Looking for FilaMan alternatives?
FilaMan is a genuinely impressive open-source project: a fully MIT-licensed, self-hosted filament manager with a DIY ESP32 load-cell scale, PN532 NFC, a big open filament database and hooks into Bambu, Klipper and OctoPrint. If you love running your own Docker server and don't mind a soldering iron, it's a great hobby setup, and we'll happily concede where it shines.
The difference is what it takes to make tracking happen. FilaMan can deduct filament automatically, but only if you build an ESP32 scale, or stand up an external Bambuddy server, or wire a Klipper/Moonraker plugin, each one self-hosted and printer-specific. SimplyPrint's filament manager reads the G-code of every print on any connected printer, including cloud Bambu and Prusa, and deducts usage on its own, with no scale, no broker, no plugin and no server for you to run. Here's a fair, side-by-side look, first purely as a filament manager, then as the whole platform.
There's a lot more to the SimplyPrint filament manager
Automatic usage tracking, NFC across every standard, Bambu & Creality AMS auto-import, direct Dymo & Zebra label printing, drying, storage locations, a mobile app and the Open Filament Database. See it all, with screenshots, on one page.
Explore the filament manager
Compare FilaMan vs SimplyPrint:
FilaMan is a fully open-source (MIT), self-hosted filament manager built around a DIY ESP32 scale and PN532 NFC, with a large open community database and printer hooks for Bambu, Klipper and OctoPrint. It's a great fit if you want to own your whole stack, run your own Docker server and enjoy building hardware, and it's free to self-host (its mobile apps put core features behind a paid in-app purchase).
SimplyPrint is a connected filament manager that's been running inside a print platform since 2020: it reads the G-code of every print on any connected printer, including cloud Bambu and Prusa, and deducts filament automatically, with no scale, no broker, no plugin and no server to run. Add native cross-brand NFC and AMS auto-import from your phone or browser, direct Dymo and Zebra label printing, free iOS and Android apps, the open MIT Open Filament Database (174 brands), and a full platform around it, all free on every plan. If you want tracking that just happens with nothing to build, that's SimplyPrint; if self-hosting an open-source tool and building your own scale is the point, that's FilaMan.
Comparing purely as a filament manager, the deep, head-to-head view.
Automatic tracking with nothing to build
FilaMan can track usage automatically, and that's real, credit where it's due. The catch is everything you have to assemble first. SimplyPrint is already connected to your printer, so the tracking just happens.
Hosted for you, with free apps in your pocket
FilaMan is something you run. SimplyPrint is something you sign in to. That shows up in who keeps the server alive and what it costs to use on your phone.
Where FilaMan is the better pick
FilaMan is a well-made open-source project, and for some setups it's the right call. Credit where it's due:
FilaMan does one job, filament management, and self-hosts it openly. SimplyPrint includes that same filament manager and surrounds it with the rest of a print operation: a print queue, a full cloud slicer, AI failure and bed detection, a maintenance system, teams and permissions, mobile apps and more, in one hosted platform that's free to start. In the table below, FilaMan's column is filament; ours is the whole platform.
The same filament comparison, plus everything else SimplyPrint does that a filament tool doesn't.
Automatic tracking with nothing to build
FilaMan can track usage automatically, and that's real, credit where it's due. The catch is everything you have to assemble first. SimplyPrint is already connected to your printer, so the tracking just happens.
Hosted for you, with free apps in your pocket
FilaMan is something you run. SimplyPrint is something you sign in to. That shows up in who keeps the server alive and what it costs to use on your phone.
Where FilaMan is the better pick
FilaMan is a well-made open-source project, and for some setups it's the right call. Credit where it's due:
FilaMan and SimplyPrint comparison
Nothing is black-and-white, and there are always pros and cons to consider when choosing a 3D printing cloud solution!
And we're not here to simply tell you, that SimplyPrint is the best - we want you to make an informed decision, and of course there are pros of using FilaMan as well!
Pros of using FilaMan
FilaMan has real strengths, and they're worth being honest about:- Fully open-source (MIT): the entire application, server, ESP32 firmware and database software, is MIT-licensed and self-hostable with one Docker command, so you can fork, audit and own the whole stack.
