Start with djay: it is free on iPhone and Android, mixes from Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Beatport, and Algoriddim lists all five phone controllers reviewed here as compatible (the Next Beat on iPhone only). If you use rekordbox on a computer or plan to play Pioneer DJ gear, rekordbox for iOS/Android is free with the DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4 and keeps the same library. If you DJ with Serato on a laptop, Serato DJ for iOS (iPhone and iPad only, since October 2026) takes your crates with you.
Which app to use
Most phones and most controllers: djay
Algoriddim's djay is a free download for iPhone and iPad on iOS 15 or later and for Android 10 or later, per Algoriddim. With Spotify Premium, the free version gives you the mixer, filters, effects, cue points and loops; a djay Pro subscription adds Automix, hardware integration and FX add-ons, Algoriddim's Spotify FAQ says, and one Pro subscription covers all your iOS devices and Macs, per djay's App Store listing. It streams from Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Beatport, each on its own subscription, though Spotify inside djay has no offline mode or lossless playback. Streamed songs can't be recorded, the listing says. Neural Mix, djay's stem separation, is a djay Pro feature that Algoriddim says runs on mobile devices, though not on Apple Music or Spotify tracks, and two of the controllers below unlock it free. Algoriddim's hardware page says support for its complete controller list needs Pro. The djay Pro AI page covers the desktop app.
You use rekordbox, or will play Pioneer DJ gear: rekordbox for iOS/Android
AlphaTheta's rekordbox app needs no subscription to DJ with a supported controller, its FAQ says, and the supported list is short: the DDJ-200, DDJ-FLX2, DDJ-FLX4, DDJ-GRV6 and XDJ-AN, as of July 2026. An in-app subscription removes ads and adds more effects, pre-cueing, key control, custom pads, slip mode and unlimited high-quality recording; without it, recording is limited to 30 minutes a week. A rekordbox.com plan doesn't cover it, and iOS and Android each need their own. It streams from Apple Music, SoundCloud, TIDAL, Beatport Streaming and Spotify where available, per rekordbox's streaming FAQ, but streamed tracks can't be recorded or loaded onto CDJs over PRO DJ LINK. Its mobile pages don't list stems. The reason to choose it is the library: it syncs playlists with rekordbox on a computer over Wi-Fi or the cloud (the Free and Core plans sync only 20 tracks through the cloud), and it can load your own tracks onto compatible CDJs and XDJs; see what rekordbox is. It runs on iOS and iPadOS 17, 18 and 26 and on Android 13 to 16, per rekordbox.
You use Serato on a laptop: Serato DJ for iOS
Serato released Serato DJ for iOS on 20 October 2026, for iPhone and iPad on iOS and iPadOS 18.6 or later, per its release notes. It is free to download with a limited feature set; a Serato DJ Suite licence or subscription, or buying the iOS app outright, unlocks the rest, including recording and Stems FX. Serato Stems, its stem separation, is built in. It streams from Apple Music, Beatport, SoundCloud, Spotify and TIDAL, but recording isn't available while streamed tracks are loaded. The reason to choose it is the library: iOS Transfer moves crates and songs from Serato DJ Pro or Lite on a laptop with their cue points and beatgrids. It connects to hardware by USB-C or Lightning cable, since Bluetooth isn't supported. The release notes list the DDJ-FLX2, DDJ-FLX4 and DDJ-200 among its plug-and-play controllers, but not the Buddy, the Mix Ultra or the Next Beat, and some hardware needs a paid licence. There is no Android version.
An alternative to djay, with Ableton Link: Cross DJ
Mixvibes' Cross DJ is free with in-app purchases; an optional Pro subscription unlocks its Pro features, exclusive tracks, premium sample packs and effects across iOS and Mac, per its App Store listing. It streams from Spotify (Premium required), Beatport and SoundCloud Go+, isolates vocals, drums or instruments with one tap, and syncs with other apps and hardware over Ableton Link. The listing names the DDJ-FLX2, DDJ-FLX4 and DJControl Mix Ultra among its controllers, along with Hercules' Inpulse range. Mixvibes lists iOS, macOS and Android, but the current Cross DJ 5 is still a beta on Android, so try it on your phone before choosing a controller for it.
Learning on the phone alone: edjing Mix
MWM's edjing Mix is free to download with ads and in-app purchases, edjing's Android page says, and a subscription unlocks its Pro features, including Stemz, its stem separation, per edjing. It streams from Spotify (Premium only), Beatport, SoundCloud Go+ and TIDAL, plus Apple Music on iPhone and iPad, and none of these sources needs an edjing subscription, per edjing's music sources page. Spotify and Apple Music tracks can't be recorded or split into stems. It has DJ School lessons and Automix inside the app, per its App Store listing, which suits someone mixing on the touchscreen without a controller. edjing says it works with compatible controllers from Pioneer DJ, AlphaTheta, Hercules, Numark and Reloop without naming models, so check yours in the app before you buy one for it. On iPhone it needs iOS 18.6 or later, per edjing.
