Head to head
Tunebat vs Mixed In Key
The short answer: they are different products. Tunebat is a free web lookup with a paid tier; Mixed In Key is $58 desktop software that preps your DJ library. Which one you need depends on the job, and for one common job — analyzing your own files — there is a free third option. All three, honestly, below.
Tunebat vs Mixed In Key vs Rotation: the table
Prices and features checked August 2026. Rotation is this site's own free key & BPM analyzer, included as the third column because the honest comparison includes the free option — with its own ✕ marks in the open.
| Feature | Tunebat | Mixed In Key | Rotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web lookup database + upload analyzer | Desktop library-prep software | In-browser file analyzer |
| Price | Free with ads; Pro subscription for the rest | $58 one-time (MIK 11, as of Aug 2026) | Free, no tiers |
| Where analysis runs | Their servers (files upload) | Your computer | Your browser; nothing uploads |
| Platforms | Any browser | Mac and Windows desktop | Any browser, phone included |
| Look up a song without the file | Yes — the core feature | No | No — we analyze audio you have |
| Batch a whole library | Pro feature | Yes — built for it | Yes, free |
| Writes tags and cues into Serato / rekordbox / Traktor | No | Yes — the reason it costs money | No; CSV and JSON export |
| Energy level per track | Pro feature | Yes, the 1-to-10 scale | Estimate columns, labeled as such |
| Confidence rating + alternate readings | No | No | On every result |
| Published accuracy methodology | No | No | Yes, measured and public |
| Brand-new releases | Depends on database coverage | Any file you have | Any file you have |
| Account required | For Pro | License per machine | No |
Choose Tunebat if
You mostly want to know the key and BPM of released songs, by name, without owning the files. That lookup database is the thing neither Mixed In Key nor Rotation has, and the free tier answers most casual questions with a search box. Go in knowing the free tier carries ads, and that the deeper features (batch analysis, mood metrics, an ad-free experience) sit behind the Pro subscription. The full picture is in the Tunebat comparison.
Choose Mixed In Key if
Your workflow is prep-the-library-once: analyze everything, then see key, Energy Level and cue points at the decks inside Serato, rekordbox or Traktor. That integration is the product, it has no free equivalent as of August 2026, and $58 once is a fair price for it. It is desktop software for Mac and Windows, and it hands you one answer per track with no confidence attached. The full picture is in the Mixed In Key comparison.
The third option: analyze your files free
If the actual job is "what key and BPM are these tracks," the analyzer on this site does it in your browser: drop a folder, read decimal BPM with its half or double-time alternate, the key with its relative-key alternate, and a calibrated confidence rating per track, then sort in Camelot order and export CSV. Free, no ads, no account, and the audio never leaves your machine. The measured accuracy is published. What it will not do: look up songs you don't have, or write tags into your DJ software. Those jobs still belong to the two tools above, and this page says so on purpose.
FAQ
Is Tunebat or Mixed In Key better?
- They are different products, which is why the comparison confuses people. Tunebat is a website: look up the key and BPM of released songs free, or upload files for analysis, with ads on the free tier and a Pro subscription above it. Mixed In Key is $58 desktop software that analyzes your library and writes key, energy and cue points directly into Serato, rekordbox or Traktor. If you want quick lookups, Tunebat. If you want library prep inside your DJ software, Mixed In Key.
Is Mixed In Key worth it over Tunebat?
- If the tag-and-cue integration is your workflow, yes: as of August 2026 nothing on the web writes analysis into your DJ library the way Mixed In Key does, and $58 once is cheaper than most subscriptions within a year. If you only need keys and BPMs occasionally, Tunebat's free lookup or a free analyzer covers you without the purchase.
Is there a free alternative to both?
- For analyzing your own files, yes: the analyzer on this site reads key, Camelot code and decimal BPM in your browser, free, with batch folders, Camelot sorting and CSV export. Nothing uploads and there are no ads. What it does not do: look up songs you don't have (Tunebat's lane) or write tags into DJ software (Mixed In Key's lane).
Which one is most accurate?
- No public head-to-head exists, and neither Tunebat nor Mixed In Key publishes accuracy numbers. The honest baseline: chromagram-based key detection is right about three times in four on real-world material, for every tool in this category. Rotation publishes its measured methodology and shows a confidence rating per result, which does not make the algorithm smarter, but does tell you which answers to double-check by ear.
Can Tunebat replace Mixed In Key?
- For lookups and one-off analysis, largely yes. For library prep, no: Tunebat does not write tags or cue points into DJ software, so the part of Mixed In Key that justifies its price has no Tunebat equivalent. DJs who left Mixed In Key for the web usually pair a free analyzer with manual CSV import, trading integration for zero cost.
Part of Rotation · the daily momentum chart