Ditto vs. Screenly

Which is Better for Digital Signage?

This comprehensive guide compares Ditto and Screenly. Quickly assess each digital signage solution to make an informed decision for your organization. Compare product features, pricing, hardware and technical specifications.

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Key Points

Ditto is an all-in-one digital signage and screen mirroring solution. Screenly is a digital signage solution.
Ditto costs $399 and Screenly starts at $499.
Ditto runs on Apple TVs and Windows devices while Screenly runs on Raspberry Pi devices.

Compatible Media Player Hardware

Ditto and Screenly offer digital signage on devices connected to TVs, projectors and other monitors.

Ditto:

Screenly:

Ditto runs on devices many organizations already own and have connected to displays, like Windows computers and Apple TVs. This cuts startup costs and deployment time. Screenly runs solely on Raspberry Pi devices with a few options:

Source and build your own Raspberry Pi for every digital sign you need
Purchase a plug-and-play Screenly-branded Raspberry Pi, or
Purchase certain NEC Commercial Displays that have the Raspberry Pi Compute Module built in

Features Breakdown

Ditto contains a library of pre-designed digital signage templates, removing the need for admins and content creators to have advanced graphic design skills. This helps cut down on signage design and creation time. Screenly has several widgets for displaying dynamic content.

	Ditto:	Screenly:
Designed, customizable templates	✔	✕
COVID-19 signage	✔	✔^**
Image uploads	✔	✔
Video uploads	✔	✔
Animated GIF uploads	✔	✕
Automatic and CAP emergency alerts	✔	✕
Manual alerts	✔	✔^***
Widget integrations (weather, clock, etc.)	✔^*	✔
Calendar integration	✔^*	✔^****
Signage scheduling	✔	✔
Set content duration	✔	✔
Playlist organization	✔	✔
User collaboration	✔	✔
Cross-platform screen mirroring	✔	✕

*Coming 2021
**Screenly-branded sample content available only as static, uncustomizable images in the media library
***Screenly’s Priority Playlist feature allows admins to manually override displays with a new playlist
****Must be made publicly accessible online

Screen Mirroring — Ditto only

In addition to digital signage, Ditto offers wireless screen mirroring. Ditto users can screen mirror iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Chromebook and Windows devices to the same displays used for digital signage. Ditto transitions from signage to screen mirroring and back again as needed for a seamless experience.

With Ditto:

Instantly switch from digital signage to screen mirroring and vice versa.
Mirror multiple devices to the same display at once.
Mirror to multiple displays at once.
Minimize contact with shared hardware to collaborate safer and minimize germ transmission.

Ditto wireless screen mirroring is included with a Ditto subscription at no extra cost. Screen mirroring and collaboration tools are not available with Screenly.

Administration and Scalability

The Ditto account portal allows you to remotely manage digital signage, screen mirroring and administration. It’s a web-based application accessible from anywhere. Administrators can scale Ditto throughout an organization using Jamf Pro, Jamf School, Cisco Meraki or other preferred MDMs. This includes the ability to zero-touch deploy and configure Ditto from one central place.

Average Ditto setup time with hardware already deployed: 2-5 minutes per media player.

Screenly admins manage signage and upload content inside their Screenly account. The Screenly dashboard allows admins to reboot players, see network connection status and view previews of what’s playing on each display. If you are familiar with Linux, several third-party management systems exist to manage Raspberry Pi devices.

Cost

Both Ditto and Screenly are priced on a per-media player basis.

Ditto: $399 per year per receiver (media player) — the complete price of Ditto screen mirroring and digital signage software.
Screenly: $431 per year per receiver (media player) — the complete price of a standard Screenly subscription; does not include premium paid features.

Note: Screenly offers an open-source version of its software at no cost. This open-source version of Screenly software does not include a Raspberry Pi device, customer support, security updates, management capabilities, hosting or automatic video encoding.

Price breakdown

It’s likely that you already have a compatible Ditto media player and can begin using Ditto without purchasing any additional technology or equipment. Ditto includes a free, 30-day trial that is full-featured and allows users and admins to use signage, screen mirroring and administration features. If you do require a media player, a device such as an Apple TV HD (priced at $240) will make the total cost of Ditto $638 for one display.

Screenly Raspberry Pi players are sold through third party vendors. IT teams have the option to procure and assemble all the necessary components to build a Raspberry Pi themselves or purchase a Screenly-branded Raspberry Pi. A Screenly-branded Raspberry Pi (priced at $330) will make the total cost of Screenly with a standard business subscription $760 for one display.

Certain NEC Commercial Displays are compatible with Screenly if they contain the Raspberry Pi Compute Module built in. Pricing for these numerous NEC displays varies and can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars.

Screenly offers a priority support service for a premium monthly fee. Full Ditto support and setup assistance is entirely free.

Final Thoughts

Ditto and Screenly both offer digital signage management services. However, Ditto maximizes the use of every display an organization owns with both signage and screen mirroring.

Screenly focuses on displaying live web pages and dashboards in addition to images and videos. While Screenly does not include content creation tools, admins can organize signage content in their Screenly media library. If you’re familiar with Linux, have the IT manpower to setup and deploy Raspberry Pi devices and need to display URLs on your digital signage, consider Screenly.

Ditto focuses on maximizing the value of an organization’s devices with both digital signage and screen mirroring. Ditto allows for wireless collaboration and screen sharing in addition to robust digital signage templates, design and administration tools. Any display in an organization can become a digital sign, a collaboration hub with screen mirroring, or both. With central management, support for multiple MDM platforms and zero-touch deployment, Ditto prioritizes scalability and administration for organizations large and small.

If you’re looking for a digital signage solution that makes the most of your spaces, go with Ditto.