In today’s competitive market, small businesses are constantly seeking innovative and
cost-effective ways to capture customer attention and enhance their brand presence. Traditional
static signs, while still having their place, often struggle to cut through the noise. This is where
digital signage steps in as a powerful and dynamic solution, offering the ability to display
engaging visuals, real-time updates, and targeted promotions.
This article dives into the world of DIY digital signage, specifically focusing on the best apps that
empower small businesses to transform ordinary screens into vibrant communication channels.
We’ll explore the features, benefits, and considerations of top digital signage applications that
make it easy to design, schedule, and manage compelling content, helping you attract more
customers, boost sales, and elevate your brand on a budget. Here are some of the best options
for you to consider.
VistaCreate
While VistaCreate offers an appealing array of templates and a user-friendly interface for
general graphic design, its suitability as a dedicated DIY digital signage app for small
businesses can be somewhat underwhelming. Although it allows for the creation of static
posters and short video clips that could be used on digital signs, it lacks the robust features and
specialized functionalities that truly optimize content for a dynamic display network. For
instance, managing multiple screens, scheduling content to play at specific times, or integrating
with real-time data feeds, like daily specials or news, is not part of its core offering.
Furthermore, its video capabilities, while present, often come with limitations on duration or
resolution in free or lower-tier plans, which can result in less-than-ideal visual quality for larger
digital displays. Small businesses looking for a comprehensive digital signage solution might
find themselves needing to stitch together multiple VistaCreate exports with separate signage
management software, adding an extra layer of complexity and potential cost. The emphasis is
heavily on design creation rather than seamless content deployment and intelligent display
management, making it more of a content creator for signage rather than a holistic digital
signage app.
Canva
Canva, despite its widespread popularity for graphic design, functions more as a content
creation tool to create your digital display rather than a complete DIY digital signage app in
itself. While its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates, photos, and design
elements make it incredibly easy to design visually appealing static images, short videos, and
animated graphics suitable for digital displays, it lacks the core functionalities of a dedicated
digital signage platform.
Small businesses using Canva for this purpose will quickly encounter limitations when it comes
to managing multiple screens, scheduling content to play at specific times or on recurring loops,
or integrating with dynamic data sources like real-time promotions, social media feeds, or news
updates. Canva’s strength lies in design creation, not content deployment or network
management. Users would typically need to design their content in Canva, download it and then
manually upload it to a separate digital signage player or content management system. Even in
this process, people often face resolution limitations for large displays if not on a Pro plan. This
adds an extra, often cumbersome, step and can negate the DIY simplicity if frequent updates or
sophisticated scheduling are required. While some third-party digital signage solutions offer
direct Canva integrations, these are features of the signage platform, not Canva itself,
highlighting that Canva isn’t a standalone solution for comprehensive digital signage needs.
Snappa
Snappa, while an efficient graphic design tool for quick visual content, falls short when
evaluated as a comprehensive DIY digital signage app for small businesses. Its primary focus is
on creating static images and short social media graphics, making it an excellent choice for
designing content to be used on digital signs, but not for the actual management or deployment
of that content across a display network.
The core limitation lies in its lack of digital signage-specific features. Snappa doesn’t offer
functionalities for scheduling content playback, managing multiple screens remotely, creating
dynamic playlists, or integrating with external data sources like live news feeds or social media
streams. These are all essential components of a true digital signage solution, so this doesn’t do
much for Snappa as a tool for digital signage. While you can design eye-catching promotions or
menu boards within Snappa, you’d then need to export these designs and upload them to a
separate, dedicated digital signage software or hardware. In addition, the number of designs
you can deploy are quite restricted. This multi-step process can be cumbersome and
time-consuming for small businesses aiming for an efficient digital signage setup. For robust
content scheduling, real-time updates, and network oversight, businesses will quickly outgrow
Snappa’s capabilities and need to invest in a purpose-built digital signage platform.
Moovly
Moovly is primarily positioned as an online video creation platform, offering a drag-and-drop
interface and a vast media library for crafting animated videos, presentations, and other
multimedia content. While these capabilities allow small businesses to produce engaging video
content, Moovly’s utility as a comprehensive DIY digital signage app is limited. It excels at
making videos, but not at managing or deploying them across a network of digital screens in a
sophisticated manner.
Dedicated digital signage solutions offer crucial features like content scheduling , multi-screen
management, remote updates, and integrations with real-time data feeds. Moovly, on the other
hand, focuses on video export for platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or for direct download. This
means a small business would still need a separate digital signage player or content
management system to actually display and control their Moovly-created videos on screens.
Furthermore, lower-tier Moovly plans often come with limitations on video length, download
quality , and the number of monthly exports, which can be restrictive for businesses aiming for
high-quality, continuous digital signage content. In essence, Moovly serves as a strong content
generator for digital signage, but not the full solution for DIY management.
PosterMyWall
PosterMyWall emerges as a remarkably strong contender for small businesses seeking a DIY
digital signage app, striking an excellent balance between ease of use and powerful creative
tools. What truly sets it apart is its clear focus on marketing collateral, including a dedicated
section for digital signage templates. This means businesses aren’t just adapting general
designs; they’re starting with layouts optimized for display screens. The platform boasts an
expansive library of professional templates that can be effortlessly customized with a
drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to inject their brand’s personality, add real-time
promotions, and showcase products or services dynamically.
Beyond static images, PosterMyWall supports video content with features like AI-powered
background removal for both images and videos, AI-generated subtitles, and even an AI Voice
tool for quick voiceovers. This allows for the creation of engaging, animated content that
captivates audiences. Furthermore, its ability to integrate with social media scheduling and
email marketing streamlines a small business’s overall marketing efforts, providing a cohesive
content creation and distribution hub. The ease of publishing directly to screens, coupled with its
affordable pricing tiers, makes PosterMyWall an incredibly practical and effective DIY digital
signage solution for attracting customers and enhancing a business’s visual presence.
The rise of DIY digital signage apps has truly empowered small businesses to harness the
power of dynamic visual communication without breaking the bank. By offering intuitive
interfaces, cloud-based content management, and compatibility with affordable hardware, these
solutions are democratizing a technology once reserved for larger enterprises. As AI continues
to evolve, these apps will only become smarter, more personalized, and even easier to use,
ensuring that small businesses can effectively engage their customers and stand out in an
increasingly visual world. When it comes to choosing the right one for you, make sure you
consider all relevant factors such as ease of use, budget, and capabilities.