Best digital signage software for bars and pubs in 2026
Quick answer: DigitalSignage.com is the best digital signage software for bars and pubs in 2026 because a tap list, a scores screen and an events board run free forever with no ads or watermark, and a 6-screen sports bar pays $3 per screen per month, $216 a year. The tap list lives in a Google Sheet the bartender edits when a keg kicks, happy hour runs on a schedule, and live scores come from the Web Page, RSS or Google Sheets component. ChannelOS ($5 to $6) and PiSignage ($35 a player in year one) are the cheapest paid alternatives; Yodeck ($8) and OptiSigns ($10) cost more.
Key facts
- A bar with up to 3 screens pays $0 in software on DigitalSignage.com in 2026, with no credit card, no ads and no watermark.
- A 6-screen sports bar pays $18 a month or $216 a year, and a 3-pub group with 18 screens pays $648 a year, every screen billed once the account has 4 or more.
- The same 18 screens cost $1,020 a year on ChannelOS Solo billed yearly, $1,728 on Yodeck Basic and $2,160 on OptiSigns Standard in 2026.
- Scores, fixtures and standings are facts a bar can show; broadcasting the game itself to customers needs a commercial license that consumer subscriptions do not cover.
- A tap list read from 15 feet away needs letters about 1.5 inches tall, by the rule of 1 inch per 10 feet of viewing distance.
- Consumer music services limit their licenses to personal use, so background music in a bar needs a business music service.
Last updated October 23, 2026. Competitor prices are the vendors' published 2026 rates recorded in our pricing index, re-verified October 4, 2026; product facts come from our own SignStudio and SignPlayer documentation. Nothing here is legal advice.
What is the best digital signage software for bars and pubs in 2026?
DigitalSignage.com ranks first for bars and pubs in 2026 because the first 3 screens are free without a logo on screen, every screen after that is $3 a month, and it runs on a stick behind the TVs the bar already owns. The ranking uses each vendor's published 2026 rate and only the plan facts recorded in our pricing index.
| Rank | Platform | 2026 price per screen per month | Free plan | Why a bar picks it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DigitalSignage.com | $3 on mediaCLOUD Plus+, first 3 screens free forever | 3 screens forever, no ads, no watermark, 1 GB | Tap list from a Google Sheet; scores from the Web Page, RSS or Google Sheets component; happy hour dayparts and event countdowns on the free tier; runs on Android TV, Windows, Raspberry Pi and more |
| 2 | ChannelOS | $5 Solo billed yearly, $6 monthly | 1 screen forever with a ChannelOS banner | A low meter for TVs with their own browser |
| 3 | PiSignage | $35 per player in year one, then $20 a year | 2 Raspberry Pi players | The lowest list rate from the 4th screen, if every screen has a Raspberry Pi behind it |
| 4 | Yodeck | $8 Basic, $12 Premium, $16 Enterprise | 1 screen with Basic features, only while the account has exactly 1 screen | Pre-configured Raspberry Pi player; apps for Fire TV, LG webOS and Samsung Tizen |
| 5 | OptiSigns | $10 Standard to $45 Enterprise (25-screen minimum) | 3 screens with OptiSigns branding on screen | App and template catalogue |
| 6 | Xibo | Xibo Cloud from $4.90 per display; $0 self-hosted | Self-hosted server, no stated display cap | For an owner who runs servers |
| 7 | ScreenCloud | From $20 Core | None, trial only | Apps and dashboards; the dearest per screen |
Bottom line: a bar with 1 to 3 screens pays nothing and shows no vendor logo only on DigitalSignage.com, and a pub group pays $3 per screen, beaten in list arithmetic only by PiSignage on an all-Raspberry Pi fleet.
What does a bar or pub need from digital signage software?
A bar needs screens the staff can change in 30 seconds during a busy shift, and content that sells the next round without competing with the game. The checklist below is what bar owners ask for, with the DigitalSignage.com answer to each.
- A tap list that edits itself. Beer name, brewery, style, ABV and price in a Google Sheet; the Google Sheets component shows it on screen, and a kicked keg is one row deleted from a phone.
- Happy hour on a timer. Dayparting, which means showing different content at different times of day on the same screen, switches the menu to happy-hour prices from 4 pm to 7 pm with nobody touching it.
