Last updated: October 2026
What’s a good gift for a DJ? The best gifts for DJs are things that don’t depend on knowing their exact setup: hearing protection, a pair of beginner-friendly DJ headphones, a portable scratch turntable, a year of online DJ lessons, or software for making their own edits. All seven gifts in this guide cost $150 or less at list price, and none of them locks the DJ into a software platform they don’t already use.
The quick version: under $30, buy Etymotic ER20XS earplugs. Around $85 to $120, buy AlphaTheta’s HDJ-CUE1 or HDJ-CUE1BT headphones. For a learner, a year of DJ Courses Online at $120 costs less than ten months of the monthly plan. Avoid buying a controller or mixer unless you know exactly which software the DJ uses.
Quick takeaways
- Safest gift under $30: Etymotic ER20XS high-fidelity earplugs, around $25, with a 20 dB even reduction across frequencies.
- Best headphones for a newer DJ: the AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1 ($85) or the Bluetooth HDJ-CUE1BT ($119), both on the official Pioneer DJ Store.
- Best for a vinyl or scratch fan: the Numark PT01 Scratch portable turntable, which runs on mains or six D cells.
- Best for learners: DJ Courses Online, $120 a year against $228 for twelve monthly payments.
- Best for DJs who make edits: Serato Sample ($129) or a Lalal.ai stem-splitting plan (from $9.99 a month).
- Plugin Boutique and Beatport don’t sell gift cards, so software gifts need a workaround, which we explain below.
- Skip controllers, mixers and record-pool subscriptions unless you know the DJ’s software and genre.
What this guide adds: most DJ gift lists are a long scroll of gadgets with no way to tell what suits the person you’re buying for. Here every pick has a verified official price, there’s a decision chart that starts from what the DJ actually does, and a cost chart that shows how much you save by gifting an annual plan instead of a monthly one. We also cover the practical snag most lists skip: how to give software when the store has no gift cards.
How did we choose these DJ gifts?
We chose these DJ gifts on published specs and official prices, mapped to the kinds of DJ people usually buy for. A gift has to work without the buyer knowing the DJ’s controller, software or library, so we left out anything that depends on compatibility, and set a ceiling of $150 at list price. Every price was checked on the maker’s or the official store’s own page in October 2026.
We grouped the picks by the kind of DJ they suit:
- The DJ who plays loud rooms: hearing protection.
- The new or bedroom DJ: headphones and lessons.
- The vinyl and scratch fan: a portable turntable.
- The producer-DJ who makes edits: sampling and stem-splitting software.
The seven DJ gifts compared
| Gift | Type | Price (USD) | Best for | Needs their setup info? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etymotic ER20XS earplugs | Hearing protection | Around $25 | Any DJ who plays out | No |
| AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1 | Wired DJ headphones | $85 | New and bedroom DJs | No |
| AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1BT | Bluetooth DJ headphones | $119 | DJs who also want everyday headphones | No |
| Numark PT01 Scratch | Portable turntable | $129 US retail at launch | Vinyl and scratch fans | No |
| DJ Courses Online | Video lessons | $19/month or $120/year | Learners on any software | No |
| Serato Sample | Sampler plugin | $129 | Producer-DJs with a DAW | Yes: a DAW and a recent computer |
| Lalal.ai | Stem-splitting service | From $9.99/month | DJs who make edits and acapellas | No |
Prices from Etymotic, the Pioneer DJ Store, Numark, DJ Courses Online, Plugin Boutique and Lalal.ai official pages, checked October 2026. Numark doesn’t list a current price for the PT01 Scratch, so its launch retail price is shown.
Chart: The DJ Mixtape, from Etymotic, Pioneer DJ Store, Lalal.ai, DJ Courses Online, Numark and Plugin Boutique pricing, October 2026.
Which DJ gift suits which DJ?
The right DJ gift depends on what the DJ does most: playing loud rooms, learning, scratching or making edits. Start from that, not from the price. The chart below walks through it in four questions.
Chart: The DJ Mixtape decision flow, built from the picks in this guide, October 2026. A DJ can fit more than one branch: start at the top and stop at the first yes.
01 / 06Best DJ gift under $30: Etymotic ER20XS earplugs
The Etymotic ER20XS is the safest small gift for any DJ who plays loud rooms, because it cuts volume evenly instead of muffling the music. Etymotic’s ER20XS product page describes a 20 dB reduction spread equally across the range of hearing, and the box includes a neck cord and carry case. High-fidelity earplugs are earplugs designed to lower overall volume while keeping the balance of bass, mids and treble, so a DJ can still judge the mix.
