DAKboard review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Wall display for calendars, photos and weather on any screen
Black Friday: is there a DAKboard sale?
DAKboard report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a calendar and photo screen for a wall
DAKboard turns any screen into a wall display of calendars, photos and weather, with a free plan and Essential at $5 a month billed annually. It only shows calendars you keep elsewhere, the free plan keeps DAKboard branding and one preset screen, and calendars refresh only every 60 minutes.
Who DAKboard is for
- Fits if you want the family schedule on a wall screen
- Works for an office that wants meeting rooms and photos on a display
Who DAKboard is not for
- Not for you if you want to plan or book anything, since it only displays
- Tight if you stay on Free: 1 predefined screen, 2 calendars and DAKboard branding
- Watch out: calendars refresh every 60 minutes on Free and every 30 on Essential
- Watch out: extra screens cost $4 to $6 a month, and screens and hardware are sold separately
Why DAKboard gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyEssential is $5 a month billed annually and Plus $8, around the category's $4.99 to $6.99 range. Hardware is sold separately.
- CFree plan and trialFree plan: 1 predefined screen, up to 2 calendars and DAKboard branding. A 30-day Essential trial is for new users only.
- DFeaturesIt displays calendars, photos and weather but needs a calendar elsewhere to show anything useful. It is not a calendar you plan in.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You lay out screens and connect each calendar account.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb and an Android app, on any display, with Google Calendar, iCloud, Microsoft 365, Home Assistant, SmartThings and Todoist.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DAKboard's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make DAKboard? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/dakboard#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/dakboard.svg" alt="DAKboard: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where DAKboard stands among calendar and scheduling apps
DAKboard's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 5 of the 89 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 26 of 89) and worst on features (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $6.99 for the category: 24 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 31 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 90 calendar and scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. DAKboard’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 89, level with 34
- CFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 89, level with 41
- DFeaturesAbove 0 of 89, level with 3
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 89, level with 45
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 26 of 89, level with 58
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 81 calendar and scheduling apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep DAKboard, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of DAKboard you could make: calendar and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 80 of the 89 other calendar and scheduling apps grade higher. It costs $60 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- A real app for Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Google Calendar, Apple iCloud Calendar and Microsoft 365 among them.
What this rests on. DAKboard’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is DAKboard?
DAKboard turns a TV, tablet, monitor or Raspberry Pi into an always-on display that shows calendars, photos, weather, news and other blocks you arrange on screen. It pulls in Google, iCloud, Microsoft 365 and ICS calendars. The free plan has one predefined screen and up to two calendars; paid plans add custom layouts.
Worth knowing
- The free plan is limited to 1 predefined screen and 2 calendars, and keeps DAKboard branding.
- Calendars refresh only every 60 minutes on Free and every 30 on Essential.
- Extra screens cost $4 to $6 a month depending on plan and billing, and the trial is only for users who have not tried Essential or Plus.
- DAKboard also sells its own displays and hardware separately, which these plans do not include.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop screens
- Arrange blocks for calendars, photos, weather, news and more on a custom screen. The free plan offers predefined layouts only.
- Calendar sources
- Add Google, Apple iCloud and Microsoft Office 365 calendars, Facebook Events, or any ICS feed, and show them as monthly, weekly, agenda or up-next views.
- Any display
- Runs in a browser on smart TVs, tablets and monitors, as a native app on Fire TV and Android, or on a Raspberry Pi with DAKboard's downloadable OS.
- Screen loops and scheduling
- Plus can chain screens into a loop and schedule when blocks or whole screens show or hide. Both are listed against the Plus plan.
- Refresh speed by plan
- Calendars refresh every 60 minutes on Free, 30 on Essential and 15 on Plus; Plus also has an instant display refresh.
- Integrations
- Essential and Plus open every integration, including Home Assistant, SmartThings, Todoist, stock quotes and external JSON data.
DAKboard pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, DAKboard has a free plan, and paid plans start at $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- 1 predefined screen, up to 2 calendars, photos, weather, news and RSS, with DAKboard branding.
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of Essential for users who have not tried Essential or Plus.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 predefined screen layout, up to 2 calendars, TouchHub, photos, weather and news. |
| Essential | $5per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | 2 custom screens (extra $4 a month), up to 5 calendars, all integrations, templates and custom CSS. |
| Plus | $8per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | 3 custom screens (extra $5 a month), unlimited calendars, 500 MB media library, screen loops and scheduling. |
Read from dakboard.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with DAKboard before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountCheaper per month on yearly billing
DAKboard's pricing page lists Essential at $5 a month and Plus at $8 when billed annually, against $6 and $10 billed monthly.
Stated on dakboard.com
Works with
- Google Calendar
- Apple iCloud Calendar
- Microsoft 365
- Home Assistant
- SmartThings
- Todoist
- OpenWeather
DAKboard alternatives
- DAKboard vs Cozi
Free plan · from $39/yr
- DAKboard vs TimeTree
Free plan · from $4.49/mo
- DAKboard vs FamilyWall
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
- DAKboard vs Google Calendar
Free plan · from $7/mo
Common questions
Does DAKboard have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. DAKboard is listed for Web and Android.
Does DAKboard have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. DAKboard is listed for Web and Android.
Is DAKboard open source?
DAKboard is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.