gonovi.com

What It Is

Novi is an organization-level event tracking and countdown display tool from Umbo LLC, built for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and the Web. Its core use case is not complex project management, but continuously displaying countdowns for key events, milestones, or tasks that matter to an organization on TV screens—reducing the need to repeatedly send reminder emails like “how many days are left.”

Core Features and Collaboration

The product supports custom event categories at the organization level. Administrators can adjust category order, edit categories, and set colors in the Web interface. Each category can also be configured with countdown colors based on the number of days remaining, making it suitable for visual reminders. The Apple TV app is intended for public display, while iOS and the website are used for login, device pairing, and content management. The TV display updates every 10 minutes during the day and pauses at night, with manual refresh also available. For collaboration, Novi supports adding users under an organization and describes access control, but it does not disclose more granular role permissions, approval workflows, or audit capabilities.

Pricing and Deployment

Pricing is relatively clear: the Organizational License costs $499/year and includes 25 users and 4 TVs; the Enterprise License costs $999/year and includes 100 users and 25 TVs; larger deployments require contacting the company. The site mentions that a free trial can be requested, but does not specify the trial duration. Deployment appears to be cloud-based SaaS used together with the iOS and Apple TV apps, with no self-hosting information provided. Billing subscriptions can be managed through an iTunes account and other third-party services.

Security, Integrations, and Limitations

The terms state that user information belongs to the user, and that the service provider processes it only for purposes such as hosting, backup, search, and preview, with possible extension to trusted third parties. However, public materials do not mention SOC 2, ISO, encryption, SSO, APIs, webhooks, or third-party system integrations. One important caveat is that the terms explicitly state Novi is not designed for EU citizens and that EU citizens may not use it, which is a clear limitation for multinational organizations.

Who It’s For and Access from China

Novi is suitable for schools, churches, nonprofits, small business teams, and other users that need to display event countdowns and key information on public screens, especially organizations already using Apple TV. It is not a good fit for enterprises that require complex project management, deep integrations, or strict compliance. Access from China cannot be determined from the available text; if it depends on the App Store, iTunes subscriptions, and Apple TV, procurement and payment may require additional verification. Alternatives to consider include ScreenCloud, Yodeck, OptiSigns, Rise Vision, or local digital signage systems.