OptiSigns costs less than ScreenCloud on every published plan. Billed annually, the entry plans are $9 against $20 a screen a month, and the plans with approval, roles and audit logs are $13.50 (OptiSigns Pro Plus) against $30 (ScreenCloud Pro).
Pick ScreenCloud if your screens are for staff communications: it is built around intranet, HR and dashboard apps, and an annual plan can include its $95 PIXI player. Pick OptiSigns if price, a free 3-screen plan, retail and menu apps or a wide choice of its own players (from a $99.99 stick to an $799 8K box) matter more.
OptiSigns vs ScreenCloud at a glance
| OptiSigns | ScreenCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan, annual | $9 a screen a month (Standard) | $20 (Core) |
| Entry plan, monthly | $10 | $24 |
| Approval, roles, audit log | Pro Plus: $13.50 annual, $15 monthly | Pro: $30 annual, $36 monthly |
| Free plan | Yes, 3 screens, OptiSigns logo on screen | No, 14-day trial |
| Own players | OptiStick $99.99, Pro $349, ProMax $799 | PIXI $95, Station P1 Pro $199 |
| SAML single sign-on | Pro Plus | Enterprise (quote) |
| Security reports | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 2 Type 2, Cyber Essentials |
| Data region | US; EU, UK, Canada or Australia on request from Engage | US or EU, set by sign-up country |
Price per screen on each plan
Compare annual with annual and monthly with monthly. OptiSigns takes 10% off for annual billing. ScreenCloud takes up to 16% off, or gives a free player instead (see below).
OptiSigns (pricing)
- Free: up to 3 screens, 25 basic apps, 1 GB storage, OptiSigns logo on screen. Runs on OptiSigns' own players, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi and macOS, not on smart TVs or the Amazon Signage Stick (free plan).
- Standard: $9 a screen a month billed annually, or $10 monthly. Playlists, schedules, 100+ apps, split-screen zones, unlimited cloud storage. Email support.
- Pro Plus: $13.50 annual, or $15 monthly. Adds team workspaces and roles, approval workflow, proof of play, audit logs, SAML single sign-on, TV power on and off, remote troubleshooting, dashboards (Power BI, Salesforce, Looker). Email and phone support.
- Engage: $27 annual, or $30 monthly. Adds interactive kiosk designer, QR scan-to-interact, event analytics and a choice of data region. Adds Zoom support.
- Enterprise: $40.50 annual, or $45 monthly, minimum 25 screens. Adds the GraphQL API, mass device provisioning, an on-premise or private-cloud option and a dedicated account manager.
ScreenCloud (pricing)
- Core: $20 a screen a month billed annually, or $24 monthly. Unlimited users and file storage, 80+ apps, remote device management, GraphQL API.
- Pro: $30 annual, or $36 monthly. Adds custom user permissions, user audit logs, proof-of-play logs, dashboards, ScreenCloud Touch and premium apps (Power BI, SharePoint, Staffbase, Simpplr, Unily, CAP emergency alerts).
- Enterprise: priced by quote, annual only. Adds single sign-on, enhanced audit logs, a customer success manager and onboarding.
- Support: 24/7 AI support and 24/5 human support on every plan.
- Trial: 14 days, no card. At the end, screens stop until you add a card or a payment plan.
- Discounts: 5% for education and non-profits (billing help). Annual plans need 30 days' notice to cancel; you can pause an account for up to 12 months.
ScreenCloud's free player deal
Each ScreenCloud annual plan has a "Free Device" or "Discount" switch. Free Device bills the monthly rate annually ($24 Core, $36 Pro) and adds one PIXI player per screen. Discount bills $20 or $30. So the "free" PIXI costs $48 a screen in year one on Core ($72 on Pro), against $95 to buy it. It applies to new customers only, not to renewals or screens added later. If you already own players, take the discount.
What 10 and 50 screens cost a year
Billed annually, software only.
| Screens | OptiSigns Standard | ScreenCloud Core | OptiSigns Pro Plus | ScreenCloud Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $1,080 | $2,400 | $1,620 | $3,600 |
| 50 | $5,400 | $12,000 | $8,100 | $18,000 |
Price the plan that has the features you need, not the entry plan. If you need approval or audit logs, compare the right-hand columns: ScreenCloud Pro costs about 2.2 times OptiSigns Pro Plus at any screen count.
