TelemetryTV vs Play: a fair comparison
TelemetryTV
TelemetryTV is a Canadian cloud platform with its own player OS and developer tools, from $9 per device. It is moving to its next platform, TelemetryOS, by the end of 2027.
Similar Prices — Different Limits
TelemetryTV and Play Digital Signage start at similar prices, but the plans include different things. Here's how they compare on pricing, limits, support, the move to TelemetryOS, content, hardware and teams.
Pricing
TelemetryTV has three self-serve plans per device per month: Entry $9 ($8 billed annually), Core $15 ($13 annually) and Elite $16, which is annual only with at least 10 devices. There's a 30-day free trial.
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Play costs $8 (Essential), $12 (Pro) or $16 (Ultimate) per screen per month, or 10% less annually, and your first screen is free.
TelemetryTV Entry leaves out templates, alerts, tag playlists, proof of play logging, the API and audit logs; those start at Core. Play Essential includes templates, and Play Pro at $12 includes the API, Tags, Alerts and Sync.
TelemetryTV bills every device that was online in the last 30 days, and annual plans are prepaid with no refund for devices that go inactive. It offers no non-profit or education discount. Play bills monthly plans by the hour, so you can stop at any time, and gives non-profits 20% off.
Storage and Users
TelemetryTV plans include set amounts: Entry has 10 GB of storage, 100 GB of bandwidth a month and 5 users; Core 50 GB, 1,000 GB and 100 users; Elite 100 GB, 5,000 GB and 1,000 users.
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Play has no limit on storage, traffic or users on any plan.
Support
TelemetryTV Entry and Core include 24/7 AI chat support. Chat with an expert starts at Elite, and phone support is for its larger network and enterprise plans. One Capterra reviewer writes that support is "limited to ai bots" on the lower plans.
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Play includes free live chat and email with real people 24/7/365 on every plan, plus phone support on weekdays.
TelemetryOS
TelemetryTV is "evolving into TelemetryOS", a new platform with its own Node hardware, AI tools and a rewritten Studio, and says TelemetryTV will merge with TelemetryOS by the end of 2027. TelemetryTV stays fully supported until then, with several ways to move.
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Play is one product that is updated continuously, with no platform change ahead.
Content Development
TelemetryTV includes a built-in Canva editor, a menu app and 70+ apps such as weather, calendar, YouTube and RSS. Templates start at Core, and developers get an SDK for web apps, webhooks and HTML overlays.
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Play's editor works in the browser like PowerPoint, with slides, layers, animations, custom fonts and templates on every plan, plus Canva, an AI image plugin and 40+ plugins.
Compatibility
TelemetryTV recommends its own TelemetryTV Box OS (also on Raspberry Pi) and also runs on Android, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Amazon Fire TV and in a browser. Its platform guide says Android is not recommended for 24/7 use. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS and BrightSign aren't in its platform lists.
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Play runs on Amazon Fire TV and Signage Stick, Android, Google TV, Chromecast, Raspberry Pi, Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, BrightSign and any browser, including commercial smart displays. TelemetryTV is stronger on its own hardened OS, IPTV and RS-232 control.
Teams
TelemetryTV offers group permissions and audit logs from Core, PCI DSS and GDPR compliance, and a choice of data region. SAML single sign-on, SCIM and Okta are only on its Enterprise plan, and a SOC 2 report comes with its network and enterprise plans.
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Play includes single sign-on (Microsoft Entra and Okta) and two-factor authentication for all users, with unlimited users and teams on every plan.
TelemetryTV Digital Signage vs. Play Digital Signage: What are the Differences?
In the list below, we’ve made it easy to see the main differences between TelemetryTV Digital Signage and Play Digital Signage: pricing, terms, and what each can and can’t do.
| Feature | Play Digital Signage | TelemetryTV |
|---|---|---|
| Free screens | ||
| Pricing (monthly) | Monthly $8 Annually $7.20 | Entry $9 Core $15 Elite $16 (annual) |
| Supported OS |
|
|
| Country of origin |  USA |  Canada |
| Headquarters | USA | Canada |
| Established | 2013 | 2014 |
| Live chat 24/7 | AI chat; people from Elite | |
| Unlimited storage and traffic | ||
| Unlimited users and teams | ||
| Cloud-based editor (like PowerPoint) | ||
| Templates | From Core | |
| Multi-zone playlists | ||
| YouTube | ||
| Social media | ||
| RSS | ||
| Streaming | ||
| HDMI (video) input | ||
| Works offline | ||
| Emergency strategy setup | ||
| API | From Core | |
| Analytics | From Core | |
| Audit logs | From Core | |
| SSO | Enterprise only | |
| Touch interactive content |
What We Learned Comparing TelemetryTV and Play
We compared TelemetryTV and Play the way a buyer would: published prices, plan limits, supported hardware, support and reviews on Capterra, where TelemetryTV has 4.9 out of 5 from 168 reviews and Play has 4.8 from 939 (October 2026).
What we liked about TelemetryTV: strong reviews, reliable playback, its own hardened player OS, enterprise compliance and a real developer platform.
What held us back compared with Play: storage, bandwidth and user caps, AI-only chat on the lower plans, single sign-on only on Enterprise, annual prepaid billing without refunds for inactive devices, no non-profit discount, and the move to TelemetryOS by the end of 2027.
Who should pick which: choose TelemetryTV if you want its own device OS, developer tools, or enterprise compliance such as SOC 2 and data regions. Choose Play if you want templates and single sign-on from the first plan, no storage or user limits, 24/7 human support and flexible billing.
Our customers love us!
- Organizations use Play to manage their screens.
- 2,500+
- Screens connected across businesses worldwide.
- 25,000+
- Average rating from 939 reviews on Capterra.
- 4.8 / 5
- Average rating from 273 reviews on G2.
- 4.7 / 5
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