Software and tools · Statistics
What Software Do Billboard Companies Use? (2026 Poll Data)
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Short answer
In a Billboard Insider reader poll posted August 11, 2026, Apparatix led with 40%. "Something else" got 28%, an Excel spreadsheet 14%, BillboardPlanet 10% and SignDash 9%. In June 2024, readers named QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet most. These are reader polls, not industry surveys, and neither post gives a sample size.
- August 2026 poll: Apparatix 40%, Something else 28%, Excel 14%, BillboardPlanet 10%, SignDash 9%.
- June 2024 poll: readers named QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet as the top three. No percentages were posted.
- Both are reader polls. Neither post states the number of votes. The 2026 shares add to 101%, so they are rounded.
- OAAA's Tech Locator lists Apparatix and BillboardPlanet under CRM. It also lists firms for ad servers and content systems.
- One in four voters in 2026 chose 'something else,' so the named tools are not the whole picture.
In a Billboard Insider reader poll posted on August 11, 2026, Apparatix got the most votes at 40%. "Something else" got 28%, an Excel spreadsheet 14%, BillboardPlanet 10% and SignDash 9%. An earlier poll, in June 2024, put QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet in the top three. Both are reader polls. They show what some readers said, not what the whole industry uses.
What did the August 2026 poll find?
Billboard Insider posted the results on August 11, 2026. A day earlier, it had asked readers what software they use to manage their out-of-home companies. The results post says there was "lots of interest" in the poll. It gives the shares below.
| Answer | Share of votes |
|---|---|
| Apparatix | 40% |
| Something else | 28% |
| Excel spreadsheet | 14% |
| BillboardPlanet | 10% |
| SignDash | 9% |
| Total (our math) | 101% |
The total is 101% by our math. The post does not say why, but rounding is the likely cause.
How do you read these numbers?
Group the answers into three buckets.
| Bucket | Answers | Share, by our math |
|---|---|---|
| A named billboard system | Apparatix, BillboardPlanet, SignDash | 59% |
| A spreadsheet | Excel | 14% |
| Something else | Not named | 28% |
Apparatix drew four times the share of BillboardPlanet. That is a gap in votes, not in quality. The "something else" share is large. Billboard Insider wrote that it would love to hear more about that group. So more than one in four voters use a tool the poll did not name.
What did readers add?
The results post included two reader notes. One billboard executive said the company outgrew Excel as it grew. The executive asked larger operators about Apparatix. Some called it essential. Others said a better spreadsheet workflow would do. After looking at SignDash, BillboardPlanet and Apparatix, the executive felt none gave everything needed for the price. An East Coast executive said the company uses SignDash. That reader likes AdQuick's map-based charting screen, but notes that it is built for advertisers, not operators.
The August 10 post framed the choices this way. Some people use an Excel spreadsheet. SignDash is simple, and popular with smaller billboard companies. Apparatix and BillboardPlanet are more complicated, with more abilities.
What do the polls say about spreadsheets?
In 2026, 14% of the shares went to Excel. The August 10 post said some people use an Excel spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is free, and it bends to any layout. Its limits are plain. It cannot warn you about a double booking. It has no calendar of open dates. One reader said their company moved past Excel as it grew. Another said a better spreadsheet workflow might be enough. Both can be right. The answer depends on how many faces you sell and how many people sell them. Our management software guide covers when to build and when to buy.
What does "something else" include?
The posts do not say what voters meant. Billboard Insider has named other tools in recent posts. In 2024 it described Quattro, Wave, Caspio and ChargeOver. In January 2026 it listed Adomni, AdQuick, Blip and Vistar as sales platforms for digital boards. A reader named AdQuick's map-based charting in August 2026. In October 2026 it covered the launch of Elevate OOH. We do not know which of these voters had in mind.
What did the June 2024 poll find?
On June 17, 2024, Billboard Insider said it had asked readers the week before which software they use to manage their companies. The top three answers were QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet. The post gives no percentages, no vote counts and no sample size.
| Tool | Where it showed up in 2024 |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks | One of the top three answers |
| Apparatix | One of the top three answers |
| BillboardPlanet | One of the top three answers |
| The Siroky Group Quattro | Described in the post |
| SignDash | Described in the post |
| Wave | Described in the post |
| Caspio | Suggested by Greg Hicks of Hicks Outdoor |
| ChargeOver | Suggested by Greg Hicks of Hicks Outdoor |
How do the two polls compare?