Player hardware: each vendor's own devices
Both CMSs run on hardware you already own (below). Both also sell their own players, and those are what unlock some features: OptiSigns' remote reboot and screenshot work only on its own players on Pro Plus (remote commands), and ScreenCloud's screen power schedule needs ScreenCloud OS hardware (ScreenCloud OS).
OptiSigns OptiStick ($99.99)
The entry player, an HDMI stick that hides behind the TV (hardware comparison, product page).
- SoC: Amlogic S905Y2, quad-core
- RAM: 2 GB DDR4
- Storage: 16 GB eMMC, plus a microSD slot
- OS: Android 11 (AOSP) on the spec table; the product page lists Android 14, the OS of the next OptiStick (see FCC below)
- Video out: 1 HDMI, 4K at 60 Hz with HDR; H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1 decode
- Ports: 1 USB 2.0, microSD, USB-C for power
- Network: dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, 100 Mbps Ethernet
- Power: 5 V 1 A, 5 W maximum. No PoE.
- Size: 119 x 35 x 14 mm (4.7 x 1.4 x 0.5 in), 0.12 lb
- Duty: rated for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week; up to 4 screen zones recommended
- Warranty: 12 months
- Where: sold direct in the US; on Amazon in Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia
- FCC ID: 2AOVU-ARD3, filed by its maker Shenzhen SEI Robotics with OptiSigns as the trade mark, granted March 2024: Wi-Fi 5 (2x2), Bluetooth and BLE, 5 V. The next OptiStick is filed as 2AOVU-D2OTS (model "optistick4", granted April 2026) with Wi-Fi 6 and Android 14. OptiSigns' own grantee code holds an older 2022 TV box, 2A5ZA-X96S.
OptiSigns Pro Player ($349)
A fanless metal box for 24/7 screens and small video walls (Pro Player, shop, setup guide).
- CPU: Intel Pentium, quad-core
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 128 GB industrial SSD, plus microSD
- OS: OptiSigns OS, a locked-down Linux
- Video out: 3 HDMI 2.0b, 4K at 60 Hz; up to 3-screen video walls
- Ports: 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 USB-C, 3.5 mm audio, 3.5 mm RS-232 serial
- Network: Wi-Fi 6 (two external antennas), Bluetooth 5.2, gigabit Ethernet, 802.1X enterprise network support
- Power: 12 V 3 A, 20 W maximum, 2.5 x 5.5 mm barrel plug. No PoE.
- Size: 180 x 133.5 x 24 mm (7.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 in), 1.52 lb, mounting bracket included
- Display control: HDMI-CEC, RS-232, auto power-on and RTC wake for a hardware power schedule
- Certification: FCC, CE, RoHS
- Warranty: 12 months
OptiSigns ProMax Player ($799)
The top player, for 8K content and 4-screen video walls (ProMax, shop).
- CPU: Intel Core 12th Gen, 6-core
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5
- Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD
- OS: OptiSigns OS (Linux)
- Video out: 1 DisplayPort (8K) and 3 HDMI 2.1; 8K playback, or a 4-screen wall at 4K per screen (add-on needed)
- Ports: 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 USB-C, 3.5 mm audio, 3.5 mm serial
- Network: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, gigabit Ethernet, 802.1X
- Power: 12 V 5 A, 45 W maximum, 2.5 x 5.5 mm barrel plug. No PoE.
- Size: 135 x 127 x 38 mm (5.3 x 5 x 1.5 in), 1.85 lb, mounting bracket included
- Warranty: 12 months
OptiSigns also sells touch kiosks with the player built in: the OptiKiosk 10 (10.1 inch countertop), 32 and 50.
ScreenCloud PIXI ($95, or free on an annual plan)
ScreenCloud's entry player, a small square box (store, PIXI).