Which controllers work with which app on a phone
Each app maker's list, checked November 2026. "Not listed" means the app maker doesn't name that controller; "rekordbox app" is rekordbox for iOS/Android.
| Controller | djay | rekordbox app | Cross DJ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reloop Buddy | iOS and Android; unlocks its Pro controls free | Not listed | Not listed |
| AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2 | iOS and Android | Free | Listed |
| Hercules DJControl Mix Ultra | iOS and Android; Neural Mix free | Not listed | Listed |
| Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 | iOS and Android; needs djay Pro, per Pioneer DJ | Free | Listed |
| The Next Beat by Tiësto | iPhone and iPad only; djay licensed on connection | Not listed | Not listed |
How they connect matters as much as the app. The Buddy takes the phone's own charging cable and needs a 5 V, 2.1 A USB supply in its power port, per Reloop's manual. The DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4 connect by USB-C or Bluetooth; over Bluetooth the FLX2 sends control only and the sound comes from the phone, and the FLX4 needs a USB power adapter or mobile battery when used with a phone. The Mix Ultra runs on its own battery over Bluetooth and makes no sound itself: audio plays from the phone. The Next Beat connects over Bluetooth and takes audio from the device's headphone output, so a phone without a jack needs an adapter.
Also considered
WeDJ. AlphaTheta still lists WeDJ for iPhone on the App Store, updated in August 2026, but it names only the DDJ-200, DDJ-WeGO4 and DDJ-WeGO3 as compatible, and Pioneer DJ's WeDJ product page names only the DDJ-200, with no news since 2016. rekordbox for iOS/Android is the app AlphaTheta lists for its current controllers.
Pioneer DJ DDJ-200. Discontinued; its successor is the DDJ-FLX2. It still works with rekordbox for iOS/Android, djay and Serato DJ for iOS.
Serato DJ Lite. Serato DJ Lite runs on macOS and Windows; on a phone, Serato's app is Serato DJ for iOS, above. Controllers such as the DDJ-FLX4 unlock Lite on a computer; see Serato DJ Lite vs Pro.
VirtualDJ. The only iPhone app from VirtualDJ's maker, Atomix, is VirtualDJ Remote, which controls VirtualDJ running on a computer. It isn't a DJ app on its own.
How to choose a DJ app for your phone
Start with where your music comes from
Every streaming service needs its own subscription, and Spotify needs Premium in djay, Cross DJ and edjing Mix. Catalogues vary by country, and some tracks on a service's own app don't appear in DJ apps because of rights restrictions, rekordbox notes. Whether you can play streamed tracks in public depends on your contract with the service and local copyright law, rekordbox's FAQ says. If you want to record your mixes, use your own files: djay, rekordbox and Serato DJ for iOS can't record streamed tracks, and edjing Mix can't record Spotify or Apple Music tracks. The DJ software guide covers the desktop side.
Choose the controller and the app together
Some controllers unlock paid features: the Buddy and the Mix Ultra unlock parts of djay Pro, and the Next Beat licenses djay when it connects. Others only work with the paid tier, as Pioneer DJ says of djay with the DDJ-FLX4. rekordbox's free app works only with AlphaTheta's own controllers, and Serato DJ for iOS needs a cable, so Bluetooth-only controllers won't work with it. Check the table above before buying, and see the DJ controller guide and controllers for iPad for the hardware.
Cueing in headphones
To hear the next track before the crowd does, the app needs a second audio output. In djay that means djay Pro's Split Output mode or an external audio interface, per Algoriddim; in rekordbox for iOS/Android, pre-cueing is a paid in-app feature. A controller with its own audio interface, like the Buddy, sends the mix to speakers from its master output and the cue to its headphone socket. The Mix Ultra's split cable carries master and headphone signals in mono from the phone's headphone output.
Power and plugs
Phones can't power most controllers. The Buddy and the DDJ-FLX4 both need a USB power supply or power bank when a phone is connected, and the FLX2 needs one over Bluetooth. iPhones with a Lightning port connect to the FLX2 over Bluetooth rather than by cable, per AlphaTheta's manual. The Mix Ultra charges over USB-C and runs on its battery.
How these picks are made
Each recommendation links the app maker's page, store listing or manual it relies on, and every feature named on this page comes from one of those sources, checked in November 2026. We haven't tested these apps, and the site has no owner-review records for phone DJ apps yet. Controller details come from the product records on each controller's page. The methodology explains the whole process.
