Yodeck
$1,440–2,160
⚡ Open source · Free plan · 14-day Pro trial, no credit card
Open-Source Digital Signage Software.
Flat price, any screen.
A complete digital signage CMS for TVs, video walls and kiosks — scheduling, playlists, live data, templates, remote control and proof-of-play. Every competitor bills you per screen, every month. We don't. Self-host it free, or use our managed cloud.
Not sure what to run it on? See certified hardware →
11
platforms, one CMS
$0
per extra screen
Self-host
or managed cloud
screens deployed (opt-in)
15 screens for a year
ScreenTinker Pro
$989
OptiSigns
$1,620–2,430
ScreenCloud
$3,600–5,400
Fully Open Source
MIT licensed. Self-host on your own infrastructure or use our managed cloud. Your data, your rules.
github.com/screentinker/screentinkerNew in ScreenTinker
Screens that update themselves.
Connect the data you already keep, start from a ready-made template, and run it on a native player. No code, and no upgrade to a higher plan to unlock any of it.
Live data sources
Edit a spreadsheet. Every screen follows.
Paste a Google Sheets link, point at any REST API, or type a table straight into the dashboard. Put a value on a slide with a tag like {{ds:menu.latte_price}}. When the data changes, the screens change. Nobody re-publishes anything.
Google SheetsREST / JSON APICSV file
RSS & newsCalendar (iCal)WeatherManual table
Menu boards and price lists, KPI and sales dashboards, support queues, meeting rooms, status pages. API keys are encrypted and never sent to the screens. Name rows by a key column so a sorted sheet never shows the wrong price.
Live data is Premium on Yodeck, Pro Plus on OptiSigns and Pro on ScreenCloud. On ScreenTinker it's on every plan, including Free.
Template library
Start from a design, not a blank screen.
Slide templates you fill in, and code templates for the things a slide can’t do. Bind their fields to live data and they stay current on their own.
- Every catalog template is cryptographically signed. The server checks the signature, so a template can’t be tampered with on its way to you.
- Code templates run sandboxed on the screen; unsigned ones stay off until an admin allows them.
- Import your own template packages alongside the catalog.
Native players
Raspberry Pi and Windows, as real apps.
A proper player app instead of a browser in kiosk mode, so it controls the device it runs on rather than just a browser tab.
- Starts on boot, and comes back on its own after a reboot or a crash.
- Updates itself from your own server, and refuses an update package that isn’t genuine.
- The same playlists, schedules and remote control as every other screen. Downloads →
Up and Running in Minutes
No proprietary hardware, no complicated setup.
Connect a screen
Install the free player on an Android TV, Fire TV, Raspberry Pi, BrightSign, Samsung Tizen or a Windows PC. Or just open a browser tab. Then pair it with a code.
Add your content
Upload images and video, start from a template, connect live data from a sheet or an API, and arrange it all in playlists and multi-zone layouts.
Schedule and publish
Assign content to displays or groups, set day/time schedules, and push live. Change it any time from your phone.
Everything You Need
Every feature you'd expect from an enterprise digital signage CMS: video walls, scheduling, proof-of-play, and remote monitoring. All free and open source.
Live Data, No Code
Google Sheets, any REST API, CSV files, RSS feeds, calendars, weather, or a table you type in. Values land on slides as tags and refresh on their own. See how →
Signed Template Library
Ready-made slide and code templates from a cryptographically signed catalog. Fill in the fields or bind them to live data. Import your own too.
Run It From Your AI Assistant
ScreenTinker speaks the Model Context Protocol. Point Claude, or any MCP client, at your server and ask it in plain English — “what’s offline?”, “put this video on the lobby screen”. Set it up →
E-Paper Signs That Run For Months
A battery ESP32 and an e-paper panel, with no browser on the device. The server renders and dithers the frame, tells the board how long to sleep, and answers 304 when nothing changed so it never wakes the panel for nothing. How it works →
Display Power Schedules
Panels switch themselves off outside opening hours and back on before the doors do. Per screen or per group, on a calendar.
