Karma karaoke software, from Karaosoft, is Windows karaoke host software that also runs DJ and VJ shows. You bring the tracks. It does not rent a song catalog. The products page lists Karma as version 2027.0.33 for Windows, and the cart option is a one-year license for $29. The FAQ says these apps need a Windows computer. The Karma pages do not list a Mac build.
Auto-KJ is karaoke host software for that same library on Windows x64 and Windows ARM64, Intel and Apple Silicon Mac, and Linux x64. The Free version is $0 and is desk-entered only, with no singer phones. The Full version is about $10 a month for one live show, plus $5 a month for each extra simultaneous show, or $500 paid once. A 60-day Full version trial does not ask for a card and does not auto-bill.
Download the Free version of Auto-KJ if the booth is not only a Windows PC, or if you want the app to place duets and late arrivals. The files stay on your disk either way.
| Karma | Auto-KJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Library | Your files: MP3+G, MP3, MP4, H.264, H.265, plus AVI, MOV, and MPEG | Your files: MP3+G, ZIP, and video (.mp4, .mkv, .avi) |
| Published price | $29 one-year license (products page, 2026) | Free version $0 · Full version ~$10/mo · Full version, paid once, $500 |
| Computers | Windows 11, 10, or 7 | Windows x64 / ARM64, Intel / Apple Silicon Mac, Linux x64 |
| Screens | Optional triple output: host, singer, and crowd | Host, singer, and audience |
| Rotation | Drag a singer to a new spot. DJ tracks stay put while singer songs sort around them | Fairness Engine: late arrivals, duets, pauses, song changes |
| Singer phones | SingNext.com paperless slips, including an auto mode | Full version: phone browser, show code, QR, GPS, or LAN. Free version: desk only |
| After install | Internet required to activate, then not required | Local files. Full version can keep phone requests on your LAN |
| Trial | Same download for licensed and unlicensed users. No trial length published | 60-day no-card Full version trial in the app |
Requests, song books, and the booth screen
Singers can send paperless requests on SingNext.com, a Karaosoft site. The auto mode described on the Karma page lets them pick a version, join the rotation, and add songs to a queue. Karma can upload a list to Songbooks Live. That song book is a separate product: $5 for one month, $29 for one year, or $99 for five years. The Karma Suite is $49 for one year and adds one license each of KJ File Manager and Song List Generator. Those two apps are not included in the $29 Karma license.
Search starts when you type. Pitch can be stored per song, and sync can change during a track. The Now Playing bar lists other versions. DJ tracks can autoplay with a crossfade. Triple display can put lyrics on the singer screen and a scroller on the crowd screen. A private message can go to one screen only. History can be dragged back into the queue.
Auto-KJ plays MP3+G, ZIP, and video (.mp4, .mkv, .avi). The Fairness Engine places late arrivals, duets, pauses, and song changes. Try that case in the simulator first. Full version phones are a browser: QR code, show code, GPS, or LAN, not a second songbook bill. Break-Wave plays the break. Full version library tools cover filenames, duplicates, and manufacturer preference. Details are on the Windows and Mac pages.
When Karma is the right call
You host on Windows and the license you want is the $29 year on the Karaosoft cart. Triple displays, private screen messages, and DJ or VJ playback in the same app matter to the show you already run. Singers use SingNext, or you already pay for Songbooks Live. Compare file types before you switch. The two lists are not the same containers.
When Auto-KJ is the right call
Home is a Mac, the bar laptop is Windows, or the booth is Linux, and you want one host app. The late-night argument is a duet or a walk-in, and you want those rules in the software. Read the rotation rules, then download the Free version and point it at the folders you already use. The Full version trial is there when you want phones.
Karma asks for Windows 11, 10, or 7, a 2 GHz i5 or faster, 8 GB of RAM minimum, a display at least 1280 pixels wide at 100 percent scale, and recommends an SSD. Its page says the intel iRIS chipset is not supported for MP4 playback. Auto-KJ does not publish a minimum RAM number. Use the Mac or Windows installer that matches the computer you carry.
Activation needs the internet once. After that, the FAQ says it does not. A license can move, and a dead PC can be reset three times a calendar year. No lifetime price is listed, so none is quoted here. Sources: Karaosoft's Karma page, the products page, and the FAQ, checked October 19, 2026.
Download the Free version on the computer you actually use.
Mac, Windows, or Linux. No account for the Free version. The Full version trial is inside the app when you want phones.