A+BCompare

Compare

Open DJ next to rekordbox, Mixxx, Serato DJ Pro and Traktor Pro, row by row, from each product's own documentation, checked Sat 3 Oct 2026. Who should not switch yet: anyone who plays gigs on CDJs, DJs from a controller in a desktop app, runs Windows, Linux or an Intel Mac, or needs stems made inside the app. Who it is for today: a DJ on an Apple silicon Mac who wants to see which tracks in a rekordbox library are missing, play prepared stems and lyrics, or script their prep, at home. Deck A is where the established apps lead; Deck B is how every cell was checked.

ADeck A / Where they lead

Where they lead.

The four apps below are mature products with years of releases behind them. Open DJ is a 1.0 alpha. That gap shows in many rows of the table.

What they have that Open DJ does not

Windows builds from all four, and Linux from Mixxx. Open DJ runs on macOS on Apple silicon and nothing else yet.
Controller ecosystems. Controllers and MIDI are not supported in the Open DJ Mac app in this alpha.
A documented path to CDJs: rekordbox exports to USB for CDJ and XDJ players, and Serato DJ Pro lists CDJ control over HID. Open DJ's USB writes are switched off.
Ableton Link in rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro (since 2016) and Traktor Pro. Open DJ has none yet.
Stems made inside the app in rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro and Traktor Pro. Open DJ makes stems from a source checkout today.

What Open DJ brings to the table

A library view built around missing files: grayed rows, a Missing Tracks folder with a live count, and a repair tool that shows a dry run before any write.
Most deck and mixer controls are typed commands, reachable over HTTP, the opendj command line and opendj mcp for agents. The commands page lists every one, including those with no screen control found.
Free, with no paid feature, and Apache-2.0 licensed. The source is planned to open on Mon 5 Oct 2026.

Mixxx is free and open source, and has been developed since 2001. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and supports many controllers.

A+BThe table

Nine rows, five apps.

Hover any cell for its source. Open DJ cells carry a status chip and cite the source at commit 487fa677d7. A competitor cell that says a feature is "not listed" means it was not found in the pages checked, not that it does not exist. UNKNOWN means the fact was not found on the official pages, or a page could not be read.

App	Missing files and broken links
Open DJ	Works Rows whose file is gone are grayed, a Missing Tracks folder keeps a live count, and loading a dead path onto a deck is blocked with a message. Repair is a command-line tool in a source checkout: it shows a dry run and makes a backup, and its write needs the rekordbox write gate turned on.
rekordbox	File, Display All Missing Files opens a Missing File Manager with Auto Relocate, Relocate and Delete.
Mixxx	Missing tracks stay in the library under a Missing Tracks view. A library rescan marks deleted files missing and tries to relocate moved ones. Purge removes the entries, not the files.
Serato DJ Pro	UNKNOWN. A "Relocate Lost Files" support article exists, but Serato's support pages could not be read for this check.
Traktor Pro	Consistency Check reports missing tracks, with Relocate and Remove Missing. Removing drops the reference, not the file.

App	Stems
Open DJ	Partial Mute or solo prepared stems per deck. Making stems from the installed app is not yet proven (STEM-39), so today they come from a source checkout, and there is no separation while a track plays.
rekordbox	STEMS splits a track into vocal, drums, bass and inst parts. The plans page lists it on the Free plan; mapping stems with MIDI LEARN needs Core or higher, or Hardware Unlock.
Mixxx	Stem file playback and mixing in the 2.6 beta (announced Sun 11 May 2025). Stem separation is not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Serato DJ Pro	Serato Stems separates vocals, melody, bass and drums in real time, included with DJ Pro.
Traktor Pro	Stem separation of drums, bass, instruments and vocals, using iZotope RX technology.

App	OS support
Open DJ	macOS on Apple silicon (arm64) only. No Windows, Linux or Intel Mac build.
rekordbox	Windows 10 and 11. macOS Ventura 13 to Tahoe 26. Intel, AMD Ryzen or Apple M1 and later, with AVX2.
Mixxx	Windows 10 (build 1809 or later, 64-bit). macOS 11 or later on Intel and Apple silicon. Linux: Ubuntu 22.04 or later, Fedora, Arch.
Serato DJ Pro	macOS and Windows. The 4.0.10 notes name macOS Tahoe and Windows 11. Minimum versions: UNKNOWN.
Traktor Pro	macOS 13, 14 and 15 on Intel Core i5 or Apple M1, M2, M3. Windows 11 on Intel Core i5 or equivalent. 4 GB RAM.

