Here's the short version: I got tired of distributor comparison pages that were really just disguised ads, so I built calculators that do the math instead of repeating marketing copy.
DistroKid gets the recommendation because the numbers back it up — an unlimited flat-fee plan beats a percentage cut for most artists releasing regularly, and you keep 100% of your royalties. RouteNote gets an honest mention too, for anyone who'd rather pay nothing upfront and accept the trade-offs that come with it.
Yes, some links here are affiliate links (DistroKid, RouteNote) — sign up through them and I earn a commission at no cost to you. That's disclosed here, not buried in fine print, and it never changes which option the numbers actually favor — I'd point you to DistroKid either way.