KaraFun Pro is a strong product if you want a ready-made catalog and a pretty remote queue. US site pricing for Pro is ~$49.99/month (app stores can be higher). You play their recordings. When you cancel, the catalog leaves with the subscription.
Auto-KJ is the other job: bring your own MP3+G/ZIP library, run the Fairness Engine, and keep the show up when bar Wi-Fi dies. Free version is desk-entered only — no singer phones — and is $0. Full version is ~$10/month (one live show; +$5 per extra simultaneous show): cloud singer phones with our full Social Engine; Break-Wave (dual-deck DJ mixer with beat/key matching automixing); full library management (filename correction, duplicate detect/isolate, manufacturer preference for auto-queue); LAN failover; kiosk; remote; OpenKJ songbook hosting. Lifetime is $500. Ghost-Trax credits are $2.
| KaraFun Pro | Auto-KJ | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Catalog rental + venue-oriented Pro tools | Full version + your files |
| Typical host price | ~$49.99/mo (US website, 2026) | Full version ~$10/mo · Lifetime $500 · Free version $0 |
| Songs | Large studio catalog, ~400+ new/mo | Your library (SC, DK, SF, whatever you bought) |
| When you stop paying | Catalog goes away | You still own every ZIP |
| Fairness Engine | Queue / rotation as a hosting feature | Named product: duets, late arrivals, pauses |
| Dead Wi-Fi bar | Pro can sync the catalog offline; requests still assume a network story | Local files + travel-router LAN mode |
| Singer phones | Remote queue, up to 100 connected | PWA: GPS / show code / LAN |
| Trial | Free tier is catalog sampling, not a full host trial | 60-day no-card Full version trial in the app |
When KaraFun is the right call
You don't have a karaoke library and don't want to buy one. You want studio-recorded tracks that update themselves. You're in a room with decent internet, or you're willing to sync the Pro catalog ahead of time. Their polish and catalog are the product. That's a real job. Auto-KJ will not pretend it ships 50,000 licensed tracks.
When Auto-KJ is the right call
You already own Sound Choice / Chartbuster / Sunfly / whatever you've been collecting since 2008. Rotation drama is the pain, not "I don't have that song." The bar router lives behind two brick walls. You want singers on their phones and a list you can defend at 11:30 PM. That's the Fairness Engine — not a bolt-on queue.
Don't rent a streaming catalog for a room that can't keep a stream alive. If the library is already on your SSD, Full version at ~$10/mo is a different category than Pro at ~$50/mo.
KaraFun prices and catalog features cited from karafun.com/pro (US, 2026). Always check their live checkout — app-store prices differ.
Already own the tracks?
Throw a duet and two late arrivals at the Fairness Engine simulator, then download the Free version. Full version is ~$10/mo when you want phones.