Learning at home
Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
The default first controller: easy to learn on rekordbox or Serato, with limits you will meet when you start playing out.
Photos: Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta Corporation
of 10 reviews recommend itand 22 owner reviews
Choose it if you are learning at home and want a layout that carries over to Pioneer DJ club gear. It is on VirtualDJ's list of entry-level controllers for the Home licence, the low-cost tier for playing at home. The rekordbox and Serato DJ Lite it unlocks free don't cover VirtualDJ. Once you play out, its single RCA output becomes the limit, and the Inpulse 500 is the step up.
- Best for
- Learning to mix on rekordbox or Serato, with skills that carry to club gear.
- Skip it if
- You want four channels, a booth output or balanced outs.
What people praise
- Easy to set up and learn on
- Smart Fader and Smart CFX get beginners mixing quickly
What to know first
- Single RCA master output, no booth or balanced outs
- Two channels and a basic FX section; owners expect to outgrow it
Video reviews
- DJ BlakeyApr 2025Recommends
Your first paid gigs
Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500
A full-size two-deck Serato and DJUCED controller with mic and aux inputs; the effects section is its weak spot.
Photos: Hercules
of 8 reviews recommend itand 39 owner reviews
Choose it over the FLX4 once your first gigs are booked, or if you want to learn to beatmatch by hand. It adds jack master outputs, a balanced mic input and aux inputs, and its Beatmatch Guide lights show which way to move the tempo fader and jog wheel while you learn. It isn't on the Home list, so it needs VirtualDJ Pro, which paid gigs need anyway. A few owners report software glitches, VirtualDJ among them.
- Best for
- Beginners and budget mobile DJs who want room to grow and play small gigs.
- Skip it if
- You lean heavily on effects, or often play outdoors in daylight.
What people praise
- Easy to set up and learn on
- Features of dearer controllers at its price
What to know first
- Effects section is limited: filter and effects share controls, and one effect at a time
- Pads, cue buttons and meters are dim in bright rooms or daylight
Video reviews
- Passionate DJMar 2025Recommends
- DJ BarrJan 2021Recommends
Scratching
Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV7
A scratch controller with motorised platters; the catches are price, an external power brick and plastic platter clips.
Photos: Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta Corporation
of 10 reviews recommend itand 11 owner reviews
Choose it over the cheaper DDJ-REV1 if scratching is central to how you play. Its motorised platters behave like turntables, and it has the XLR master and booth outputs a gig needs. It needs VirtualDJ Pro, and firmware 2.01 or later to control stems from its EQ knobs in VirtualDJ.
- Best for
- Scratch and battle DJs who want turntable feel in one portable unit.
- Skip it if
- You never scratch, need a standalone unit, or want a cheaper two-channel controller.
What people praise
- Motorised platters feel close to real turntables
- Screens in the platter centres cut down on looking at the laptop
What to know first
- Runs from an external power brick rather than a built-in supply
- Platter top plates clip on with thin plastic tabs; a few owners report platter trouble or lifting trim
Video reviews
- The DJ ConnectApr 2022Recommends
Four decks, with or without a laptop
Denon DJ SC Live 4 and SC Live 2
Laptop-free Engine DJ units, four decks or two, with built-in speakers; strong value, but a small screen.
Photos: Denon DJ
of 14 reviews recommend itand 70 owner reviews
Choose the SC Live 4 over the FLX10 if you want a fallback when the laptop fails. It runs VirtualDJ in Computer Mode with a Pro licence, and plays whole sets on its own from USB, SD or streaming services. A run of owners report faults needing repair, so buy where returns are easy. The SC Live 2 on the same page drops the booth output and aux input.
- Best for
- Home, streaming and mobile DJs who want standalone mixing and streaming without a laptop.
- Skip it if
- You need turntable or CDJ inputs, or a larger screen for four decks.
What people praise
- Strong value for a four-deck standalone unit
- Built-in speakers are better than expected for practice and as booth monitors
What to know first
- Faults needing repair or replacement: faders, jog wheels, outputs, screen, mic inputs, freezes mid-set
- The 7-inch screen is cramped for four decks
Video reviews
- DJ CarloNov 2022Recommends
- TheDjLabMar 2023Recommends
Four decks and stems
Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10
A 4-channel rekordbox and Serato controller with hardware stems; dearer than the DDJ-1000 and dense with features.
Photos: Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta Corporation
of 12 reviews recommend itand 19 owner reviews
Choose it over the SC Live 4 if you play from a laptop and want stems under your fingers. In VirtualDJ its EQ knobs can switch to controlling stems, and its Beat FX can be sent to a single stem. It has the XLR, booth and two mic connections that clubs and weddings need. The Serato DJ Pro and rekordbox it unlocks don't cover VirtualDJ, which needs a Pro licence.
- Best for
- Club and mobile DJs on rekordbox or Serato who want hands-on stems.
- Skip it if
- You have no use for stems or four channels, or want a standalone unit.
