Multi-Site Digital Signage Cost: Flat-Rate vs Per-Screen

Running screens across many locations is a cost problem and an operations problem at the same time. On per-screen pricing the bill climbs every time you add a display, so a network that grew from 5 lobbies to 50 is suddenly paying a monthly tax on every screen, and the math gets harder to justify to finance. On the operations side, every site that gets managed separately turns content updates into 50 small projects instead of one.

This page shows the per-screen math in plain terms, the point where flat-rate pricing starts beating per-screen pricing, and how to run every screen across every site from one dashboard. Pricing for CastHub’s flat-rate tiers lives on the pricing page, and you can plug your own vendor’s per-screen rate into the calculator below.

The per-screen math, made transparent

Per-screen pricing is a formula: monthly cost equals the number of screens times the per-screen rate. At a representative rate of $12 per screen per month, a 50-screen network is $600 per month and $7,200 per year before any hardware. A 100-screen network at that same representative rate is $1,200 per month and $14,400 per year, and the line keeps climbing in the same straight ratio for every screen above that.

Flat-rate pricing breaks that ratio. One flat monthly fee covers every screen within a tier, so 50 screens and 500 screens land on the same line item, and the only variable is whether you have moved to the next tier. CastHub bills this way, with one monthly price for unlimited screens inside a tier. See the pricing page for the current figure and the tier breakdown.

Treat your vendor’s published rate as the input that matters. The $12 figure above is a representative number for comparison. Look up the actual rate on the vendor’s own pricing page and plug it into the calculator below to see your real annual cost on per-screen pricing.

The crossover point

The rule for when flat-rate beats per-screen is simple: divide the flat monthly fee by the per-screen rate, and the result is the number of screens at which both plans cost the same. Below that screen count, per-screen pricing is cheaper. Above it, flat-rate is cheaper, and the gap widens with every screen you add.

Single-screen setups, single-site cafes, and small offices with two or three displays are often fine on per-screen plans or free tiers. Yodeck includes the first screen free on annual billing, which makes it the budget pick for one-display deployments. The reason to move to flat-rate is when the network crosses into real multi-site or multi-screen territory, because every new display on per-screen pricing is a recurring tax that flat-rate removes. Frame the choice that way and the math is honest in both directions.

Calculate your per-screen cost

Enter your screen count and your vendor’s per-screen rate to see the monthly and annual cost on per-screen pricing. The flat-rate comparison links out to CastHub’s pricing page rather than printing a number, because tier figures move and you want the current one.

Managing every site from one place

A central dashboard pushes one content update to every site at the same time, so a holiday announcement, a price change, or a corporate message goes everywhere in seconds instead of being uploaded 50 times. The dashboard shows every screen's status, last sync, and current playlist, so an operations lead can audit the whole network without opening a different tool for each site.

Schedules run down to the minute with timezone awareness, which matters when the same playlist needs to play at the same local clock time across sites in different timezones. A weekly schedule defines which playlist plays on which screen group at which time, and the cloud keeps every screen in sync. One-off schedules cover specific events or temporary campaigns without disturbing the regular calendar.

Device groups organize screens by location, function, or shift, and each group can run different content. A multi-location retailer might group screens by store, by region, and by zone (window, queue, back of house), and assign a different playlist to each. The same screen can belong to multiple groups, so a store-wide message and a region-wide message can both reach it.

Emergency alerts override every screen at once across every site. A single trigger fires a full-screen message or a banner across a chosen group, takes priority over the regular schedule, and clears on cancel. Fire drills, severe-weather notices, and security alerts use the same path, and the alert can be scoped to one plant, one campus, or the whole network depending on what the situation calls for.

Alternatives to hardware-heavy systems

Many signage systems require proprietary players that only run their own software, which means you buy new hardware whenever you change CMS vendors. CastHub runs on the smart TVs and streaming devices you already own, including Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, and Windows via a browser. The same hardware works across vendors that use open platforms, so your displays and players outlast any single CMS choice. CastHub is also an approved Amazon Signage Stick CMS partner, which makes the Signage Stick bundle a cheap way to add screens to existing TVs.

AI control as a future-proofing hook

CastHub exposes a production MCP server with OAuth, so any AI assistant that speaks Model Context Protocol can update screens, swap playlists, schedule content, or trigger an emergency alert through natural language instructions. A multi-site operator can tell Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Cursor to push a new holiday loop to every lobby starting Monday and skip the dashboard entirely. Setup documentation lives on the AI and MCP page, with per-assistant guides for each connector.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best software for managing screens across multiple locations?

The best software lets you push one content update to every site at once from a single dashboard, organize screens into groups by location, and keep the monthly cost flat as the network grows. CastHub fits that profile because it runs on the smart displays and streaming sticks you already own and bills one flat monthly price for unlimited screens within a tier. ScreenCloud, OptiSigns, and Yodeck cover the same multi-site management job, but they charge per screen, so the bill climbs with every display you add.

How do you update digital signage across multiple sites at once?

Upload or edit the content once in the cloud dashboard, then publish to a group that contains every screen in every site. The dashboard pushes the change to every screen in seconds, so a price update, a new promotion, or a corporate announcement goes everywhere at the same moment. If a location is offline, the screen plays its cached content and applies the change as soon as it reconnects.

How do you push an emergency alert to all screens at the same time?

Trigger a full-screen emergency message or alert banner from the dashboard or through an automated rule, and it overrides whatever is currently playing on every screen in the targeted group. The override takes priority over the regular schedule and clears when the alert is cancelled. Multi-site teams typically configure groups by location so they can fire a fire-drill or weather alert to one plant, one campus, or every site at once.

How do you schedule content on remote displays?

Build a weekly schedule in the dashboard that specifies which playlist plays on which screen group at which time, with timezone awareness so a noon slot in New York plays at noon Eastern. You can also build simple one-off schedules for specific events or campaigns. The screens follow the schedule on their own and re-sync with the cloud whenever the network is available.

How do you set up playlists for lobby or entrance displays?

Create a playlist that combines the slides, videos, and web content you want a lobby to show, then assign it to the lobby device group on a 24/7 or business-hours schedule. Lobbies often run a welcome message, today's meetings, weather, and brand content on a loop, and groups let you push the same loop to every lobby across every site. Changes to the playlist update automatically on every lobby screen the next time the cloud syncs.

When does flat-rate digital signage pricing beat per-screen pricing?

Flat-rate beats per-screen at the crossover point where the flat monthly fee divided by the per-screen rate equals the screen count. At a representative per-screen rate of $12 per month, that crossover sits in the low single digits of screens, and the savings widen with every screen you add. Single-screen and free-tier setups are often fine on per-screen pricing, but a real multi-site or multi-screen network pays a recurring tax on every new display under per-screen plans.

How much does digital signage cost for 50 or 100 screens?

At a representative per-screen rate of $12 per screen per month, 50 screens runs $600 per month and $7,200 per year, and 100 screens runs $1,200 per month and $14,400 per year, before any hardware. Hardware is separate on both pricing models and depends on the displays and streaming sticks you choose. CastHub's flat-rate tier covers a fixed number of screens for one monthly price, so 50 and 100 screens cost the same within a tier. See pricing for the current figure.

What are the alternatives to hardware-heavy signage systems?

Hardware-heavy systems require proprietary players that only run their own software, which locks you into one vendor and makes refresh cycles expensive. The alternative is a software-only CMS that runs on standard smart displays and cheap streaming devices you already own. CastHub runs on Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, and Windows via a browser, including the Amazon Signage Stick, so the displays and players you already buy stay valid as your CMS choice changes.