Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Smule - The #1 Singing App

By Patricia Monticello Kievlan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Powerful karaoke features, questionable social network.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free to try Music
Smule - The #1 Singing App Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 7 parent reviews

age 13+

So much fun for our family!

I discovered Smule during lockdown and found it be a super fun activity to do with my kids (8, 6). We sing Disney duets together and even invited grandma in another state to join our performance of Amazing Grace. Some people complain about cost but I'd compare this more to the cost of a console game (but Smule has more features) or what you'd pay for a night out at a karaoke place. There's a massive song selection for the family and fun face effects. The kids feel like we're making a real music video together. We save everything privately and don't share publicly. Like any other social media platform out there - I don't let my kids use the app without my supervision so I rated it 13+ but it's great for younger kids to use with supervision.
age 18+

Too expensive

I’m extremely disappointed in this app. I don’t sing but I have family that does. I’m a truck driver and wanted to listen to my family sing as I drive during the night. Because I won’t pay $20 bucks after the 7 day trial period and then $40 a month, I can’t listen to the whole songs, just little snippets. Smule has gotten extremely greedy!! It’s not worth all that money. It’s just a little more convenient when a person want to karaoke than other ways. Smule is making a ton of money!! So dissatisfied!!!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (6 ):

It's definitely appealing to have access to so many song choices (name a song -- it's probably available), but mean comments, livestreaming, and the price make this app more for teens. Contributing content here feels risky: You can create and upload videos privately, but Smule - The #1 Singing App is really geared toward sharing and commenting on others' performances, and the comments aren't always kind. Meanwhile, if you're not interested in contributing content, finding entertaining things to watch can be its own challenge. The playback features and options are stellar, and it's great that you can listen to uploaded videos as you search for your next one. However, the content itself isn't always great. While some users offer solid singing and some of the best-of lists feature good collaborations, there's a lot of lackluster singing on display, and some videos feature vulgar language or gestures, in spite of the app's community guidelines. Also, it can get spendy fast, so if it's a good fit, find the subscription price that works for your budget. Overall, it has a lot of fun features and songs, but access to mature content is easy and public accounts are best for older teens.

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
  • Pricing structure: Free to try (subscription options $2.99-$9.99)
  • Release date: August 13, 2018
  • Category: Music
  • Publisher: Smule Inc.
  • Version: 7.1.5
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later; Android 4.3 and up
  • Last updated: March 13, 2019

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate