Your first controller
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 don't yet know which software you want. It runs rekordbox and Serato DJ Lite free, plus djay and Traktor Play, and its layout follows Pioneer DJ's club gear, so the habits carry over. Its limits are one RCA master output, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a plastic shell. If you already know you want Serato, the Inpulse 500 comes with Serato DJ Lite rather than rekordbox and has the connections for first gigs, and the DDJ-REV1 is a Serato controller with a scratch layout.
- 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
Learning to scratch
Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV1
A battle-style Serato controller with big jogs and FX paddles; the pads are small and some modes need Serato DJ Pro.
Photos: Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta Corporation
of 9 reviews recommend itand 10 owner reviews
Choose it over the FLX4 if scratching is why you want to DJ. Its mixer and jog wheels copy a Pioneer DJ DJM-S scratch mixer between two turntables, so the habits carry over to battle gear, and Serato DJ Lite comes free. Reviewers fault the small, single-colour pads, and Beat Jump, Roll and recording wait for Serato DJ Pro. When you outgrow it, the motorised DDJ-REV7 is the step up.
- Best for
- Beginners learning to scratch on a DJM-S and turntable style layout.
- Skip it if
- You prefer a club-style layout or need more than one RCA output.
What people praise
- Easy to learn on as a first controller
- Battle layout copies a DJM-S mixer and turntables, a direct path to scratch gear
What to know first
- Small, single-colour performance pads, cramped for large fingers
- Beat Jump, Roll and recording need the paid Serato DJ Pro upgrade
Video reviews
- BPM SupremeJun 2023Recommends
- DJcityTVJan 2022Recommends
First 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 if you will play small gigs soon. It is full size with a metal backing plate, aux inputs, a balanced mic input and jack master outputs, and its Beatmatch Guide lights show which way to move the tempo fader and jog wheel while you learn. It runs Serato DJ Lite and DJUCED free. Look elsewhere if you lean on effects: the filter and effects share controls, and reviewers find the pads and meters dim in daylight.
- 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
A drum machine in the mix
Roland DJ-202
A Serato starter controller with Roland TR drums and a sequencer; the build is light and the sequencer hard to reach.
Photos: Roland
of 9 reviews recommend itand 32 owner reviews
Choose it over the Inpulse 500 if you want to play drum patterns under your mixes. It is a Serato DJ Lite controller with Roland's TR drum sounds, a step sequencer and a MIDI output that syncs other gear, and its mic input has built-in vocal effects. Reviewers and owners agree the sequencer is buried under Shift and pad modes, the build is light and the pads are stiff. It dates from 2017 and has an RCA master output only.
- Best for
- New Serato DJs who want built-in drum sounds and a step sequencer.
- Skip it if
- You want a sturdy build, responsive pads or balanced outputs.
What people praise
- A capable first controller for the money
- Built-in TR drum sounds and a step sequencer that few rivals offer
What to know first
- The sequencer is hard to use, buried under shift and pad modes
- Light, plasticky build, with some faders and knobs that wobble
Video reviews
- DjTechZoneDec 2017Recommends
- DJcityTVJun 2018Recommends
Traktor
Native Instruments Traktor MX2
An entry-level Traktor controller with the full Traktor Pro 4 and a loud sound card; plastic, with RCA outputs only.
Photos: Native Instruments
of 8 reviews recommend itand 10 owner reviews
Choose it over everything else here if you want Traktor. The full Traktor Pro 4 comes with it, with no subscription, and its stems, Pattern Player and two effects units are on hardware controls; Thomann owners praise the loud, clean sound card. It is a two-channel controller with RCA and mini-jack outputs, no XLR, and it needs its power supply to run. Other software needs MIDI mapping, so if you are not set on Traktor, the FLX4 runs Native Instruments' free Traktor Play as well as rekordbox and Serato.
- Best for
- New and returning DJs who want Traktor's stems, effects and Pattern Player.
- Skip it if
- You need XLR outputs or four channels, or you use rekordbox or Serato.
What people praise
- Stems, Pattern Player and two Deck FX units give hands-on creative tools
- Comes with the full Traktor Pro 4, with no subscription
What to know first
- No balanced XLR or booth output, only RCA and a mini jack
- Plastic build, with scratchy or loose faders
Video reviews
- NoisegateOct 2025Recommends
Also considered
- Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX. All twelve reviews recommend it as a Serato controller to learn on, for the screens in its 6-inch jog wheels and its long pitch faders. 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.
- AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2. The smaller way into rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite and djay, powered by a USB-C phone or tablet; seven of ten reviews recommend it as a first controller. Reviewers point to the FLX4 for anyone who expects to play out, and the best DJ controllers under $300 covers the smaller budgets.
- Reloop Buddy. A 1 kg djay controller with Neural Mix stem controls and a slot for a phone or tablet; six of eight reviews recommend it for portable sets. It has a two-band EQ, and three of seven Thomann owners report hum on the outputs. The best DJ controllers for iPad covers it.
- Reloop Ready. A Serato controller small enough to sit on a 13-inch laptop, which five of seven reviews recommend as a travel or second controller rather than a first one.
- Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2. The Inpulse 500's guide lights in a smaller controller. Only three reviews exist and no owner reviews could be read, and it leaves out the 500's mic and aux inputs.
