Best karaoke machine 2024: Sing your heart out with our expert picks

Whether you’re looking to liven up a party or just fancy a night in singing your heart out, the best karaoke machines provide hours of fun. However, with countless options available catering to a range of use cases – many from brands you’re unlikely to have heard of – it can be tough to settle on the right one for your needs.

That’s where our experts come in. We’ve spent hours researching manufacturer websites, data sheets and user reviews to curate a definitive roundup of great options. Each karaoke machine on the list below has been carefully selected based on a thorough assessment of a range of factors, including audio quality, connectivity and where applicable, lighting systems.

You can find a detailed buying guide discussing the many facets of karaoke and the key things to consider before forking out for a karaoke machine at the bottom of this page. If you’re already familiar with the art and have an idea about what you’re after, read on for a breakdown of what we deem the best karaoke machines on the market.

Best karaoke machine: At a glance

The best karaoke machines you can buy in 2024

1. Mr Entertainer Moonbox: Best all-in-one karaoke machine

Price when reviewed: £130 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Selection of features, in-app options
• Not so great for: Those who want a digital display on the machine

If you’re looking for a no-fuss machine that will really liven up your karaoke night, the Mr Entertainer Moonbox is the best all-in-one karaoke machine. It’s got a sound-to-light activated built-in LED light show, two wireless microphones and loads of free songs to stream via the app they provide. You can read the lyrics straight off your phone or you can stream them onto your telly to get the whole group involved. The mixer has independent backing track and microphone volume controls, with standard playback and echo controls, which is all you need to get great quality sound if you’re using this for fun.

It can also run completely wirelessly with a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth functionality, meaning you can use this machine even when you’ve not got access to a power outlet. Of course, there are cable options too, and the radio antenna, USB port and microSD card reader allow you to play music when you’re tired of singing.

2. Mr Entertainer Digibox: Best portable karaoke machine (with a display)

Price when reviewed: £350 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Touchscreen functionality
• Not so great for: Those on a budget

This is by far the best portable karaoke machine we could find that has a screen. It has rechargeable batteries that promise two to four hours of playing time, a handle for portability, reportedly excellent sound quality and a full-blown mixer on the side that offers far more tweaks than the other portable machines out there. The screen makes it perfect for karaoke on the go, but it can also connect to a large display like a TV if you’re keeping the entertainment confined to the living room. It comes with two wireless microphones and it can record performances onto a USB or SD card so you can embarrass your friends for years to come.

While it has a heftier price than the other machines on this list, its functionality is second to none. As karaoke machines go, this doesn’t look like a toy at all so it’s great for people who really want to invest. What makes it so special is that the screen is a touchscreen that has preinstalled music streaming and karaoke apps so there’s no faffing around with setup. Better still, as it runs using android software, you can also download games and movies to watch from the device, making it a great all-round entertainment experience. Just plonk this in the corner of your living room and your kids will be entertained for hours without you having to worry about them breaking a tablet or TV screen.

3. Vocal-Star Karaoke Machine: Best karaoke machine for aspiring singers

Price when reviewed: £200 | Check price at Amazon 

• Great for: Power and portability
• Not so great for: Easy operation

The best feature of this karaoke machine is its powerful 300W portable Bluetooth speaker, making it a great option for aspiring singers and musicians who want to hear every detail clearly. This powerful output also makes it a great option if you want to jam with your bandmates, busk in your city or even perform gigs at small venues. Thanks to the included remote control, you don’t even need to be near the unit to control aspects like your volume, channel and so on.

The unit itself comes with two wireless microphones and there’s even an input for a third one. Apart from that, it has the option to stream content wirelessly from any device straight to your machine using Bluetooth. The unit itself is completely rechargeable and has a humongous eight-hour battery life, which is long enough to get you through an entire day of music on a single charge.

4. Singing Machine: Best karaoke machine for kids

Price when reviewed: £100 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Young crooners and songstresses, Bluetooth compatibility
• Not so great for: Advanced features

If you have little ones who fancy themselves a future Spice Girl or Ed Sheeran – or you’re stuck for fun things to do at a birthday party – this karaoke machine should keep them entertained for hours. It’s Bluetooth-compatible, so you needn’t worry about your kids tripping over any wires – although you can connect it to your TV via an RCA cable to load up those all-important lyrics on the screen. Unfortunately, due to stock issues, you will have to buy the second microphone separately, but this wireless microphone from RockJam is of the same quality and will work just as well, if not better.

Otherwise, this is a highly self-sufficient piece of kit that has a built-in LCD light-show for some added visuals to the vocals. The microphone cable is 3m long, so you don’t need to worry about being near the unit at all times. In case you want to use this as a portable karaoke machine, you can simply insert batteries into it instead of connecting it to your power supply.

5. Let’s Sing 2024: Best karaoke system for games consoles

Price when reviewed: £45 | Check price at Sports Direct

• Great for: Gamers
• Not so great for: Microtransactions – additional theme packs cost extra

Back in the mid-2000s, SingStar on the PlayStation 2 was all the rage, and while there’s a version for the PlayStation 4, Sony shut down much of the game’s functionality recently, so we no longer recommend it. Instead, we suggest investing in Let’s Sing if you want to get your karaoke fix through a video games console. This bundle pack comes with the latest version of the base game, offering over 30 tracks on the disc and two USB microphones.