Group Sync
A wall of screens starts the same frame at the same moment — and keeps doing it with the internet unplugged.
Node Mesh
One screen on a site pulls a video once and hands it to its neighbours over the LAN. A whole store updates on one download.
Scale-Out Replicas
Put a server in each region and let screens connect to the nearest one. Thousands of displays without one box carrying them all.
SSO With Your Identity Provider
OIDC per organisation with DNS-verified domains, so staff sign in with the account they already have.
Two-Factor Authentication
TOTP from any authenticator app, with recovery codes. Included, not an enterprise upsell.
Consent-Gated Support Access
Support can only look inside your account after you grant it, for a window you choose, and every action is logged.
Portrait-Native Panels
Screens that are portrait in hardware — menu boards, wayfinders — fill edge to edge without a rotation hack.
Plugins
Extend ScreenTinker with plugins: extra widget types, data-source connectors, and event hooks, without forking core. Trusted local code on a self-hosted node, off by default.
PDF to Playlist
Upload a PDF and every page becomes a full-screen slide, rendered in the browser. No manual export step.
Meeting Room Signs
Connect a calendar (iCal / Webcal) to show live Busy / Available, agendas and the next meeting, in every language the dashboard speaks.
Multi-Zone Layouts
Split screens into zones with a drag-and-drop editor. 7 built-in templates or create your own.
Video Wall
Combine multiple displays into one giant screen. Automatic bezel compensation. Any grid size.
Remote Control
See what's on screen in real-time. Send key presses, navigate menus, power on/off remotely.
Scheduling
Visual weekly calendar with recurrence rules. Schedule per device or for whole groups. Device rules override the group.
Playlists
Share one playlist across many displays. Draft changes, preview, then publish. Or revert to the last published version.
Directory Board
Scrolling lobby, building, and staff directories. Categories, dark & light themes, anti-burn-in. Not found in any other open-source CMS.
Slides
Design a slide properly, with headlines, photos, panels and rules, plus live clocks, dates, countdowns and QR codes on the slide itself. Add a voiceover per slide, or music under the whole deck.
Triggers
Let a Crestron or Extron panel, a PLC or a button put a playlist over whatever is showing. Resolved on the screen itself, so an alarm still works with the internet down.
Kiosk Mode
Create interactive touchscreen interfaces. Wayfinding, directories, check-in screens.
Proof-of-Play
Track what played, when, and on which device. Export CSV reports for ad verification.
Alerts & Monitoring
Email alerts when devices go offline. Full telemetry: battery, storage, WiFi, uptime.
Offline Resilience
Displays keep playing cached content when the internet or your server drops. They catch up automatically when you're back.
Mobile Dashboard
Manage everything from your phone. The full dashboard works on any mobile browser, so there is no separate app to install.
Self-Hosted Option
Deploy on your own infrastructure. Your data never leaves your network. Lock down signups with a single env var.
White Label
Custom branding, colors, logo, and domain. Resell under your own brand.
Teams & Workspaces
Separate workspaces per client or site, with owner, editor and viewer roles. Invite by email, or sign in with your own identity provider.
Auto-Update
Devices automatically update when you push a new version. Zero manual intervention.
Digital Signage for Any Space
One platform, every use case.
Retail & QSR
Menu boards, promotions, and price updates pushed to every location instantly.
Restaurants & Cafés
Digital menu boards with dayparting. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus that switch themselves on schedule.
LED Walls
The LED processor hands the wall’s native resolution to the player over EDID, so a 2808×648 wall is just a screen with an odd shape. ⚠️ Streaming sticks can’t drive one — they only output standard resolutions — so use a Raspberry Pi or a small PC. Verified in production by Watterott electronic. LED wall guide →
Offices & Corporate
Lobby welcome screens, meeting-room signs, KPI dashboards, and internal comms.
