Performous vs Smule

Performous is free software combining karaoke, band games, and dancing on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its modes include vocals, lead, rhythm and bass guitar, drums, and dancing, with multiplayer support. Scored singing shows pitch so players can adjust their performance; karaoke mode displays lyrics without notes or scoring. The project says pitch detection works with laptop or webcam microphones. Controllers are autodetected, and the game can use a keyboard, microphones, USB guitars and drums, and dance pads. Supported song formats include Frets on Fire, UltraStar, SingStar XML, and StepMania. Composer edits and converts notes for music games, offering pitch analysis, zoomable timing, note synthesis, and format import and export. Composer lists SingStar XML, UltraStar TXT, and Frets on Fire MIDI formats. Free karaoke song packages are available under different libre and restricted license terms. The site says its free-song page does not yet include band-game or dancing songs. Performous is licensed under GNU GPL version 2 or later, with documentation, Discord, and a GitHub feedback page.

Smule is a singing platform for karaoke, recordings, duets, and musical collaboration, available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its catalog includes more than 15 million songs across genres such as pop, rock, R&B, country, K-pop, and musicals. Singers can shape recordings with reverb, filters, vocal effects, pitch guidance, and key adjustment, then make videos with visual effects and lyric overlays; optional AI-powered voice tools are also available. Users can host or join live karaoke sessions for real-time audiences. Smule describes its singer community as spanning more than 190 countries. The free plan allows users to join existing duets. VIP All Access Pass costs $19.99 a month and adds solo recording, personal duets, group performances, and unlimited catalog access. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. The iOS app requires iOS 15 or later. Smule says accounts cannot currently be made private, though privacy settings for posted recordings can be changed.