Auto-KJ is a supported commercial product from Paul Kircher. It is not open source, it is not built on OpenKJ, and it has no app-store app. Singers request songs in the browser at singer.auto-kj.com.
What is Auto-KJ?
Auto-KJ is karaoke host (KJ) software for running karaoke shows. It plays the song files already on your computer, runs a singer rotation with the Fairness Engine, and can take requests. It is the booth app for a live show, not a living-room app that rents someone else's song catalog. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Paul Kircher makes it. Questions go to support@auto-kj.com.
What is the difference between the Free version and the Full version?
The Free version is $0. It includes the desktop app, Fairness Engine rotation for songs entered at the desk, your own files, and a dual screen. It does not include singer phones. The download does not require an account.
The Full version is listed at $10 per month on the pricing section, for one live show at a time. Other pages describe that price as about $10 or approximately $10 per month. A 60-day trial starts inside the app, with no card and nothing that bills automatically, one trial per account and per computer. The Full version adds cloud singer phones with the Social Engine, LAN failover, a walk-up kiosk, a phone remote, and OpenKJ songbook hosting.
Another live show at the same time is an extra $5 per month. The license and the pricing section also list a one-time $500 payment labeled Lifetime. The public version names are Free version and Full version. Ghost-Trax credits are $2 on every tier.
Which operating systems does Auto-KJ run on?
Auto-KJ runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The pricing section links a Windows x64 setup (AutoKJ-setup.exe), a Windows ARM64 setup (AutoKJ-arm64-setup.exe), an Apple Silicon disk image (AutoKJ-AppleSilicon.dmg), an Intel Mac disk image (AutoKJ-Intel.dmg), and Linux AppImage, deb, and rpm packages. The site does not publish minimum RAM, CPU, or operating-system version numbers.
Which karaoke file types does Auto-KJ play?
The pricing section lists video karaoke in .mp4, .mkv, and .avi, plus CDG/ZIP playback and silent CDG preview. The karaoke software pages describe an MP3+G and ZIP library that stays on your drive. Auto-KJ does not include a licensed song catalog. You supply the tracks, and you are responsible for the rights to play them in public.
Can singers request songs from their phones?
On the Full version, singers request from the web app at singer.auto-kj.com. They can search the songbook, see their place in line, and send a request. They find the show by GPS, a show code, or the venue LAN. They do not install an app from an app store. The Free version is desk-entered only. You type the names, and singer phones are not included.
How does Auto-KJ keep the rotation fair?
The Fairness Engine places a late arrival in the first seat that does not push anyone else back. Duets wait in a side queue, then fuse into one slot so both names are accounted for. A pause does not take the stage. A skip closes the gap instead of leaving a hole. Changing the song keeps the singer's seat. The host can still drag anyone, and every rule can be overridden. Singers on the Full version can watch the same list from their phones.
The cases are written up in what fair rotation means and karaoke host software.
Does Auto-KJ work offline?
Song files stay on the computer in the booth. The Free version plays those local files from a list typed at the desk. The Full version can fail over to a LAN in the middle of a show when the venue internet drops: the same rotation rules, local requests, and playback continues. There is no separate offline plan. LAN failover is part of the Full version. The site does not describe a mode where cloud singer requests work with no network at all.
How a bad venue network is rigged is in karaoke in a bar with terrible Wi-Fi.
How does Auto-KJ relate to OpenKJ?
Auto-KJ is a separate product. It is not an OpenKJ release, and it is not built on OpenKJ. OpenKJ is free open-source software. Paul Kircher is not the original OpenKJ developer. He maintains a community OpenKJ fork for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
You can keep running OpenKJ and point its request server at Auto-KJ so singers search your songbook from a phone. That hosting is $5 per month or $50 per year on its own, and it is included with the Full version. It stores titles and artists only, and it does not unlock the Auto-KJ desktop app. Or you can run Auto-KJ against the same MP3+G and ZIP folders. Point the ZIP watcher at those folders. A file name laid out as artist, title, and disc ID parses the same way it does in OpenKJ.
Details: OpenKJ alternative and moving from OpenKJ to Auto-KJ.
Is Auto-KJ open source?
No. Auto-KJ is a supported commercial product, not open source. If open source is the requirement, OpenKJ is the open-source project, and the community fork is still available.
Does Auto-KJ have an app-store app?
No. Auto-KJ does not publish an app-store app. Singers use the web app at singer.auto-kj.com, and the host app is the desktop download on auto-kj.com. App-store apps named OpenKJ Songbook are from a different developer. They are not Auto-KJ.
Read the field manual, or download the Free version
The illustrated manual covers every tab. The Free version download does not need an account. The Full version trial starts inside the app.