- SoC: Amlogic S905Y5, quad-core Cortex-A55, Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
- RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 64 GB eMMC, plus microSD
- OS: ScreenCloud OS, built on Android 14; the player starts at boot as the launcher
- Video out: HDMI, 4K at 60 Hz output with 1080p rendering
- Ports: HDMI, Ethernet, 2 USB-A, microSD, optical S/PDIF, 3.5 mm AV, DC power
- Network: Wi-Fi 5 (2x2 MU-MIMO), Bluetooth and BLE, 100 Mbps Ethernet. No 802.1X enterprise networks and no manual DNS (PIXI network help).
- Power: 5 V 2 A adapter. No PoE.
- Size: 105 x 105 x 20.5 mm, 120 g, plastic case
- In the box: HDMI cable, power supply (US or UK plug), remote
- Remote management: online status, refresh, restart player, clear cache, screenshot, daily restart time
- Warranty: 1 year
- FCC ID: 2BNWE-PIXI, granted to ScreenCloud Inc in April 2025; built by Shenzhen Oranth Technology
ScreenCloud Station P1 Pro, ScreenCloud OS ($199)
The commercial player, made by Firefly (ScreenCloud OS, store).
- SoC: Rockchip RK3399, 6-core (2 Cortex-A72 + 4 Cortex-A53, up to 1.8 GHz), Mali-T860 MP4 GPU
- RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 32 GB eMMC, plus microSD
- OS: ScreenCloud OS; boots straight into the player in kiosk mode
- Video out: 1 HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort over USB-C, 4K at 30 Hz with 4K rendering
- Ports: 1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB-C, 3.5 mm jack (audio out is not supported)
- Network: dual-band Wi-Fi 5 with an external antenna, gigabit Ethernet, enterprise network support
- Power: 12 V 2 A, 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug (9 to 12 V input); 3.6 W typical, 9.6 W maximum
- PoE: No. ScreenCloud says to use a PoE splitter with a 12 V, 5.5 x 2.1 mm output.
- Size: 124 x 79 x 31 mm (4.9 x 3.1 x 1.2 in), 365 g, fanless aluminium case, runs from -20 to 60 C
- Warranty: 1 year, free replacement; a 3-year warranty costs 25% of the device price. Software support runs 5 years after the model is discontinued.
- FCC: the original Station P1 is 2AXTJ-STATION-P1 (Firefly, 2020)
Which player for which job
- One menu or promo screen, business hours: OptiStick ($99.99) or PIXI ($95). The PIXI has twice the RAM and four times the storage; the OptiStick plugs straight into the HDMI port with no mounting.
- 24/7 screens on a corporate network (802.1X): OptiSigns Pro or ScreenCloud Station P1 Pro. The PIXI and OptiStick do not support enterprise Wi-Fi.
- Video walls or 8K: only OptiSigns sells a player for it (Pro: 3 screens; ProMax: 4 screens or 8K). ScreenCloud sells no video-wall player.
- Power over Ethernet: none of the five has it. Use a PoE splitter that matches the player's power input.
Which other devices each one runs on
OptiSigns (supported hardware):
- OptiSigns' own players and OptiKiosk kiosks
- Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Raspberry Pi, iOS
- Android TV boxes and sticks, Chromecast with Google TV
- Apple TV (tvOS 14 or later), Roku, LG webOS Signage commercial TVs, Samsung TVs, BrightSign
- The Amazon Signage Stick and Fire OS 7 Fire TV Sticks
ScreenCloud (supported devices):
- Windows, macOS, ChromeOS 140 or later, iPadOS
- Android 7.1.2 or later, Chromecast with Google TV
- Fire TV and the Amazon Signage Stick
- LG webOS Signage 6.0, Samsung Tizen SSSP10 (commercial displays only), BrightSign OS 8 or later
- No Roku app; Apple TV only by AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad
Does either run on a Fire Stick?
On the Amazon Signage Stick, yes, both. On a consumer Fire TV Stick, only older models:
- OptiSigns: Fire OS 8 sticks, including the current Fire TV Stick 4K, are not supported. Fire OS 7 sticks (Fire TV Stick 4K Gen 1, Fire TV Stick Lite) still start OptiSigns at boot, but OptiSigns does not recommend the Lite. Newer Vega OS sticks, such as the Fire TV Stick Select, are not compatible (OptiSigns Fire Stick help).
