The best karaoke app depends on the screen you sing at. On an iPhone with an Apple TV, Apple Music Sing is the easiest if you already pay for Apple Music. For singing with other people on your phone, Smule has the biggest duet community. For feedback on your pitch, StarMaker shows it as you sing. For a karaoke night on the TV, KaraFun runs on Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV and lets guests queue songs from their phones. Free karaoke means YouTube karaoke videos or the free tiers of Smule and StarMaker. If the song you want isn't in any app, you can make karaoke from the song file yourself. To hear the whole song sung in your own voice instead, Tera Studio learns your voice from about a minute of singing (2 minutes sounds more like you), and your first 2 songs are free.
Key takeaways
- Check the key change before anything else: the original singer is often far above a normal voice. Smule, StarMaker, KaraFun and Singa let you move the key. Apple doesn't list one for Apple Music Sing, and YouTube has none.
- Apple Music Sing uses the real recordings with the voice turned down. KaraFun's tracks are re-recorded.
- For TV, KaraFun and Singa have TV apps. Apple Music Sing needs an Apple TV 4K (3rd generation).
- Free tiers are limited: Smule's free tier is joining other people's duets, and KaraFun's is mostly 30-second previews.
- Every catalog has gaps, especially for songs outside English. Search for 3 songs you want before you pay.
How we picked
On 26 October 2026 we read each app's own App Store and Google Play listing and website. We noted what each one says it does, what it costs and where it runs, and searched KaraFun's public catalog for songs in several languages. We did not sing a test session in every app, so this list compares what the apps offer and charge, not how good each one sounds. US prices; other countries differ.
| App | Best for | Runs on | Free version | Paid (US) | Key change | Score or pitch feedback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Music Sing | iPhone and Apple TV | iPhone 11 and later, iPad, Apple TV 4K (3rd gen) | No (first month free for new Apple Music subscribers) | Apple Music $11.99/month | Not listed | Not listed |
| Smule | Duets with other singers | iPhone, iPad, Android | Join other people's duets | VIP weekly $7.99, also monthly or yearly | Yes | Pitch guide |
| StarMaker | Feedback on your pitch | iPhone, iPad, Android | Free to start, with ads | Pro $14.99/month or $59.99/year | Yes | Real-time pitch feedback |
| KaraFun | TV parties | iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Mac, Windows, web | 30-second previews and a few full songs | Premium $9.99/month ($11.99 in the iPhone app) | Yes (Premium) | Scoring in Battle mode |
| Singa | TV, some original recordings | iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Android TV | Yes, plus a 30-day Premium trial for new subscribers | $9.99/month or $89.99/year | Yes | Not listed |
| YouTube | Free, on most smart TVs | Phones, smart TVs, browsers | Yes, with ads | Free | No | No |
| Tera Studio karaoke maker (ours) | A song no app has | Any phone or computer browser | 3 songs a day with a free account | Downloads need a plan | Yes | No |
1. Apple Music Sing: best on iPhone and Apple TV
Apple Music Sing is built into Apple Music. It plays the real recording and lets you turn the singer's voice down to sing lead or up to sing backup, with lyrics that move with the music, duet view and, for some songs, translation and pronunciation. Apple lists it for iPhone 11 and later, iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), supported iPads and Apple TV 4K (3rd generation). On an Apple TV with tvOS 26, anyone on the same Wi-Fi can scan a code and use an iPhone with iOS 26 as a microphone, and only the host needs a subscription.
- Cost: Apple Music Individual is $11.99 a month, first month free for new subscribers.
- Watch out for: the Sing button is greyed out on songs it doesn't support. Apple doesn't list a key change or a score.
2. Smule: best for duets
Smule says it has more than 15 million songs and a community in over 190 countries. It shows 4.5 stars from about 182,000 ratings on the US App Store and has more than 100 million downloads on Google Play. Joining duets other singers have started is free. A VIP subscription unlocks solo recording, your own duets and group songs. You can move the key to fit your range, and an on-screen pitch guide shows how close you are.
- Cost: the US App Store lists Weekly VIP Access at $7.99, with monthly and yearly options.
- Watch out for: the Android version contains ads, and singing solo needs VIP.
3. StarMaker: best for pitch feedback
StarMaker gives real-time pitch feedback and a radar chart of your singing, and you can adjust the pitch of the backing music to your range. It also has duets and an audio editor with pitch correction. It has more than 500 million downloads on Google Play and 4.6 stars from about 111,000 ratings on the US App Store.
- Cost: StarMaker Pro is $7.99 a week, $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year, according to its App Store description.
- Watch out for: it contains ads on Android, and coin packs are sold on top of Pro.
