Best Alternatives to Mawaqit for Mosque Prayer Time Displays in 2026

Mawaqit has been a popular choice for mosque prayer time displays for years, especially in Europe and North Africa. It is free, open source, and has a large community of mosques behind it. But it is not the right fit for every masjid.

The most common reasons mosque admins look for an alternative:

• Setup is too technical. Mawaqit requires a dedicated device (usually an Android TV box or Mini PC) that someone has to install, configure, and maintain. Many mosques do not have a technical volunteer who can do this.
• No built in donations. If your masjid wants to accept online donations through your prayer display (with a QR code on the TV during Jummah), Mawaqit does not offer this natively.
• Limited customization. Mawaqit has a fixed visual style. If you want different layouts, themes, or per display settings, you are stuck with the default.
• Updates rely on volunteers. Bug fixes and improvements depend on community contributions and your local maintainer staying current.
• Hardware lock in. Once you commit to a specific Android box or Mini PC, replacing it is annoying.

If any of these are why you are searching for an alternative, this post lists the best options in 2026, with honest pros and cons for each.

What to look for in a Mawaqit alternative

Before jumping into the list, here is what actually matters when choosing a mosque display platform:

Hardware requirements. The fewer specialized devices you need, the better. Modern smart TVs have built in browsers. Cheap Fire Sticks and Chromecasts cost 30 dollars. Your mosque should not need to buy or maintain a dedicated computer.

Setup time. A good platform should have you up and running in under 10 minutes. If it takes hours, the platform was not designed for less technical users.

Iqama times management. Your imam needs to update iqama times easily, ideally from his phone, without needing to log in to a desktop or contact a volunteer.

Donations. This is huge. If you can show a donation QR code on your TV during Jummah, you will collect significantly more than mosques that rely on cash boxes alone. Many platforms still treat donations as an afterthought or do not offer them at all.

Languages. Your display should support the languages your community actually speaks. English, Arabic, and Urdu are baseline. French, Turkish, Malay, and others are bonuses.

Multi language community apps. Some platforms have a companion mobile app where the community can check prayer times from their phone. Nice to have.

Pricing. Free is good. Free with optional paid upgrades is also fine. Watch out for platforms that charge expensive monthly fees with long contracts.

Updates and support. Will the platform still be maintained in 2 years? Will someone respond when you have a question?

With that in mind, here are the best alternatives.

1. AzanCast (recommended)

What it is: A modern mosque prayer time display platform built around the idea that everything should run in a web browser. No app to install, no hardware to configure, no maintenance.

How it works: You sign up at myazancast.com, enter your mosque info, and pair a TV by opening a URL on your smart TV (or Fire Stick, Chromecast, laptop, anything with a browser). The display loads instantly. Your imam can update iqama times from his phone. Done.

What makes it different:

• Zero hardware. Runs in any browser. No Android box, no Mini PC, no firmware to flash.
• 5 minute setup. Most mosques go from "never heard of it" to "live on a TV" in under 10 minutes.
• Donations built in. Connect Stripe in 5 minutes, get a donation QR code on your display, accept recurring gifts, send tax receipts automatically. This is the biggest single advantage over Mawaqit.
• Alexa at home. Brothers and sisters in your community can link their Amazon Echo to your masjid and hear your iqama and adhan at home automatically. Not offered by any other major mosque platform.
• 10 display layouts and 16 color themes. Pick whatever fits your masjid's aesthetic.
• Multi language display. English, Arabic, Urdu, French, Turkish, Malay, Japanese.
• Real time updates. Change a setting from your phone, see it on the TV in seconds.
• Free forever for the basics. Pro plan is optional and unlocks unlimited displays, all layouts, media slides, and lower donation fees.
• Direct support. Email us, get a response within a day.

Best for: Masjids that want zero hardware hassle, want to accept online donations, and want a modern setup that just works. Also a strong fit if your community wants the Alexa at home feature.

Pricing: Free forever for the basics. Pro is 20 dollars per month or 169 per year.

Try it: myazancast.com/mosques

2. MyMasjid

What it is: A UK based mosque platform offering websites, mobile apps, and prayer time displays, primarily targeted at British masjids.

