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A free Anthias alternative for a fleet of Raspberry Pi screens

For most Raspberry Pi fleets, screenRIG is the better choice: it is free like Anthias, but one agent runs every screen from one place, where Anthias manages one screen per copy. We make screenRIG; the Anthias facts here link to Anthias's own pages.

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  1. You

    Make a loop for the library's front screen: a welcome slide that always runs, a fall book sale slide for the week of the sale, and a holiday hours slide that starts on November 16. Check that the right ones are showing.

  2. Agent

    Done. Welcome always runs, the book sale runs October 24 to 31, and holiday hours start November 16, at 12 seconds a slide. I fixed two snags on the way, a date format and a missing timezone. I watched a few loops, and only the right slides are showing.

Start freescreenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more.

01 A library's loop, on the screen

A library's loop, on the screen

This is a real session on a test screen, run on 27 October 2026. The test screen was the web Player in a browser, and a Raspberry Pi plays the same playlist. The library, its hours and the sale are made up. Anthias is the open source project formerly called Screenly OSE, and the commercial Screenly service has its own comparison.

Anthias lets each item run for a set time, between start and end dates, on certain days and hours (Anthias features). On screenRIG you ask for the same things in a sentence. Both snags came with a plain message that said what to change, so the agent fixed them itself.

A purple slide on the screen: Friends of the Library, Fall book sale, Saturday, October 31, 10 am to 3 pm, hardcovers $2 and paperbacks $1.
The book sale slide, which is inside its dates. The holiday hours slide is in the same loop and stays off the screen until November 16.

02 Free and free: what is different?

Free and free: what is different?

TopicscreenRIGAnthias
CostFree. Standard includes up to 50 screensFree and open source. You supply the Pi and the time
Screens per installOne agent runs every screenEach Anthias instance manages one screen
DevicesRaspberry Pi 4 and 5, Android and Google TV, Amazon Signage Stick, Apple TV, Mac, Windows, Linux, BrightSign, Samsung Smart Signage and any modern browserRaspberry Pi, x86 PC and some other 64-bit ARM boards (get started)

Anthias is the right pick when everything must stay on your own network with no cloud account (Anthias FAQ). With screenRIG your account and playlists live in the service, and each screen keeps playing what it has already downloaded if the network drops.

03 Which Raspberry Pis can run the Player?

Which Raspberry Pis can run the Player?

The screenRIG Player, the free app that runs on the screen, works on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS. A Pi 5 plays 4K video and a Pi 4 plays 1080p. A Pi running a 32-bit system needs a fresh 64-bit system on its card first, and the Player guide covers the Pi 4 and 5. An x86 PC runs it too.

04 Moving a Pi from Anthias

Moving a Pi from Anthias

Tell your agent what the Pi shows:

  1. You

    Move the lobby Pi from Anthias to screenRIG. I have the original images and videos, and the loop is welcome, book sale, hours.

  2. Agent

    Send me the files and the list of what shows when. I'll rebuild the loop with the same order, times and dates, then check the screen against your list.

  • Keep the Anthias card. A Pi runs one or the other, so use a second SD card for screenRIG and keep the Anthias card until the new loop matches your list.
  • Move the rest in groups. One agent can pair every Pi, tag them and send one playlist to the whole tag. Start shows how to connect your agent.

05 Questions

Questions

Is Anthias free?

Yes. Anthias is open source and costs nothing to run: you supply the Pi and the time, and each instance manages one screen (Anthias FAQ). screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more, and one agent manages every screen.

Can a Pi run Anthias and screenRIG?

Not at once. Each takes over the whole screen, so a Pi runs one of them from its own card.

What does screenRIG cost for a Pi fleet?

screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more. Standard includes up to 50 screens, 1 GB of storage and 10,000 agent requests a month, and each Pi is one screen. See pricing.

06 Set up your first Pi

Set up your first Pi

Digital signage on a Raspberry Pi shows what to install and what a Pi 5 can play.

07 Sources

Checked October 27, 2026

08 Related

Free Raspberry Pi Digital Signage (4K on Pi 5)screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more. A Raspberry Pi 5 or 4 as a signage screen your AI agent runs. The Pi 5 plays 4K video.Screenly Alternative for Custom Screen AppsscreenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more. Screenly's plans beside a screen app your agent builds: a now-serving board, changed with one message.Supported Players and SetupInstall the screenRIG Player on your screen, pair it with your agent, and compare content types, streams and device controls by platform.AI Agent Digital Signage: Publish and VerifyscreenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more. Your AI agent runs your digital signage: assign tasks, publish, update playlists, verify with screenshots.

screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more.

Install the official plugin, pair a screen and your agent publishes to it.

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