Free Online Karaoke: Sing With On-Screen Lyrics and Scoring

Anyone who grew up in Brazil knows it: videokê means a great party. The colorful lyrics scrolling up the screen, the family fighting over the microphone and that score at the end that keeps everyone laughing for hours. The good news is that today you no longer need to rent a machine, buy expensive equipment or install any software. You can sing karaoke online for free right from your browser, on the TV, the computer or your phone, with lyrics on the screen, a song queue and even a score at the end of every performance.

In this complete guide, you will understand the difference between videokê and karaoke, learn the step-by-step way to set up your free karaoke at home in under a minute, get to know the scoring modes on the Caraoke platform (including friends voting from their phones) and find out how the remote queue via QR Code and the party ranking work. All of that without paying anything and without downloading an app.

💡 Important Tip

For the experience closest to classic videokê, open the player on a Smart TV or on a computer connected to the TV, and let your guests pick the songs from their phones. The big screen keeps only the lyrics and the video, just like the videokê machines of the old days, but with no cables, discs or cartridges.

Videokê or Karaoke: What Is the Difference?

Karaoke is the original term, coming from Japan: "kara" (empty) + "oke" (short for orchestra), meaning to sing over an instrumental backing track without the original singer's voice. "Videokê", on the other hand, is a word that was born in Brazil in the 1990s, made popular by the home machines of a very well-known brand that put the song lyrics on the TV screen and gave a score at the end of the performance. The name caught on so much that it became a synonym for the whole activity, just like what happens with other brands that end up naming an entire product category.

In practice, when someone in Brazil talks about videokê, they are thinking of three things: synchronized lyrics on the screen, an instrumental backing track and a score at the end. When they talk about karaoke, they usually picture the same experience, maybe with less focus on the score. In other words: every videokê is a karaoke, but videokê carries that extra charm of the little score at the end that turns any living room into an arena for friendly competition.

Caraoke brings the two worlds together: it is a free online karaoke that works like a modern videokê, with lyrics on the screen, a song queue, configurable scoring and guest voting. Here is the comparison:

🇯🇵 Traditional Karaoke

The original Japanese term. An instrumental backing track to sing over, with or without lyrics on the screen. Popular in bars, karaoke boxes and parties all over the world.

📼 The Videokê Machine

The Brazilian classic: a machine hooked up to the TV, colorful lyrics on the screen and a score at the end. It requires buying or renting the equipment and updating the song catalog.

📱 Karaoke Apps

Phone apps to sing on your own or record covers. Many require a subscription, sign-up or download, and the group party experience is limited to the tiny screen.

🌐 Online Videokê (Caraoke)

Runs in the browser on any screen, with nothing to install. Lyrics on the screen, a queue from your phone via QR Code, scoring with friends voting and a party ranking. Free.

🎤 How to Sing Karaoke Online (Step by Step)

Setting up your free online karaoke takes less time than picking the first song. Follow the five steps below and the party is ready in a minute:

1

Open the player in your browser

Works on TV, computer, tablet and phone

Go to caraoke.com.br/player in the browser of your Smart TV, laptop or phone. There is no need to create an account, download an app or set anything up: just open the online karaoke and the party's main screen appears, ready to take song requests.

2

Search for the song

By typing or by voice search

Type the name of the song or the artist in the search box, or use voice search and simply say what you want to sing. The catalog covers everything from sertanejo to international rock, along with pagode, MPB, gospel and children's songs, always in a karaoke version with the lyrics on the screen.

3

Add it with the name of who is going to sing

Each song joins the queue with the singer's name

When you add the song, enter the name of who is going to perform. That name is the one that shows up in the queue, gets called on the screen when their turn comes and enters the party ranking. That way nobody cuts in line and everyone knows who is next to shine on the microphone.

4

Sing with the lyrics on the screen

The classic videokê experience, without a machine

When your turn comes, the video starts with the lyrics synchronized on the screen, exactly like on a videokê machine. Let your voice out, put your heart into the performance and enjoy: the audience is yours. If you like, connect a speaker or a microphone with monitoring to make the mood even more professional.

