The honest answer, with real published numbers: software runs $0 to $30 per screen per month depending on the vendor, and hardware runs $0 to $500 per screen depending on what you already own. Here is the full breakdown.
| Platform | Free tier | Paid, per screen/month | 10 screens, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalSignage.com | First 3 screens free forever (~90% of features, ad-free) | From $3.00 (Plus+); Enterprise from $19/month | $360 |
| Yodeck | None (single-screen trial) | $8 (Basic) / $12 (Premium) / $16 (Enterprise) | $960–$1,920 |
| Rise Vision | None (trial) | ~$10–$11 list, education discounts on quote | ~$1,320 |
| OptiSigns | Ad-supported | $10 (Standard) / $15 (Pro Plus) / $30 (Engage) | $1,200–$3,600 |
| NoviSign | None (trial) | ~$18–$20 | ~$2,280 |
| ScreenCloud | None (trial) | $20 (Core) / $30 (Pro, 5-screen min) | $2,400–$3,600 |
| PiSignage (DIY) | 2 screens free | ~$1.67 (Raspberry Pi only) | ~$200 |
Most mainstream platforms cluster at $8–$30 per screen per month. DigitalSignage.com starts free and continues at $3 — roughly a third of the cheapest mainstream competitor — with exact volume quotes in the public price calculator (lowest price guarantee).
| Option | One-time cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse an existing PC, laptop or smart TV browser | $0 | SignagePlayer runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS and in any browser |
| Android TV stick or box | $30–$80 | The most popular budget player; plugs into any HDMI display |
| Raspberry Pi | $50–$100 | Reliable 24/7 player; see our Raspberry Pi guide |
| Consumer TV (43–55") | $200–$400 | Fine for lobbies and menus with moderate daily hours |
| Commercial display (43–55") | $400–$900 | Rated for 16–24h/day operation, longer warranty |
| On-premise server (optional) | $895 one-time | mediaSERVER — replaces the cloud subscription entirely for regulated environments |
One screen fits inside DigitalSignage.com's free tier (first 3 screens free forever, no credit card, ad-free). Reuse any PC or a $40 Android stick and the whole project costs under $50, once. The same single screen costs $96–$360/year on metered platforms.
At the $3/screen Plus+ rate: $360/year. The same 10 screens run $960–$1,920/year on Yodeck, $1,200–$3,600 on OptiSigns and $2,400+ on ScreenCloud. Over three years the gap is $1,800–$9,000 — usually more than the entire hardware budget.
Software: 50 screens at the $3 Plus+ rate is about $1,800/year — versus $4,800 (Yodeck Basic), $6,000 (OptiSigns Standard) or $12,000 (ScreenCloud Core). Hardware: Android boxes or Raspberry Pis at $40–$80 per point, reusing existing TVs where possible, is roughly $2,000–$4,000 one-time. Total first year: about $4,000–$6,000, then ~$1,800/year ongoing — with volume pricing quoted exactly in the public calculator. Alternatively, a one-time $895 mediaSERVER on-premise deployment removes the subscription entirely.
Per-screen add-ons: some vendors meter features (apps, proof-of-play, SSO) per screen on top of the base rate.
Plan minimums: 5–25 screen minimums mean paying for screens you have not deployed.
Price increases: per-screen meters magnify every increase across your whole network — Yodeck's April 2026 increase added $48/screen/year for Premium customers.
Proprietary hardware lock-in: players that only work with one platform lose all value if you switch. Prefer software that runs on standard Windows/Android/Pi/Chrome OS devices.
Content labor: the largest long-term cost on any platform is someone's time updating content — template libraries and auto-updating feeds (weather, RSS, social) keep it near zero.
How much does digital signage software cost per screen per month?
Across mainstream vendors in 2026: $8–$16 (Yodeck), ~$11 (Rise Vision), $10–$30 (OptiSigns), $18–$20 (NoviSign), $20–$30 (ScreenCloud). DigitalSignage.com is free for the first 3 screens and from $3/screen/month after that.
Can I run digital signage completely free?
Yes. DigitalSignage.com's free plan covers 3 screens forever with about 90% of features, ad-free, no credit card — on hardware you already own (any PC, Android device, Raspberry Pi or browser). A 1–3 screen deployment costs $0 in software, permanently.
What does the hardware cost?
From $0 (reusing an existing PC or smart TV browser) to about $40–$80 for an Android stick or Raspberry Pi per screen, plus the display itself if you do not already have one ($200–$400 consumer, $400–$900 commercial-grade).
Is there a way to avoid the monthly subscription entirely?
Yes — DigitalSignage.com's mediaSERVER is a one-time $895 on-premise server with no monthly fees, unique among mainstream platforms. It suits organizations with strict security or budget rules that prefer capex to subscriptions.
What is the total cost for a 10-screen network over 3 years?
On DigitalSignage.com: about $1,080 software (3 years × $360) plus roughly $400–$800 in Android/Pi players if reusing displays — under $2,000 total. The same network's software alone is $2,880–$5,760 on Yodeck and $7,200+ on ScreenCloud.
Get Your Exact Price — Public Calculator Or Start Free — 3 Screens on Us
Yodeck, OptiSigns, ScreenCloud, NoviSign, Rise Vision and PiSignage are trademarks of their respective owners. Pricing cited from each vendor's published price pages as of August 2026; this guide is the editorial opinion of MediaSignage Inc. based on that public data. Found an outdated number? Tell us and we will correct it.
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