Serato
Serato develops professional DJ and music production software (Serato DJ Lite/Pro/Suite, Serato Studio, Sample, Hex FX, Pitch 'n Time) serving millions of professional and hobbyist DJs and producers globally, with hardware licensing across 100+ OEM partners and majority ownership by Tiny Ltd. since May 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Serato does
Serato is a New Zealand-headquartered developer of professional DJ software and music production tools, founded in 1999 and majority-owned (66%) by Tiny Ltd. since May 2025. The company operates from Auckland with additional offices in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, and serves a global base of professional DJs, hobbyists, and music producers. Its flagship products span two interconnected lines: DJ software (Serato DJ Lite free tier, Serato DJ Pro at $11.99/month or $299 perpetual, and Serato DJ Suite at $14.99/month or $499 perpetual) and music production tools (Serato Studio DAW, Serato Sample plugin, Hex FX multi-FX plugin, and Pitch 'n Time time-stretching algorithm). Serato's proprietary technologies include the Stems real-time audio separation engine, the Pitch 'n Time algorithm used across film and music production, and Smart Sync automatic beatmatching.
Serato monetizes through a combination of recurring subscriptions, one-time perpetual licenses, and OEM hardware licensing across 100+ DJ hardware products from manufacturers including Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta, Denon DJ, Rane, Hercules, and Numark. Distribution relies on direct digital downloads via serato.com, hardware partner bundling, and physical retail through outlets such as Sweetwater and Guitar Center. The company runs a freemium-to-paid product-led growth motion anchored by DJ Lite, supplemented by community-led channels including Certified DJ Schools, artist ambassadors, The Drop blog, and Serato Paradise events. Recent strategic expansion includes a December 2025 launch of the SLAB MIDI controller (co-developed with AlphaTheta), the September 2025 re-integration of Spotify into Serato DJ Pro across 51 markets, and expansion of Hex FX into AAX/Pro Tools plugin format.
Serato firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Serato
- Legal name
- Serato
- Website
- https://serato.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Serato develops professional DJ and music production software (Serato DJ Lite/Pro/Suite, Serato Studio, Sample, Hex FX, Pitch 'n Time) serving millions of professional and hobbyist DJs and producers globally, with hardware licensing across 100+ OEM partners and majority ownership by Tiny Ltd. since May 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Serato industry classification
Industry- Product category
- DJ Software
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control) (MPAIAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB), Music Production Hardware (Synthesizers, Drum Machines, Samplers, MIDI Controllers) (MPAIAJAE)
Keywords
Where Serato is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Serato business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Software Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscription plans for Serato DJ Pro and Serato DJ Suite, providing recurring revenue with tiered feature access.
- One-time License Sales: Perpetual license purchases for Serato DJ Pro ($299) and Serato DJ Suite ($499), offering non-recurring revenue from customers preferring upfront payments.
- Hardware Licensing: Licensing fees from hardware manufacturers (AlphaTheta, Pioneer DJ, Denon DJ, Rane, etc.) whose controllers and mixers integrate Serato software. Hardware unlock licensing model where controllers unlock paid software features.
- Producer Suite Subscription: Monthly subscription ($9.99) bundling Serato Sample, Hex FX, and Studio for music production workflows.
- Expansions and Add-ons: Additional paid expansions including Serato DVS, Serato Video, Serato Pitch 'n Time DJ, Serato Flip, Serato Play, and Serato FX available as add-on purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free DJ software for beginners with essential mixing tools |
| Subscription | Monthly | Professional DJ software with advanced features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Complete DJ Suite with all expansions and Serato Studio |
| Subscription | Monthly | Music production suite including Sample, Hex FX, and Studio |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Serato product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Serato develops and sells professional DJ and music production software, including DJ Pro, DJ Lite, DJ Suite, Studio, and Sample, with proprietary audio technologies such as Stems and Pitch 'n Time. The company's software is widely used by individual DJs and producers, and is licensed/embedded by hardware manufacturers (Pioneer DJ, Roland, Numark, RANE, Denon DJ) for controller and mixer integration.
Product overview
Serato is a New Zealand-founded DJ and music production software company (operating since 1999, majority-acquired by Tiny Ltd. in May 2025) offering two interconnected product lines: DJ software and music production plugins/DAW. The DJ software portfolio spans a free tier (Serato DJ Lite) and a paid professional tier (Serato DJ Pro), both of which can be upgraded to Serato DJ Suite to unlock all expansions. The music production line includes Serato Studio (a dedicated beat-making DAW), Serato Sample (sampling plugin), Hex FX (multi-FX plugin), and Pitch 'n Time (time-stretching/key-shifting plugin), which can be purchased individually or as the Serato Producer Suite bundle. The SLAB MIDI controller (co-developed with AlphaTheta) bridges both lines as the first hardware purpose-built for Serato Studio. All products share Serato's proprietary stem separation and time-stretching technologies, and integrate natively with music streaming platforms (Apple Music, Beatport, SoundCloud, Spotify, TIDAL).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Serato DJ Pro
Quantifiable outcome
- Most popular professional DJ software globally with millions of users
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Serato
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Serato technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
Serato partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AlphaThetacoreAlphaTheta (formerly Pioneer DJ) and Serato co-developed SLAB, the first MIDI pad controller built exclusively for Serato Studio. AlphaTheta manufactures the SLAB hardware while Serato provides the native software integration. This partnership represents deep product co-development with exclusive hardware-software optimization.
