Looking for OctoApp alternatives?
OctoApp is a really nicely-made, EU-built, open-source mobile app for controlling and watching a 3D printer from your phone, with great native touches (home-screen widgets, Wear OS, iOS Live Activities). It connects to the host you already run, OctoPrint, Klipper, Bambu or Elegoo, and for a single maker who just wants a polished phone remote, it's excellent.
The key thing is that OctoApp is an app, not a platform. It has no cloud backend of its own: no print queue, no slicer, no AI, no filament inventory, no team management, and no remote-access tunnel (for off-network use you add OctoEverywhere, Obico, ngrok or a VPN). SimplyPrint is the platform you run a farm or a classroom on, and it has native mobile apps too. Here's a fair, side-by-side look.
OctoApp is a superb native mobile remote for a printer you already host yourself, beautiful UX, cheap, open-source, privacy-friendly and EU-made. If you have one or two printers and just want a great phone app, it's a lovely choice, and it even pairs fine alongside SimplyPrint.
SimplyPrint is a full cloud platform, not just an app, with native iOS and Android apps of its own plus a print queue, AutoPrint continuous printing, a full cloud slicer, AI failure detection, filament inventory with NFC, a maintenance system, multi-user roles with SSO and a school plan. The moment you're past one printer, one person, or want any of that management layer, you've outgrown what an app can do.
An app for one printer vs a platform for a fleet
OctoApp puts a great remote control in your pocket. SimplyPrint is the system that actually operates a farm, and it has apps too.
Where OctoApp is the better pick
For a solo maker, OctoApp is genuinely lovely, and SimplyPrint is happy to say so:
Remote access that just works, and teams
OctoApp is LAN-first and single-user. SimplyPrint is cloud-native and built for shared operations.
OctoApp 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 OctoApp as well!
Pros of using OctoApp
OctoApp has real strengths, and they're worth being honest about:- Excellent native mobile UX: home-screen widgets, Wear OS and iOS Live Activities, fast and focused.
- Open-source & EU-made, privacy-friendly (anonymous, opt-out analytics).
- Cheap: free, with only a small optional supporter unlock.
- Supports the host you already run (OctoPrint, Klipper, Bambu, Elegoo) with no lock-in, and it pairs fine alongside SimplyPrint.
Cons of using OctoApp
Where OctoApp stops, because it's an app, not a platform:- No cloud platform: no print queue, no slicer, no AI, no filament inventory, no statistics or maintenance.
- No remote-access tunnel: off-network use needs OctoEverywhere, Obico, ngrok or a VPN.
- Single-user: no accounts, roles, SSO or education features.
- One printer at a time: no fleet orchestration, bulk actions or continuous printing.
- No native Marlin-over-USB or Duet, it talks to a host you already run.
OctoApp vs. SimplyPrint
Side-by-side list comparison of details and features in OctoApp and SimplyPrint
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|
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|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Has free plan | ||
| Free printers | Unlimited | 2 |
| Max cost | Free + optional one-time unlock | Free, or from $9.99/mo (Pro) |
| Free cloud storage | 1GB | |
| Usage based cost | ||
| Unlimited printing | ||
| Supports all printers | OctoPrint/Klipper/Bambu/Elegoo via host | |
| Features | ||
| Remote access | Bring-your-own (no tunnel) | |
| Filament management | ||
| Filament NFC tags (read & write) | ||
| Filament label printing (Dymo / Zebra) | ||
| 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) | Via host | |
| 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 | See pricing | See pricing |
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!
OctoApp vs. SimplyPrint: frequently asked questions
Is OctoApp or SimplyPrint better?
Does OctoApp have an iOS app?
Can OctoApp manage a print farm?
Does OctoApp work remotely?
What printers does OctoApp support?
Is SimplyPrint a good OctoApp alternative for one printer?
Does OctoApp have AI failure detection?
Can I use OctoApp and SimplyPrint together?
Conclusion
Why SimplyPrint is the Top OctoApp 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 OctoApp alternative!
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