Not closely. The polls ask in different ways, and neither gives a count. You can compare who is named. You cannot compare the shares.
| Tool | June 2024 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Apparatix | Top three | 40% |
| BillboardPlanet | Top three | 10% |
| SignDash | Described | 9% |
| QuickBooks | Top three | Not a choice in the results |
| Excel spreadsheet | Not reported | 14% |
| Something else | Not reported | 28% |
QuickBooks is not in the 2026 results we read. That does not show that fewer people use it. The posts do not say how the 2026 answer list was chosen.
What do the polls not tell us?
Reader polls have limits. Know them before you quote a number.
- No sample size. Neither post says how many people voted.
- No question wording. The 2026 results post does not repeat the question.
- Self-selected voters. Readers chose to vote. We do not know who they are or how big their companies are.
- No dates for the voting window. Only the post dates are known.
- No weights. The posts do not say that votes are weighted by company size.
- Rounded shares. The 2026 shares add to 101%.
Use the polls as a hint about what independents talk about. Do not use them as a market share table.
What does the OAAA Tech Locator list?
OAAA runs a Tech Locator. It is a directory of technology companies that serve out-of-home. You can filter by category and by whether the company is an OAAA member. It groups firms under three heads: data aggregation methods, management systems and transactional systems. The page we read showed only part of the directory, and it shows no total count. A listing is not an endorsement.
| Category | Companies shown on the page we read |
|---|---|
| Customer relationship management | Apparatix, BillboardPlanet, Comscore |
| Computer software | AKI Technologies, Apparatix, BillboardPlanet, FASTEDGE LLC, Reveal Mobile, StreetMetrics, Comscore |
| Lead-to-revenue management | BillboardPlanet, Comscore |
| Content management systems | AdMobilize, ADOMNI, BillboardPlanet, Blue Bite, BroadSign, FASTEDGE LLC, Grand Visual, LiveDOOH Signkick, TPS Engage, Vistar Media, WHEREVERY, Comscore |
| Ad servers | ADOMNI, AKI Technologies, LiveDOOH Signkick, TPS Engage, Vistar Media, Comscore |
| Cloud services | Apparatix, FASTEDGE LLC, Comscore |
Two polled tools appear under CRM or software on the page we read. They are Apparatix and BillboardPlanet. SignDash did not appear in the part we saw.
What is each tool for?
Here is what each named tool does, using the vendors' pages and Billboard Insider's descriptions.
| Tool | What it is for | Price shown |
|---|---|---|
| Apparatix | OOH management: CRM, sales tools, dashboards, automation. It says it serves 400+ operators | None. Demo request |
| BillboardPlanet | Quantum is for operators. Equinox is for agencies | None. Demo request |
| SignDash | Sales and inventory for smaller independents: proposals, e-sign, dashboard | Not posted |
| QuickBooks | Paid cloud accounting and invoicing | Not checked |
| Wave | Free cloud accounting, with paid tiers that add features | Not checked |
| The Siroky Group Quattro | A cloud OOH system, like BillboardPlanet's, with scheduling | Not posted |
| Caspio | A custom cloud database, shaped to your needs | Not checked |
| ChargeOver | Low-cost recurring billing that works with QuickBooks | Not checked |
| Elevate OOH | New CRM, inventory, proposals and contracts for independents | From $350 a month |
| Gabie | Inventory, CRM, proposals and an AI sales rep | Free to 100 faces; then $0.25 a face a month |
The Elevate OOH row comes from its own site, which posts the price. A co-founder wrote its launch post in Billboard Insider on October 6, 2026. It is too new to appear in either poll.
How do owners pair these tools?
Look again at the 2024 top three. QuickBooks does the books. Apparatix and BillboardPlanet run the billboard side. The voters seem to have named tools for different jobs. A back office and an accounting tool can sit side by side, with a sales tool on top. Our best billboard software page shows how.