- Numark NS4FX. The cheapest way to four channels with a balanced XLR master and a booth output, and nine of eleven reviews recommend it for mobile and livestreaming DJs. It sits just above this band, reviewers and owners find scratching laggy, and five report distorted mic inputs. The best four-channel controllers compares it with the rest.
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-400 and DDJ-SB3. Both are no longer made. The FLX4 replaced the DDJ-400 with the same club layout and Serato DJ Lite added, and Pioneer DJ names the REV1 as the DDJ-SB3's next-generation model.
- Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S2 MK3. Gone from Native Instruments' range; the MX2 replaced it in October 2025 with the full Traktor Pro 4 in the box.
- Numark Mixtrack Pro 3. Filed under Numark's legacy products. The Mixtrack Pro FX replaces it.
How to choose a DJ controller under $500
What the extra money buys
At the end of October 2026 the picks fell into three price steps in the US, with the FLX2 from Also considered below them; the table above shows today's price.
| Step | Controller | About, US | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $200 | DDJ-FLX2 | $190 | rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite and djay, powered by a USB-C phone or tablet |
| Under $300 | Inpulse 500 | $235 | Full size, mic and aux inputs, jack master outputs, Beatmatch Guide lights |
| Under $300 | DJ-202 | $250 | Roland's TR drum sounds, a step sequencer and MIDI out |
| Under $300 | DDJ-REV1 | $300 | A battle layout copied from Pioneer DJ's DJM-S scratch mixers |
| Under $500 | DDJ-FLX4 | $330 | rekordbox and Serato DJ Lite free, and a layout that follows Pioneer DJ's club gear |
| Under $500 | Traktor MX2 | $340 | The full Traktor Pro 4, with stems and effects on hardware controls |
Under $200 the FLX2 is the way in, but it leaves out gain controls, meters, a browse knob and a mic input, and several reviewers say most DJs will outgrow it. Three of the five picks cost less than three hundred dollars, each built around one thing: inputs for gigs, a drum machine or a scratch layout; the best DJ controllers under $300 covers that step. The step to about $330 buys software rather than a sturdier box: the FLX4 runs rekordbox as well as Serato DJ Lite, and the MX2 comes with the full Traktor Pro 4, though reviewers note it costs more than the FLX4. No pick costs more than about $340, so the rest of a $500 budget can go on headphones and speakers. The next real step, four channels with a balanced XLR master and a booth output, starts just above the band with the NS4FX at about $550; the best four-channel controllers and the guide to two and four channels cover it.
A full setup on $500
Besides a laptop, a beginner needs the controller, headphones to cue the next track and a pair of powered speakers. At end-of-October US prices, the cheapest pick in the best DJ headphones is the Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1 at about $85, and the cheapest pair in the best DJ speakers is the IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor at about $225, sold as a pair. Together they leave about $190 for the controller, which is the FLX2, and the three come to about $500. With the Inpulse 500, the cheapest pick here, the setup comes to about $545, and with the FLX4 about $640. The JBL 305P MkII costs about $130, but it is sold singly, so a pair is about $260 and needs RCA-to-TRS cables.
The iLoud takes a controller's RCA output directly and has a 1/8-inch input for the FLX2's 3.5 mm master jack, though owners report port noise on deep bass when it is pushed loud. The CUE1 ends in a 3.5 mm plug, which fits the FLX2 and FLX4 headphone jacks; a 1/4-inch socket needs an adapter that isn't in the box. If you already have home speakers with an RCA input, every pick's RCA master output plugs straight in, and any pick plus the CUE1 stays under $500: the MX2, the dearest, comes to about $425.
Start with the software
The software decides more than the hardware does. rekordbox is the library format Pioneer DJ's club players read, so it suits anyone heading for a DJ booth; see what rekordbox is. Serato DJ is widely used for scratching and open-format sets, Traktor is Native Instruments' software with its own stems and effects, and djay is built for phones and iPads. The FLX4 runs rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite, djay and Traktor Play, the REV1, Inpulse 500 and DJ-202 are Serato controllers, and the MX2 is a Traktor controller. Serato DJ or rekordbox and what Traktor is go further.
What the free software leaves out
Serato DJ Lite comes free with four of the five picks. It can't record your mixes, and some pad modes and features wait for the paid Serato DJ Pro. rekordbox is free to DJ with on the FLX4, and the MX2 includes the full Traktor Pro 4. Learn on the free version and upgrade when a missing feature gets in the way; Serato DJ Lite vs Pro lists the differences.
Outputs
Every pick here has an RCA master output, which suits home speakers and small powered speakers. The Inpulse 500 adds jack master outputs and the aux inputs a mobile DJ uses for a phone or a laptop playing requests, and the FLX4, Inpulse 500, DJ-202 and MX2 all have a mic input. None has a balanced XLR master or a booth output, which is what clubs and bigger PA systems expect; what a mobile DJ is explains what a working DJ carries.
What else you'll need
Every pick needs a laptop running the software, plus headphones and powered speakers; none of them comes with speakers, and the MX2 also needs its power supply. See the best DJ headphones and best DJ speakers. If you'd rather skip the laptop, a standalone controller has the computer built in, and the full best DJ controllers guide covers the picks beyond this band.
How these picks are made
Each pick is the controller with the strongest evidence for its situation inside the band. 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. 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 band is a round figure, so check the price beside each pick on the day. The methodology explains the whole process.
