If you own a controller, start with the software it is made for: Serato DJ Lite, rekordbox, DJUCED and djay all have free versions, and you pay only for the full one. If you want software that is free outright, Mixxx has no paid version and runs four decks, controllers and timecode vinyl on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Which software to use
Free, with nothing to upgrade to: Mixxx
Mixxx is free and open source, and its download page is plain that there is no paid or "pro" version: the free download is the full one. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and mixes four decks. Per its feature list, it ships with mappings for controllers such as the Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB2, Numark Mixtrack Pro 3 and Allen & Heath Xone K2, and its JavaScript mapping engine can add any MIDI or HID device. The Mixxx team says it is the only free timecode vinyl control software for all three systems. It also reads existing iTunes, Traktor, rekordbox and Serato libraries, records mixes and broadcasts to Shoutcast or Icecast. Mixxx is built by volunteers rather than a company; the stable version is 2.5.6, and the team says the 2.6 beta isn't for live use.
A first controller that came with Serato DJ: Serato DJ Lite, then Pro
Serato DJ Lite is free, works with more than 50 controllers, includes Serato Stems, and has a Practice Mode for mixing on a laptop alone. Serato DJ Pro adds set recording, more cue points, key analysis, MIDI mapping and Smart Crates. Some hardware unlocks Pro when connected, so you never pay for it; on a Lite controller, Pro is a paid licence or a subscription, with a 14-day free trial. Timecode vinyl needs Serato DJ Suite unless your mixer includes DVS with its Pro unlock, Serato says. The Serato DJ Lite and Pro comparison goes through the differences.
Plugging in the Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX unlocks Serato DJ Lite for free.
Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta club players: rekordbox
The Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta players in club booths read the library rekordbox exports to a USB stick, so prepare in rekordbox if that is where you play; the USB stick guide covers the export. rekordbox's plans page lists a Free plan "for people who want basic music management features and DJ experience", and three subscriptions, Core, Creative and Professional, each with an optional Cloud add-on. Connecting a Hardware Unlock unit, such as the DDJ-FLX4 or DDJ-FLX10 controller, opens Performance mode without a subscription. What rekordbox is explains its modes.
A Hercules controller: DJUCED
DJUCED is Hercules' own software for macOS and Windows. The standard version is free with a Hercules controller and includes four-deck view, real-time stems, recording, a rekordbox XML import and Beatmatch Guides for learning to beatmatch. DJUCED PRO is a one-off payment and PRO+ a subscription; both add controller remapping and let the software run without a Hercules controller attached.
The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 comes with licences for both DJUCED and Serato DJ Lite.
A phone, tablet or Spotify library: djay
djay is a free download for Mac, Windows, iPad, iPhone and Android, and it plays from Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Beatport. The free version is enough to start mixing. A PRO subscription, which covers every platform you use, adds Neural Mix stem separation, Automix, plug-and-play support for more than 100 controllers, timecode vinyl, recording, and four decks on macOS, iOS and Windows. Neural Mix doesn't work on tracks streamed from Apple Music or Spotify, and recording doesn't work with any streamed track. See the djay Pro AI review and the best controllers for iPad.
The Reloop Buddy works with the free djay app and unlocks, at no charge, the Pro features it has controls for.
Creative mixing, bought once: Traktor Pro 4 or Traktor Play
Traktor Pro 4 is a one-off purchase from Native Instruments, which has dropped its Traktor Pro Plus subscription. It mixes four decks and adds stem separation built on iZotope RX, Remix Decks, Flux Mode, Pattern Player drum kits, flexible beatgrids for tracks that change tempo, timecode vinyl with Traktor Control Vinyl, and Ableton Link. Traktor Play is a streamlined two-deck version that works with a laptop alone or with controllers including the DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4; upgrade to Pro 4 later and you pay only the difference. Getting started with Traktor covers the basics, and the best Traktor controllers covers the hardware.
The Traktor MX2 comes with the full version of Traktor Pro 4.
Mobile DJs, video and karaoke: VirtualDJ
VirtualDJ mixes audio, video and karaoke, and claims plug-and-play support for more than 300 controllers. Per its licence page, it is free if you don't use it professionally and don't connect a controller or DJ mixer. The Home subscription adds entry-level controllers. Paid gigs, or any controller, need the Pro subscription, which also removes the VirtualDJ audio drop; a one-off Infinity licence is still sold, but without some of the newer AI features. See what VirtualDJ is and the best controllers for VirtualDJ.
Denon DJ players: Engine DJ Desktop
If you play on Denon DJ or other Engine DJ OS hardware, prepare your music in Engine DJ Desktop. It imports rekordbox, Serato DJ, Traktor and Apple Music libraries with their playlists, hot cues and loops, and syncs your collection to drives for the players. The Engine Prime guide covers the older version of the same software.