- SpotifycoreSpotify integrated with Serato DJ software, enabling Premium users to access their entire Spotify libraries and playlists through the desktop DJ application in 51 markets including the U.S., Canada, and European nations. This marks Spotify's strategic reversal after removing third-party DJ app support in 2020.
- Apple MusiccoreApple Music integrated with Serato DJ for music streaming directly within the DJ software, providing access to Apple Music's catalog for DJ performances.
- BeatportcoreBeatport integrated with Serato DJ for electronic music streaming, providing DJ-focused catalog access for professional DJs.
- SoundCloudcoreSoundCloud integrated with Serato DJ for music streaming, enabling access to underground and independent music content.
- TIDALcoreTIDAL integrated with Serato DJ for music streaming, providing high-fidelity audio content for DJ performances.
- Pioneer DJ (AlphaTheta)corePioneer DJ (now AlphaTheta) is the primary hardware partner for Serato with extensive product integration. CDJs, mixers, and controllers from Pioneer DJ support Serato DJ Pro with official mappings for club-standard equipment.
- Denon DJcoreDenon DJ products including SC players, Prime series, and LC6000 integrate with Serato DJ Pro as officially supported hardware.
- RanecoreRane DJ products including the SEVENTY series, ONE, TWELVE, and PERFORMER integrate with Serato DJ Pro.
- HerculescoreHercules DJ controllers including DJControl Inpulse and DJControl Starlight series support Serato DJ Lite and Pro.
- NumarkcoreNumark DJ controllers and mixers including Mixstream Pro, Party Mix, and NS series support Serato DJ Lite and Pro.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Serato competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Mixed In Key: Mixed In Key provides key detection and harmonic-mixing tools used alongside DJ software. It complements rather than fully replaces Serato, but it overlaps in the harmonic-mixing and library-preparation workflow.
Direct peers
- Ableton: Ableton Live is a leading DAW and live-performance music production tool. Serato Studio overlaps with Ableton in the beat-making/production segment and competes for the same producer and creator audience.
- Native Instruments (Traktor): Native Instruments' Traktor is a flagship professional DJ software with hardware controllers (S4, S2, X1) and deep stem/mixing capabilities, directly competing with Serato DJ Pro in the pro-DJ market.
- Algoriddim (djay): Algoriddim develops djay, a cross-platform DJ software (macOS, Windows, iOS, Android) that competes head-on with Serato DJ Pro/Lite across both free and paid tiers, including AI-driven stem separation features.
- Image-Line (FL Studio): FL Studio is a widely used DAW for beat production and music creation. Serato Producer Suite (Sample, Hex FX, Studio) competes with FL Studio in the beat-maker market and across sampling/looping workflows.
- AlphaTheta / Pioneer DJ (Rekordbox): AlphaTheta (formerly Pioneer DJ) sells Rekordbox, a DJ performance/preparation software tightly integrated with its dominant club-standard CDJs and mixers; it competes directly with Serato while also being a key hardware partner.
- Rekordbox / Algoriddim djay Pro AI: Rekordbox is AlphaTheta's DJ software tightly integrated with its club-standard hardware, and djay Pro AI is Algoriddim's premium tier; together they represent the closest direct software competition to Serato DJ Pro.
Broad incumbents
- Avid (Pro Tools): Avid's Pro Tools is a professional DAW. Serato's Pitch 'n Time is licensed into Pro Tools and Serato Sample/Hex FX support AAX (Pro Tools plugin format), creating both partnership and partial competition in the production segment.
- inMusic (Denon DJ, Numark, Akai): inMusic owns Denon DJ and Numark, both Serato hardware partners, and also develops Engine DJ, a competing DJ software platform. It operates broadly across DJ hardware/software while overlapping with Serato on both sides of the market.
- Roland: Roland produces DJ and electronic-music gear (DJ controllers, drum machines, synths) and is a broad incumbent in music production hardware, partially overlapping with Serato's hardware integration ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Serato social profiles
Digital presenceSerato financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Serato leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Serato funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Serato M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Serato
What does Serato do?
Serato develops and sells professional DJ and music production software, including DJ Pro, DJ Lite, DJ Suite, Studio, and Sample, with proprietary audio technologies such as Stems and Pitch 'n Time. The company's software is widely used by individual DJs and producers, and is licensed/embedded by hardware manufacturers (Pioneer DJ, Roland, Numark, RANE, Denon DJ) for controller and mixer integration.
Is Serato a public or private company?
Serato is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Serato founded?
Serato was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Serato based?
Serato is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Serato make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Software Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are one-time License Sales, hardware Licensing, producer Suite Subscription and expansions and Add-ons.
Who are Serato's main competitors?
Mixed In Key is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Ableton, Native Instruments (Traktor), Algoriddim (djay), Image-Line (FL Studio), AlphaTheta / Pioneer DJ (Rekordbox) and Rekordbox / Algoriddim djay Pro AI. Broad incumbents are Avid (Pro Tools), inMusic (Denon DJ, Numark, Akai) and Roland.
Does Serato have an API?
No public API is recorded for Serato.
What industry is Serato in?
Serato's product category is DJ Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAI, Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control), with a secondary code of MPAIAIAB, Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX). Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7371.