This guide is for SoundCloud producers and DJs who use GateRush, or are about to, and want to know what else is out there before they commit. On 18 October 2026 I built a test gate on GateRush and on each tool below, took screenshots of the builder and the fan page, and compared what each one gives you for free.
GateRush is a good, cheap, focused gate tool, and the alternatives matter only if you need more platforms, more free gates, or lead data that includes the fan's SoundCloud profile. I build Premierely, so I am one of the four options, and I tried to give every tool the same fair look.
GateRush is cheap and focused, and it stops at a few accounts per gate
GateRush (gaterush.me, not the parked gaterush.com) is made in Italy and does one job well. In the builder I pasted my track details, picked a cover, and had a live preview of the fan page in a couple of minutes. Email and name capture are on by default with a skip toggle per platform, and SoundCloud like, repost and comment steps are on by default, with follow and playlist follow as options. After you create a gate it even tells you to point the buy button on your SoundCloud track at it, which is a nice touch.
According to GateRush's homepage, the free plan is "forever" and covers SoundCloud actions for one playlist and one account, one Instagram account, one Spotify account, email collection, CSV export and unlimited MP3 uploads. Pro is listed at €22 a year at its launch price, half the €44 list price, with a monthly option also shown, and adds ten SoundCloud accounts or playlists, ten Instagram accounts, retargeting pixels and link rewards (checked 18 October 2026, GateRush).
The fan flow I saw asks for a name and email first and then shows a Connect SoundCloud step before the file is released. I could not finish that SoundCloud login from my test server, so I can tell you the step is there, but I did not confirm the download stayed locked without it. GateRush says its SoundCloud actions are genuinely enforced. The places it stops are the platform list, which is SoundCloud, Instagram and Spotify, and the one-account limits on the free plan.
Here is how the four tools compare at a glance
| Tool | Best for | SoundCloud actions | Verified via | Free plan | Paid from | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premierely | Verified SoundCloud steps plus seven platforms | Follow, like, repost, comment | Premierely's own approved SoundCloud API access (OAuth with PKCE) | 3 active gates | Plus €5/mo, billed yearly | 18 Oct 2026 |
| StillHype | A gate live in a minute, DJs | Like, repost, comment, follow | SoundCloud OAuth, checked against the API according to StillHype | 2 active gates | €89.99/yr | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Droploud | Free edits with a discovery feed | Follow, like, repost, comment | SoundCloud OAuth, according to Droploud | Everything free | No paid tier | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Valorizd | Many platforms, unlimited gates | Follow, like, repost, comment | "Connect SoundCloud" login, via the official API according to Valorizd | Unlimited gates, 2 actions each | $4.99/mo | 18 Oct 2026 |
Premierely gives you three verified gates and seven platforms for free
Premierely is a premiere booking system for music curators that also ships download gates for artists, and the gates are where it competes with GateRush. The free plan gives you up to three active gates with actions on SoundCloud, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp, Facebook and TikTok, which is a longer platform list than GateRush offers. The SoundCloud follow, like, repost and comment steps are checked through Premierely's own approved SoundCloud API access (checked 18 October 2026, pricing).
Plus costs €5 a month billed yearly and removes the gate limit. It adds email capture, the fan's SoundCloud handle and follower data, CSV export, branding, a custom domain, webhooks and gate analytics, and it lets you launch gates from a chat through the MCP connector. The caveat is the cap, because three free gates run out quickly if you release often, and GateRush's paid tier costs less.
Pick it if you want more platforms on one gate, lead data that includes the fan's SoundCloud profile, or a product that also books premieres later. You can see how gates work on the download gate page.
StillHype is the fastest way to a live gate if you live on SoundCloud
StillHype is a SoundCloud-first tool that is still labeled beta on its own site. I pasted a SoundCloud link and it pulled the title, cover and artist, and it detected the track's key and has a BPM field, which is handy for DJs. The free plan has two active gates with all four SoundCloud actions, one Instagram account and MP3 files up to 50 MB. Pro Artist and Indie Label are both listed at €89.99 a year and add unlimited gates, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and website steps, playlist follows and 200 MB files (checked 18 October 2026, StillHype pricing).
StillHype says its SoundCloud steps are verified against the SoundCloud API and that its other steps run on the honor system. Compared with GateRush, you get a gate on a DJ-friendly page and a free chart exposure feature called HypeChart, but one fewer free gate than Premierely and no Spotify step. Read my StillHype alternatives guide for the full test.
StillHype does the DJ extras better than Premierely, with HypeChart exposure and key and BPM fields. Pick it if you are a DJ or producer who wants a gate live in a minute and is fine with a beta product.
Droploud is free because the gate is one part of a bigger site
Droploud calls itself an underground music platform, and every drop on it is free. Gates sit next to charts ranked by download momentum, a feed and a shop. According to Droploud there is no paid tier, and it earns money from shop commission and paid promo slots (checked 18 October 2026, Droploud). Reward files can be MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF or a ZIP up to 300 MB.
Two things surprised me in the builder. A follow of the @droploudofficial account is added to every fan flow by default, and you, the producer, must connect your own SoundCloud before the Publish button turns on. I got as far as the connect step and could not finish it from my server. Neither is a flaw if you want the discovery, since the charts are the point. It does mean the gate is not purely yours, which is a different deal from GateRush.
Droploud does discovery and cost better than Premierely, with a chart to be found in and nothing to pay. Pick it if you release free edits often and want a scene-facing audience on top of the gate. More in my Droploud alternatives guide.
Valorizd gives you unlimited gates and the widest action set per platform for free
Valorizd is run by an individual in the EU and offers unlimited gates on its free Starter plan, with two actions per gate and 15 MB of storage. Pro is $4.99 a month for five actions and 600 MB, and Studio is $11.99 a month for 15 actions, 15 GB and removal of its branding (checked 18 October 2026, Valorizd pricing). The action list covers SoundCloud, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, Discord and TikTok, and a gate can import a Hypeddit gate in one click.
The caveat is the two-action limit on the free plan, which is tighter than GateRush's free plan for SoundCloud steps. The fan page also says that connecting follows @valorizd on SoundCloud. In the fan flow I saw a Connect SoundCloud login, and Valorizd says it checks actions through the official API. Details are in my Valorizd alternatives guide.
Pick it if you release a lot, want many platforms and can work inside two actions per gate.
Pick the tool that matches how you release music
If you want a cheap, clean gate for SoundCloud, Instagram and Spotify with retargeting pixels, stay with GateRush, because it is the least expensive paid tier here. If you want more platforms on a free plan and a record of who your fans are on SoundCloud, pick Premierely and see whether three gates cover you. If you are a DJ who wants a gate live in a minute, pick StillHype. If you put out free edits constantly and want the discovery feed, pick Droploud. If you need unlimited gates and many platforms and can live with two actions each, pick Valorizd.
For a bigger picture of why SoundCloud steps work differently on some tools now, read what happened to SoundCloud download gates. I also compared the older default in Hypeddit alternatives.
The same Premierely account books premieres if you also run a channel
If you also run a SoundCloud channel or a label and still sort premiere requests out of an inbox, the same Premierely account is the premiere booking system for music curators, where one approval publishes the premiere to every channel you run. You can read how it works on the premiere booking system page, or create your first gate free.