How it works: You set up a mosque profile on the MyMasjid platform, configure your prayer times and other settings, and use their tools to publish a website, mobile app, or display.

Strengths:

• Established brand recognition in the UK
• Combines website, app, and display in one platform
• Community of UK mosques using it

Weaknesses:

• Less polished than newer alternatives
• Display features are secondary to the website/app focus
• Donations are a separate paid integration in many cases
• Pricing can add up for mosques that want all the features
• Less popular outside the UK

Best for: UK masjids that specifically want a unified website, app, and display platform from a UK based company.

Pricing: Free tier with paid upgrades for advanced features.

3. DeenKiosk

What it is: A digital signage platform specifically built for mosques, focused on the display side rather than community apps.

How it works: Install their software on a TV connected to a small computer (similar to Mawaqit's hardware approach). Configure prayer times, announcements, and slides.

Strengths:

• Decent feature set for displays
• Established in some North American masjid networks
• Supports announcements and media slides

Weaknesses:

• Requires dedicated hardware to install on
• Setup can be technical
• Limited integrations beyond the display itself
• Less active development than newer alternatives

Best for: Mosques that already have a Mini PC or Android box and just want display software to install on it.

Pricing: Varies, has both free and paid options.

4. Custom website with embedded prayer times

What it is: Building or buying a regular mosque website (WordPress, Squarespace, etc.) and embedding prayer times via a widget or API.

How it works: Your mosque builds a website, drops in a prayer times widget from a service like AlAdhan API or AzanCast's free embed widget, and uses that for both the website and display purposes.

Strengths:

• Full control over your website
• Many third party prayer time widgets are free
• Familiar to anyone who has built a WordPress site

Weaknesses:

• Requires building and maintaining a website
• Display features are secondary, designed for desktop browsers, not TVs
• No iqama countdown, no Jummah handling, no Ramadan mode out of the box
• Donations require separate setup

Best for: Mosques that already have a strong website first strategy and just want a basic prayer times widget on their existing site.

Pricing: Varies based on hosting and widgets used.

5. Athan Pro / Other generic prayer apps with display modes

What it is: Standard prayer time apps that have a "display mode" feature you can leave running on a TV.

How it works: Install the app on a tablet or smart TV, switch to display mode, mount it on the wall.

Strengths:

• Simple to start
• Free for personal use
• Many options exist

Weaknesses:

• Not designed for mosque administration
• No iqama times management for the imam
• No remote control from a phone
• No multi display support
• No donation integration
• Your community cannot interact with it

Best for: Very small masjids or musallahs that just want something basic on a wall and do not need real mosque features.

Pricing: Most are free.

Honest comparison table

Here is a quick comparison of the most important features:

Which one should you pick?

If you want our honest recommendation:

For most mosques in 2026, AzanCast is the strongest alternative to Mawaqit. The biggest reasons:

1. No hardware to buy or maintain. This alone solves the most common reason mosques struggle with Mawaqit.
2. Donations are core, not an afterthought. If your masjid is serious about online giving, this is a huge difference.
3. Modern setup experience. Five minutes from signup to live on a TV.
4. Alexa at home is unique. No other platform offers this, and the brothers and sisters in your community love it.
5. Free for the basics, affordable for Pro. No big upfront costs, no surprise bills.

That said, if you have strong technical volunteers, prefer open source, need offline operation, or your community already knows Mawaqit well, Mawaqit is still a respectable choice and we will not pretend otherwise.

The only platforms we would generally not recommend in 2026 are generic prayer apps in display mode (they are not built for mosques and lack key features) and DIY website widgets (they are not designed for TVs and miss most mosque specific features).

Ready to switch?

If you are looking to move your masjid off Mawaqit (or away from a paper printout, whiteboard, or any other aging system), AzanCast can be set up alongside your existing display in under 10 minutes. You do not have to commit, you do not need a credit card, and you can run it in parallel with your current setup until you are sure.

Sign up free at myazancast.com/mosques or email azancast@gmail.com if you have any questions about migrating from Mawaqit specifically. We have helped several mosques make the switch and can walk you through it.