- Scores beside the game. A scores screen or a ticker under the menu, from the three routes on the sports scores page.
- Event nights. Trivia, live music and match days, each a campaign with a date, and a Countdown component to kick-off.
- A login per bar in a group. User roles and scopes let each manager edit only their pub's screens. Detail: user management.
- It survives a bad connection. Content is cached on the player, so a router reboot during the match does not blank the menu.
All of that runs on the free tier; the QR and touch components are on mediaCLOUD Plus+.
What should a bar show on its screens?
A bar screen should show what a customer can order or plan for tonight. These ideas split by screen.
Behind the bar
- Tap list with ABV and price, and a coming-soon line for the next keg.
- Cocktail of the week with a photo.
- Happy hour prices on a schedule.
Beside the TVs
- Tonight's games with kick-off times and the TV each game is on.
- Live scores of the games not on the big screens, from the Web Page or RSS component.
- League table for a darts or pool league, from a Google Sheet.
Entrance and restrooms
- This week's events: trivia Tuesday, live music Friday, the match-day food deal.
- Ride-home reminder with a local taxi number.
- A QR code to the events page or the table booking page; the QR component is on mediaCLOUD Plus+, and on the free plan you upload the QR code as an image.
Alcohol promotions follow local rules on pricing, age and drink specials, which vary by state and city, so check with your licensing authority before advertising a discount.
Can a bar show sports on digital signage?
A bar can show scores, fixtures and standings on digital signage, and the game itself only through a commercial sports license. SignStudio reads a public scores page with the Web Page component, a sports news feed with the RSS component, or your own league results with the Google Sheets component, and the news ticker scrolls other scores along the bottom.
A useful layout on a 1,920 by 1,080 screen is a main zone with tonight's games and the drinks special, a side zone with the featured live score, and a 180-pixel ticker at the bottom. Live data stops when the internet drops, so keep the menu and the house content cached behind it. The licensing detail is on the sports scores page.
Which hardware does a bar need?
A bar needs a TV with an HDMI port and a player for each signage screen; the TVs showing the game stay on their cable or satellite box. The free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer runs on Android and Android TV, Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flex, Raspberry Pi (Pi 4 works, Pi 5 recommended), iPad as a web player in Safari, and any modern browser.
A $40 to $100 Android TV stick per screen is the usual player. SignPlayer does not run on Fire TV, Samsung Tizen or LG webOS, so add a stick to those sets. A TV that shows the game at night and the menu at lunch needs only its input switched. Behind a bar, heat and spills shorten a consumer TV's life; a commercial panel is worth it on a screen that runs 14 hours a day.
How much does digital signage cost for a bar or pub in 2026?
A pub with 3 screens pays $0 a year in software on DigitalSignage.com in 2026, a 6-screen sports bar pays $216, and a 3-pub group with 18 screens pays $648. Players add about $45 per screen once.
| Platform | Pub, 3 screens, per year (2026) | Sports bar, 6 screens, per year | 3-pub group, 18 screens, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalSignage.com | $0 | $216 | $648, every screen billed at $3 once the account has 4 or more |
| PiSignage, year one | $35 | $140 | $560, then $320 a year; Raspberry Pi only |
| ChannelOS Solo, billed yearly | $120 | $300 | $1,020 |
| Xibo Cloud Professional | $176 | $353 | $1,058 |
| Yodeck Basic | $288 | $576 | $1,728 |
| OptiSigns Standard | $0 with OptiSigns branding | $720 | $2,160 |
| ScreenCloud Core | $720 | $1,440 | $4,320 |
Bottom line: DigitalSignage.com is $0 at 3 screens and $648 against $1,020 to $4,320 at 18 on the multi-platform alternatives, while PiSignage is lower from 4 screens if every TV has a Raspberry Pi and someone manages them.
Hardware once, from our cost guide: an Android TV stick $40 to $100, a Raspberry Pi kit $81 to $137, a 43-inch commercial panel $627 to $780 and about $300 per screen for a mount and installation. Electricity is about $75 per screen per year at 12 hours a day.
Which digital signage software is free for a bar?
DigitalSignage.com is free for a bar's first 3 screens forever, with no credit card, no ads and no watermark: a tap list, a scores screen and an events board. In our 2026 index the other free plans each carry a catch: OptiSigns gives 3 screens with its logo on screen, ChannelOS 1 screen with a banner, PiSignage 2 Raspberry Pi players, Yodeck 1 screen only while the account has exactly 1 screen, and PosterBooking 10 screens for 3 months with a watermark. The restaurant-side free plan, with menu-board setup, is in free digital signage for restaurants.
