The Best DJ Softwares On The Market For 2023

See which is the best DJ software to use in 2023 depending on your needs. With recommendations for beginners, professionals and everyone in between.

A DJ software is going to be the heart and soul of your setup. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or learning how to DJ for the first time, you’ll want to pick and download DJ software that has all the tools you need.

Below, we look at a range of DJ software options in granular detail, including features, the platforms they run on, price, specifications and much more.

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• THE BEST DJ SOFTWARES FOR 2023

1. Most popular DJ software: Serato DJ Pro
2. Easiest to use DJ software: Serato DJ Lite
3. Best software for mixing music: Ableton Live 11 Suite
4. Best DJ software for beginners: Virtual DJ
5. Best software for DJ live streaming: OBS
6. Best free DJ software: Mixx
7. Best mobile DJ software: Traktor DJ 2
8. Best DJ software for professionals: Pioneer rekordbox Pro
9. Best DJ software for mixing on iPad: Algoriddim Djay

• THE BEST DJ APPS FOR 2023
• FAQ

The History & Evolution Of DJ Software

DJ tech has come a long way since the days of vinyl turntables and records. And while traditional formats persist, you now have the option to operate decks and a DJ mixer online when you download DJing software — particularly useful for beginner DJs and those restricted by budget.

DJ software is a computer program that mimics the functions of classic hardware like turntables, mixers and CDJs. It allows you to load up tracks, beats and loops from your computer and manipulate them in much the same way as you would on traditional hardware.

There are some clear benefits to using this software over conventional methods, the number one being that you can buy it at a fraction of the cost than if you were to learn how to beatmatch on CDJs.

Best DJ Softwares For 2023

There are tons of different software options out there — so many that it can be hard to know where to start.

To help out, we've reviewed some of the top DJ softwares on the market today. Find out which free DJ programs are up to scratch, the best DJ softwares for PC, and discover easy DJ softwares to get you started.

Most popular DJ software: Serato DJ Pro

Best for intermediate DJs with room to grow.

PRICE: £175 / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

One of the best music mixing softwares out there, you won’t miss a beat with Serato Pro — their professional version comes with everything out of the box. Plus, we've created a full guide on how to use Serato DJ.

FEATURES

• Serato Stems
• Stem Pad FX
• Serato Flip
• Serato DVS
• Serato Play
• Serato Video

PROS

The complete package at a competitive price.

CONS

Not compatible with all DJ controllers. Be sure to double check!

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 13 Ventura, 12 Monterey, 11 Big Sur
• CPU : Intel core i5 or Apple M1/M2
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 15GB SSD

WINDOWS

• OS: 11, 10
• CPU: 6th Intel core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 3000 series (AVX required)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 15GB SSD
• Video Memory: Dynamic/shared 512MB

Easy to use DJ software: Serato DJ Lite

Best for beginners looking to up-skill.

PRICE: Free / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

It’s important to budding and professional DJs that their preferred DJ software is easy to use. For beginners, it helps gentle the learning curve, for pros it helps get the job done.

This generous offering for budding DJs is derived from one of the most popular professional DJ packages on the market. There is a clear teleology here, starting at the free version, then upgrading when you’re looking to go pro.

FEATURES

• Serato Stems
• OBS integration
• Twitch extension

PROS

Everything you need to start your DJing journey.

CONS

Doesn't come with the pro key analysis software.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 13 Ventura, 12 Monterey, 11 Big Sur
• CPU: Intel core i5 or Apple M1/M2 or higher
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 15GB SSD

WINDOWS

• OS: 11, 10
• CPU: 6th generation Intel core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 3000 (AVX Required)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 15GB SSD
• Video Memory: Dynamic/shared 512MB

Best software for mixing music: Ableton Live 11 Suite

Best for DJ/producers.

PRICE: £431 / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

Live has long been the de-facto standard for creative music production in a live setting. Now, it's a very mature production suite packed full of synths and devices to satisfy pretty much any DJ or producer’s requirements.

Ableton’s flagship product is the best DJ mixing software on the market. A half-way house between live music production and beat-matching, Live will help you stand out from the crowd literally and figuratively!

What’s great about this suite is that you can approach this from a DJ or producer angle and still find a workflow that’s comfortable. It might be overwhelming at first, but if you’re looking for the creative edge, consider DJing with Ableton Live.