5

See your score at the end

A congratulations screen with the performance score

When the song ends, the congratulations screen appears with the singer's name and, if scoring is turned on, the performance score. It is the classic videokê moment: everyone staring at the screen, waiting for the number to appear so they can celebrate (or tease) the result.

🏆 Scoring: Random Score or Friends Voting

The score at the end is the soul of videokê, and on Caraoke you choose how it works. There are three scoring modes, designed to match the mood of every party: from a laid-back get-together with no competition to a fierce championship among friends who take the score (almost) seriously.

1. No Scoring (Default)

By default, online karaoke runs with no score at all: the person sings, gets the congratulations screen and the party moves on to the next one in line. It is the ideal mode for anyone who just wants to sing and have fun, without any competitive vibe, perfect for family gatherings with shyer guests.

2. Fun Random Score

In random-score mode, at the end of each song the screen shows a randomly drawn score, like on the classic party videokê machines. Important: the score is pure fun and does not evaluate pitch or performance, and the platform itself makes that clear with a notice. You can still set the minimum and maximum values of the draw, to make sure nobody gets too low a score (or to make the game crueler, if your group enjoys the drama).

3. Voting From the Phone

The most fun mode: the guests themselves give the score. While someone sings, everyone else votes on the performance from the remote list on their phone, choosing from preset scores. At the end, the score shown on the congratulations screen is the average of everyone's votes. It is karaoke with scoring taken to another level: instead of a randomly drawn number, the score becomes a collective verdict, complete with cheering, cliques and plenty of laughter when the average shows up on the big screen.

📱 Queue From the Phone and Party Ranking

The biggest headache of traditional videokê was always the remote control: a single device, everyone shouting song numbers and a queue jotted down on a scrap of paper. With online karaoke, that is over. The player displays a QR Code on the screen and each guest scans it with their own phone camera. Done: everyone gets access to the remote list, where they can search for songs, add requests with their own name and follow the queue in real time, seeing exactly who is singing now and how many songs are left until their turn.

And since every good party deserves a champion, Caraoke keeps a party ranking: who sang the most during the night and who got the best scores. At the end of the event, you can crown the king or queen of videokê with official data on the screen, settling any argument. Want to understand all the details of the real-time queue and the remote list? Check out the how it works page.

💡 Party Tip

Combine voting from the phone with the ranking of the best scores and turn the night into a videokê championship: each guest sings the same number of songs and, at the end, the ranking decides the winner by the average of the audience's scores.

🎵 The Most Requested Songs at Videokê

Every Brazilian videokê has its must-play anthems, those songs that always end up in the queue before the night is over. If you are building the party's setlist, start with these request-topping genres:

Champion setlist by genre:

1

Sertanejo

"Evidências" is practically the national anthem of videokê. See the full list of sertanejo songs for karaoke.

2

Pagode and Samba

From Zeca Pagodinho to Exaltasamba, nobody stays still. Check out the best of pagode and samba.

3

MPB

Classics by Elis Regina, Tim Maia and Djavan deliver moving performances and high scores in the voting.

4

Gospel

Worship songs move people at any gathering. We picked the best in our list of gospel songs.

5

International

From Queen to Adele, the international hits guarantee that moment when the whole room sings the chorus together.

Conclusion

The videokê that defined Brazilian parties did not die: it just changed address and now lives in the browser. With Caraoke, you get free online karaoke with everything that made the classic machine so loved (lyrics on the screen, a score at the end, competition among friends) and you also gain what it never had: a queue from your phone via QR Code, real-time audience voting, a party ranking and a huge catalog that needs no cartridge updates.

There is nothing to buy, nothing to rent and nothing to install: just open the Caraoke player on any screen and start singing. And if you want to bring the experience to the living room's big screen, check out our guide to online karaoke on Smart TV and set up a real stage in your home. The microphone is waiting: the next high score of the party could be yours.