App	License
Open DJ	Apache-2.0. The source is planned to open on Mon 5 Oct 2026.
rekordbox	Proprietary, under an AlphaTheta end user license agreement.
Mixxx	GNU General Public License, version 2 or later.
Serato DJ Pro	Proprietary, licensed under a Serato end user license agreement.
Traktor Pro	Proprietary, under the Native Instruments end user license agreement.

App	Price
Open DJ	Works Free. No paid feature exists.
rekordbox	Free plan. Paid plans Core, Creative and Professional; the UK page lists Core with its Cloud Option at £204 and Professional at £360 a year, billed yearly. Supported AlphaTheta hardware unlocks some features.
Mixxx	Free. The project states there is no paid version.
Serato DJ Pro	US $299 once, or US $11.99 a month. No license is needed with hardware that unlocks DJ Pro.
Traktor Pro	US $149 once, not a subscription.

App	Controllers
Open DJ	Not yet in the Mac app Controllers and MIDI are not supported in the Mac app in this alpha. They work in Chrome or Edge only when you run Open DJ from a source checkout: the README records the rig played live on a DDJ-400, and a DDJ-FLX4 map had 42 MIDI messages confirmed on a real unit, from a sweep of about half the controller.
rekordbox	AlphaTheta and Pioneer DJ players, mixers and DDJ controllers on its compatible-units page. MIDI LEARN maps functions to other MIDI equipment.
Mixxx	Any MIDI or HID controller the OS recognizes, given a mapping. Certified mappings ship with Mixxx; community mappings add more.
Serato DJ Pro	A hardware catalog from many manufacturers, plus MIDI mapping.
Traktor Pro	Native Instruments Traktor controllers. Controller Manager maps MIDI with a learn function. CDJs and club mixers are listed as compatible.

App	Automation and scripting
Open DJ	Works Most deck and mixer controls are typed commands on one dispatcher, reachable over HTTP, the `opendj` command line and `opendj mcp` for agents. The commands page marks the ones with no screen control found.
rekordbox	MIDI LEARN. Scripting or a public API: not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Mixxx	Controller mappings scripted in JavaScript. Auto DJ crossfades automatically. An external API: not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Serato DJ Pro	MIDI mapping. Autoplay plays the next track in a crate. Scripting or a public API: not listed on its product page (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Traktor Pro	MIDI mapping in Controller Manager. Cruise mode plays a playlist automatically. Scripting or an API: not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).

App	File formats and export to CDJs
Open DJ	Not yet for CDJs Reads MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Ogg and ALAC. USB export code for CDJs exists but has not been tested on CDJ hardware, and every USB write is switched off. No Ableton Link yet.
rekordbox	ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC. USB export for CDJ and XDJ players in Device Library and OneLibrary formats. Ableton Link.
Mixxx	FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A and AAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus. USB export for CDJs and Ableton Link: not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Serato DJ Pro	CDJs can control it in HID or DVS modes. Formats: UNKNOWN. Ableton Link, per Serato's support article Using Link. USB export for CDJs: not listed on its product page (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).
Traktor Pro	MP3, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, audio CD. Ableton Link. USB export for CDJs: not listed in their docs (checked Sat 3 Oct 2026).

App	Maturity
Open DJ	Alpha 1.0 alpha, a public test release planned for Mon 5 Oct 2026. The repository started on Thu 16 Apr 2026.
rekordbox	Version 7.2.19, released Thu 24 Sep 2026. Year of the original release: UNKNOWN.
Mixxx	Stable 2.5.6, March 2026, with 2.6 in beta. The project's copyright line starts in 2001.
Serato DJ Pro	Version 4.0.10, a full release. Year of the original release: UNKNOWN.
Traktor Pro	Version 4.5.1; Pro 4 was introduced in a post dated Wed 17 Jul 2024. Year the product line began: UNKNOWN.

No winners marked, just sources.

No cell is marked better or worse. If a row matters to how you play, open the source behind it and decide for yourself. A cell that is wrong or out of date is a bug in this page; report it with the source you found.

BDeck B / Sources

How each cell was checked.

Competitor cells come from each product's own website, documentation or pricing page, read on Sat 3 Oct 2026. Open DJ cells come from the Open DJ repository at commit 487fa677d7.

rekordbox and Mixxx

Serato DJ Pro and Traktor Pro

The rules this page follows

A cell that says a feature is "not listed" names the date its docs were checked. It is a statement about the docs, not a claim that the feature does not exist.
UNKNOWN means the fact was not found on the official pages, or a page could not be read. Serato's support pages showed a browser check to our reader, so the Serato cells that depend on them stay UNKNOWN until a person reads them.
Prices are the ones the official pages served on the day, in the currency shown. Regional prices vary.
Open DJ cells carry a status chip and are scoped to the 1.0 alpha on macOS on Apple silicon.