the room with a phone camera can use it.
Requests need a place to land
A payment app tells you money has arrived. A request needs more than that: which song, from whom, and in what order. On GigTag a fan picks a song from your list, or types anything if you open requests, and it joins a live queue on your phone. You see the whole queue at a glance between songs. Requests are part of GigTag Pro and work in the US.
Card tips or Venmo in the US
Say this plainly: GigTag tips work in the United States, by card or Apple Pay into the performer's own Stripe account, with 0% taken by GigTag. They suit fans who would rather tap a card than open an app. If your crowd already tips on Venmo, keep the sign as well: requests, dates, bookings and card tips on the tag, Venmo for those who prefer it.
A night with GigTag
A wedding band's evening reception
The first dance is done and the dance floor is open. You are a six-piece in a marquee, and the GigTag tag is on the lead singer's mic stand. Guests at a wedding are in a generous, organised mood. A bridesmaid scans the tag, your page opens in her browser, and she requests a song from your list for the couple. It drops into the live queue on the phone on the keyboard, and you move it up to the next slot.
Weddings are where the next wedding gets booked. During the buffet a guest who is getting married next spring scans the tag and sends a booking enquiry with her date. An uncle wants you for a company party and does the same. A cousin adds your next public gig to his calendar. You see both enquiries on the GigTag app before the second set, and reply the next morning. When a date is agreed, the invoice goes out in the band's own design and is paid online. Nobody had to find a business card.
About Venmo
What is Venmo?
Venmo is a payments app in the United States. Its site describes sending money to friends, splitting bills, paying businesses and checking out with Venmo when you shop. Besides personal accounts there are business profiles, which its site says are for sole proprietors, casual sellers and small businesses that want to keep work payments apart from personal ones. For which kind of account suits a performer, and what each costs, see its site.
At a gig, the usual way is a sign. Many performers print their Venmo QR code and put it by the stage or on the tip jar. Someone with the app scans it, enters an amount and sends it. On a business profile, its site says customers can pay by scanning the code in the Venmo app, or by looking up your username.
- Where
- United States
- Website
- venmo.com
How Venmo works
- 1
Have an account. You use a personal Venmo account or set up a business profile. Its site says business profiles are for sole proprietors, casual sellers and small businesses.
- 2
Show your code. You display your Venmo QR code where the audience can see it, for instance on a printed sign by the stage or taped to the tip jar.
- 3
They scan and pay. Someone opens the Venmo app, scans the code, enters an amount and sends it. They can also find you by your username instead of scanning the code.
- 4
Money arrives in Venmo. The payment shows up in your Venmo account. For what happens next, including moving money to a bank and any charges that apply, see its site.
Who Venmo is for
Friends paying each other. The heart of its site is everyday money between people who know each other: paying a friend back, splitting a bill, sending a gift. A tip to a performer works the same way, one person sending money to another.
People shopping online. Its site also covers paying businesses and checking out with Venmo in apps and online shops, along with cards linked to the account. That side of the app is about spending money, where the first is about passing it between people.
Sole traders and casual sellers. Business profiles are described as a way for sole proprietors, casual sellers and small businesses to accept payments and keep them apart from personal ones. Customers can pay in person by scanning the profile's QR code.
The verdict
GigTag or Venmo: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For a band that plays live, GigTag is worth a place on the stand. The strongest reason is bookings: it lets a guest send an enquiry on the night, and on Pro you follow it with an invoice in your own design, with no commission taken. It also gives you a request queue and a list of dates people can save. Venmo stays a good way to be tipped in the US, and GigTag takes card tips beside it. Keep the sign and add the tag.
Use both. Keep the Venmo code for tips, because that is what your US audience has and GigTag tips do not work there. Put the GigTag tag on the mic stand for requests, your gigs and residencies and booking enquiries, and add your Venmo profile to the links on your page. One scan then leads to everything, tips included.
