Whether it’s a guilty pleasure you keep to yourself or something you love to do with your friends, you can’t beat a bit of karaoke.

Once upon a time, this meant leaving your home and braving the masses to sing your heart out while being judged by your peers publicly.

Otherwise, you’d have to cough up some dough and consider buying an overpriced home karaoke system for private parties.

But in modern times there are tonnes of apps that give you access to tonnes of tracks you can perform in front of your bedroom mirror.

Today we’ll take a look at the top 12 and give you our verdict on what makes them the best karaoke apps available.

1. StarMaker

First on our shortlist of best karaoke apps is StarMaker.

Some of us aren’t lucky enough to have a bunch of friends prepared to embarrass themselves belting out their favorite tunes in the name of Friday night fun.

If that’s the case, then signing up for StarMaker allows you to join a huge community of like-minded people from the comfort of your sofa.

With over 50 million active users uploading worldwide, you can broadcast solo or find someone to duet with within a matter of minutes. 

The community is inclusive and supportive and there is always something going on.

The styles and genres are wide so you are bound to find someone who has the same taste in music.

Pros:

• Fun community-driven app
• User-friendly interface
• Available for Android and iPhone
• Families feature that allows you to duet and host events with other users

Cons:

• Some songs are listed as VIP and they cost to access

Our Verdict:

Perfect for those who prefer not to show their face but still want to share their singing whilst making friends with similarly driven people.

2. Smule

With Smule users can choose from over 10 million songs.

Like StarMaker above, you can sing solo or connect with others. 

One of its biggest perks is the video filters available and the audio effects you can choose from. 

This enables you to easily create great video playbacks with a semi-professional edge that you can share on other social media platforms.

Perfect for budding stars.

It works on both Apple and Android devices and if fame isn’t in your sights at the very least it provides a good laugh.

Pros:

• A huge variety of songs are available
• Friendly community
• Android and iPhone compatible
• Professional-looking video creation

Cons:

• Settings need configuring carefully for younger users as anyone on the app can contact you without attenuating your setup
• You can’t change the tempo or key of the song
• The solo mode requires a paid account

Our Verdict:

It is another fun community-driven option that provides video and audio capture should you wish to show the world your karaoke skills, plus the song bank is immense.

3. ISing

ISing is another community-centered app that encourages a little competition.

It places top-rated singers on the home page displaying large thumbnails.

One of its most redeeming features is the wide variety of languages you can sift through.

For that reason, it is very popular with Hindi and Japanese Karaoke fans.

The song library is enormous featuring songs in English, Chinese, Hindi, Thai, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Best of all that content is ever-expanding, the developers add new songs every Friday without fail. 

The audio quality is good and the paid options offer some worthwhile features for serious karaoke singers.

Our only real gripe is that the songs feature a melody line which might put off some users.

Pros:

• A diverse range of songs in multiple languages
• Easy to navigate
• Free solo singing
• The paid version allows transposition

Cons:

• The app has permission to boat on your behalf within the app community
• Tracks have a melody line accompaniment

Our Verdict:

The app is well designed, the community is fun and inclusive, the multilingual element is a definite plus and the paid version brings a few welcome extras.

4. Yokee

This next one is very familiar to look at, the interface has borrowed a lot from Smule. 

Yokee has an auto-record function that immediately takes you to playback which has good-quality audio.

You can save playbacks privately or publicly something which isn’t optional with all of its competitors’ karaoke apps.

If you want to you can then add a lip-sync video to your playback for the less shy.

The search function brings up multiple suggestions and versions, some of which come directly from youtube.

This gives you a few keys to sing in; a welcome feature.

It has its built-in social network feed to share recordings or have duets with community members but some users have reported the duet feature as problematic at times.

If you want to use a karaoke app for singing practice this might not be the one for you as it has no pause, forward or rewind which is a disappointing oversight.

Pros:

• Lip-sync video clip-making is fun and unique
• Solo singing mode is free
• Good playback and song variety

Cons:

• Membership is expensive
• The Duet feature is not great

Our Verdict:

Although the paid version is on the pricier side when compared to competitive apps, Yokee has some great features to offer.

5. KaraFun

KaraFun is an app that has been well-named.

Aside from the fun, it provides a few cool bonuses such as Airplay connect.

