Best Digital Signage Software of 2026

Here's what we'll cover:

What you need to know about digital signage software

What is digital signage software?

Essential features of digital signage software

Benefits and competitive advantages of using digital signage software

How to choose the best digital signage software for your business

Software related to digital signage

More resources for your digital signage journey

What you need to know about digital signage software

Digital signage software lets users schedule and display content on screens remotely, without having to manually update signage hardware (typically, LED or LCD monitors or tablets). Digital signage offers many advantages over traditional physical signage. Most notably, it allows businesses to display dynamic content, including video and interactive menus. With automated content templates, social media integrations, and remote access, this software also saves businesses money, time, and labor on designing, printing, and installing updated materials. 

Digital signage is becoming ubiquitous in both employee-facing and customer-facing use cases. In both settings, it serves to boost engagement with digital content and enrich the in-person experience. Employers increasingly look to digital signage to increase employee engagement with intranet communications, making it easy for frontline workers who are not bound to a desk or may not have access to company-provisioned devices to receive important messages. [1] On the customer-facing side, luxury retailers are using digital signage to bring digital content to physical storefronts, thereby providing a 360-degree campaign experience. Other brands have explored using digital signage to display interactive, AI-powered shopping assistants in physical stores. [2]

We list over 200 digital signage products on our site, and we’ve published nearly 4,500 verified user reviews for this category in the past year alone. [3]

Digital signage software offers affordable entry points, with starter subscriptions priced from $7.99 to $13.50 per screen per month, and many vendors offer free plans or free trials. [4] Higher-end products with more features and functionality are priced higher. As not all subscription plans support multiple displays, certain content types, or multiple user seats, the complexity of your operations will help determine what you pay for this software. 

First-time buyers should start their search for digital signage software after determining some key requirements for their new investment, including the number of displays and user seats they need to support, the types of content they’d like to display to specific audiences, and their budget. They should ask the following questions when convening stakeholders for product research:

• How many user seats will we need?

• How much customization do we want this tool to offer? For instance, do we need a tool with templates we can customize to reflect our branding? 

• What kinds of content will we display, and where? Will this content be customer-facing or employee-facing? Do we need to support video, social media integration, or interactive content?

• Will we need to integrate this software with any tools in our existing tech stack, such as our CRM, point-of-sale, or ERP, to display certain content?

With over 200 digital signage products listed on our site, it can be difficult to narrow down your options and find the right tool for your business. This guide is here to help—in it, you’ll learn about essential features of digital signage software, pricing, benefits, and tips for selecting and onboarding your new software. 

What is digital signage software?

Digital signage software enables businesses to create, manage, and display digital content on screens such as TV monitors or LED billboards. This can include images, videos, live feeds, or interactive interfaces to advertise products/services or share information in public spaces such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and corporate buildings. Digital signage can be displayed in customer-facing or employee-facing settings. 

The software allows users to schedule which content plays, when, and where from their devices. It provides an efficient way of engaging with audiences by creating visually appealing displays that grab attention easily and enhance communication efforts effectively while saving time and resources.

Businesses use digital signage to display a variety of content, including marketing content, productivity metrics, safety protocols, wayfinding tools, and news.

Essential features of digital signage software

It’s important to choose a digital signage product that has the specific features your business needs. All software in this category comes with a set of core features for storing and scheduling content and remotely displaying content across multiple screens. Other common features allow users to customize templates, edit content, manage playlists, import social media content, and protect sensitive data. We analyzed thousands of reviews from the past year to show you the most critical digital signage software features, according to real users. 

Core digital signage software features

Common digital signage software features

Benefits and competitive advantages of using digital signage software

We analyzed over 4,000 verified reviews from users across industries including food service, education, retail, and healthcare to understand how digital signage software benefits their businesses. In a nutshell, this software saves businesses time and money by allowing them to flexibly update signage without the overhead costs and headache of physically printing and installing new materials. 

Other benefits include:

• The ability to display dynamic content such as videos, GIFs, and interactive content such as QR codes. This content provides more entertainment and information and increases the likelihood that audiences will engage with the display. 

• When used to display productivity metrics or safety protocols in employee-facing settings, this software helps make workplaces more organized. 

• Displaying personalized announcements, QR code-enabled surveys, and calendars improves the customer experience and supports employee communication and morale. 

The specific benefits to your business will vary based on how you use digital signage within your organization. 

How to choose the best digital signage software for your business

1. Assess your business’s needs

You can’t find the right software without knowing how you’ll need it to support your business. Get started by figuring out how you’ll use the tool, how it needs to mesh with your existing tech stack, and how much you want to spend. 

Identify use cases

You should know how you plan to use your digital signage before you start your product search. This includes the following considerations:

• Your audience: Will you display content for customers, employees, or both? 

• Content types: What kinds of content do you plan to display? This may include static images, videos, data and performance metrics, safety protocols, wayfinding tools, and menus, among other types. 

• Users and screens: How many user seats, screens, and physical locations will you need to support? Some subscription tiers limit these factors. 

• Customization needs: Do you plan to use content templates that come with the software, or will you want to modify them or create custom templates from scratch? How do you want to apply your branding to the content?  

• Playlists and timing: How much variety will your content have, and will your playlists change based on the time of day? If you plan to vary your content quite a bit, you’ll want to select a tool with great playlist management functionality. 

Know what integrations you need

Depending on your desired use cases, you may need to integrate your digital signage software with other tools in your tech stack. This could include your point-of-sale tool, your content management platform, CRM, analytics tools, website builder, or content editor. Look for tools that support these integrations. 

Set a budget

Knowing how much you can afford will help narrow your search for digital signage software. There are plenty of affordable and free digital signage products on the market, so you can get started for very little money. As you level up your content, you may have to pay more to support dynamic and interactive content types, as well as adding user seats and locations.

