Thanks to the Apple TV, its management APIs, and some cloud-based software, even the smallest retail stores can now have a digital signage.
![]() These free digital signage software options can help you create an impactful event experience for your attendees.
As an event manager, there’s no statistic more pleasing than a steady rise in the number of attendees at your events.
But getting more attendees is not easy. In a survey conducted by Eventbrite, 56% of event creators said reaching out to new attendees is their number one challenge.
However, “reaching out” is not the only way to get more attendees for your event. You should also focus on connecting with attendees who actually turn up for the event. Giving them a memorable experience will not only increase your chances of gaining return attendees but will also help you gain traction through word-of-mouth promotion.
So, how do you create an impactful impression on your event attendees? By digitizing the in-event experience using digital signage software.
Digital signage has many creative uses at an event, such as allowing attendees to share and view real-time social media feeds about the event, advertising your sponsors, displaying the event on a Google map, and notifying your attendees of event changes in real time. And all of this can be done on a single screen.
Furthermore, free software options mean that even the smallest of event businesses can transition event signs from static to digital.
To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of three free digital signage software options (listed alphabetically). Each of these products has an above-average overall user rating (4.5 out of 5) on Capterra’s digital signage software directory. (Read the full selection methodology here).
The top 3 free digital signage software solutions1. Intuiface
Intuiface has three different software modules that allow you to design your content (Composer), play the content on different devices (Player), and see how end-users interact with the content (Analytics).
You can use all the three modules under Intuiface’s free plan. However, there are limitations. You can create and run designs on different devices but these will be watermarked with Intuiface’s logo. You also only get a single reporting and analytics dashboard, and you won’t have offline access to the tool.
Cost to upgrade: Intuiface has paid subscription plans for its three modules—the Composer starts at $59 per month, the Player starts at $24 per device, per month, and the Analytics starts at $148 per month.
Mobile apps: iOS, Android
Most suitable for: Creative designers with experience using CSS, who want to build interactive, touch-based presentations.
Highly rated by: To date, 100% of Intuiface’s reviews on Capterra’s software directory come from individuals at small businesses across a variety of industries. The top five industries are marketing and advertising, computer software, design, entertainment, and machinery.
Using the Composer module of Intuiface (Source)
2. NoviSign
NoviSign is a cloud-based digital signage solution with features for content design, scheduling, and analytics.
The tool allows you to create interactive content using drag-and-drop widgets, images, and videos. You can display the content on multiple devices using its player tool that runs on Chrome OS, Windows, and Android. You can also schedule dates and time for when you want to run the content.
The tool’s free plan allows you to create and display content; however, there are limitations on storage (80MB), file size uploads (maximum 16MB), and file conversions (up to two). Also, after a 30-day period, commercials and the NoviSign logo get added to your content.
Cost to upgrade: NoviSign has two paid plans: Business ($20 per screen, per month) and Partner (custom pricing).
Mobile apps: Android
Most suitable for: Business that want an easy-to-use solution for creating and deploying interactive content.
Highly rated by: To date, 58% of NoviSign’s reviews on Capterra come from individuals at small businesses, 29% from midsize, and 13% from large businesses. Most reviews are from users in the education management industry, followed by electrical manufacturing, healthcare, and retail.
Using a widget in NoviSign (Source)
3. Yodeck
Yodeck is web-based digital signage software that allows you to create interactive content using videos, images, and presentations. The software requires a Raspberry Pi player, which comes with the annual subscription plan, but not the free or monthly plans.
Yodeck’s free plan lets you create content playlists for different kinds of files, and schedule the play-time for content.
Cost to upgrade: Yodeck comes in three paid subscription plans: Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. Paid plans begin at $7.99 per screen, per month. The annual plans include free Raspberry Pi players.
Mobile apps: The software is accessible via mobile browsers, but there are no native iOS or Android apps.
Most suitable for: Businesses that want an affordable solution and ideally own or have experience using Raspberry Pi players.
Highly rated by: To date, 62% of Yodeck’s reviews on Capterra come from individuals at small businesses, 26% from midsize, and 13% from large ones. Most reviews are from users in the IT services industry, followed by education management, construction, and consumer services.
Adding a video on Yodeck (Source)
Note: We updated this article June 21, 2019, with new software options and have removed software that no longer meets our market definition or is no longer free.
Methodology
We evaluated the products in Capterra’s digital signage software directory (as of June 3, 2019) to determine if there is a free version, and if they met our inclusion criteria.
Free products
For the purpose of this article, we classified a product as free if:
Criteria
Once a tool was classified as free, we analyzed that tool according to the following criteria:
Is it digital signage software?
We evaluated verified free products with at least 10 reviews against our digital signage software definition:
Digital signage software helps business owners remotely design, schedule, and distribute various digital displays for both internal and external use.
This check verified basic digital signage capabilities and appropriateness for the category.
Products were classified as digital signage software if they contain all of the following core features:
Disclaimers
The content in this piece provides opinions and points of views expressed by users; it doesn’t represent the views of Capterra.
The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.
Looking for Event Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Event Management software solutions.
Looking for an app that you can use with your Mac mini to create great-looking digital signage displays? Look no further.
ScreenCloud is designed to work with any hardware you have available - whether that’s an Android TV that can power itself or a regular TV made “smart” using a device like the Mac mini.
Mac mini: an introduction
It’s likely you already know what you’re working with if you’re looking to use a Mac mini to power your digital screens but if not, let’s run through some of its credentials.
A Mac mini is a 19.7cm device which has all of the power of a Mac PC inside it. The idea of a Mac mini is that you can hook it up to a regular PC screen, TV screen or other device to make it “smart”. The Mac mini supports HDTV which is useful for digital signage where you’re working with screens and is also pretty small and light (under one and a half kilos) which makes fixing it somewhere behind your screen easy.
The cost starts at $499 from Apple so while it’s not as cheap as say, an Amazon Fire TV Stick, it’s still much cheaper than trying to buy a brand new iMac or smart TV screen with an operating system already built in.
Setting up your Mac mini with ScreenCloud
Once you’ve ordered your Mac mini, use this simple guide to get it setup.
1. Plug in your Mac mini and connect to Wi-Fi
Once you’ve connected to Wi-Fi on-screen, you can visit https://release.screen.cloud/ and download the ScreenCloud player for Mac mini.
2. Pair up ScreenCloud with your Mac mini
As soon as the ScreenCloud player has downloaded, the app will open and you’ll see a pairing code like the one below. Once you have this, open https://signage.screen.cloud/ on your laptop or PC and sign up for a ScreenCloud account.
3. Add your screen
Once you’ve signed up, you can choose ‘add screen’ from the screen below. Enter your pairing code from the previous step and that’s it! You’re now running content on your screen powered by your Mac mini device.
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4. Choose your content
Now you’re in control of what’s showing on screen you can begin adding existing content such as images, videos, presentations and webpages or incorporating apps from the ScreenCloud App Store such as social media feeds, RSS and news feeds.
5. Create playlists and schedules
Once you’ve added your content of choice, you can then organise it all using the playlist and scheduling tools. Drag and drop different forms of content into one easy-to-assemble playlist and then choose when you want it to show.
To get started, sign up for a free trial at ScreenCloud Signage today and begin showing powerful digital signage content.
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