First, we have to say the free library is smaller than many karaoke apps that we have shortlisted but the discover features bring up a few more that aren’t immediately accessible. 

The premium version however grants users access to an impressive repertoire of 42,000 hits and has an offline download mode.

You can pay a weekly or monthly subscription price but not yearly, which means it works out twice the price of Smule, but the 8-dollar weekly price isn’t too much to splash out on if you fancy hosting a Karaoke night with your friends.

Despite having less free content this app comes with quite a few perks without a subscription.

Most appealing is the ability to transpose each song into whatever key you desire, a definite plus for any karaoke singer. 

You can easily queue songs and change the order while singing.

You also have access to pause, forward and rewind controls making it a serious contender for practicing singers.

Pros:

• Change each song to any key
• Song queue feature
• AirPlay connects
• Huge song list for premium users

Cons:

• Stingier free repertoire 

Our Verdict:

While it has a more limited list of songs available for free use the ability to transpose to any key without a premium account more than makes up for it.

6. The Voice

If you are a fan of the voice but not quite willing to sing in front of the judges in person then you’ll probably love this one.

It is made by the same developers as StarMaker and shares many of the app’s interface layouts and features only with a strongly branded “The Voice” theme.

Much like StarMaker you can sing solo or invite friends and strangers to duet.

There’s plenty to choose from and new tracks are released daily.

The app is packed with fun visual and vocal effects and hosts regular contests with some pretty impressive prizes such as concert tickets.

Pros:

• Collaborative social components
• Fun visual and vocal effects
• Competitive edge and appealing prizes to be won

Cons:

• If you aren’t a fan of “The Voice” then you may as well pick StarMaker as the content and social elements are almost the same.

Our Verdict:

If you fancy sharing your karaoke with the world and getting the chance to compete for some gig tickets as a bonus then this is the app for you!

7. Karaoke Anywhere

Also available for both Android and iOS is Karaoke Anywhere. 

Like all those we have seen so far it turns your mobile phone into a mobile karaoke machine.

The free-to-use customized library offers a somewhat conservative selection of 50 bar favorites in a variety of music genres offering enough for everyone.

Premium users get access to 40,000 for ten dollars a month.

The audio playback is good quality and the lyric scrolling is on point.

The Karaoke Anywhere community is large and growing every day, you can easily share and encourage others with their singing too.

Another positive for this one is you can transfer your own tracks to the app to record and share.

This is cool considering the initial freebie set of songs is pretty limited.

Pros:

• Fun social singing app
• Good quality scrolling and audio
• Transfer tracks feature

Cons:

• A restricted repertoire of free tracks

Our Verdict:

Though it has a few obvious shortcomings, this one still stands out in a market saturated with karaoke apps that are out of sync or poor quality. 

8. SingSnap Karaoke II

Exclusively for iPhone users, SingSnap Karaoke II is the largest streaming service for recording and playing back your karaoke songs.

The second edition has fixed all of the gripes that users had with the first version which wasn’t super-well received.

But the SingSnap Corporation has come back with something superb.

Now it should be noted that the app interface is lacking a little when you compare it side by side with the web version.

But the audio quality is exceptional.

You have a decent array of controls but what you don’t have is many songs to sing.

That is of course unless you are prepared to pay for access.

95% of the songs available are for Gold customers. 

If you do have a budget that stretches to a subscription though you have access to a top-notch library and you can perform, and share on social media at the touch of a button. 

Again like many of the apps you can connect with other SingSnap users for duetting.

Pros:

• Huge community
• Regular contests
• The sound quality is impressive

Cons:

• 95% of the content is not free to access
• iPhone only

Our Verdict:

SingSnap has come back to redeem itself, better than ever but you might want to consider the premium version for diversity.

9. Karaoke Mode

Karaoke Mode by Appure is another free-to-use option to consider if you enjoy singing. 

It functions the same way as the majority that we have looked at turning your phone mic into a Karaoke mic.

There is somewhat less choice with the song bank but it includes a good mix of modern tunes and classics.

Users can create lists of their favorites to go back to for easy access and you can easily share your content with friends. 

There is a little bit of an echo on playback but this adds a reverb-like effect.