The 2026 shares add to about 100%. That hints that each voter gave one answer, though the post does not say so. If so, the poll hides pairs. Someone who runs Apparatix for contracts and Excel for planning would show up once. To count tools well, ask people for every tool they use, and for what job each one does.
What does each tool cost?
Few billboard vendors post a price. Here is what each one shows.
| Tool | Price as posted |
|---|---|
| Gabie | Free up to 100 faces, then $0.25 a face a month |
| Elevate OOH | Plans start at $350 a month |
| SignDash | Not posted. Its terms set the price at signup and add $250 a year per extra 100 faces |
| Apparatix | Not posted. Demo request |
| BillboardPlanet | Not posted. Demo request |
See our pages on Apparatix pricing, BillboardPlanet pricing and SignDash pricing for what drives each quote.
Which other vendors does Billboard Insider name?
On January 30, 2026, Billboard Insider ran a list of vendors for building an out-of-home business. It is a list, not a poll. It groups tools by job.
| Job | Vendors named |
|---|---|
| Accounting | QuickBooks, Wave |
| Billboard management software | Apparatix, BillboardPlanet, SignDash |
| Digital billboard help or billing and collections | Brown Dog Outdoor, Skydragon |
| Automated sales platforms for digital boards | Adomni, AdQuick, Blip, Vistar |
| Automated sales platform for IBO members | IBO Speedway |
| Digital billboard makers | Daktronics, Formetco, Media Resources, Watchfire |
| Dynamic ads on digital boards | Lucit |
| Remote monitoring of lights and boards | Outdoorlink |
| Impressions data | Geopath, Place Exchange |
What would make this data better?
A stronger poll would fix the gaps above. It would print the exact question and the number of votes. It would say how long voting stayed open. It would ask each voter how many faces they own. Then you could read the results for small, mid-size and large companies. And it would let a voter pick every tool they use, since many use more than one.
Until then, treat each poll as one data point. Pair it with what vendors say on their own pages, and with what you hear from other owners in your market.
What should you take from this?
Three things stand out.
- Most voters named a billboard system. About three in five picked Apparatix, BillboardPlanet or SignDash.
- Spreadsheets are not gone. About one in seven named Excel.
- The field is wide. More than one in four chose something else, and new tools keep launching.
Pick by your own pain, not by the poll. Our best billboard software page sorts the tools by job. The management software guide lists the questions to ask a vendor.
Questions people ask
What software do most billboard companies use?
In an August 2026 Billboard Insider poll, Apparatix was the top single answer at 40%. In June 2024, readers named QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet most. These are reader polls, so they do not prove what most companies use.
How many billboard companies use spreadsheets?
In the August 2026 poll, 14% of the shares went to an Excel spreadsheet. That is not a majority. The post does not say how many readers voted.
How reliable are the Billboard Insider polls?
They show what some readers said. The posts do not give the question wording, the number of votes or who voted. Treat them as a signal, not as a count of the industry.
What does the OAAA Tech Locator list?
It is a directory of tech companies that serve out-of-home. You can filter by category and by OAAA membership. Apparatix and BillboardPlanet are listed under CRM.
Was Gabie in the polls?
Gabie was not a named choice in the results we read. Some of the 28% who chose 'something else' may use it, but the posts do not say.
Sources
- 01Billboard Insider billboard software poll results (August 11, 2026) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 02What software do you use to manage your out of home advertising company? (August 10, 2026) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 03Quickbooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet are Most Used OOH Software Tools (June 17, 2024) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 04The Vendors You Need to Thrive in Out of Home (January 30, 2026) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 05Elevate OOH Launches CRM Billboard Management Software to Lift Up Independents (October 6, 2026, written by an Elevate OOH co-founder) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 06Elevate OOH (plans and pricing) · Elevate OOH · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 07Tech Locator · OAAA · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 08Apparatix Media Solutions homepage · Apparatix · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 09Quantum for media owners · BillboardPlanet · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 10SignDash: Billboard Sales Software · SignDash · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 11Gabie pricing · Gabie · accessed Oct 12, 2026
Billboard operations and sales research
The Gabie team studies how billboard companies price, sell and run their boards. Every number we publish links to its source.
Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 16, 2026 · How we check facts