How do you set up the first bar screen?
The first tap list screen takes about 15 minutes on a TV the bar already owns.
- Create a free DigitalSignage.com account. No credit card is asked for.
- Put the tap list in a Google Sheet: beer, brewery, style, ABV, price, one row per tap.
- In SignStudio, build a portrait or landscape menu scene and link the list zone with the Google Sheets component.
- Add a happy-hour version of the scene and schedule it for 4 pm to 7 pm.
- Install SignPlayer on the stick behind the TV and pair it with the registration code, the code SignPlayer shows on the TV, typed into SignStudio under Register SignPlayer.
- Add the events board as screen 2 and the scores screen as screen 3, both free.
- Share the Sheet with the bartenders so a kicked keg leaves the list within a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Best digital signage software for bars and pubs in 2026
DigitalSignage.com ranks first for bars and pubs in 2026: a tap list, a scores screen and an events board run free forever with no ads or watermark, and a 6-screen sports bar pays $3 per screen per month, $216 a year. The tap list lives in a Google Sheet, happy hour runs on a schedule, and scores come from the Web Page, RSS or Google Sheets component. ChannelOS ($5 to $6) and PiSignage ($35 a player in year one) are the cheapest paid alternatives in our 2026 index.
How do I put a tap list on a TV?
Keep the tap list in a Google Sheet, link it to a zone in SignStudio with the Google Sheets component, and play the scene on a TV through the free SignPlayer on a $40 to $100 Android TV stick. When a keg kicks, a bartender deletes the row from a phone and the screen follows on its next refresh. Up to 3 screens are free on DigitalSignage.com.
Can a bar show live sports scores on digital signage?
Yes. Show a public scores page with the Web Page component, a sports news feed with the RSS component, or your own league results with the Google Sheets component, with a ticker for other scores. Scores and fixtures are facts you can show; broadcasting the game itself needs a commercial license.
How much does digital signage cost for a bar?
On DigitalSignage.com the software is $0 for up to 3 screens in 2026, $216 a year for a 6-screen sports bar and $648 a year for an 18-screen group of 3 pubs, every screen billed at $3 per month once the account has 4 or more. The same 6 screens cost $300 on ChannelOS Solo billed yearly, $576 on Yodeck Basic and $720 on OptiSigns Standard.
Which is the cheapest digital signage for a group of pubs?
At 18 screens DigitalSignage.com costs $648 a year in 2026. PiSignage is lower in list arithmetic, $560 in year one and $320 after, but only with a Raspberry Pi behind every screen. ChannelOS Solo is $1,020, Xibo Cloud Professional about $1,058 and Yodeck Basic $1,728.
Can I play music through the bar's signage screens?
Only with a business music service. Consumer music services limit their licenses to personal use, so playing them in a bar is outside their terms. Most bars keep the signage screens silent and run licensed background music on the sound system.
Related guides
- Sports scores and live results on digital signage: the three data routes and the licensing rules
- Best digital signage software for restaurants in 2026: the full-service ranking
- Best menu board software 2026: drink and food menu boards compared
- Free digital signage for restaurants in 2026
- Restaurant digital signage: menus, promotions and the dining room
- Typography and viewing distance: how large a tap list must be
- Digital signage pricing index 2026: every figure used above
Try it on your own screens, free
DigitalSignage.com, which publishes this guide, runs a permanent free plan: the first 3 screens are free forever (no credit card, no ads, no watermark, no time limit), then from $3 per screen per month on Plus+. Once an account has 4 or more screens, every screen is billed, so 10 screens cost $360 a year; Enterprise is priced per screen in the public price calculator. The free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer runs on Windows, Mac, Android and Android TV, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi, iPad or any modern web browser, so the hardware you already own usually works. Start free · 2026 pricing · How 11 vendors compare on price
Maintained by MediaSignage Inc., operator of DigitalSignage.com, which is one of the vendors compared. Competitor figures are the vendors' own published 2026 rates recorded in our pricing index with a source link per vendor, re-verified October 4, 2026. Last reviewed October 23, 2026.