FEATURES

• 17 software instruments
• 5000+ sounds
• 60 audio effects
• 16 MIDI effects

PROS

The complete DJ/producer package.

CONS

Possibly too much of an investment for anyone starting out.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: macOS High Sierra 10.13 to Monterey 12
• CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 processor or Apple M1
• RAM: 8 GB
• Storage: 8GB

WINDOWS

• OS: Windows 10 (Build 1909 and later)
• CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 processor or an AMD multi-core processor.
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 8GB

Best DJ software for beginners: Virtual DJ

Best beginner DJ software for anyone starting out with desktop DJing.

PRICE: Virtual DJ offers a range of pricing options based on your needs / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

An unsurprising choice, Virtual DJ continues to reign as a standard in the professional DJ software industry. Atomix has everything to boast about, including insane download numbers, through to testimonials from some of the world’s most admired pros including David Guetta, Fedde Le Grand, and Julian Jordan to say the least.

Boasting over 100,000,000 downloads, Virtual DJ is also a great music mixing software for beginners, not only because of its free tier, but it creates a path for budding DJs to naturally up-skill to their pro products. Download the app for free from the website, check out a Virtual DJ tutorial and get mixing on digital Virtual DJ turntables within minutes.

FEATURES

• Real-Time Stems Separation
• Multi-Deck Stand-Alone DJ Mixer
• Plug & Play With DJ Gear
• Accurate Vinyl Feel
• Powerful Video Mixing

PROS

An array of pricing options from free to business licences make it easy to climb the ladder.

CONS

Lack of native hardware support.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 10.6
• CPU: Intel
• RAM: 2 GB
• Storage: 200MB

WINDOWS

• OS: 7
• CPU: Intel
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 200MB

Best software for DJ live streaming: OBS

Best for DJs wanting to mix on streaming platforms.

PRICE: Free / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

Learning how to stream a DJ set is a powerful skill in any DJ's arsenal.

Any major DJ software can be used for livestreaming with accompanying software such as restream, Twitch Studio, or Open Broadcaster Software (OBS).OBS is free, open source and one of the more popular options.

How you employ OBS is totally up to you, it's a very adaptable and therefore useful tool. You can use virtual sound devices such as Blackhole to internally loop the output of your DJ software into an input on OBS. On Mac, you can use Audio MIDI setup to create a multi-output device that aggregates the virtual device and the output you are using for monitoring, so that you can still hear your mix in the cans whilst it appears as a signal in your live streaming software.

PROS

Free and open source. Compatible with all streaming platforms and services.

CONS

Steep learning curve for beginners.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 10.5 or higher
• CPU : Intel or Apple Silicon
• GPU: OpenGL 3.3-compatible

WINDOWS

• OS: 11, 10
• GPU: DirectX 10.1 compatible

Best free DJ software: Mixx

Best free software to mix music.

PRICE: Free / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

Mixx is a free and open-source alternative to every DJ program listed in this article. This package also has a strong online community around it, so you won’t find it too difficult to learn, as long as you put the time in. If you're looking for a free DJ app for laptop DJing, this could be the perfect solution.

FEATURES

• BPM, key detection & sync
• DJ controller support
• Effects
• Vinyl record control

PROS

Free, open source. Range of skins available.

CONS

Possibly steeper learning curve.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC & WINDOWS

• CPU: 2GHz
• RAM: 1GB
• Soundcard: 2x stereo audio output

Best mobile DJ software: Traktor DJ 2

Best for Traktor users who want to delve into iPad DJing.

PRICE: Free / PLATFORM: iOS

The free and very mobile application for Native Instruments is the go-to for beginners who want a taste of the disc jockeying experience on the go.

FEATURES

• Built-in Mix Recorder
• Track recommendations
• SoundCloud Go+ integration

PROS

Ideal springboard for beginners.

CONS

Far from fully functional and lacking features that most pros would require.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 10.15, 11, 12, 13
• CPU: Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 (with Rosetta 2)

WINDOWS

• OS: 10, 11
• CPU: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
• RAM: 4 GB

Best DJ software for professionals: Pioneer rekordbox Pro

The best professional DJ software.

PRICE: £299 / PLATFORM: Win/Mac

The gold standard of DJ software, rekordbox competes at the highest level, which is no surprise coming from a household name such as Pioneer. Probably the best DJ software for Mac and Windows users alike, rekordbox may be too advanced if you're just starting out.

