Aura vs Nixplay vs Skylight: A Framer’s Take

Updated May 14, 2026

I framed art for 25 years. Wood, mat, glass, the works. So when I look at a digital frame, I look at it the way I look at a real one. Does it feel like a piece on the wall, or does it feel like a tablet on a stand?

Aura, Nixplay, and Skylight are the three big names. Each one wins on one thing. Here is the short take, then the table.

The Quick Answer

Aura wins on the look and the screen. Skylight wins on grandma. Nixplay wins on video and on the app, but you pay a fee now to get the parts that used to be free.

Head to Head

What a Framer Sees First

The bezel. The Aura Carver and Walden have wide flat bezels that mimic a wood frame. Nixplay and Skylight pick a thin black bezel that looks like a tablet. Same screen behind the glass, very different feel on the shelf.

The other thing I see is the mat. Real frames have a paper mat that adds depth. None of these brands ship a real mat. Skylight gets close with a soft white border in the slideshow. Nixplay puts photos edge to edge. Aura adds a small black border that helps the photo pop.

Screen Quality

Aura wins. The Mason Luxe runs 2048 by 1536. Your phone photos look printed. The Carver runs 1920 by 1200. Both are sharper than Nixplay and Skylight at the same size. Nixplay 10.1 is 1280 by 800. Skylight 10 is 1280 by 800. Skylight 15 jumps to Full HD.

Setup Pain

Skylight is the easy one. You hand grandma the frame, plug it in, and she sees a slideshow. You send pictures to a private email and they show up. No app for her. Aura and Nixplay both need an app on her phone, and grandma is not in love with apps. If you want to learn more, read our grandparent picks.

Storage and Fees

This is the part Nixplay buyers are mad about. Nixplay used to give 10 GB free. They cut it to 500 MB and put Google Photos behind a Plus plan. People left. Read the full story in our Nixplay paywall write-up.

Aura is the calm one. Unlimited cloud, no plan. You buy the frame, you are done. Skylight has a free tier plus a $39 a year Plus plan for video, Google Photos, and Alexa.

Video

Nixplay plays short videos with sound. The 15.6 inch model is the one to get if this matters. Aura skips video. Skylight needs Plus to play it.

Photo Sources

Nixplay still has the longest list: Google Photos, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and camera roll. Aura ties to Google Photos, iCloud, and the Aura app. Skylight uses its email plus the app, with Google Photos on Plus.

The Verdict

Buy Aura if you want a frame that looks like a frame. Buy Skylight if grandma will use it. Buy Nixplay if you want video and you can live with the fee. Three good brands. Pick the one that fits the room and the user.