You can buy a dual pack of additional PlayStation 4 mics for £21, which should also work with the PS5, or simply download the Let’s Sing app and sing into your smartphone – of course, that’s not as fun as having your own microphone to wail into. If you want more songs you can purchase additional themed packs in-game (prices range from £4 to £30).

6. Lucky Voice: Best karaoke machine for people who just can’t get enough

Price when reviewed: £43 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Wide-ranging device support, portability
• Not so great for: Subscription costs – full library requires paid access

Lucky Voice makes commercial karaoke machines for its chain of bars and the same technology appears in its subscription service for you to enjoy at home. It costs £7 a month to access their library of 10,000 songs via your computer’s web browser or the iOS app. You can search its entire library by song name, artist name and even genre or decade. The app supports multiple devices so one person can browse and order the tracks, while the other is singing. You will want to plug it into a TV and speakers so you can appreciate the slickly-presented lyrics and high-quality backing tracks.

Lucky Voice also sells a microphone plus a mixer to combine the mic signal and backing track. However, it might get a bit complex if you’re sending the video signal from laptop to TV via HDMI and running the audio analogue cables to the TV’s speakers. You’re better off plugging the mixer into a hi-fi. It might end up being an expensive option, but the quality and sheer volume of songs on offer mean it’s money well spent.

7. 200 Karaoke Megahits: Best karaoke CD collection

Price when reviewed: £25 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Those who already have a karaoke machine
• Not so great for: Those who prefer streaming via Bluetooth

If you own a karaoke machine, you’re probably familiar with a karaoke subscription service such as Lucky Voice that gives you unlimited access to songs that you can then play on any device, and even stream to your karaoke machine via Bluetooth.

However, if you prefer a CD collection with the best karaoke songs, look no further than this megahits pack containing 200 famous karaoke songs on 10 CD+G discs that can be played on any of karaoke machines listed above, or any other karaoke machine. The tracklist contains all your favourite belters, ranging from classics like Queen and the Beatles to modern-day popstars such as Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.

How to choose the best karaoke machine for you

Most karaoke machines are made by small companies you may not have heard of, so it’s not a matter of simply going for a brand you trust. Meanwhile, some products that are advertised as karaoke machines are actually just microphone-and-speaker combinations, with no songs and lyrics supplied.

That’s fine if you’re happy to use the karaoke videos on YouTube – search for the name of a song followed by “lyrics” or “karaoke” and you will probably find something suitable. The quality can vary, though, and every now and then you might end up accidentally watching a video of some random people at a karaoke bar.

A dedicated karaoke machine, complete with backing track playback and lyrics onscreen, will give you a more streamlined experience so you can concentrate on what really matters: crooning, wailing and steamrolling your way through your favourite songs.

What features do I need?

There are various components in a karaoke system and it’s helpful to get your head around what each bit does.

• The microphone is obviously what you sing into. They vary widely in price but £10 is probably about right for a home karaoke system. Most karaoke machines have quarter-inch jack inputs (like on a guitar or a big headphone socket) so choose a microphone that has this kind of cable. Having two microphones means you can perform duets. If three or more people decide to join in with a song, they’ve probably had too much wine and won’t need a microphone anyway.

• The backing track is the music you sing along to. In most cases, it’s recorded specifically for karaoke and might include backing vocals but not the lead vocals. The quality of these backing tracks can be a bit naff, but it’s all part of the fun. Some karaoke systems use the CD+G format, which is essentially a normal audio CD with an extra data track containing the animated lyrics. These discs are available from various online retailers. Other systems have their own backing tracks so you have to stick to their proprietary format.

• The mixer is where the backing track and your vocals are mixed together, balancing levels and (in most cases) adding effects to the vocals to make them sound glossier. Common effects you can add on most karaoke machines are reverb and echo, but more professional units also let you adjust pitch to make even the most off-pitch singers sound in tune. The mixer will have separate inputs for microphones and the backing track, and a stereo output to send the mixed sound to the speakers.

• The speakers are where the sound comes out. Some karaoke machines have built-in speakers while others need to plug into a speaker, TV, hi-fi or PA system. Even if your machine has built-in speakers, it may still be best to plug it into a hi-fi system for better sound quality and more volume (neighbours’ sanity permitting).

• The screen is where the lyrics are displayed. Not many karaoke machines have a built-in display so this will normally be your TV, although you can also use a PC screen or your phone or tablet. For obvious reasons, a larger screen works better because it means that you can prance around the room and really perform the song rather than being stood in front of a small display, straining your eyes to read the lyrics.

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Should I buy individual components or an all-in-one karaoke machine system?

The answer depends largely on what equipment you already have. Most people will have a TV to plug into, but the TV’s speakers might not be powerful enough to cope with your enthusiastic hollering. Using separate hi-fi speakers is a good idea if they’re available.

If you don’t relish the thought of scrabbling around with cables figuring out what goes where, an all-in-one system keeps things simple. Some machines will only require a TV to plug into and some even have screens built in – although the lyrics will be easier to read on a telly.

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