Cloudy vs the USB stick workflow.
Keep designing in Canva if you like it, the question is how the design gets to your screens. A USB stick means walking to every TV for every change. A signage CMS means publishing once from your phone.
Most small businesses start the same way: design a menu or promo in Canva, export it, copy it to a USB stick, and plug it into the TV. It costs nothing and it works, for one screen that rarely changes. The cracks show when prices change weekly, when you open a second outlet, or when a screen quietly fails and nobody notices. This page lays out exactly what changes when the delivery step moves to a CMS.
USB sticks + Canva by hand
- Walk to every TV with a USB stick for every change
- Each screen is updated one at a time, by hand
- No scheduling, someone swaps content manually
- No way to know a screen is blank until someone sees it
- Content lives on scattered sticks and laptops
- Free, but pays in staff time at every price change
With Cloudy
- Publish once from your phone, every screen updates in seconds
- All screens across all outlets update together
- Breakfast/lunch/dinner and promos switch automatically
- Live online/playing/offline status for every screen
- One content library with playlists, per screen or outlet
- Per-device monthly fee, updates take seconds
Frequently asked
Can I keep designing my menus in Canva?
Yes, keep whatever design tool you like. Export your design and upload it to Cloudy; what changes is delivery: instead of a USB stick, you publish from the dashboard and every screen updates in seconds.
When is a USB stick actually fine?
One screen, content that rarely changes, and someone on-site who doesn't mind swapping files. If that's stable for you, a stick genuinely works, a CMS earns its fee when screens multiply or content changes often.
What does switching from USB to Cloudy involve?
Install the Cloudy app on your smart TV or plug in an Android device, link it with a 4-digit code, and upload the same files you were putting on the stick. Most screens are live in minutes.
Does a CMS need reliable internet at the shop?
Only for receiving updates. Screens play from a local cache, so a network drop won't blank them, they resync when the connection returns.
What does Cloudy cost compared to a free USB stick?
Cloudy is priced per device per month with a 14-day free trial, see the pricing page for numbers. The stick is free until you count the trips to each screen every time something changes.