Illustration: drawn by The DJ Mixtape from the maker’s product photos. Not to scale.
- Around $25 on Etymotic’s own store at time of writing
- 20 dB reduction, spread evenly across frequencies
- Standard and Universal Fit versions sold separately
- Includes neck cord and carry case
Who should skip it: DJs who already wear custom-moulded musician’s plugs. Etymotic sells the ER20XS in two fits, so if you know the DJ has small ear canals, the Standard Fit is the smaller of the two.
02 / 06Best DJ headphones gift: AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1
The AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1 is the best headphone gift for a newer DJ because it’s built for cueing, folds flat and costs $85 on the official Pioneer DJ Store. Pioneer DJ announced the HDJ-CUE1 in August 2020 with 40 mm drivers, a 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz frequency response, 32 ohm impedance and a weight of 215 g without the cable. The ear cups turn 90 degrees for one-ear monitoring, and the 1.2 m coiled cable is detachable with a bayonet connector so it can’t be pulled out by accident.
Illustration: drawn by The DJ Mixtape from the maker’s product photos. Not to scale.
- $85 (wired) or $119 (HDJ-CUE1BT, Bluetooth) on the Pioneer DJ Store
- 40 mm drivers, 32 ohm, 215 g without cable
- 90-degree swivel cups, folding design
- Detachable 1.2 m coiled cable with bayonet lock
Should you buy the HDJ-CUE1BT instead?
The HDJ-CUE1BT is the better gift if the DJ will also wear the headphones away from the decks. It costs $119 on the Pioneer DJ Store and, according to the launch announcement, adds Bluetooth 5.0 with about 30 hours of battery life, in black, white or red. Pioneer DJ’s store page says to connect the included cable when you want to DJ.
Already own a pair? The HC-CP08 colour pack ($39) swaps in two ear pads and a coiled cable in orange, yellow, green, blue or pink, which makes an easy stocking filler. For headphones further up the range, see our best DJ headphones guide.
03 / 06Best gift for a vinyl or scratch fan: Numark PT01 Scratch
The Numark PT01 Scratch is the best gift for a DJ who loves records, because it’s a complete scratch practice deck that fits on a desk and runs without a mixer. According to Numark’s product page, it plays at 33⅓, 45 and 78 RPM, has a built-in speaker, a user-replaceable scratch switch you can set for left or right hand, and a class-compliant USB connection for recording records to a computer. It weighs 4.3 lb and measures 11.9 × 11.9 × 4 inches.
Illustration: drawn by The DJ Mixtape from the maker’s product photos. Not to scale.
- $129 US retail at launch (Numark, 2016); check current price
- Mains adapter included, or six D cells (not included)
- Replaceable scratch switch, left or right hand
- RCA line out, headphone out and ⅛-inch aux in
Numark’s launch announcement from August 2016 put US retail at $129 and lists a cartridge, a removable slipmat and a protective carrying case in the box. It isn’t a replacement for a pair of full-size DJ turntables, and serious turntablists will already have those: our best DJ turntables guide covers the full-size decks.
04 / 06Best gift for a learner: DJ Courses Online
DJ Courses Online is the best gift for someone learning to DJ, because the lessons don’t depend on owning particular gear. The membership page lists $19 a month or $120 a year, HD video that streams in any browser, downloadable exercise files, a 30-day money-back guarantee and cancellation at any time.
Give the annual plan. Twelve monthly payments come to $228, so the $120 annual price is $108 less, and nobody has to remember to cancel a monthly charge. Our full DJ Courses Online review goes through the course library.
05 / 06Best gift for a producer-DJ: Serato Sample
Serato Sample is the best gift for a DJ who also produces, because it turns any track into playable samples inside the music software they already use. Plugin Boutique’s Serato Sample listing shows $129 at time of writing. The plugin detects key, syncs to the project’s tempo, uses Serato’s Pitch ‘n Time to shift key and stretch samples, and can find and chop up to 32 samples from a track in one click.
Check one thing first: Serato Sample is an AAX, AU and VST/VST3 plugin, so the DJ needs a DAW (music production software such as Ableton Live or Logic Pro). Plugin Boutique lists Windows 11 or 10, or macOS 11 Big Sur to macOS 26 Tahoe on a 2017-or-later Mac.
Serato Sample at Plugin Boutique
06 / 06Best gift for DJs who make edits: Lalal.ai
Lalal.ai is the best gift for a DJ who makes acapellas, instrumentals and quick edits. Lalal.ai is an online stem splitter: a service that separates a finished track into parts such as vocals, drums and bass. Its pricing lists a free Starter tier (10 minutes, without full downloads), Lite at $9.99 a month or $90 a year, Pro at $19.99 a month or $180 a year, and one-time minute top-ups starting at $50 for 750 minutes.