What people praise
- Hardware stems controls make live mashups and acapellas easy
- Runs rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro, with Serato DJ Pro unlocked free
What to know first
- rekordbox's stem separation sounds rougher than Serato's
- Much of the feature set goes unused unless you want stems; Mix Point Link needs preparation
Video reviews
- ThoziJan 2026Recommends
- PACHINCO MusicJul 2024Warns off
Also considered
- Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX. All twelve reviews recommend it for the screens in its jog wheels and its long pitch faders, which suit beatmatching by hand, and it is on VirtualDJ's Home licence list. It isn't a pick because on 9 November 2026 no shop tracked here had it new in the UK, France or Spain: Thomann and Gear4music have dropped it from their feeds, and only bundles remain.
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV1. The way into scratching for less than the DDJ-REV7: all nine reviews recommend it as an entry-level battle layout, and it is on VirtualDJ's Home licence list.
- Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2. Hercules's two-deck learner, with the Beatmatch Guide lights of the Inpulse 500, and on the Home list. All three reviews found recommend it, but no owner reviews could be read.
- Reloop Ready. Small enough to sit on a 13-inch laptop and on the Home list. Reviewers rate it as a travel controller for experienced DJs more than a first one.
- The Next Beat by Tiësto. The only controller here that comes with a VirtualDJ edition, VirtualDJ LE, at no extra cost. Its four reviews are split, two recommending it and two mixed, mostly over the build and jog wheels.
- Numark NS4FX. Four channels, XLR and booth outputs and two mic inputs at a mid-range price. It needs VirtualDJ Pro, and several owners report distorted mic inputs.
- Numark Mixstream Pro Go. Runs on battery with built-in speakers and doubles as a VirtualDJ controller with a Pro licence. All ten reviews recommend it; its built-in speakers suit a room or a garden, not a real party.
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 and AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2. The DDJ-200 is no longer made. Its successor, the FLX2, is on VirtualDJ's Home licence list, and seven of ten reviews recommend it as an easy first controller, though reviewers point to the FLX4 for anyone who expects to play out.
- Denon DJ Prime 4. Denon no longer lists it; its range now has the Prime 4+ and the Prime 4 G2. Denon says VirtualDJ support for the G2 is planned, not available.
- Rane ONE MKII. A motorised scratch controller from August 2025, and all six reviews recommend it for the platter feel, hardware stems controls and built-in effects. In VirtualDJ it needs a Pro Infinity or Pro Subscription licence. It launched for less than the DDJ-REV7, but reviews judge it mainly as a Serato controller.
- Native Instruments Traktor MX2. All eight reviews recommend it, as a Traktor controller with the full Traktor Pro 4 included. It runs other software only in a MIDI mode, so in VirtualDJ check the setup guide before buying.
How to choose a controller for VirtualDJ
Budget for the licence
VirtualDJ itself is free to download, but without a paid licence a controller works for only 10 minutes each time you restart VirtualDJ. The free software bundled with most controllers, such as rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite or DJUCED, doesn't unlock VirtualDJ. There are two tiers to choose from. Home costs less, works only with VirtualDJ's list of entry-level controllers, keeps VirtualDJ's audio branding and can't be used in public or at paid events. Pro works with every controller and at any gig. Each pick's product page lists the licence it needs, and what VirtualDJ is covers the software itself.
Home or gigs
If you will only play at home, a controller from the Home list keeps the licence cheap: the FLX4, DDJ-REV1, DDJ-FLX2 and Inpulse 300 MK2 are all on it. Once you play in public you need Pro whatever the controller, so the Home list stops mattering and the outputs start to. A gig wants a balanced master output, a booth output to hear yourself and a mic input; the mobile DJ setup guide covers the rest of the kit.
Two channels or four
Two channels are enough to learn on and for most home mixing. Four let you run four tracks at once or plug in turntables and media players, and they cost more and take more desk space. The guide to two and four channels explains the difference, and the best four-channel controllers compares them.
Jog wheels and pitch faders
Long pitch faders make manual beatmatching easier, and bigger jog wheels are easier to nudge. Among the picks, the Inpulse 500 is the one for learning by hand, with Beatmatch Guide lights that show what to adjust; see how to beatmatch. Motorised platters, like the DDJ-REV7's, behave most like vinyl. The jog wheel guide covers the types.
What else you'll need
VirtualDJ runs on a Windows or Mac computer, so every pick needs one, except the SC Live 4 when it plays on its own. You'll also need headphones, and powered speakers for anything louder than the SC Live 4's built-in pair. Getting started with VirtualDJ walks through the first setup. If you'd rather skip the laptop, a standalone controller has the computer built in.
How these picks are made
Each pick is the controller with the strongest evidence for its situation. The evidence is what professional reviews conclude and what owners report on retailer sites, compiled for each product, with every source linked on its product page. Which VirtualDJ licence each one needs comes from VirtualDJ's own hardware pages. No controller here was tested in a lab. Prices come from daily tracking across the retailers we link to, and the status beside each one compares today's price with the lowest recorded. The methodology explains the whole process.
