Singing is free. Money comes from five places that already work at Smule, StarMaker, BandLab and the vocal training apps. Every number on this page is an estimate for planning, not a result.
01
SingWorld Plus
Copied from Smule VIP, StarMaker VIP, BandLab Pro
Singing stays free. Plus unlocks more ideas, HD posts and voice stats.
$4.99 a month or $39.99 a year (estimate)
02
Sponsored Weekly Challenge
Copied from LG and IK Multimedia contests on Smule, BandLab partner challenges
One brand a week names the challenge and gives the prize. Their name sits on the challenge card and the winner post.
From $500 a week (launch estimate)
03
Coach Notes
Copied from Singing Carrots teacher reviews, private lessons at $40 to $60
A verified vocal coach reviews one clip with written notes. The coach keeps 80%.
$9 a clip, SingWorld keeps 20% (estimate)
04
Coach plan
Copied from BandLab membership for creators
Coaches run private challenges for their own students and track progress.
$19 a month (estimate)
05
Encores
Copied from Smule Coin Tips (10% fee), StarMaker gifts
Fans tip verified adult singers (18+). No tips to or from teen accounts. Tips never change a rank.
SingWorld keeps 20% of each tip (estimate)
All figures are monthly estimates in US dollars. Plus assumes 3% of singers pay a blended $3.80 a month after yearly discounts, minus a 15% app store fee. Costs cover video hosting and human review at $0.11 per singer a month (estimate).
Small start
5,000 singers, per month (estimate)
Steady
20,000 singers, per month (estimate)
Strong
60,000 singers, per month (estimate)
Sponsor weeks per month: Small start 1 at $500, Steady 3 at $750, Strong 4 at $1,500 (estimates). Salaries and ad spend are not included.
Three ads in feed and story sizes. $20 a day for 14 days is $280 (estimate). At $1.50 per sign-up that is about 186 singers (estimate). Then we put the budget on the best ad.
See the adsNow
Idea Machine live and free. Brand, app screens and three ads made.
Month 1 to 2
Early access app with the weekly challenge. Run the ad test. Sign the first prize partner.
Month 3 to 6
Launch SingWorld Plus and Coach Notes. Sell the first paid sponsor weeks.
Month 6 to 12
Coach plan for music teachers. Encores for verified adult singers.
Their prices and revenue are listed prices or third-party estimates on 2026-11-03. They change by country and store.
Social karaoke: sing solo or duets over a huge song catalog.
How they make money
VIP subscription (web about $44.99 a year), coins and gifts, coin tips with a 10% fee, brand-sponsored contests.
We copy
Free to sing, a paid tier, sponsored contests with real prizes.
We do better
No catalog to scroll first. One line, no music, 15 seconds.
SourceKaraoke plus live streaming and ranked competitions.
How they make money
Virtual gifts and coins, VIP about $49.99 a year. Reported 2020 revenue of 620M RMB.
We copy
A simple paid tier and fan support for singers.
We do better
Votes are never for sale, and no gifts to or from teen accounts.
SourceFree music studio with a social feed and monthly challenges.
How they make money
Pro $14.99 a month, Max with promotion credits, prize challenges, distribution.
We copy
A clean tier table and challenges with prizes.
We do better
Only singing. Nobody needs a beat, a studio or an instrument.
SourceVocal training apps with pitch games and lessons.
How they make money
Subscriptions from about $59.99 to $119.99 a year; a top tier adds a teacher review.
We copy
Paid feedback from a real voice teacher.
We do better
A stage and a community. On these apps nobody hears you sing.
SourceSong rights
Covers need music publishing licenses at scale. We start with original songs, short lines and public-domain songs, and license before scaling covers.
Moderation cost
A person reviews every teen video before it goes public. That is the biggest cost line and it is built into the cost estimate.
Big apps copy features
A big app can copy a feature. Our edge is the weekly ritual, the singing-only rule and trust with parents.
