Looking for OctoPrint alternatives?
OctoPrint is the open-source project that, more than anything, made hobbyist 3D-printer monitoring and remote control a thing. We have enormous respect for it, and a bit of history with it: for a long time, the first (and for a while the only) way to connect a printer to SimplyPrint was by installing our OctoPrint plugin. OctoPrint was our gateway.
So let's clear one thing up first: SimplyPrint is not a fork of OctoPrint, and we don't share a single line of code with it. We're a separate platform that talks to OctoPrint through an official plugin, and we've sponsored OctoPrint on GitHub for years. This isn't really an "us vs them". It's a simple, honest distinction: OctoPrint is built to run one printer beautifully. The moment you're running several printers, a classroom, or a farm, the one-OctoPrint-per-printer model starts to hurt, and closing that gap is exactly why SimplyPrint exists.
OctoPrint is free, open-source, and superb at what it was built for: full, hands-on control of a single printer, on your own hardware, extended by a huge ecosystem of community plugins. If you run one printer (or just love tinkering and self-hosting), OctoPrint is genuinely hard to beat, and you can keep it.
SimplyPrint is the layer above that, for when one printer becomes many. Instead of one OctoPrint instance (and one web address) per printer, you get your whole fleet in a single dashboard, reachable from any device, with an auto-assigning print queue and continuous printing (AutoPrint), AI failure detection and bed-check, built-in filament inventory and maintenance, central users, roles and SSO, and a dedicated schools plan. It runs Bambu, Klipper, Prusa, Marlin and Duet machines, and connects through your existing OctoPrint instances too. OctoPrint for one printer; SimplyPrint for a fleet, a classroom, or a farm.
One printer, one OctoPrint. Ten printers, ten of everything.
This is the heart of it. Each OctoPrint instance drives exactly one printer, so ten printers means ten OctoPrint instances, each with its own web address to open and bookmark, and core OctoPrint gives you no single view across them. SimplyPrint was built for the opposite: every printer, and every brand, in one place.
Reach every printer from anywhere, safely
OctoPrint is a local web interface - brilliant on your own network. Getting to it from outside, and reaching today's network-native printers, is where things get more involved.
Where OctoPrint is the better pick (and how we work together)
We mean this sincerely: for a lot of people, OctoPrint is the right answer, and SimplyPrint can't match it on these. Credit where it's very much due.
OctoPrint 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 OctoPrint as well!
Pros of using OctoPrint
OctoPrint has real, lasting strengths, and they're worth being honest about:- Free & open-source: licensed AGPLv3, self-hosted on your own hardware - you own the whole stack, with no subscription and no cloud required.
- Single-printer control: mature, rock-solid control of one printer, with built-in webcam streaming and timelapse.
- Huge plugin ecosystem: around 400 community plugins in the official repository, covering remote access, notifications, slicing, hardware add-ons and more - its biggest differentiator.
- Per-instance multi-user: multiple accounts with granular permission groups (Guest, Read-only, Operator, Admin) on each instance.
- Fully local & private: runs entirely on your network with no cloud, ideal for air-gapped, offline or strict-IT environments.
Cons of using OctoPrint
Where OctoPrint runs into a ceiling once you're past a single printer:- One printer per instance: every printer needs its own OctoPrint instance and its own web address - ten printers is ten of everything, with no unified dashboard in core (and OctoFarm, the community tool that aggregated instances, is now effectively unmaintained).
- No built-in remote access: OctoPrint is LAN-only by default and the project warns against exposing it to the internet, so remote use means a plugin/tunnel or your own VPN.
- No fleet features in core: no cross-printer queue or continuous printing, no filament inventory, no maintenance system, no SSO and no schools/education plan.
- Add-ons for the rest: AI failure detection, notifications and modern slicing all rely on third-party plugins or external services; the built-in slicer is a frozen 2015-era CuraEngine plugin.
- Newer printers need a pre-release connector: network-native machines like Bambu Lab aren't supported by stable OctoPrint yet (they're coming in the in-development 2.0 connector system).
- No official mobile app: every iOS/Android app for OctoPrint is built by independent third-party developers.
OctoPrint vs. SimplyPrint
Side-by-side list comparison of details and features in OctoPrint and SimplyPrint
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|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Has free plan | ||
| Free printers | Unlimited | 2 |
| Max cost | Free (self-hosted) | Free, or from $9.99/mo (Pro) |
| Free cloud storage | 1GB | |
| Usage based cost | ||
| Unlimited printing | ||
| Supports all printers | USB/serial printers | |
| Features | ||
| Remote access | LAN only (plugin/VPN to go remote) | |
| Filament management | ||
| Filament NFC tags (read & write) | ||
| Filament label printing (Dymo / Zebra) | ||
| Knows your printer | ||
| Cloud files | ||
| Print queue | Single printer (plugin) | |
| Livestream | LAN webcam | |
| 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 | Via plugin | |
| Print remotely | ||
| Built-in slicer | Legacy Cura plugin | |
| Multi-printer friendly | One printer per instance | |
| Multi-print | ||
| Multi-stream | ||
| Statistics | Via plugin | |
| 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 | Via plugin | |
| Push (mobile / app) notifications | Via plugin | |
| SMS / text message notifications | ||
| Apps | ||
| Android app | Third-party apps | |
| iOS app | Third-party apps | |
| "PWA" (installable web-application) | ||
| Security & privacy | ||
| Account 2-factor authentication | Via plugin | |
| 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 | Via USB/serial | |
| Duet3D integration | Via USB/serial | |
| Direct Prusa support (MK4, XL and up / new main boards) | Via USB/serial | |
| Direct Bambu Lab printer integration | 2.0 connector (pre-release) | |
| Support for custom integrations | ||
| Enterprise & partners | ||
| OEM | ||
| Partner program (reseller / distributor) | ||
| Affiliate program | ||
| On-prem / self-hosting ? | Yes, open-source & local | 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!
OctoPrint vs. SimplyPrint: frequently asked questions
Is SimplyPrint a fork of OctoPrint, or did you copy it?
Can I use OctoPrint and SimplyPrint together?
Is OctoPrint or SimplyPrint better for multiple printers or a print farm?
Does OctoPrint have remote access like SimplyPrint?
Does OctoPrint support Bambu Lab printers?
Is OctoPrint free, and does SimplyPrint support it?
Should a school use OctoPrint or SimplyPrint?
Does OctoPrint have an official mobile app like SimplyPrint?
Conclusion
Why SimplyPrint is the Top OctoPrint 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 OctoPrint alternative!
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