The Tidbyt Alternative
A familiar 64×32 pixel canvas, with room to make it your own. Our $199 Open-Source Pixel Display Kit combines ESP32-S3 hardware, open firmware, and an owner-run Pixlet bridge for compatible community apps. Built for people who want to program and maintain their display.
Loved the Tidbyt idea? Buy the version that can't die.
Tidbyt popularized a glanceable display for weather, transit, tickers, and scores. Our kit takes a developer-focused approach: standard components, open firmware, MQTT and REST APIs, and local rendering through a bridge you run. It requires more hands-on setup than an app-managed consumer display.
ESP32-S3 + 64×32 HUB75 matrix · open firmware · MQTT + Home Assistant ready · OTA updates from your browser · developer product, all sales final.
Honestly — it depends on how much you want to own it
If your Tidbyt still works and the community servers cover your apps, keep enjoying it. This kit is for the next display — the one you buy knowing nobody can turn it off.
- ›It still works and community projects keep your favorite apps running.
- ›You depend on the existing Pixlet app catalog exactly as it is.
- ›You never want to touch firmware or a config file, ever.
- ›You want source code and local rendering you can maintain. Individual apps can still depend on outside services.
- ›You want MQTT / Home Assistant integration and full source access to every app.
- ›$199 assembled and tested beats a weekend of wiring a DIY panel together.
Same price as the Tidbyt was — but open, and still shipping
Tidbyt: In November 2024, the team announced a manufacturing pause while stating that existing devices, APIs, and support would continue. Check the official announcement and current store for updates.
Divoom Pixoo 64: around $80 — a fun closed gadget, tethered to a phone app, with no open firmware or APIs.
DIY build: roughly $85 in parts (panel, ESP32-S3 board, power supply) plus a weekend of wiring, flashing, and debugging before anything shows on the screen.
This kit: $199 assembled and bench-tested — open-source firmware, MQTT + Home Assistant, browser OTA updates, built-in apps (clock, messages, live weather layouts, flights overhead), and 1,000+ community Pixlet apps via the owner-run bridge.
Tidbyt alternative FAQ
Tidbyt announced a pause in manufacturing in November 2024 when its team joined Modal. That announcement said existing devices, the API, and support would continue. Check Tidbyt directly for current stock and service updates; a manufacturing pause is not the same as a confirmed cloud shutdown.
Our $199 Open-Source Pixel Display Kit offers a 64 by 32 LED canvas, ESP32-S3, open firmware, MQTT, and REST APIs. An owner-run Pixlet bridge renders compatible community apps on your own machine. It suits people comfortable with a developer product and self-serve support; individual apps may need third-party accounts or API keys.
Yes — through the owner-hosted Pixlet bridge. It runs the community-maintained Tidbyt-ecosystem catalog (1,000+ apps) on a machine you keep on — a Pi or an old laptop — and pushes the rendered frames to the panel. A friendly local page (Easy Mode) handles searching the catalog, previewing apps, and building your rotation.
You need basic technical comfort: flashing firmware over USB and editing configuration. Apps arrive as free over-the-air updates. It is a developer-friendly product and all sales are final — if you want a polished, finished display instead, look at the Flight Tracker Mach 2.
Divoom positions Pixoo-64 II as a 64 by 64 pixel-art display managed through its app. Our kit has a 64 by 32 HUB75 panel, ESP32-S3, open firmware, MQTT, and REST APIs for projects you control. Choose based on whether you want an app-managed art display or a programmable development kit.
Yes. The owner-run Pixlet bridge uses the Tronbyt-maintained open-source Pixlet engine and the Tronbyt community apps catalog — 1,000+ apps. Your own always-on machine renders the frames and pushes them to the panel over your LAN; no company server is involved.
The open-source Tidbyt alternative
Same 64×32 pixel canvas, ESP32-S3 inside, apps over free OTA — and every line of firmware is yours to read, fork, and keep forever.