Schools & Universities
Campus announcements, event calendars, and emergency alerts across every building.
Healthcare & Clinics
Waiting-room info, wayfinding, and check-in kiosks that keep playing even offline.
Churches & Nonprofits
Free, self-hostable signage for lobbies and sanctuaries with no recurring cost.
Gyms & Fitness
Class schedules, promos, and live directories on any screen you already own.
Building & Staff Directories
Scrolling lobby, tenant, and staff directories with categories and anti-burn-in.
Runs on Everything
No hardware lock-in. Use any screen you already have — every platform has its own setup guide, and every player is downloaded from your own server.
Browse certified hardware, with prices →Simple, Honest Pricing
All plans include remote control, monitoring, and unlimited content
How We Compare
| ScreenTinker | Yodeck | OptiSigns | ScreenCloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billing model | Flat per plan — extra screens free | Per screen, per month | Per screen, per month | Per screen, per month |
| Price (15 screens/yr) | $989 | $1,440–2,160 | $1,620–2,430 | $3,600–5,400 |
| Price (50 screens/yr) | $1,989 | $4,800–7,200 | $5,400–8,100 | $12,000–18,000 |
| Cost per screen/month at 50 | $3.31 | $8–12 | $9–13.50 | $20–30 |
| Live data (Google Sheets, APIs) | ✓ Every plan, no code | Premium tier | Pro Plus tier | Pro tier (dashboards) |
| 15 screens with live data, per year | $989 | $2,160 | $2,430 | $5,400 |
| Template library | ✓ Signed catalog + your own | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✓ 1 device | ✓ 1 screen | ✓ 3 screens | ✗ |
| Self-Hosted | ✓ Only us | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Source you can read and change | ✓ Open source | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Video Wall | ✓ Included | Basic | Paid add-on | Basic |
| Live screen view + remote key presses* | ✓ All plans | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Kiosk/Touchscreen | ✓ Included | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
| Proof-of-Play | ✓ All plans | Paid tier | Paid | Paid |
| Display power schedules | ✓ All plans | Player-dependent | Player-dependent | Player-dependent |
| E-paper / microcontroller displays | ✓ Server-side rendering | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Control from an AI assistant (MCP) | ✓ Built in | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Site-local content distribution | ✓ Node mesh | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| White Label | ✓ Included | Paid | Paid tier | Enterprise |
| Email Alerts | ✓ All plans | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Platforms supported | 11, incl. e-paper | Own player + a few OS | Several | Several |
* Live screen view + remote key presses is Android only and requires granting the on-device accessibility permission.
Prices read off each vendor's own pricing page on 24 September 2026; live-data tiers on 30 September 2026. Ranges are their cheapest to mid tier at that screen count, on annual billing where they offer it; ours is the annual price of the plan that covers those screens. Spot an error? Open an issue on GitHub and we'll fix it — and say who found it.
Resources
Setup guides and honest comparisons.
Guide
How to set up digital signage on Raspberry Pi
Hardware, OS, install script, pairing.
Guide
Free digital signage for Android TV & Fire TV
APK sideload, kiosk mode, hardware tips.
Guide
Self-hosted digital signage guide
Sizing, deploy, TLS, backups.
Compare
ScreenTinker vs Yodeck
Features, pricing, platform support.
Compare
ScreenTinker vs ScreenCloud
Pricing breakdown at scale.
Compare
ScreenTinker vs OptiSigns
Side by side feature and price comparison.
Guide
Manage your screens from Claude
The MCP server: setup, the tools, and what a read-only token can do.
Guide
BrightSign with a CMS that is not BSN
One archive, dual output, BrightWall sync, real reboots.
Guide
Digital signage on LG webOS panels
The .ipk, USB or SI server install, fleet provisioning.
Guide
Digital signage on Windows
Kiosk-mode browser, autostart, and the settings that keep it up.
Guide
ChromeOS and Chromebox signage
Managed kiosk through the Admin console, or by hand.
