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Screenly VS Opalstack

Compare Screenly VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

Screenly

Screenly is the secure digital signage company, powering 10,000+ screens across 75+ countries. We build our own hardware and software, for customers from small businesses to the Fortune 500.

Screenly Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source Paid Free trial $17 / Monthly (Up to 5 screens)
Alternatives Is it good?
Opalstack

Managed Hosting for developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses like yours

Opalstack Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Alternatives Is it good?
Sugarbug
Connect your tools into a living knowledge graph. Sugarbug captures every signal to deliver compounding insights and unified context. sponsored
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Screenly seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 3 times since March 2021.

social mentions
3 vs 0
Digital Signage popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Screenly
Opalstack
Website screenly.io opalstack.com
Pricing
Open source Paid Free trial $17 / Monthly (Up to 5 screens) Official pricing
Official pricing
Company 2013 —
Listed in
Digital Signage Marketing Platform Project Management Marketing +1
Hosting Web Hosting Managed Hosting Cloud Hosting +1

About Screenly and Opalstack

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Screenly
Opalstack

Screenly is the secure digital signage company, built for organizations, including those in regulated industries where compliance and security are non-negotiable, that need to display and manage content on screens anywhere in the world. Founded in 2012 as a project to run signage on the Raspberry...

Read more about Screenly

No description of Opalstack yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Screenly 5 features
Opalstack 5 features
  • Ease of Use
    Screenly offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to manage digital signage without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Scalability
    Screenly can effectively scale from a single screen to hundreds, making it suitable for small businesses as well as large enterprises.
  • Remote Management
    The platform allows for remote content management, enabling users to update and control screens from anywhere, which is especially beneficial for organizations with multiple locations.
  • High-Quality Content
    Screenly supports full HD resolution, ensuring that content is displayed clearly and professionally, enhancing viewer engagement.
  • Scheduling
    The software allows users to schedule content in advance, making it easy to plan campaigns and content rotations.
  • Developer-Friendly Hosting
    Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
  • Modern Control Panel
    Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
  • Strong Support for Multiple Applications
    The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
  • Reliable Infrastructure and Support
    Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
  • Limited Scalability Options
    Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
  • Not Ideal for Beginners
    While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
  • Limited Data Center Locations
    Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
  • Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
    Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Screenly
Opalstack

Overall verdict

  • Screenly Pro is generally considered a good option for businesses looking to implement digital signage solutions. Its ease of use, scalability, and powerful features make it a strong contender in the digital signage market.

Why this product is good

  • Screenly Pro is praised for its user-friendly interface, scalable solutions for digital signage, and reliable performance. It supports a variety of media formats, is easy to deploy on multiple screens, and offers cloud-based management which makes it convenient for businesses to update and monitor content remotely. The platform also provides robust support and comes with a community and professional backing, ensuring that users have access to assistance when needed.

Recommended for

    Screenly Pro is highly recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, and enterprises looking for a cost-effective and scalable digital signage solution. It’s particularly beneficial for users who need to manage multiple displays across different locations remotely and want a straightforward setup with minimized hardware limitations.

Overall verdict

  • Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
  • Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
  • Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
  • Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
  • Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
  • Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
  • Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
  • No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

  • Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
  • Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
  • Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
  • Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
  • Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
  • Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Screenly 2 videos + Add
Opalstack 0 videos + Add

Getting Started with Screenly

More videos

  • Tutorial - How to show a weather forecast on a TV with Screenly

No Opalstack videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Screenly
Opalstack
100% 100%
Digital Signage
0% 0%
0% 0%
Managed Hosting
100% 100%
100% 100%
Project Management
0% 0%
0% 0%
Cloud Hosting
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Screenly and Opalstack.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Screenly's answer

  • NASA
  • Amazon
  • Canonical
  • Bupa
  • Lowe's
  • Capital One

What makes your product unique?

Screenly's answer

Screenly is a highly secure and reliable digital signage platform. It is trusted by top organizations like NASA and Amazon, powers over 10,000 screens globally, and is SOC 2 compliant. By building its own hardware and software, Screenly ensures total end-to-end control over safety and performance.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Screenly's answer

You should choose Screenly because it builds both its own hardware and software, giving you complete control over your screens' security and reliability. It offers award-winning cybersecurity, strict SOC 2 compliance, and is trusted by major companies and small businesses alike. Plus, it is highly flexible, allowing you to use Screenly's dedicated media players or display content on any device you already own using a web browser.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Screenly's answer

Screenly’s primary audience consists of organizations and businesses of all sizes—from small companies to Fortune 500 enterprises—that need to manage content on screens globally. It is specifically built for teams in highly regulated, security-conscious industries where strict data protection and compliance are non-negotiable.

What's the story behind your product?

Screenly's answer

Screenly started in 2012 as a simple project created by co-founder Viktor Petersson to run digital signage on the Raspberry Pi. That project evolved into Anthias, which became one of the most popular free and open-source digital signage projects on GitHub. Recognizing the need for a highly secure, enterprise-grade solution, the project grew into a fully managed commercial platform, leading to the official establishment of Screenly, Inc. in 2013. Today, the company differentiates itself by building both its own hardware and software, growing from its open-source roots into a global platform that powers over 10,000 screens.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Screenly's answer

Screenly is built using its own custom operating system, ScreenlyOS, which runs on its dedicated media players, alongside "Screenly Anywhere" which can display content on any device with a modern web browser. The company's open-source version, Anthias, is designed to run on Raspberry Pi hardware and PCs. Under the hood, the platform's infrastructure relies on advanced cloud technologies like Docker and Kubernetes, which the company's CEO utilized as an early adopter to build a highly secure and scalable system.

User comments

Share your experience with using Screenly and Opalstack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Screenly 3 mentions
Opalstack 0 mentions

Tracking Opalstack since Sep 2023.

Alternatives to Screenly and Opalstack

When comparing Screenly and Opalstack, you can also consider the following products.

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