- An open-source DIY smart scale: an ESP32 + HX711 load cell + PN532 NFC build with published schematics, PCB and printable files, giving a real measured weight, hardware SimplyPrint doesn't ship.
- A large open community database: FilamentDB lists tens of thousands of filaments across hundreds of brands, MIT-licensed software with manufacturer self-registration, a REST API and CSV/Excel import.
- Real automatic deduction (with a path chosen): per-print consumption for Bambu via Bambuddy and for Klipper/Moonraker via extrusion-length-to-grams, plus deep Spoolman compatibility (a drop-in Spoolman replacement), Home Assistant, OpenSpool NFC and Bambu AMS slot mapping over MQTT.
- Privacy-first and self-hosted: no tracking, no ads, no cloud; your data stays on your own instance, a real plus for privacy or air-gapped setups.
- Active, fast-moving development: a mature, multi-release project (1,284+ commits across its history) with frequent point releases and basic role-based multi-user access (Administrator / User / Viewer).
Cons of using FilaMan
Where FilaMan asks more of you if you want tracking that just happens:- Automatic tracking means building something first: FilaMan never reads G-code itself, so auto-deduction needs either a DIY ESP32 load-cell scale, an external Bambuddy server, or a Klipper/Moonraker or OctoPrint plugin, each self-hosted and specific to that printer.
- You run the server: there's no hosted option, so the Docker host, database, TLS, remote access, backups and updates are all on you, which is exactly what some people want, and a chore for others.
- The mobile apps gate core features: FilaMan's native iOS and Android apps connect only to your own instance, and core features in the apps sit behind a paid in-app purchase.
- NFC and AMS are DIY and narrower: NFC is a PN532 you wire yourself, reading OpenSpool and FilaMan formats only (no Bambu, Creality or Prusa proprietary tags), and AMS is Bambu slot-mapping, with per-slot weight only through the external Bambuddy server.
- Flat locations and no direct thermal labels: storage locations are a flat list with no nesting, and there's a QR label designer but no documented direct printing to Dymo or Zebra.
FilaMan vs. SimplyPrint
Side-by-side list comparison of details and features in FilaMan and SimplyPrint
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Filament management | ||
| Available since | 2025 | 2020 |
| Free to use | Server free (MIT, self-host); app features paid | |
| Open-source / self-hostable ? | ||
| Filament database ? | FilamentDB (large, open) | Open Filament Database |
| Open, community-built database ? | ||
| Add filament without code or GitHub ? | ||
| Connects directly to your printer ? | ||
| Automatic usage tracking (no manual subtracting) ? | Via DIY scale, Bambuddy or a plugin | |
| AMS auto-import (Bambu / Creality / Anycubic) ? | Bambu slot-mapping; weight via Bambuddy | Bambu, Creality, Anycubic + more |
| Read filament NFC tags | ||
| Write filament NFC tags | ||
| Label printing (direct to Dymo / Zebra) | QR designer; no thermal driver | Dymo & Zebra |
| Barcode / QR scanning | ||
| Drying tracking | ||
| Storage locations | Flat list, no nesting | |
| Cost & spend tracking | ||
| Custom fields | ||
| Mobile app (iOS & Android) | Yes; core features paid | |
| Multi-user / team access | ||
| Import your existing spools ? | Via Spoolman (compatible) | |
| Developer API for filament data ? | ||
| Dedicated hardware (scale / reader / dryer) ? | ||
| Compare | Learn more | Learn more |
SimplyPrint prices are shown in USD; see our pricing page for your local currency. Competitor prices are shown as they publish them.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Filament management | ||
| Free to use | Server free (MIT, self-host); app features paid | |
| Open-source / self-hostable ? | ||
| Filament database ? | FilamentDB (large, open) | Open Filament Database |
| Open, community-built database ? | ||
| Add filament without code or GitHub ? | ||
| Connects directly to your printer ? | ||