Guide
Open-source digital signage explained
Why open source, and how ScreenTinker fits.
Guide
What is digital signage?
Beginner's guide: how it works and what it costs.
Compare
ScreenTinker vs Xibo
Open source vs open source, and the paid players.
Compare
ScreenTinker vs Anthias
Beyond one Pi, one screen.
Integrations
Connect Google Slides, Canva, Power BI & more
Native widgets + embed any web app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about running open-source digital signage.
Is there free digital signage software?
Yes. ScreenTinker is free and open source (MIT licensed). The free cloud plan runs 1 display with 500 MB of storage, and if you self-host there's no per-screen fee at all, so you can run as many displays as your own server can handle. New accounts also get a 14-day Pro trial (15 displays) with no credit card required.
Can I run digital signage on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes. A Raspberry Pi 4 or newer makes an excellent low-cost signage player. Our one-line installer sets up kiosk mode, auto-start, and pairing for you. See the full walkthrough in our Raspberry Pi digital signage guide.
Does ScreenTinker work on Android TV and Fire TV?
Yes. Install the free APK on any Android TV box or Amazon Fire TV Stick to turn it into a managed signage display, complete with kiosk mode and live remote control. Step-by-step instructions are in our Android TV & Fire TV guide. ScreenTinker also runs on BrightSign players, Windows, ChromeOS, LG webOS, Samsung Tizen, and any web browser.
Does ScreenTinker run on BrightSign players?
Yes. A BrightSign runs the same web player the browser does, so it gets the same playlists, layouts, scheduling and remote control as every other screen. It can even run the ScreenTinker server itself, so a small site needs no separate box. Most open-source signage never supports BrightSign at all.
What's the difference between self-hosted and cloud digital signage?
With cloud, we host everything and you just sign in. That is the fastest way to start. With self-hosting, you deploy ScreenTinker on your own server or VPS so your content and device data never leave your network, with no recurring SaaS fees. You can switch later. Our self-hosted digital signage guide covers sizing, deployment, TLS, and backups.
Is ScreenTinker really open source?
Yes. The full platform is released under the permissive MIT license on GitHub. You can read the code, self-host it, modify it, and even white-label it. No vendor lock-in and no proprietary black box.
What can I put on my screens?
Images, video, PDFs, slides and templates, live data from Google Sheets and APIs, playlists, multi-zone layouts, and live widgets: clocks, weather, RSS tickers, countdowns, QR codes, web pages, and scrolling lobby/staff directories. You can schedule different content by day and time, per display or per group.
Can I show live data from Google Sheets or an API?
Yes, on every plan including Free. Connect a Google Sheet by pasting its share link, or point at any REST/JSON API with a bearer token, API key or basic auth. CSV files, RSS feeds, calendars, weather and hand-typed tables work too. Values go on slides as tags like {{ds:menu.latte_price}} and update on their own. Credentials are encrypted and never sent to the screens.
Are there ready-made templates?
Yes. The template library installs slide and code templates from a catalog in which every template is cryptographically signed, so the server can tell it hasn’t been tampered with. You can also import your own and bind any template’s fields to live data.
Do my displays keep playing if the internet goes down?
Yes. ScreenTinker players cache their content locally and keep playing during an internet or server outage, then sync automatically once the connection returns. No blank screens.
Can I control my screens remotely?
Yes, on every plan. See a live view of what's on each screen, push content instantly, and send remote key presses or power commands. (Live view and key presses on Android require the on-device accessibility permission.)
Is there a limit on how many screens I can manage?
On cloud plans, your display count is set by your tier (1 free, up to 15 on Pro, more on Enterprise). If you self-host, there is no built-in device cap. You're limited only by your own hardware.
How does ScreenTinker compare to Yodeck, ScreenCloud, and OptiSigns?
ScreenTinker is typically a fraction of the price at scale and is the only one of the four you can self-host. See the detailed breakdowns: vs Yodeck, vs ScreenCloud, and vs OptiSigns.
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