A common frustration when shopping for digital signage software is discovering extra costs that never showed up in the initial quote. High per-screen monthly fees can seriously strain a budget, especially for businesses with many locations.
Hidden costs to watch for
- Setup / activation fees: a one-off charge for every new screen you add.
- Mandatory proprietary hardware: systems that only work with expensive player boxes sold exclusively by the vendor.
- High per-screen monthly fees: bills that grow non-linearly as your screen count grows.
- Feature gating: essentials like scheduling, video wall or reporting locked behind a premium tier.
- Contract lock-in: no reasonable pricing offered without a long-term commitment.
The right approach: transparent pricing that works with hardware you already own
SignOS supports Samsung Tizen/SSSP, Android, LG webOS, Amazon Signage, Apple TV and Windows from a single platform - meaning you can start with the screens you already have instead of being forced into new hardware. A free tier for 1 screen lets you see the real cost before you scale.
Economies of scale should work in your favor
Your per-unit cost should go down as your screen count grows, not up. Always compare total cost at 5, 20 and 100 screens when evaluating a quote.
See what else to check when choosing the right CMS in this guide, and read about the assurance official hardware partnerships provide in our Amazon Signage announcement.