Shimira ITThe first question with signage isn't "how much", it's "build or buy?" Off-the-shelf signage products are cheap to start and charge per screen forever; custom software is a larger upfront cost you own outright. Which one wins depends almost entirely on how many screens you run and how far your needs stray from the template.
Build vs. buy, honestly
| Off-the-shelf | Custom build |
|---|---|
| Low to start, per-screen monthly fee forever | Larger upfront cost, then it's yours |
| Fine for simple, scheduled content | Handles custom logic, interactivity, integration |
| Cheap at 5 screens, painful at 50 | No per-screen tax as you scale |
| You adapt to their product | It fits exactly how you operate |
The rule of thumb: a few screens with simple needs, buy. Many screens, many locations, or anything the template can't do, build, and stop paying the per-screen tax.
What a custom build costs
| Tier | What's in it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | Central content management, push to screens, basic scheduling | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Standard | Per-screen targeting, offline-first playback, expiry, multiple locations | $20,000 – $40,000 |
| Full platform | Interactivity, analytics, integrations, large-scale fleet management | $40,000+ |
What the cheap systems get wrong
The features that separate signage that works from signage that frustrates are the unglamorous ones: offline playback so a Wi-Fi drop never blanks a screen, real-time push so a campaign goes live in seconds, and expiry on the device so a finished promotion can't keep glowing. Budget systems skimp on exactly these, and it shows in a dark screen at the worst moment.
Building on real experience
Eyeon Portal runs this in production, real-time content across a mall group's kiosks, playing through network drops, enforcing its own expiry. See how we approach digital signage & kiosk software, or tell us your setup for a real estimate.