A ScreenCloud alternative at half the price — that earns it back
ScreenCloud is polished, enterprise-focused, and priced like it. PiAds gives a local venue the parts that matter at $10/screen — and then flips the economics entirely with local ad revenue, 75% to you.
ScreenCloud is genuinely well-made software aimed at employee comms and multi-site enterprises — with per-screen pricing north of $20 and features like dashboards-on-screens that matter to head offices, not counter-service venues. If you're paying ScreenCloud rates to run a menu and promos, you're funding features you'll never open. PiAds does the venue job at $10 flat, sets you up in minutes on the Fire TV Stick you already own, and its ad marketplace can make the screen net-positive.
Being honest: ScreenCloud's product polish is real, its employee-comms features (dashboards, internal channels, SSO) are excellent for corporate deployments, and its support is well-reviewed. For a 200-office enterprise, it's a fine choice.
ScreenCloud vs PiAds at a glance
| ScreenCloud | PiAds | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Enterprise & employee communications | Local venues — customer-facing screens |
| Price per screen | ~$20+/mo | $10/mo flat |
| Earn from your screens | No | Local ad marketplace — you keep 75% |
| Setup | Solid, IT-friendly | 6-character pairing code, guided onboarding |
| Fire TV | Supported | Native app incl. new Vega devices |
What it costs as you grow
| Screens | ScreenCloud / month | PiAds / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ~$20–24 | $10 |
| 5 | ~$100–120 | $50 |
| 20 | ~$400–480 | $200 |
Software list prices only, billed monthly, as published on each vendor's pricing page. PiAds venues additionally keep 75% of any local ad bookings on their screens — most single-screen venues offset the fee entirely. Pricing as of August 2026.
Where ScreenCloud falls short
- •Per-screen pricing around $20+ — over 2× PiAds for a venue use case
- •Product center of gravity is employee comms and enterprise, not customer-facing venues
- •Enterprise features you pay for either way
- •Screens are purely a cost — no earning mechanism
Where ScreenCloud beats PiAds — honestly
- •PiAds doesn't do secure internal dashboards or corporate comms channels
- •No SSO/SCIM today — PiAds targets venues, not IT departments
- •The ad marketplace is strongest for US local venues today
The comparison ScreenCloud can't enter
Every signage platform — ScreenCloud included — treats your screens as a cost. PiAds is the only one with a built-in local advertising marketplace: nearby businesses book slots on your screens, you approve every ad, and you keep 75% of the revenue. For a venue with real foot traffic, that regularly turns the software fee negative.
The 30-minute switch
Most single-venue migrations from ScreenCloud finish inside an hour — here's the low-risk order.
Sign up free — no card. The guided setup creates your venue in a minute.
Pair ONE screen (or just the built-in web player — no hardware needed to test).
Re-upload your media and let onboarding build your first playlist and schedule.
Run both platforms side by side for a week.
Move your remaining screens — pairing each takes about a minute.
Cancel the old subscription. Optionally open ad slots and start earning.
Switching from ScreenCloud, answered
How is PiAds different from ScreenCloud?
Price and purpose. ScreenCloud is enterprise employee-comms software at $20+/screen; PiAds is venue signage at $10 flat — and the only platform where your screens earn local ad revenue, with 75% going to you.
Is PiAds really half the price?
At list price, yes — $10 vs ~$20+ per screen monthly. Factor in ad revenue and the comparison stops being close for a typical local venue.
What am I giving up?
ScreenCloud's corporate features: secure internal dashboards, comms channels, SSO. If your screens face customers rather than employees, you won't miss them.
How fast can I switch?
Media re-uploads directly; the guided onboarding rebuilds your first playlist and schedule automatically. Most single-venue setups finish inside an hour.
Do ads have to run on my screens?
No — ads are optional and every one requires your approval. Run 100% your own content, or open slots and let the screen pay for itself.
Try the alternative that pays you back
Free trial, no card. Pair one screen — or just the web player — and run it next to ScreenCloud for a week.
Start Free