Is there a monthly fee for the Nixplay smart photo frame?
Every Nixplay smart photo frame requires a monthly fee to unlock its full feature set. This subscription package is called “Nixplay Plus”. Skylight frame employs a similar subscription-based model – but arguably offers fewer “free” features than Nixplay. With that said, neither of these frames is very useful without paying for their subscription package.
Almost all of Nixplay’s features are locked behind their subscription paywall. Without paying the monthly fees, you won’t have access to cloud storage, the mobile app, online access via a web browser, custom playlists, the ability to delete photos, video & audio support, and more.
Nixplay smart photo frames are barely functional without paying for Nixplay Plus. We don’t like this model as it’s not made abundantly clear when buying the frame. It’s a contentious issue as many users don’t find out they need to pay monthly fees until after a few weeks/months (when internal storage space runs out). By this time, it’s too late to return the frame. They’re then left with a frame that’s almost useless unless they pay up and accept the recurring fees.
Many competing smart photo frames like the Pix-Star offer all the same features – with many being even better. For example, Pix-Star offers free-for-life cloud storage, web albums, video & audio support, a mobile app and web interface, and much more. Yet, Pix-Star doesn’t charge any monthly or hidden fees. Considering that most of Nixplay’s frames are more expensive (by base price) than Pix-Star’s frames, it’s hard to justify their subscription paywall.
We recommend avoiding smart photo frames with monthly fees like Nixplay and Skylight. Instead, go with a frame like Pix-Star or even Dragon Touch as they offer better features without charging a cent extra. When you calculate the total cost of the subscription-based digital photo frames, they become some of the most expensive on the market – and are rarely worth the money!
Can the Nixplay smart photo frame work offline?
Nixplay smart photo frames rely on a constant connection with Nixplay’s servers to sync and view photos in slideshows. While these frames do have internal storage, you can’t receive photos while offline. There are no USB/SD card ports and the only way to send photos is by email or the mobile app. It’s also worth noting that if you don’t pay for the Nixplay Plus subscription, you can only send a couple of photos by email to a single frame at a time.
For comparison, Pix-Star’s frames offer extensive offline functionality. They have 8GB of internal and unlimited USB/SD card support. Insert a USB/SD card (of any size) into Pix-Star’s frames and view slideshows without having to copy anything to internal storage. You get virtually unlimited storage space for all your videos, photos, and audio files.
Almost all Pix-Star’s settings are adjustable while offline. Additionally, all incoming photos (including web albums) are saved for offline use. We don’t recommend buying a smart photo frame that doesn’t function offline (e.g., Nixplay and Skylight frames). They’re not worth the trouble.
How does the Nixplay smart photo frame compare with the Pix-Star?
Nixplay smart photo frames and Pix-Star’s frames are among the most popular smart frames on the market. Both are packed with premium features like mobile app, photo-email, great slideshows, cloud storage, and more. They’re available in various sizes ranging from 10-inches to 15-inches and up.
Unfortunately, Nixplay smart photo frames are severely let down by their monthly fees. Almost all of their features are locked behind the Nixplay Plus subscription paywall. Without paying for this annual subscription, you don’t get cloud storage, video & audio playback, access to the mobile app or web interface, and more.
By contrast, Pix-Star’s smart photo frames have a similar up-front cost (often cheaper than Nixplay frames), yet they don’t charge a cent extra. There are no hidden costs, monthly fees, or catch-you-later costs. Despite this, Pix-Star offers free-for-life cloud storage, video & audio support, the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, access to a web interface, multi-frame control groups, remote configuration support, and the ability to import photos from social media & photo-sharing platforms.
For a far lower long-term cost, Pix-Star’s frames offer a whole lot more. Their slideshow settings are more versatile, you have better control over the settings, and you can manage and control your frames from anywhere in the world. Even if you choose to pay all that extra money from Nixplay Plus, Pix-Star’s frames still offer more features and enhanced functionality. They’re the better value for money option and one of the best smart photo frames on the market at the moment.
Can I play videos on the Nixplay smart photo frame?
Nixplay smart photo frames require that you pay for the Nixplay Plus annual subscription to unlock video and audio support. The only way to send photos to Nixplay’s frames without paying for the monthly fees is by email – and this email feature doesn’t support sending videos.
The only way to send videos is through the mobile app – which is locked behind the paywall. Even with the subscription, you can only play 1-minute video clips. With Pix-Star’s frames, you can play 2-minute video clips and load them to the frame via USB/SD card (Nixplay’s photo frames don’t support USB/SD cards).
Do Nixplay smart photo frames support USB/SD cards?
Nixplay smart photo frames do not support USB/SD cards. They don’t have the relevant hardware (USB/SD card ports/slots). Other top frames like the Aura frame, Skylight frame, and some others don’t support USB/SD cards. They’re the exception rather than the rule.
We almost always recommend getting a smart photo frame that supports USB/SD cards. These frames mustn’t restrict the maximum size of supported USB/SD cards so that you can expand your frame’s storage. There should also be a plug-and-play feature that lets you play slideshows directly off an inserted USB/SD card. You should need to copy their content to the frame’s internal storage before viewing them in slideshows.
Pix-Star’s smart photo frames offer extensive USB/SD card support. You can insert any size of USB/SD card and can play slideshows directly off them. Pix-Star’s frames have 8GB of internal storage and extensive offline functionality. You don’t need to rely on a constant connection with the company servers. This is the ideal setup for families and particularly for elderly users!
