# A free Anthias alternative for a fleet of Raspberry Pi screens > Canonical HTML: https://screenrig.ai/compare/anthias-alternative 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. Updated October 27, 2026 ยท Checked October 27, 2026. > **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. > > **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. ## 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](https://anthias.screenly.io/) is the open source project formerly called Screenly OSE, and the commercial Screenly service has its [own comparison](https://screenrig.ai/compare/screenly-alternative.md). Anthias lets each item run for a set time, between start and end dates, on certain days and hours ([Anthias features](https://anthias.screenly.io/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.](https://screenrig.ai/static-resources/images/screenshots/landing/compare-anthias-library-loop-8e5626ab.webp) *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.* ## Free and free: what is different? | Topic | screenRIG | Anthias | | --- | --- | --- | | Cost | Free. Standard includes up to 50 screens | Free and open source. You supply the Pi and the time | | Screens per install | One agent runs every screen | Each Anthias instance manages one screen | | Devices | Raspberry Pi 4 and 5, Android and Google TV, Amazon Signage Stick, Apple TV, Mac, Windows, Linux, BrightSign, Samsung Smart Signage and any modern browser | Raspberry Pi, x86 PC and some other 64-bit ARM boards ([get started](https://anthias.screenly.io/get-started/)) | Anthias is the right pick when everything must stay on your own network with no cloud account ([Anthias FAQ](https://anthias.screenly.io/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. ## 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](https://screenrig.ai/docs/players.md#raspberry-pi) covers the Pi 4 and 5. An x86 PC runs it too. ## Moving a Pi from Anthias Tell your agent what the Pi shows: > **You:** Move the lobby Pi from Anthias to screenRIG. I have the original images and videos, and the loop is welcome, book sale, hours. > > **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](https://screenrig.ai/docs/start.md) shows how to connect your agent. ## 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](https://anthias.screenly.io/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](https://screenrig.ai/pricing.md). ## Set up your first Pi [Digital signage on a Raspberry Pi](https://screenrig.ai/digital-signage/raspberry-pi.md) shows what to install and what a Pi 5 can play. ## Sources - [anthias.screenly.io](https://anthias.screenly.io/) - [anthias.screenly.io/features](https://anthias.screenly.io/features/) - [anthias.screenly.io/get-started](https://anthias.screenly.io/get-started/) - [anthias.screenly.io/faq](https://anthias.screenly.io/faq/) - [screenrig.ai/docs/players](https://screenrig.ai/docs/players) - [screenrig.ai/docs/agents](https://screenrig.ai/docs/agents) - [screenrig.ai/pricing](https://screenrig.ai/pricing) ## Related - [Free Raspberry Pi Digital Signage (4K on Pi 5)](https://screenrig.ai/digital-signage/raspberry-pi.md): 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 Apps](https://screenrig.ai/compare/screenly-alternative.md): screenRIG 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 Setup](https://screenrig.ai/docs/players.md): Install 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 Verify](https://screenrig.ai/docs/agents.md): screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more. Your AI agent runs your digital signage: assign tasks, publish, update playlists, verify with screenshots. [Start free](https://screenrig.ai/docs/start.md). screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more.