Karaoke 5 vs UltraStar Deluxe

Karaoke 5 is a karaoke player, lyrics synchronizer, and tool for singers, DJs, and karaoke hosts. It supports K5, MIDI, KAR, KFN, MP3, WMA, CD+G, and video formats such as MP4 and FLV. Dual-screen mode sends lyrics to a second monitor or TV while the operator runs the program on a computer. Guests can use smartphones to request songs, message, vote, and chat. Its voice assistant searches a user's database, a P2P network, and YouTube, with support for eight languages. YouTube tools include search, previews, and downloading tracks into a database or playlist. A real-time vocal remover can make a karaoke backing track from an original song, and a music quiz generates questions from the user's library with multiplayer and multiple game modes. The free player and manager costs nothing but excludes synchronization, YouTube downloads, mobile management, and the quiz. Annual subscriptions start at €35 a year for HOME on one PC; PRO annual subscriptions cost €75 a year for three PCs. One-time licenses are also listed.

UltraStar Deluxe is a free, open-source karaoke game for Windows, Linux and macOS. Players sing and score points based on pitch and rhythm, and can create their own songs. Party mode supports 8–12 players divided into two or three teams. The maker says more than 10,000 songs are available; players can also use DRM-free audio files or music stored on their computers. SingStar microphones work with the game. Users can create themes and download community plugins, free songs and code patches. Lua plugins are supported, with the .usdx extension and placement in the plugins directory required. The Official UltraStar Song Format is shared with partner games and song editors. Listed minimum requirements include a 1GHz CPU, OpenGL 1.2, 512MB free RAM and 200MB disk space, plus room for songs and videos. The downloads page lists version 2026.9.0 and links to an installer, release notes and source; Flathub and AUR are alternative installation methods. Audio devices do not have plug-and-play support, so the game must be restarted after a new device is connected.