- ScreenCloud: Fire OS 7 is the minimum. Fire OS 8 blocks the permission the player needs to start at boot, so ScreenCloud lists those sticks, including the 2023 Fire TV Stick 4K, as not recommended (ScreenCloud Fire TV Stick 4K help).
On the Signage Stick ($99.99, built for signage), the two differ:
- ScreenCloud is on Amazon's list of CMSs with Remote Management: restart, screen capture and display on or off from the CMS (Amazon CMS partners).
- OptiSigns is not on that list. Its remote reboot and screenshot work only on OptiSigns' own players, and its free plan does not run on the Signage Stick.
What happens when the screen loses internet?
Both keep playing downloaded pictures, videos and documents. Both skip YouTube, Vimeo and other live streams until the connection is back.
- OptiSigns: downloads all files to the device first; changes you make while it is offline arrive when it reconnects. An optional on-screen offline icon appears up to a minute after the drop (offline playback, offline indicator).
- ScreenCloud: caches each item after it first plays. The cache may use up to 50% of free storage on Android and Fire TV, 10 GB on ChromeOS and 5 GB on Windows and macOS; the oldest files go first (cache limits).
- Power cut and outage together: some Android-based devices running ScreenCloud cannot reboot into cached content and show "Waiting for internet connection" until the network returns. ChromeOS devices restart and play (ScreenCloud offline support). On a site with unreliable power, test this on your own device.
Content approval and roles
Both have a sign-off step. They price it differently.
- OptiSigns: "Approval Workflow & Collaboration", team workspaces and roles, and audit logs are on Pro Plus ($13.50 annual, $15 monthly).
- ScreenCloud: edits to a live playlist stay a draft until someone with publish rights selects Publish, with a "Compare changes" view of draft against live. A creator can hand work over for approval (ScreenCloud playlists). Custom user permissions, which decide who may publish, and user audit logs are on Pro ($30 annual, $36 monthly).
Security, sign-in and data region
- SOC 2: OptiSigns has a SOC 2 Type II report (security). ScreenCloud is audited for SOC 2 Type 2 every year and holds Cyber Essentials (security). Neither lists ISO 27001.
- SAML single sign-on: OptiSigns on Pro Plus. ScreenCloud on Enterprise, with a minimum of 35 licences billed annually; SCIM is Enterprise only (ScreenCloud SSO).
- Data region: ScreenCloud puts you in the US or the EU from your sign-up country. OptiSigns hosts in the US and offers the EU, UK, Canada or Australia on request, from Engage (data residency).
- On-premise: OptiSigns Enterprise offers an on-premise or private-cloud option. ScreenCloud lists none.
Where Brix fits
Brix is one plan, priced per screen at $6 a month billed annually or $8 billed monthly, with every feature on it: approval, roles, audit log and proof of play are not a higher tier. At 10 screens that is $720 a year; at 50, $3,600.
- Players: the Amazon Signage Stick ($99.99) is Brix's main player, and Brix is on Amazon's Remote Management list for it. Brix also runs on Fire TV, Android boxes, Google TV and Android TV sets, and Windows.
- Moving over: free migration, usually in a day. We move your content, playlists and screens.
- Not the right pick when: you need SAML (Brix is OIDC only), a SOC 2 report, an LG webOS, Apple TV or BrightSign player, a synced video wall, or ScreenCloud's intranet and HR apps. Choose between OptiSigns and ScreenCloud using the sections above.
For each vendor alone, see OptiSigns alternatives, ScreenCloud alternatives and ScreenCloud pricing. Start a free 7-day Brix trial, no card needed.
FAQ
Is OptiSigns cheaper than ScreenCloud?
Yes, on every published plan. $9 against $20 a screen a month at entry (annual), and $13.50 against $30 for the plans with approval and audit logs.
Does ScreenCloud have a free plan?
No. It has a 14-day free trial with no card. OptiSigns has a free plan for up to 3 screens, with its logo on screen.
Which is better for internal communications?
ScreenCloud. Its Pro plan adds apps for Staffbase, Simpplr, Unily, Firstup, SharePoint and Power BI, plus CAP emergency alerts.
Which is better for retail and restaurants?
OptiSigns, on price and range: 100+ apps and templates from Standard, an interactive kiosk designer on Engage, and its own touch kiosks.