Spacepad vs. Joan
Joan is built around its own wireless e-ink displays. Spacepad runs on tablets you already own or buy anywhere, so the hardware bill shrinks to a fraction.
Joan makes polished, battery-powered e-ink displays and a full workplace platform around them, hosted in the EU. If cable-free mounting is a must, that is a real advantage. If you want color touchscreens, a free start and a much lower cost per room, Spacepad gets you there with ordinary tablets.
Choose Spacepad if
- You want to reuse existing tablets or buy affordable ones.
- You want a free display to try it, and pay per display after that.
- You need CalDAV, open source code or a self-hosted edition.
- You want color touchscreens with booking, schedules and branding.
Joan may suit you better if
- A wireless, battery-powered installation without cables is a hard requirement.
- You want desk booking, visitor management and room displays from one vendor.
- You prefer the paper-like look of e-ink.
Side by side
| Spacepad | Joan | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Any iPad or Android tablet | Joan e-ink displays, or other screens |
| Typical hardware cost per room Joan shop prices, excluding tax. | €150–400 (a tablet) | €349–1,198 (Joan 6 RE to Joan 13 Pro wired kit) |
| Software price Joan lists these prices for annual billing. | $8 per display/month, or $80/year | Plans from €49/month, extra devices €9.99/month |
| Free plan Joan offers a 30-day free trial. | 1 display, forever | |
| Power | Wired (USB-C) | Battery or wired |
| Display | Full color touchscreen | E-ink (Joan devices) |
| Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace | ||
| CalDAV / Nextcloud Joan support: iCalendar connections cannot book on the spot. | iCal, read-only | |
| Booking, check-in, extend and end on display | ||
| EU data hosting | Netherlands | Belgium (Google Cloud) |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosted edition | Yes, $5 per display/month |
Joan details checked on 19 October 2026 against their public website. Prices and plans change, so always verify with the vendor. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we'll fix it.
No hardware lock-in
A tablet costs a fraction of a dedicated panel, and if a better one comes out, you swap it. Your subscription stays the same.
A real touchscreen
Booking, extending and browsing the day schedule are quick on a color touchscreen, with your logo and colors.
Your servers, if you want
Spacepad is open source and can be self-hosted, so your data never has to leave your own network.
Spacepad vs. Joan: common questions
Sources
Joan is a trademark of its respective owner. Spacepad is not affiliated with Joan.
Try Spacepad on a tablet you already own
One display is free forever. Pro is free for 14 days, no credit card required.