FEATURES

• rekordbox Cloud Unlimited powered by Dropbox: Safely manage your whole library online
• Support for PC/Mac/iOS/Android Collection Auto Upload: Automatically sync tracks to the cloud
• Automatic Device Library Backup: Smoothly recover your library if your USB drive fails

PROS

The complete package.

CONS

Overkill for beginners.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC

• OS: 10.15, 10.14, 10.13 
• CPU: Intel® processor Core™ i9, i7, i5, i3
• RAM: 4GB

WINDOWS

• OS: 10, 8.1
• CPU: Intel® processor Core™ i9, i7, i5, i3
• RAM: 4GB

Best DJ software for mixing on iPad: Algoriddim djay

Best for iPad DJs.

PRICE: Free / PLATFORM: iOS, Android, Mac/Win

As the concept of tablet DJing becomes increasingly popular and more mature, Algoriddim’s contributions to this domain come with a slew of impressive features such as Neural Mix and Automix.

FEATURES

• Cue Points
• Looping
• Desktop-class effects
• Up to 4 decks

PROS

Tons of features built into the box.

CONS

Lacking features that would be missed by professional DJs.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• OS: iOS 12
• CPU: A12 Bionic chip

Best DJ Apps

DJ apps for PC and laptops have exploded in recent years. Moreover, tablets and smartphones are starting to compete with the desktop world, packed full of capable CPUs and GPUs and mobile applications are certainly starting to take advantage of that fact.

Every new edition of an iPad Pro or a Samsung Galaxy tab gets us closer to the idea of using mobile devices for professional use. This also means a more seamless transition from beginner to advanced use of DJing app

One of the more obvious distinctions between mobile devices and laptops is the interface. Touch screen devices have the opportunity to create a more intimate DJing experience, which would be closer to that of a vinyl-based set up. This opens up opportunities for software-based turntablism and scratching. This tactile approach to modern DJing positions the tablet based setup as a competitor in the top-end of the market. Below we list some of the more popular DJing apps for mobile devices:

• WeDJ
• Dejay
• Cross DJ
• DJ Studio 5
• Traktor DJ 2

Having a tablet-based setup can also make for a good supplement to the laptop equivalent. Another tool in the toolbelt, if you will.

Which DJ software is free and great for beginners?

The top 3 DJ software brands, namely Native Instruments, Pioneer, and Serato, all offer free tiers of their products respectively Traktor DJ 2, rekordbox, and Serato Lite.

Which is the best DJ software for windows?

These days, top-end DJ applications are available across the two major computing platforms, namely Mac and Windows, including Traktor, Serato, and rekordbox.

What Does DJ Software Do?

DJ software allows you to mix and scratch music on your computer. It's a piece of software that runs on a computer (either PC or Mac) that allows you to mix music in real time (as if you were actually mixing vinyl) and add different effects to the song. The great thing about DJing with software instead of actual vinyl is that it's much easier and more portable. All you need is a laptop and some speakers, and you're good to go.

Furthermore, DJ software is much cheaper than buying actual vinyl records, which cost about $12 each. If you have a large collection of songs on your computer, then you can already start mixing.

What is the best DJ software?

Ultimately, there’s no definitive answer to the question ‘what is the best software to mix music?’. If you’re serious about finding the best of the best, it’s worth downloading each of the tools listed above and giving them a try. Fortunately, Ableton Live, Virtual DJ, rekordbox, Serato and Traktor all offer a choice between free DJ software and paid versions.

If you're hoping to pursue DJing as a career, the best DJ software (for free), is probably Serato as it's widely considered the industry-standard and is compatible with almost all hardware. However, the free trial of Serato DJ Pro only lasts for 14 days, after which you'll have to either pay or switch to a basic plan.

The DJ Software Checklist

• Number of channels
• Operating System Support
• Customer Support
• Included FX
• Hardware compatibility
• Integration with digital services
• User Experience (UX)

When looking for the right gear, jot down your goals, look at where you want to go with it, then work backwards into the features and benefits to need.

Be mindful that, as generous as some of the free offers are from the major providers, be aware that they might not be the platform for you, so taking advantage of the range available, and getting a feel for their different design languages will help you quickly gauge which brand line fits you best.