As with the courses, the annual plan is the better gift: a year of Lite at $90 costs about $30 less than twelve monthly payments. Our Lalal.ai review explains how the separation works in a DJ workflow.
Should you gift a subscription monthly or yearly?
Gift a subscription yearly: on both subscription picks here, the annual plan costs less than twelve monthly payments and doesn’t leave a charge running on your card. The chart below compares the year-one cost of each.
Chart: The DJ Mixtape, from DJ Courses Online and Lalal.ai official pricing pages, October 2026. Monthly totals are twelve times the listed monthly price.
In numbers: the DJ Courses Online annual plan saves $108 on year one, Lalal.ai Lite saves $29.88 and Lalal.ai Pro saves $59.88.
How do you give software when there’s no gift card?
Many DJ software stores have no gift cards, so you give software by buying it on an account the DJ can take over. Plugin Boutique’s help article on buying a product as a gift says it can’t currently offer gift cards, and suggests creating a new account (or buying as a guest), making the purchase, then passing the login to the recipient, who changes the email and password so updates and licences come to them.
Beatport’s support page confirms it doesn’t sell Beatport gift cards either, and suggests a Visa or Mastercard gift card registered online instead. For subscriptions such as DJ Courses Online and Lalal.ai, the simplest route is to sit down with the DJ and pay for the annual plan on their own account.
What should you not buy a DJ?
Don’t buy a DJ anything that has to match their existing setup unless you’ve checked. These are the gifts most likely to end up returned.
- A controller or mixer as a surprise. Controllers are built around specific DJ software, and a DJ settled on one platform may not want to switch. If they’re just starting, our guide to starting DJing helps you pick together.
- A record-pool subscription. Pools are genre-specific, so ask which one they use first.
- Plugins for a DJ who doesn’t produce. Serato Sample needs a DAW. Without one, it’s a licence they can’t use.
- Wireless-only headphones for DJing. Even Pioneer DJ tells HDJ-CUE1BT owners to plug in the included cable when they DJ.
- Generic earplugs as a “music” gift. The point of a high-fidelity plug like the ER20XS is the even reduction across frequencies that Etymotic specifies, so the DJ can still hear the mix properly.
DJ gifts FAQ
What’s a good gift for a DJ who has everything?
Hearing protection or a year of something they’d use up: Etymotic ER20XS earplugs at around $25, or an annual Lalal.ai plan from $90. Neither depends on their gear.
What’s the best cheap gift for a beginner DJ under $100?
The AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1 headphones at $85 on the Pioneer DJ Store. They fold, the cups swivel 90 degrees for one-ear cueing, and the coiled cable locks in place.
Can I buy someone a Plugin Boutique or Beatport gift card?
No. Both stores say they don’t currently sell gift cards. Plugin Boutique suggests buying the product on a new account and handing over the login; Beatport suggests a Visa or Mastercard gift card.
Are DJ lessons a good gift for someone who already DJs?
They can be, if the lessons cover what they want to learn next. DJ Courses Online’s annual plan is $120, and the membership page lists a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What gift suits a DJ who only plays vinyl?
The Numark PT01 Scratch portable turntable, which plays 33⅓, 45 and 78 RPM records, has a built-in speaker and can run on batteries. For full-size decks, see our turntable guide.
Is it worth waiting for Black Friday to buy DJ gifts?
Prices in this guide are standard list prices at time of writing. Deal-season discounts vary by product and retailer, so compare against these figures before you buy.
Verdict: the best DJ gift by budget and DJ type
- Under $30, any DJ who plays out: Etymotic ER20XS earplugs.
- Under $100, new or bedroom DJs: AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1 headphones.
- Around $120, learners: a year of DJ Courses Online.
- Around $120, everyday listening plus DJing: AlphaTheta HDJ-CUE1BT.
- Vinyl and scratch fans: Numark PT01 Scratch.
- Producer-DJs: Serato Sample if they use a DAW, Lalal.ai if they want quick acapellas and instrumentals.
- Skip controllers, mixers and record pools unless you’ve confirmed their software and genre.
How we research: prices and specs were checked against Etymotic, the Pioneer DJ Store and Pioneer DJ news, Numark, DJ Courses Online, Plugin Boutique, Lalal.ai and Beatport official pages in October 2026. Picks were chosen on published specs and official prices, mapped to the kinds of DJs people buy for. Charts and illustrations are our own, drawn from published figures and maker product photos. By Dan, DJing since 1994.