Free digital signage software: where $0 stops

Free digital signage software plans differ in more than screen count. Yodeck starts charging when you add a second screen: two Basic screens cost $16/month in USD. OptiSigns offers up to three free screens, restricted to listed devices and carrying its logo.

Kinosign makes a competing product, so weigh our view with that in mind.

Vendor pages checked November 2026. This compares documented plans, not hands-on test results.

Separate a free screen from a free trial

For a clinic reception TV, start with one job: show the welcome notice, opening hours and instructions for checking in. You may not need a large app library. You do need the content to remain readable and someone to keep it current.

Prices are checked November 2026. Annual rates are monthly equivalents, with annual billing. Sources: Yodeck, Xibo, OptiSigns, ScreenCloud and Rise Vision.

Yodeck bills both screens; OptiSigns restricts eligible devices

Yodeck’s billing rules end the free-screen benefit when the account has two or more screens. Two Basic screens cost $16/month; three cost $24, before hardware and tax.

OptiSigns keeps up to three eligible devices on its Free plan, but it adds its logo. Free playlists are limited to 30 items and 200MB, with 1GB total storage. An existing Fire TV is not on the listed Free device list.

Our digital signage hidden-cost checklist covers the full bill, including annual commitments and paid feature tiers.

Count the work behind Xibo’s free software

Xibo’s open-source statement commits to a free CMS core and free Windows and Linux player software. It also assigns hosting, security and maintenance to the self-hosting operator. Community discussion is different from a commercial support agreement.

That can be a sensible arrangement when your IT team already runs servers. It is a less convincing saving if the receptionist inherits a server nobody owns.

Write down who will handle updates, restore a backup and investigate a failed connection. Put that person’s time in your budget. A licence fee of zero does not make those tasks disappear. The Xibo review separates the CMS, players and hosting costs.

Keep the free plan’s limits visible

VISITOR INFORMATION

Welcome. Take a seat.

When you arrive

Please check inReception

Then take a seatWaiting area

While you wait

Please keep your phone on silent

Ask the team if you need help

Example notice. Ask reception if you need a hand.

Before creating an account, check your player against the free tier’s device list. Then decide whether the vendor logo is acceptable on that notice. Those two checks can rule out a free offer before you move any files.

When a paid plan covers requirements the free one cannot

Stay with Yodeck Free if one screen does the job and the player works for your setup. Choose Xibo when control over hosting is worth the administration. Keep OptiSigns Free if its device, branding and file limits fit; pay for a higher tier only when you need its features. ScreenCloud’s Studio trial is time-limited, not a permanent free screen.

For a school, Rise Vision’s school-specific content and alert-related plans deserve a separate requirements check. A cheaper welcome-screen app is not automatically a replacement for that system.

Make a menu file without a screen subscription

Kinosign is pre-launch. Its draft pricing keeps the first three screens free and charges $6 per extra screen/month. Unlike Yodeck’s rule, the first three screens stay free when you add more. The planned allowance is 30 AI menu makeovers a month on the free plan, plus 30 more for each paid screen; an optional live TV channel is quoted separately. See the pricing.

The free menu maker is available without an account. Upload a PDF from Canva or Google Docs, check the items read in your browser and redraw them as a Kinosign design. Making that file does not require buying a screen subscription.

For a clinic notice, choose a notice template and follow the waiting-room guidance instead.