2. Evaluate your options and make a shortlist

Once you have a solid understanding of your use cases, desired integrations, budget, and any other important requirements, start creating a list of possible options. This list should include products you’ve heard about through marketing campaigns, as well as new-to-you products you learn about through product research. Eventually, you should narrow this list down to two to three vendors to engage with further, through demos and free trials. 

Browse top-rated digital signage tools

To kick off your product research, explore our list of digital signage FrontRunners. To be eligible for consideration as a FrontRunner, products must:

• Have at least 20 unique user reviews from the last 24 months

• Be a stand-alone digital signage product

• Offer these core features: content scheduling, media library, multi-screen support, and remote display management

Check out our full methodology for a more detailed understanding of how we compiled the FrontRunners list. 

3. Make your selection

With your shortlist narrowed down to two or three options, start reaching out to vendors to get to know these products up close. 

Schedule product demos

In a vendor demo, your team can watch how the software works and get personalized answers about features, pricing, technical support, and training. Including end users in demos is a good idea, so they can give feedback on how the tool could fit into their day-to-day work. You should seek out demos with all of the vendors on your shortlist to get a complete picture of your options. 

Take advantage of free trials

Before you make your final selection, let your end users practice using the software through a free trial. Use this time (typically two to four weeks) to verify the benefits and usability of the tool that you learned about in the product research and vendor demo. You might find that you discover bugs or issues with user-friendliness that weren’t included in the sales pitch. You can’t lose with a free trial—you’ll either save yourself from making a disastrous purchase, or you’ll soften the landing for end users if you ultimately decide to adopt the software.    

Don’t hesitate to make a decision

If the free trial goes well, go ahead and purchase the software. Our research shows that software buyers achieve the most satisfaction from their purchases when they spend three months or fewer making their decision. [5] 

4. Make the most of your digital signage software 

Now it’s time to start using your new software. Put these tips to use to ensure a smooth outcome. 

Train your team

Take advantage of any hands-on training the vendor offers and explore online resources such as tutorial videos, user guides, or support articles. Reach out to the vendor promptly for support if you run into issues during onboarding. 

Vary your content and leverage customizations 

To get the most engagement from your digital signage tool, make full use of the different content types and customizations it offers. Explore video content and interactive content, and apply your branding where possible. This content will be more engaging to viewers and will help build brand awareness and legitimize the content you display. 

For more help with the implementation stage, check out our five-step guide to a successful software implementation.

Software related to digital signage

• Kiosk software: Kiosk software is designed for interactive terminals that display content and provide access to specific software functions for end users. It transforms PCs, tablets, and mobile devices into interactive self-service kiosks.

• iPad kiosk software: Specifically designed for the Apple iPad.

• Android kiosk software: Specifically designed for Android devices. 

• Live streaming software: Live streaming software helps companies transmit live events over the internet while engaging with their target audience. Businesses use live streaming software to broadcast company events, promote products, and entertain followers.

More resources for your digital signage journey

• Want To Boost Revenue and Loyalty? Retailers Should Invest in Digital Accessibility

• How Automation Enhances (or Hinders) Sensory Experiences in Retail and Food Service

• More Retail Automation, Less Conversation—Global Trends Show Where Shoppers Want Tech and Where They Don't

• Creatively Increase Patient Satisfaction With These 3 Tips

• What Is Digital Signage? Using a Modern Message To Take Your Marketing to the Next Level

About our contributors

Author

Molly Burke is a senior analyst and writer for Software Advice. She covers customer experience and marketing in the retail and restaurant industries, with a focus on how emerging technology is transforming the way everyday people shop. Her research helps business owners make software investment decisions that will help them navigate the ever-shifting retail landscape.

Molly’s research and analysis is informed by more than 120,000 authentic user reviews on Software Advice and nearly 8,000 interactions between Software Advice software advisors and retail software buyers. Molly also regularly analyzes market sentiment by conducting surveys of retail and restaurant leaders, as well as consumers, so she can provide the most up-to-date and helpful information to small and midsize businesses purchasing software or services.

Her insights on generative AI, social media, and other tech trends have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, BBC, CNBC, Forbes, and the Financial Times, among other publications.

Editor

Caroline Rousseau is a content editor at Software Advice. A former content analyst, Caroline has, for the past five years, built, written and edited research reports about technological trends, opportunities, and challenges with a SMB audience in mind. Her content has been featured in French Tier 1 media including Le Monde, L’Express and Le Figaro, among other publications.

Her previous experience as a graphic designer, translator and LQA specialist in various industries converged into a skill set that allows her to create compelling content about today’s business matters. Caroline’s personal interests include literature and art and she has a passion for Albert Camus, graphic novels and drawing.

Sources

1. Modernize Your Intranet to Advance Digital Workplace Goals, Gartner

2. Digital IQ Outlook: Luxury Retail, Gartner (available for Gartner clients)

3. Software Advice reviews data: Software Advice reviews are collected from verified users for individual software products. For this report, we analyzed reviews from the past year as of the production date. Read the complete methodology.

4. Software Advice software pricing data: Only products with publicly available pricing information and qualified software products within the category, as of the production date, are included in the pricing analysis. Read the complete methodology.

5. Software Advice’s 2025 Tech Trends Survey was conducted online in August 2024 among 3,500 respondents in the U.S. (n=700), U.K. (n=350), Canada (n=350), Australia (n=350), France (n=350), India (n=350), Germany (n=350), Brazil (n=350), and Japan (n=350), at businesses across multiple industries and company sizes (five or more employees). The survey was designed to understand the timeline, organizational challenges, adoption & budget, vendor research behaviors, ROI expectations and satisfaction levels for software buyers. Respondents were screened to ensure their involvement in business software purchasing decisions.