Pros:

• The favorites feature makes for easy retrieval
• Fool-proof app
• Compatible with Android and iPhone
• Free to use

Cons:

• Fewer songs are available than some apps offer

Our Verdict:

Despite its smaller library and lower-quality audio capture, it is still a good choice for anyone who hates restricted pay-to-use content. 

10. MagicSing

This one is one of our top recommendations.

The audio quality is above the majority of apps available.

There are some great vocal equalization effects.

The biggest shortfall is you only get access to 3 songs per day which is rather disappointing for those who want to waste an hour or two doing something they love. 

After the 3 songs you only get 30-second samples of other tracks to entice you back.

Still, if you make good use of your 3 freebies it is a great app.

The controls are again more than most and you can transpose into any key!

With the premium version, you get unlimited access to an extensive library of 200,000 songs and there is even sheet music available.

This makes it a viable option for singing practice and singing classes.

Pros:

• Extensive song library
• Transpose to any key
• Sheet music is available for premium accounts

Cons:

• 3 songs per day restriction for non-paying users

Our Verdict:

Although it will set you back, the premium version of MagicSing has many extras that give it a professional edge over its competitors.

11. SingPlay

Another top contender for “best karaoke app” is SingPlay.

It could be ideal for serious singers who want to use karaoke tracks as practice and training.

Once again it has a whole host of controls which include a handy 5-second forward/rewind button.

You can capture specific parts of songs or entire songs.

One of the best things is you can add any MP3 to your personal library and it will remove the vocals.

It does a pretty good job at turning any track into a karaoke track although some results are better than others it is a unique feature. 

Especially if you’re dying for a karaoke version of something more obscure.

Users can post-edit their tracks and are left with a pristine final take.

Pros:

• Range of user controls
• Transposing available
• Turn any MP3 into a Karaoke track
• Free

Cons:

• Some vocal removals aren’t totally removed to a trained ear

Our Verdict:

There are better quality karaoke tracks to sing along with on other apps, but the ability to turn anything into a “karaoke” track is pretty sought after by die-hard karaoke fans looking for something different to sing to.

It is also free which gives it a big thumbs up.

12. Singing Machine Karaoke

With over 14,000 songs to offer its users, Singing Machine karaoke is another great choice when it comes to the best karaoke apps.

You can scroll through 30-second samples from over 8,000 songs.

The free-to-use version is a little scrooge-like as you can only access 5 full-length recordings before it starts asking for your payment details.

That said the paid version provides high-quality audio with song queuing and favorites.

But the subscription price is a lot higher than many we have mentioned.

Pros:

• High-quality audio
• Well-designed app with a range of functions and controls

Cons:

• Only 5 free songs

Our Verdict:

This one will give you some high-quality audio but at a price!

In all honesty, it doesn’t offer anything unique from the rest and the subscription is substantially higher. 

What Makes a Great Karaoke App?

A good karaoke app should offer something that YouTube doesn’t. 

Given that there are already many Karaoke-style videos uploaded to YouTube daily and you could just record yourself singing along, an app should have plenty to entice the user.

Especially if you are going to part with any cash!

Being able to pause, rewind and fast-forward is crucial for users who want to practice and not just perform.

Something you can do on YouTube but additionally, you should be able to directly record in-app with easy external sharing features.

Some karaoke apps will only let you distribute within the app community or will save the audio/video in a file format that involves a little conversion hassle to be able to view or listen to elsewhere.

Another important feature for most singers is the capability to transpose. 

Some apps allow for the transposition of a few tones above and below the original key but there are a handful of great karaoke apps that give you total control. 

This ensures you don’t push your voice or do any damage.

Video editing options and audio effects are a few bonuses that are always nice to have included. 

Who doesn’t like a bit of reverb on their vocals?

Lastly, karaoke should be fun. 

The social community-edged apps are a nice touch and competitive elements could also sway some users towards one or the other depending on their personal preference.

Best Karaoke Apps – Final Thoughts

Practicing, recording, and sharing your karaoke feats has never been easier.

There are a variety of good karaoke apps that give users a karaoke machine that fits in their back pocket.

Now that you have our guide on what makes the best karaoke app to use and our review of some of the most popular karaoke apps available you know how to judge the best for your needs.

But don’t take our word, why not download some of them, take advantage of the free content, and see for yourselves.

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