TRMNL Booking vs. Joan

Joan alternative for meeting room displays

Joan provides a full workplace platform for desks, visitors, parking, assets and signage. TRMNL Booking is a simpler choice for teams who just need live room schedules and walk-up booking on ePaper or LCD displays.

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The short answer

Two good tools for different jobs.

Joan takes bookings on the display itself. TRMNL Booking takes walk-up bookings through a QR code on the display, accessible anywhere.

Choose Joan if you need

  • An all-in-one solution for rooms, desks, parking, and visitors
  • Joan's purpose-built 6 RE, 6 Pro or 13 Pro displays
  • A touch display for booking at the door
  • One workplace platform for a larger facilities program

Choose TRMNL Booking if you need

  • A wireless room display with walk-up booking
  • Existing tablets, TVs or TRMNLs to be more useful
  • Pricing per bookable resource, not per connected display
  • Month-to-month billing, no contract and a 14-day free trial

Any screen

Use your hardware or ours.

Booking is compatible with dozens of devices, from TRMNL's native ePaper displays to tablets or TVs. Mix and match to fit your space.

  1. 1

    TRMNL ePaper display

    Battery powered devices mounted anywhere. One-time purchase, supports 1,000+ types of content (weather, KPIs, etc) without a subscription to Booking.

  2. 2

    Existing tablet, TV or LCD

    Open the room or collection at its own private URL in a browser. It needs no login or app, and refreshes itself.

  3. 3

    One hallway overview

    Show a collection of rooms on a shared display: up to 9 resources in a grid, or 10 in a list.

Side by side

Joan and TRMNL Booking compared.

Joan facts from Joan's public site, last checked October 1st, 2026.

Feature Joan Workplace TRMNL Booking
Primary scope Full workplace platform Room and resource booking
Calendars Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Exchange, iCal and more Google (personal and Workspace), Microsoft 365, Exchange Online and iCal
Walk-up booking Touchscreen on compatible Joan displays Scan a QR code with any phone
Display options Joan ePaper displays, tablets, TVs and signage screens TRMNL ePaper device or any tablet, TV or LCD with a browser
Other workplace tools Desks, parking, assets, visitors and signage Focused on rooms and bookable resources
Software billing Base plan, plus active users and connected devices Per bookable resource
One room on several displays Each connected display adds a device license The room is billed once

Joan Workplace & TRMNL Booking Cost Comparison

Never receive a pricing change email again.

Joan charges a base price in addition to per-seat pricing and connected display licenses. TRMNL bills each room once, however many screens show it.

Joan Workplace

  • Plans start at $51 a month.
  • Each active user is $1.09 a month on annual billing, or $1.29 on monthly billing.
  • Each connected display is $10.99 a month on annual billing, or $12.99 on monthly billing.
  • Hardware is a separate one-time cost: the Joan 6 RE starts at $399.
  • Prices can vary by region and billing period.

TRMNL Booking

  • Booking is $8 a month, or $80 a year, for each bookable resource shown on a screen. A room on several TRMNL or browser displays still counts once.
  • You can let anyone book your rooms & resources by scanning the QR code. We don't charge according to the number of employees & additional users.
  • TRMNL hardware is optional and sold separately, with volume pricing for teams. You might be able to reuse your existing devices. The list of supported displays keeps growing.
  • Your subscription price stays the same forever.
  • Joan prices retrieved from their website on October 1st 2026.

Hardware & subscription: 3-year cost

Rooms Joan TRMNL

5

$5,809

$1,995 hardware
$106 subscription

$1,895

$695 hardware
$33 subscription
$3,914 savings

10

$9,782

$3,990 hardware
$161 subscription

$3,590

$1,190 hardware
$67 subscription
$6,192 savings

20

$17,729

$7,980 hardware
$271 subscription

$7,180

$2,380 hardware
$133 subscription
$10,549 savings

  • Joan: the $51 a month entry plan, plus a $10.99 a month device license and a Joan 6 RE ($399) for each room.
  • TRMNL: a TRMNL OG for each room ($139 each, or $119 from 10 with team volume pricing), plus $80 a year per room.
  • Annual billing on both sides, over 36 months, before tax and shipping, on October 1st 2026.

Trade-in offers

Make the switch & we’ll sweeten the deal.

We offer a couple ways to leave Joan without wasting what you already paid for.

Already paying for Joan Workplace?

Get TRMNL Booking free for the time remaining on your contract with Joan, up to 12 months. We’ll also throw in volume pricing on our devices at any quantity.

Already have Joan hardware?

We'll share instructions to run TRMNL natively on your Joan display, or credit you a free resource year for sending a photo of retired Joan devices.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an existing tablet or TV?

Yes. Open any room or collection at its own private URL in a browser, on a tablet, TV or LCD screen. It needs no login or app, and refreshes itself.

Do I need TRMNL hardware?

No. Dozens of devices are compatible with Booking. TRMNL ePaper is optional, and a one-time purchase if you want it.

Can visitors book a room?

Anyone who scans the QR code on the display can book from their phone, with no TRMNL account or app. The booking goes straight into your calendar. TRMNL Booking has no visitor sign-in requirement.

Does one room cost more on several displays?

No. You pay for each bookable resource, not for each display. A room on three screens counts once.

Which calendars work?

Google (personal accounts and Workspace), Microsoft (Outlook, Exchange Online rooms and Microsoft Places workspaces) and any iCal feed.

Can I test it before buying hardware?

Yes. Create a free virtual device, connect one calendar and see the room display before you buy anything. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial.

Try Booking on your busiest room.

Create a free virtual device, connect one calendar and test the room display before you buy hardware.

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We sell TRMNL. Joan facts and US prices on this page come from Joan's public site, checked on October 1st, 2026. Joan prices can vary by region, billing period and plan. Hardware, tax and shipping are separate unless stated otherwise. Joan is a trademark of its owner. TRMNL is not affiliated with Joan.