Esper vs FreeKiosk
Esper
esper.ioFreeKiosk
freekiosk.appSide by side
| Figure | Esper | FreeKiosk |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2/mo | €0.80/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Android Kiosk Software | 8.6 (#1) | 8.4 (#2) |
| Cloud hosting | Esper says AWS is its primary hosting vendor and dedicated cloud hosting through Azure and GCP is available to enterprise customers as a premium add-on. | The maker says Cloud fleet data is hosted by OVH in France and is not sold, rented, or shared for advertising. |
| Intended users | Esper says its plans address small businesses, organizations with critical hardware needs, enterprises with complex fleets, and dedicated-device use cases. | The maker describes FreeKiosk Cloud as built for teams managing dozens or hundreds of kiosks across multiple locations. |
| Support | Esper offers support and services tiers with varying training, consultation, and technical support, and trial users can access documentation, getting-started resources, and new-user webinars. | Product support is available at [email protected], and the documentation directs users to the FAQ or GitHub Issues for help. |
Plans
Esper
- Genesis$2 a month
- Bridge$4 a month
- Architect$6 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
FreeKiosk
- FreeKiosk Android appFree
- FreeKiosk Cloud — first deviceFree
- FreeKiosk Cloud — 100–499 devices€0.80 a month
- FreeKiosk Cloud — 1–99 devices€1 a month
- FreeKiosk Cloud — 500+ devicesPriced on request
In their own words
Esper
Esper is a device management system for company-owned hardware such as kiosks, point-of-sale systems, barcode scanners and signage. Esper Deploy lets teams define apps, settings, operating system configuration and security posture, then keep a fleet aligned with that desired state. Esper says its agent can ship in a device image so devices enroll and configure themselves at first boot, typically in under five minutes. Deploy supports Android, iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, Windows and Linux. Esper Foundation is a custom Android OS that Esper says it builds, patches and supports through the device lifecycle. Esper Airwave manages Android firmware updates with staged rollouts and automatic rollback, and can work with any MDM or none. REST APIs support device control and monitoring, including app installation, updates, file transfers and bulk actions. Application distribution includes Android APKs, iOS IPAs, Google Play apps and Apple Business Manager assignments. Plans start at $2 per device/month, and all plans have a 25-device minimum. Esper offers a 30-day trial but no free plan.
FreeKiosk
FreeKiosk turns Android tablets into fullscreen kiosks for websites, web apps and external Android apps. In Device Owner mode, it can hide system controls and prevent users from leaving the kiosk. Video playback and image slideshows support digital signage, while URL Rotation & Planner can cycle through pages or schedule them for particular dates and times. For automation, FreeKiosk provides more than 40 REST API endpoints and native MQTT with Home Assistant auto-discovery. Its optional Cloud dashboard adds live device monitoring, remote commands, groups, configuration profiles, alerts and screenshots. The first Cloud device is free forever with no card required. Rates for 1–99 devices are €1.00 per device per month, and for 100–499 devices €0.80 per device per month; the first device is free in either range. The 500-plus rate is described as below the 499-device rate. The Android app is free and open source under the MIT license, while Cloud source code is not published. FreeKiosk requires Android 8.0 or later; Device Owner setup requires ADB and a factory-reset device.