4. KaraFun: best for a karaoke night on the TV
KaraFun has apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Fire tablets, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV Stick, plus Mac, Windows and a web player. On the TV, guests use their phones as a remote to add songs to the queue. Premium unlocks the full catalog, offline sync of up to 1,000 songs, and control of the vocal volume, key and tempo. Battle mode scores your voice in real time, and Vocal Match suggests songs that fit your range.
- Cost: Premium is $9.99 a month on karafun.com and $11.99 through the iPhone app. KaraFun says it has no free trial; the free tier is 30-second previews and a small selection of full songs.
- Watch out for: KaraFun's tracks are re-recorded, not the original recordings. Songs outside English are uneven: in October 2026 its catalog had Arijit Singh's Tum Hi Ho and Amr Diab's Tamally Maak, but listed IU's Palette and every song we searched by Indonesia's Tulus as "not yet available".
5. Singa: best for original recordings on the TV
Singa runs on iPhone, Android, Apple TV and Android TV, and can AirPlay to a smart TV. It is adding studio recordings straight from some artists, alongside regular karaoke tracks, and lets you move the key.
- Cost: Singa Premium is $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year, or $5.99 for a one-week pass. New subscribers get a 30-day free trial.
- Watch out for: it isn't sold everywhere. In October 2026 it wasn't in the App Store in Mexico, Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia or Indonesia.
6. YouTube: best free option
Search the song name plus "karaoke" in the YouTube app on your phone or smart TV and you get a lyric video with the music only. It's free, and because anyone can upload a karaoke version, the range of songs is huge. There's no key change, no score and no recording, and quality depends on who made the video.
Why the key change matters most
A song is pitched for the singer who recorded it, not for you. We see the gap in our own data: when we measured 38 rated songs on Tera Studio in October 2026, the original singer sat 7.5 semitones (more than half an octave) or more above the customer's own singing voice in about 18 of them, roughly half. At that distance nobody sounds good in the original key. Moving the song down a few semitones fixes more than any effect or practice mode does. If your app can't do it, the free key changer moves any song file up or down by up to 6 semitones without changing its speed. How to change a song's key to fit your voice explains how far to go, and the free vocal range test shows where your voice sits.
When your song isn't in any app
Every catalog has gaps, especially outside English, as the KaraFun searches above show. If you have the song as a file, our free karaoke maker takes the singer out in about 2 minutes. You then move the key until it suits your voice and sing over the music with your microphone in the browser, on any phone or computer. It's free with a free account, 3 songs a day, for songs up to 10 minutes. Listening is free; downloads need a plan. To keep only the music file, use the vocal remover. How to remove vocals from a song compares the ways to do it.
Hear the song in your own voice first
Karaoke is more fun when you know how the song should sound in your voice. Tera Studio sings any song in your voice: record about a minute of your normal singing (2 minutes sounds more like you), upload the original song, and hear the whole song in your voice, on the original singer's notes and phrasing. It's not a karaoke app. It gives you a version to learn from, then you sing it yourself. See make a karaoke version of any song in your own voice, and for easy picks, easy karaoke songs for people who can't sing.
Current price and limits
Every new account can make and hear 2 whole songs free, once per account, each up to 4 minutes, with no card. Downloads need a paid plan. Starter is $8.99 a month for 30 finished minutes (about 7 songs) and Creator is $19.99 a month for 90 minutes, or $89.99 and $189.99 paid yearly. Both include WAV and song-card video downloads, one guided correction per song and free re-downloads. Minutes refresh monthly without rollover. Prices show in your currency where available; pricing and Stripe checkout confirm the total before you pay. See the refund policy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best karaoke app for iPhone? If you already have Apple Music, Apple Music Sing: it uses the real recordings and works on iPhone 11 and later. For duets with other singers, Smule; for pitch feedback, StarMaker. Both are free to start.
What is the best karaoke app for a smart TV? KaraFun, which has apps for Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV and lets guests queue songs from their phones. Singa also has Apple TV and Android TV apps in the countries where it's sold. With an Apple TV 4K (3rd generation), Apple Music Sing works too, and guests can use their iPhones as microphones.
Is there a free karaoke app? YouTube karaoke videos are free on phones and most smart TVs. Smule (joining duets) and StarMaker are free to start, with ads, and our karaoke maker is free for 3 songs a day with a free account.
Which karaoke app gives you a score? StarMaker shows real-time pitch feedback and a radar chart, and KaraFun scores you in Battle mode. Smule shows an on-screen pitch guide. To test your pitch without an app, try the free singing test: it plays 5 notes and scores how closely you sing them back.
Can I use my phone as a microphone for karaoke on TV? With Apple Music Sing on an Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) and tvOS 26, yes: guests scan a code and their iPhones (iOS 26) become microphones. KaraFun uses phones as a remote for the queue, not as microphones.
Hear any song in your own voice. Your first 2 songs are free to make and hear.