Yodeck is probably the best-value global digital signage platform, and it deserves its reputation. So why would a Tanzanian venue pick anything else? This head-to-head explains exactly where each product wins. Disclosure: this site is operated by Ellertek Solutions (about us); Yodeck facts below come from public Yodeck pricing and documentation, checked July 2026.
What each product is
Yodeck is cloud-based digital signage: you manage content in a web dashboard, and each screen runs from a player (Yodeck's Raspberry Pi-based device is free per screen on annual plans). Plans run roughly $8–15 per screen per month. It excels at menu boards, corporate screens, and scheduled content across many locations.
Ellertek LIVE (Event OS) is a locally engineered display and live-event platform: one Windows PC becomes the control room for unlimited TVs, projectors and phones on the venue's local network — no internet required to operate. Beyond signage, its modules run casino jackpot draws, wedding raffle reveals, live audience voting, queue management, scoreboards and harambee fundraising trackers. Modules are licensed individually in TZS (from 15,000/month), payable by M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money or bank transfer.
Head-to-head
| Criterion | Yodeck | Ellertek LIVE |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ~$8–15 per screen/month | Per module/month, unlimited screens (from TZS 15,000) |
| 12-screen venue, signage | ~$96–180/month (≈ TZS 250,000–470,000) | TZS 50,000/month (signage module, all screens) |
| Internet dependency | Cloud-managed; needs connectivity to update | Fully offline; internet only for activation |
| Hardware per screen | Player device per screen (free on annual) | Any Wi-Fi TV/browser; no per-screen device |
| Payment | Card, USD | M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money, bank, TZS |
| Languages | English (+ EU languages) | Kiswahili & English, switchable live |
| Live events (draws, voting, queues) | Not offered | Core capability |
| Content app integrations | Extensive (weather, feeds, dashboards) | Focused set for venues/events |
| Support | Global online support | Local team, Dar es Salaam, WhatsApp |
| Free trial | Free single-screen plan | 3-day full-platform trial |
Choose Yodeck if…
- You manage corporate or retail signage across multiple countries and want one cloud dashboard.
- Your sites have reliable internet and card payment is no obstacle.
- You need deep third-party content apps (news tickers, Power BI, Google Slides).
Choose Ellertek LIVE if…
- Your venue is in Tanzania or East Africa and internet reliability is a real constraint — LIVE keeps running through outages and power cuts, restoring every screen automatically.
- You have many screens: flat module pricing beats per-screen fees quickly (the crossover is around 3–5 screens).
- You need event moments, not just content rotation — jackpot draws with audit trails, raffle reveals, QR audience voting, queue tickets, pledge thermometers.
- You want to pay in TZS by mobile money, with no auto-renewal and no contracts.
- Kiswahili on screens and announcements matters to your audience.
Try Ellertek LIVE — Event OS
One PC, unlimited screens, zero internet. Free 3-day trial — every module unlocked.
The honest bottom line
These products overlap on signage but were built for different worlds. Yodeck is the right call for cloud-first, card-paying, multi-site corporate signage. Ellertek LIVE is the right call for African venues that need screens and live-event capability that survive bad internet — priced and paid the way Tanzanian businesses actually operate.
Yodeck pricing from yodeck.com and independent reviews, July 2026. Spotted something outdated? Let us know.