Yes, a Raspberry Pi can run digital signage for free. Anthias (formerly Screenly OSE) is free and open source on any number of Pis, but each screen has its own dashboard. piSignage is free for 2 screens, DigitalSignage.com and OptiSigns for 3, and Yodeck and info-beamer for 1, all managed from one web account.
The software can be free. The Pi is not: the Raspberry Pi 4 board starts at $35, and you add a power supply, a case, a microSD card and a micro-HDMI cable.
Free Raspberry Pi signage software compared
From each vendor's own pages, read September and October 2026:
| Software | Free for | The catch | After the free screens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthias (open source) | Any number of screens | One dashboard per Pi: no central management. Community support only. | Free. Screenly is the paid cloud version. |
| piSignage | 2 screens, no time limit | Paid screens beyond 2 | $35 for a new player's first year, then $20 a year |
| DigitalSignage.com | 3 screens | Installed by script on Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) | From $3 per screen per month |
| OptiSigns | 3 screens | OptiSigns logo on screen, 1 GB storage, no schedules | $9 per screen per month billed annually, $10 monthly |
| Yodeck | 1 screen | One screen only. Pi 5 runs a beta image. | $8 per screen per month |
| info-beamer | 1 device (new accounts) | Pi only; prices in euros | €7.75 per device per month (€0.25 a day) |
| Raspberry Digital Signage | Any number of screens | A free operating system that shows one web page full screen, not a playlist manager | Free (GPL) |
Xibo is missing on purpose: its own FAQ says no Raspberry Pi model can run a Xibo player. Its Linux player needs a 64-bit Intel or AMD PC.
Which one should you pick?
- One or two screens, someone technical on site: Anthias. Fully free, no account, plays images, videos and web pages on a schedule from local storage.
- Several screens managed from one place, still free: piSignage (2 screens) or DigitalSignage.com (3). Anthias makes you open each Pi's dashboard separately.
- Already use Yodeck, or want its editor: Yodeck Free on one Pi 4.
- A dashboard or web page, nothing else: Raspberry Digital Signage. It boots straight into a full-screen browser locked to one address.
- Customer-facing screens: avoid OptiSigns Free. Its logo stays on screen and it has no schedules.
How to set up Anthias (the fully free route)
- Install Raspberry Pi Imager on a computer.
- Choose Other specific-purpose OS > Digital signage and kiosks > Anthias, then your Pi model (Pi 2 to Pi 5).
- Before you write the card, open OS customisation (the gear icon) and turn on SSH. The Anthias image has SSH off, and you need it to change Wi-Fi later.
- Write the card, put it in the Pi, connect the TV and power it on. It boots into Anthias.
- On a computer on the same network, open
http://<the Pi's IP address>and add your images, videos and web pages.
An Anthias card written with Raspberry Pi Imager updates itself over the air. Anthias needs the internet only to install and to show web pages: uploaded files play from the Pi's own storage.
Which Raspberry Pi to buy
- Raspberry Pi 4: the safe choice. Anthias recommends it; Yodeck recommends the 8 GB model and fully supports 4 GB. Board from $35.
- Raspberry Pi 5: faster, and Anthias recommends it. Yodeck runs it on a beta image. The 16 GB model is $305, far more memory than signage needs.
- Raspberry Pi 3 B or B+: works with Anthias and Yodeck, but Yodeck plays no 4K on it.
- Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: piSignage supports it. Yodeck does not, and Anthias does not list it.
Video format matters on a Pi. The Pi 5 decodes only HEVC (H.265) in hardware, up to 4K at 60 fps. The Pi 4 decodes H.264 in hardware up to 1080p. For 4K, export your videos as H.265.
What else a Pi build needs
- Power supply: 15 W USB-C for a Pi 4. 27 W (5 V, 5 A) for a Pi 5. A weak supply causes random restarts.
- Case: the Pi 4 case does not fit a Pi 5. The Pi 5 runs best with active cooling, and its official case has a fan.
- microSD card: For a Pi 4, Yodeck asks for Class 10, 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended. For a Pi 5 it asks for 16 GB minimum, 32 GB recommended.
- Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable: the Pi 4 and Pi 5 have micro-HDMI ports, so a normal HDMI cable does not fit.
What goes wrong on a real install
- The microSD card wears out. Constant writes kill cheap cards. Buy a good card and keep a spare, already flashed.
- Changing Wi-Fi means SSH. On Anthias you connect over SSH and run
sudo nmtuion the Pi. The Anthias FAQ gives no other way. - No one sees a dead screen. Anthias lists no offline alerts, and each Pi is managed on its own. Someone has to walk past the TV to notice.
- Heat behind a TV. A bare board in a closed space throttles. Use a vented case.
Where Brix fits
Brix does not run on a Raspberry Pi. It has no Pi app, and opening the Brix player in a Pi's browser is a trial, not an install: no screenshots, no remote restart, and anyone can close the tab.
If you want to stop maintaining Pis, plug a $99.99 Amazon Signage Stick into the TV instead. It has its own storage, a power supply in the box, and Brix can take screenshots, restart it and turn the TV on and off from the CMS. Pairing a Stick with Brix takes a median of 2.6 minutes across the Signage Sticks running Brix. See the Raspberry Pi vs Amazon Signage Stick comparison.
Brix costs $6 per screen per month billed annually, or $8 billed monthly. It is not free. For one or two screens and no budget, Anthias or Yodeck Free on a Pi is the better choice. If you are moving from another platform, we move your content, playlists and screens for you, free, usually in a day.
Start a free 7-day Brix trial. No card needed.