| Automatic usage tracking (no manual subtracting) ? | Via DIY scale, Bambuddy or a plugin | |
| AMS auto-import (Bambu / Creality / Anycubic) ? | Bambu slot-mapping; weight via Bambuddy | Bambu, Creality, Anycubic + more |
| Read filament NFC tags | ||
| Write filament NFC tags | ||
| Label printing (direct to Dymo / Zebra) | QR designer; no thermal driver | Dymo & Zebra |
| Barcode / QR scanning | ||
| Drying tracking | ||
| Storage locations | Flat list, no nesting | |
| Cost & spend tracking | ||
| Custom fields | ||
| Mobile app (iOS & Android) | Yes; core features paid | |
| Multi-user / team access | ||
| Import your existing spools ? | Via Spoolman (compatible) | |
| Developer API for filament data ? | ||
| Dedicated hardware (scale / reader / dryer) ? | ||
| General | ||
| Available since | 2025 | 2020 |
| Has free plan | ||
| Free printers | 2 | |
| Max cost | Free, self-hosted | Free, or from $4/printer/mo |
| Free cloud storage | 1GB | |
| Usage based cost | ||
| Unlimited printing | ||
| Supports all printers | ||
| Features | ||
| Remote access | ||
| Knows your printer | ||
| Cloud files | ||
| Print queue | ||
| Livestream | ||
| Gcode analysis | ||
| A.I failure detection | ||
| AI Bed Check (is the bed clear?) | ||
| AutoPrint / continuous printing | ||
| Maintenance & servicing system | ||
| Custom fields | ||
| Staggered Start (for power draw) | ||
| Schedule prints | ||
| Print job history | ||
| Print remotely | ||
| Built-in slicer | ||
| Multi-printer friendly | ||
| Multi-print | ||
| Multi-stream | ||
| Statistics | ||
| API | ||
| Slicer smart-rotation | ||
| Smart filament change | ||
| Bed level helper | ||
| Organization | ||
| Multiple users | ||
| User groups / ranks | ||
| User permissions | ||
| School plan | ||
| Shared files & folders | ||
| Shared slicer profiles | ||
| Hub | ||
| Custom domains | ||
| SSO (single sign-on) | ||
| Notifications | ||
| Email notifications | ||
| Push (mobile / app) notifications | ||
| SMS / text message notifications | ||
| Apps | ||
| Android app | ||
| iOS app | ||
| "PWA" (installable web-application) | ||
| Security & privacy | ||
| Account 2-factor authentication | ||
| Privacy-minded analytics & data-gathering ? | ||
| Support | ||
| Live-chat support | ||
| Phone support | ||
| Email support | ||
| Firmware & gateway support | ||
| OctoPrint install | ||
| Native Moonraker support | ||
| Mainsail install | ||
| Fluidd install | ||
| Klipper support | ||
| Duet3D integration | ||
| Direct Prusa support (MK4, XL and up / new main boards) | ||
| Direct Bambu Lab printer integration | ||
| Support for custom integrations | ||
| Enterprise & partners | ||
| OEM | ||
| Partner program (reseller / distributor) | ||
| Affiliate program | ||
| On-prem / self-hosting ? | Contact us | |
| Compare | Learn more | Learn more |
SimplyPrint prices are shown in USD; see our pricing page for your local currency. Competitor prices are shown as they publish them.
Contact us if you think we made a mistake in our comparison!
FilaMan vs. SimplyPrint: frequently asked questions
Is SimplyPrint or FilaMan better for filament tracking?
Does FilaMan track filament usage automatically?
Is FilaMan free and open-source?
Is FilaMan more open-source than SimplyPrint?
Does FilaMan have a filament database, and is it as good as the Open Filament Database?
Does FilaMan work with the Bambu Lab AMS or NFC tags?
Can I move my FilaMan inventory into SimplyPrint?
Conclusion
Why SimplyPrint is the Top FilaMan Alternative
We made SimplyPrint due to the fact, that nothing else on the market quite fit our needs. We wanted a platform that was easy to use, but still had all the features we needed. We wanted a feature-rich platform, intuitive and easy to use, with a great user experience and actual innovation within the 3D print management software space.
In summary, we - humble and unbiased as we are 😉 - believe that the SimplyPrint platform is a great FilaMan alternative!
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