If you searched for open source digital signage you want control, no lock-in and no per-screen bill. Here is the honest picture: what the open-source projects give you, what they cost you in time, and where DigitalSignage.com sits, with its first 3 screens free forever, an open API and SDK, and a one-time on-premise server for teams that must own the stack.
Last updated September 8, 2026 · Published by DigitalSignage.com (MediaSignage Inc., since 2006)
| Option | What you get | What you do yourself | Software cost | Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xibo (open source) | Full CMS source, no screen cap when self-hosted | Install, host, update, secure and back up the server; buy licenses for Android, webOS and Tizen players | $0 server; paid commercial player licenses; Xibo Cloud is paid | Windows and Linux free; commercial players licensed |
| Anthias (Screenly OSE, open source) | Free player software for Raspberry Pi | Configure each Pi on its own; no central cloud dashboard | $0 (Screenly's commercial product is separate) | Raspberry Pi only |
| PiSignage | Hosted management for Pi players, 2 screens free | Raspberry Pi hardware only | About $1.67 per screen per month after 2 free | Raspberry Pi only |
| DigitalSignage.com | Hosted studio and cloud, open API and SDK, embeddable web player, IoT triggers, or a private mediaSERVER you own | Nothing on the server side; install SignPlayer on your devices | First 3 screens free forever; then $3 per screen per month; mediaSERVER $895 one-time | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and Android TV, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi, iPad, browser |
Sources: each vendor's published pages, August 2026; the full ten-vendor table with links is the State of Digital Signage Pricing 2026 dataset. Screen counts and free tiers compared in detail on the free digital signage software page.
Player resource access, the offline caching framework and the scene and timeline model are exposed to developers; build with any JavaScript library and host your own components anywhere by pointing SignStudio at a JSON configuration you control. API reference · SDK documentation
SignPlayer runs inside any browser and as an HTML snippet in your own web page or app, so a presentation can live on your site, your kiosk shell or your intranet with the same scheduling and caching as the native players.
Any XML or JSON feed, RSS and MRSS, calendars, and sensor events from Raspberry Pi GPIO or Arduino change what a screen shows. IoT digital signage guide · quick start
No proprietary appliance: an Android stick, a Raspberry Pi, a Chromebook, an old PC or an iPad becomes a player. Mixed fleets are managed from one dashboard.
mediaSERVER runs the whole platform on your own infrastructure for a one-time $895 with no monthly fee per screen and no cloud dependency, for air-gapped and policy-restricted networks.
The Enterprise plan brands the hosted studio as yours, adds multi-account management for your customers, proof of play and reseller pricing, so integrators sell signage without running servers.
StudioLite was our open-source (GPL v3) Angular studio for this platform. It reached 266 stars and 196 forks on GitHub and it is still available there for reference, but it is discontinued and no longer maintained; the current editor is SignStudio, which is free with every account. If you forked StudioLite, your screens and account keep working: SignStudio talks to the same cloud and the same players. Sample component and Arduino repositories on GitHub are likewise reference code rather than maintained products.
1. Create a free account; no credit card, 3 screens free forever.
2. Install SignPlayer on the device behind a screen: a Raspberry Pi, an Android stick, a Chrome OS device, a PC or a browser tab.
3. Build a scene in SignStudio, bind a data feed or an IoT event, publish. If you later need the server on your own network, move to mediaSERVER; the content and players come with you.
What is the best open source digital signage software?
For a fully self-hosted CMS, Xibo is the most complete open-source option and Anthias (formerly Screenly OSE) is the simplest for Raspberry Pi; both require you to run and secure the system yourself. If what you actually want is no per-screen bill and no lock-in, DigitalSignage.com gives 3 screens free forever, runs on your own hardware, exposes an open API and SDK, and offers a one-time on-premise server, without any hosting work.
Is DigitalSignage.com open source?
The platform is not open source. Its API and SDK are open to developers, the web player can be embedded anywhere, and our former open-source studio StudioLite remains archived on GitHub but is discontinued. The current editor, SignStudio, is free with every account.
Can I self-host DigitalSignage.com?
Yes. mediaSERVER installs on your own infrastructure for a one-time $895, with no monthly fee per screen and no cloud dependency; per-player licenses are sold separately with volume discounts.
What happened to StudioLite?
StudioLite, the open-source Angular studio, is discontinued and no longer maintained. The repository stays on GitHub for reference. Accounts and screens created with it continue to work in SignStudio, which uses the same cloud and players.
How much does open source digital signage really cost?
The software is free; the cost is the server you host, patch and back up, the paid player licenses some projects charge for Android or smart-TV players, and the hours to run it. Hosted DigitalSignage.com is $0 for 3 screens and $3 per screen per month after that, with no server work; the cost guide works through both routes at 10, 50 and 100 screens.
Start Free — 3 Screens, No Server to Run
Xibo, Anthias, Screenly and PiSignage are trademarks of their respective owners; facts cited from their published pages as of August 2026.
Checkout live examples of Digital Signage presentations. The SignPlayer can run everywhere, on Android, Windows, Mac, iPad and even inside your web browser
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