- Step 1
Leave the Venmo sign up
Your audience knows how to tip you there, so the sign keeps its place by the jar. GigTag card tips can sit beside it.
- Step 2
Add the tag to the stand
Build your GigTag page with your song list, dates and enquiry form, and hang the tag where both dancers and diners can easily scan it.
- Step 3
Link Venmo from the page
Put your Venmo profile among your GigTag links. If you later want only one code on stage, the tag can do both jobs that way.
Choose GigTag if
You want that same moment to bring song requests, followers for your next gig and booking enquiries. Keep Venmo for the tips and let GigTag do the rest.
Start freeVenmo may still suit you if
You play in the US, your crowd has Venmo, and a code on a sign for tips is all you want.
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 Venmo for a wedding band?
For taking and handling bookings, yes. GigTag gives guests a booking enquiry form, gives you invoices in your own design on Pro, and takes no commission on bookings. It also runs a live queue of song requests. Venmo is a payment app, and for fans who tip on it, it is still worth keeping. GigTag takes card tips too, with 0% taken.
What does GigTag do that a Venmo QR code is not for?
A Venmo code is for paying someone. A GigTag code opens a page about your act: your song list for requests, your next gig and residencies, your links and a booking enquiry form. It opens in the browser for anyone with a phone camera, and the printed code never changes. Your Venmo profile can be one of the links.
Can I use Venmo for tips at a gig?
Many performers do. They print their Venmo QR code on a sign so people with the app can scan it and send a tip. Venmo also offers business profiles for sole proprietors and casual sellers. Check its own terms and fees on its site before you decide which kind of account to use.
Does GigTag replace my Venmo QR code?
It can, for fans who tip by card. GigTag tips work in the US, by card or Apple Pay into your own Stripe account, with 0% taken. GigTag also does jobs Venmo does not: song requests into a live queue, your next gig and weekly residencies, your links, and a booking enquiry form. Your page can link to your Venmo profile.
Is Venmo available in the UK or the UAE?
Venmo is a United States service, so it suits acts whose audience is there. GigTag works in every country for requests, gigs, links, booking enquiries and invoices. GigTag tips work in every country too, into your own Stripe account, or your own Ziina account in the UAE, with 0% taken by GigTag.
Do I need two QR codes on stage with Venmo and GigTag?
You can have two, or one. Keep the Venmo sign by the jar if you like it there. If you would prefer a single code, add your Venmo profile to the links on your GigTag page, and the tag on your mic stand leads to requests, dates, booking enquiries and the way to tip.
How do wedding bands get booked by guests at a wedding?
Often by being easy to contact on the night. With a GigTag tag on the mic stand, a guest scans it and sends a booking enquiry from your page with their date and details. You follow up from the website or the app. GigTag is not an agency: it passes on enquiries from people who heard you.
Can a band invoice a client through GigTag?
Yes, on Pro. You create invoices in your own design and the client pays online. They are managed from the website or the GigTag app, alongside your booking enquiries, gigs and residencies. A payment between friends on Venmo is a different thing from a client invoice for a booked event.
Do guests need the Venmo app to use my GigTag page?
No. A GigTag page opens in the phone's browser when the tag is scanned, with no app and no account. Guests can request a song, see your dates and send an enquiry straight away. They would only need Venmo if they follow the link on your page to tip you there.
How much does GigTag cost for a US band?
There is a free plan with the tag design and print file, your page, links, every gig and residency, the booking enquiry form and one act. Pro costs $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year and adds song requests, invoices and more than one act. Print your own tag for free. Printed tags ship to the UAE and the UK only for now, so elsewhere ask us first.
Looking for Venmo itself?
This page is GigTag's. Venmo's sign-in, prices, reviews and support are on its own site.
Apps like Venmo: more tips and digital tip jars compared
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- Buy Me a Coffeevs GigTag
- Cash Appvs GigTag
- EZTiprvs GigTag
- Ko-fivs GigTag
- Liberapayvs GigTag
Venmo is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about Venmo 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.