The DDJ-1000 is discontinued and the DDJ-FLX10 replaced it, so if you are buying new, buy the FLX10: it adds stem buttons on every deck, Serato DJ Pro unlocked free, USB-C and a DMX output for lights. A used DDJ-1000 makes sense only if you play rekordbox alone, don't need stems controls, Serato or lighting control, and it costs clearly less than a new FLX10.
Which one to buy
- Buying new: the DDJ-FLX10. Pioneer DJ's own product catalogue lists the DDJ-1000 as archived in every region except Australia, and when the FLX10 launched in March 2023, Digital DJ Tips called it a direct replacement for both the DDJ-1000 and the Serato version, the DDJ-1000SRT.
- You play Serato DJ Pro: the FLX10. The DDJ-1000 is a rekordbox controller; Pioneer DJ made the DDJ-1000SRT for Serato, and that model is discontinued too. The FLX10 unlocks Serato DJ Pro free as well as rekordbox.
- You want to mix with stems: the FLX10. It has stem buttons on each deck. On a DDJ-1000, stems work only after you assign them to the pads yourself.
- You play rekordbox only, and a used DDJ-1000 is clearly cheaper: the DDJ-1000. The jog wheels, four-channel mixer and outputs are close to the FLX10's, and rekordbox still lists it as a Hardware Unlock controller. Passionate DJ, reviewing the FLX10, called it a worthy successor that is worth it for DJs who want stems; without that interest, the reviewer said, you pay for features you won't use.
Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10
A 4-channel rekordbox and Serato controller with hardware stems; dearer than the DDJ-1000 and dense with features.
DDJ-1000 and DDJ-FLX10 compared
| DDJ-1000 | DDJ-FLX10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Discontinued (archived by Pioneer DJ outside Australia) | Current |
| Released | January 2018 | March 2023 |
| Software | rekordbox; VirtualDJ with a paid licence | rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro (unlocked free); djay Pro and VirtualDJ with a paid subscription or licence |
| What rekordbox unlocks free (Hardware Unlock) | Performance mode | Performance mode and Lighting mode |
| Stems | No dedicated controls; pads can be assigned to rekordbox stems | Stem buttons on each deck, in rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro |
| Jog wheel displays | Colour LCD On Jog Display | On Jog Display with four modes, and multi-coloured jog rings |
| Crossfader | MAGVEL FADER, 2-sensor | MAGVEL FADER, 4-sensor |
| Channel inputs | 2 line, 2 line/phono (RCA) | 2 line, 2 line/phono (RCA) |
| Mic inputs | 2 (one XLR/1/4" TRS combo, one 1/4" TRS) | 2 (one XLR/1/4" TRS combo, one 1/4" TRS) |
| Master outputs | XLR and RCA | XLR and RCA |
| Booth output | 1/4" TRS | 1/4" TRS |
| Headphones | 1/4" and 3.5 mm | 1/4" and 3.5 mm |
| USB to computer | 2 x USB Type-B | 2 x USB Type-C |
| DMX lighting output | No | Yes, 3-pin XLR, for rekordbox Lighting |
| DVS | rekordbox, with a Core plan or above | rekordbox, with a paid plan; Serato DVS as a paid expansion |
| Power | External AC adapter, 12 V | External AC adapter, 12 V |
| Size (W x D x H) | 708 x 361.4 x 73.4 mm | 716 x 400.3 x 73.4 mm |
| Weight | 6.0 kg | 6.7 kg |
Sources: the DDJ-1000 quick start manual (specifications page), Pioneer DJ's DDJ-1000 page, its VirtualDJ support notice and its controller catalogue for status and release dates; for the FLX10, the DDJ-FLX10 manual, Pioneer DJ's launch notes, Serato's FLX10 page, Pioneer DJ's djay Pro notice and VirtualDJ's setup page; and rekordbox's Hardware Unlock list for both.
The differences that matter
- Stems. The FLX10 has stem buttons on each deck. Pioneer DJ's launch notes describe the three parts it splits a track into: vocals, drums and instruments. The DDJ-1000 has no stem controls, but its pads can be set up to switch rekordbox stems on and off, using rekordbox's pad editor or a MIDI mapping, as Digital DJ Tips and We Are Crossfader explain. The repeated reservation in reviews of the FLX10 is that rekordbox's stems sound rougher than Serato's, and only the FLX10 gives you the choice of Serato.
- Software. The DDJ-1000 runs rekordbox, plus VirtualDJ with a paid licence, and nothing else. The FLX10 runs rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro free, and djay Pro and VirtualDJ with a paid subscription or licence. In Serato, reviewers note that the pads keep their rekordbox labels, the jog display has one mode instead of four, and Mix Point Link, the FLX10's rekordbox feature for starting the next track at a set point, isn't available. See what rekordbox is and Serato DJ Pro.
- Inputs and outputs. Almost the same on both: two master outputs (XLR and RCA), a booth output, two mic inputs and four channel inputs, two of them switchable to phono for turntables. The FLX10 moves its two computer ports to USB-C, and Digital DJ Tips reported better phono preamps, which it called a bugbear on the DDJ-1000. Both have two USB ports so two DJs can connect laptops and change over without stopping the music.
- Jog wheel displays. Both put a screen in the centre of each jog wheel. The FLX10's shows more, with four modes (deck information, waveform, artwork and a DJ logo), and adds coloured rings around the jogs.
- Lighting. The FLX10 has a DMX output that drives lights from rekordbox Lighting with no separate interface, per Pioneer DJ, and it unlocks rekordbox's Lighting mode without a paid plan, per rekordbox's Hardware Unlock list. The DDJ-1000 has no DMX output and unlocks only rekordbox's performance mode, so lighting from it needs a rekordbox plan that includes Lighting mode and a separate rekordbox-compatible DMX interface between the computer and the lights, as rekordbox's LIGHTING mode guide describes. Reviewers call rekordbox Lighting over the FLX10's DMX output basic. See DJ lighting.
- Size. The FLX10 is deeper and heavier, so a bag or case made for the DDJ-1000 may not fit it. Both take an external power adapter.
Reviewers and owners mostly agree on the FLX10: eleven of twelve published reviews recommend it, for the stem buttons, the jog wheels and the pro outputs. Its product page lists what they praise and what they don't, including a few owner reports of audio dropouts during gigs.
Buying a used DDJ-1000
If a used DDJ-1000 fits how you play, check it before you pay. Play a track on all four decks and both USB ports, move every fader and the crossfader, and check both jog displays light and both mic inputs work. Make sure the power adapter is included, as the unit doesn't run without it. rekordbox's Hardware Unlock list still includes the DDJ-1000, so it runs rekordbox's performance mode without a paid plan; for DVS or lighting you need a rekordbox plan that includes them.
For other choices, the best DJ controllers are picked by situation, and the best Serato controllers cover four-channel options for Serato DJ Pro.
How this comparison is made
Every specification, software and status detail on this page comes from Pioneer DJ's and AlphaTheta's product pages, manuals and catalogue, and from rekordbox's and Serato's own pages, read on 12 October 2026 and linked where they are used. What reviewers say comes from the published reviews compiled on the FLX10's product page. The DDJ-1000 has no compiled review record on this site because it is discontinued. We haven't tested either controller. The methodology explains how the site works.