How to choose DJ software
DJ software compared
| Software | Free version | Paid version and how it's sold | Main hardware | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixxx | Yes, the full program | None | Any MIDI or HID controller through mappings, and timecode vinyl | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Serato DJ | Serato DJ Lite | Pro: free with hardware that unlocks it, otherwise a licence or a subscription; DVS in Serato DJ Suite | Controllers, mixers and media players; Lite works with more than 50 controllers | macOS, Windows |
| rekordbox | Free plan; Performance mode free with a Hardware Unlock unit | Core, Creative and Professional subscriptions | Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta club players and controllers such as the DDJ-FLX4 | – |
| DJUCED | Standard version, free with a Hercules controller | PRO paid once, PRO+ a subscription | Hercules controllers | macOS, Windows |
| djay | Yes, enough to start mixing | PRO subscription covering every platform you use | Phones and tablets, and more than 100 controllers with PRO | Mac, Windows, iPad, iPhone, Android |
| Traktor | No; some hardware, such as the Traktor MX2, comes with Pro 4 | Play and Pro 4, each paid once | Traktor controllers, plus the DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4 | macOS, Windows |
| VirtualDJ | For non-professional use without a controller or DJ mixer | Home, Pro and Business subscriptions; an Infinity licence paid once | More than 300 controllers, by its own count; it mixes video and karaoke too | – |
Find the hardware you own or will play on in the fourth column first, then check that row's free version before paying for anything.
Serato or rekordbox
Serato suits a first controller that came with it: Serato DJ Lite is free on more than 50 controllers and has a Practice Mode for a laptop alone, and some hardware unlocks Serato DJ Pro, so you never pay for it. Reviews of Serato DJ Pro 4 praise its stability and workflow, and the repeated reservations are stems that need a strong computer and features such as DVS and Video sold as expansions. rekordbox suits anyone heading for Pioneer DJ or AlphaTheta club players, which read the USB library it exports, and a Hardware Unlock controller such as the DDJ-FLX4 opens its Performance mode without a subscription. Away from the unlocks, Serato DJ Pro is a licence or a subscription and rekordbox's paid plans are its three subscriptions.
If you play on a phone or tablet, djay is the third option; reviewers of djay Pro AI recommend it, most of all across several Apple devices, but note workflow gaps next to Serato DJ Pro and rekordbox. The Serato DJ or rekordbox comparison goes into more detail.
Free DJ software
Mixxx is the only program here that is free outright: the free download is the full version, with four decks, controller mappings, timecode vinyl and recording on Windows, macOS and Linux. What it leaves out is real-time stem separation, which isn't among the features listed for its stable release.
The other free versions each stop short. Serato DJ Lite has stems, sync, four cue points and four sampler slots, but no recording, MIDI mapping or key analysis. rekordbox's Free plan offers basic music management and DJ features, and Performance mode needs a Hardware Unlock unit or a subscription. DJUCED's standard version includes stems and recording but needs a Hercules controller attached and can't remap it. djay's free version leaves Neural Mix stems, Automix, timecode vinyl, recording and plug-and-play support for more than 100 controllers to PRO. VirtualDJ is free only if you don't use it professionally or connect a controller or mixer, and the Pro subscription is what removes its audio drop.
Start with the hardware
Your controller, or the players you'll meet, decides more than features do. Many controllers unlock a program's free or full version when connected, as Serato and rekordbox both describe, so check what yours supports before paying for anything. If you are heading for club booths with Pioneer DJ players, you'll need rekordbox to prepare USB sticks whatever you practise on. Serato DJ or rekordbox compares the two most common choices, and the best DJ controllers lists what each pick runs.
Free, paid once, or subscription
- Mixxx: free, with no paid version.
- Serato DJ: Lite is free. Pro is free with hardware that unlocks it, and otherwise a licence or a subscription, as is Serato DJ Suite.
- rekordbox: a Free plan, Performance mode free with Hardware Unlock units, and Core, Creative and Professional subscriptions.
- DJUCED: the standard version is free with a Hercules controller; PRO is paid once and PRO+ is a subscription.
- djay: a free version and a PRO subscription.
- Traktor: Play and Pro 4 are each paid once, with no subscription.
- VirtualDJ: free for non-professional use without a controller; Home, Pro and Business subscriptions; an Infinity licence paid once, without some newer AI features.
Each vendor's pricing page lists the current price. Serato, djay and DJUCED offer a free trial of the full version.
Turntables and timecode vinyl
To scratch real records that control your digital files, you need software with DVS support and a compatible mixer or audio interface. Mixxx includes it free. Traktor Pro 4 and djay PRO include it. Serato puts it in Serato DJ Suite unless your mixer's unlock includes it, and rekordbox lists it among the features its plans and some Hardware Unlock units open. The guide to digital vinyl systems explains the setup.
AI stems and streaming
Most of what DJ software calls AI is real-time stem separation: djay's Neural Mix, for example, splits a playing track into beats, instruments and vocals, and Traktor Pro 4's stems are built on iZotope RX. Real-time stem separation, which splits a track into vocals, drums and the rest, is in Serato DJ Lite and Pro, rekordbox's plans, Traktor Pro 4, djay PRO, DJUCED and VirtualDJ, but not among the features Mixxx lists for its stable release. Most of these programs also stream from services such as Beatport, SoundCloud and TIDAL, so you can play tracks you don't own. Serato and djay can't record streamed tracks, and djay can't separate stems from Apple Music or Spotify. See using stems and streaming in rekordbox.
Moving your library later
Your first choice doesn't lock you in. Mixxx reads iTunes, Traktor, rekordbox and Serato libraries, Engine DJ Desktop imports rekordbox, Serato and Traktor libraries with their hot cues and loops, and DJUCED reads rekordbox XML, with Serato crate import in its paid versions. Try a few playlists before you move a whole library, and keep the original until you're sure.
How these picks are made
Each recommendation links the manufacturer page it relies on, and every feature and pricing tier on this page comes from those pages, read on 12 October 2026. We haven't tested this software, and the site has no owner-review records for DJ software yet. Prices aren't listed because they change with region and offers; each vendor's pricing page has the current one. The methodology explains the whole process.
