Looking for Watchtower 3D alternatives?
Watchtower is a new print-farm dashboard that runs entirely on your own computer or Raspberry Pi. It's sold as a one-time "lifetime" licence instead of a subscription, and it's crowdfunding on Kickstarter until 31 October 2026. The pitch lands with a lot of farm owners, and it's easy to see why: no cloud, no monthly bill, everything on your own network.
SimplyPrint has run print farms since 2020, and nearly everything on Watchtower's feature list (camera wall, smart queue, filament tracking, AI failure detection, automatic part ejection, Etsy-style order handling) is something farms already run on SimplyPrint, or, in the case of storefronts, already pilot. So the real questions are less about features and more about what you're buying: who keeps the software working as printer firmware changes, what "lifetime" covers, and how much of the platform has been proven at scale. Here's a fair look at both.
Watchtower is a promising local-first dashboard from a two-person team, built by a print-farm operator for farms like theirs. If you want software that never leaves your network, works with the internet down and needs no account, and you're happy to host it, back it up and wait for launch, its Kickstarter offer is appealing.
SimplyPrint has been running print farms since 2020, with 125,000+ users and 6M+ prints managed. It already ships what Watchtower is crowdfunding toward, including a cloud slicer with 7 engines, native iOS and Android apps, and support for 620 printer models from 138 brands. Updates, support and hosting are included for as long as you subscribe. If you'd rather run your farm on a platform with a track record than on a promise, SimplyPrint is the safer choice.
A proven platform vs. a Kickstarter promise
Print farm software is a long-term commitment. Printer firmware changes, Bambu tightens its APIs, new printers launch every quarter, and your software has to keep up. That makes "who keeps this working, and for how long" the most important comparison on this page.
Watchtower details from its Kickstarter campaign, FAQ and creator replies, as of 12 October 2026, while the campaign is still running.
Everything on Watchtower's list, already shipping
Watchtower's feature list will look familiar to any SimplyPrint user. The difference is depth, and that it's already proven on 500+ print farms.
Where Watchtower might be the better pick
Credit where it's due. Watchtower has a few genuine strengths, and for some farms they'll matter most:
Watchtower 3D 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 Watchtower 3D as well!
Pros of using Watchtower 3D
Watchtower has real strengths, and they're worth being honest about:- Fully local: runs on your own Mac, Windows, Linux or Raspberry Pi machine, with no vendor account and no cloud dependency after a one-time licence activation.
- One-time licence: pay once by printer count; further updates after the first year are optional.
- Slicer "virtual printer": Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer can send jobs straight into its queue.
- Smart plugs and texting: native Kasa and Matter plugs with live power draw, and a farm agent you can text from SMS, iMessage, Discord or Slack.
Cons of using Watchtower 3D
Where Watchtower falls short today:- Not launched yet: still on Kickstarter, with licence keys due about 30 days after the campaign closes on 31 October 2026.
- "Lifetime" means a limited update period: one year (two for backers if a stretch goal is reached), then 50% of a retail price that hasn't been published, renewed yearly.
- A two-person team: in the founders' own words, so keeping up with every printer firmware change rests on very few people.
- Four connection methods: Bambu Lab, Klipper, PrusaLink and OctoPrint; Duet isn't among them. Elegoo, Anycubic and more are promised for launch or later.
- No slicer or native apps yet: integrated slicing is a stretch goal, and phones use the browser.
- Features by tier and printer cap: AI detection and ejection start at Basic (10 printers), storefronts and the farm agent at Pro (15); every licence has a printer limit.
- You run the server: 4-8 GB of RAM to start (a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 works), but Watchtower recommends 16 GB for around 10 printers and 32 GB for 30 or more with cameras, and you handle backups and updates.
Watchtower 3D vs. SimplyPrint
Side-by-side list comparison of details and features in Watchtower 3D and SimplyPrint
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Has free plan | ||
| Free printers | 0 | 2 |
| Free cloud storage | Local storage only | 1GB |
| Usage based cost | ||
| Unlimited printing | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | One-time licence + optional yearly updates | Flat plan + per-printer |
| Price per printer | ~US$19/printer once (25-printer licence) | From $4 to ~$3/mo at scale |
| Fair Billing (only pay for printers & seats you use) ? | N/A (one-time licence) | |
| Volume pricing (per-printer cost drops at scale) ? | Larger licences cost less per printer | |
| Supports all printers | Bambu, Klipper, PrusaLink, OctoPrint | |
| Features | ||
| Remote access | Via a VPN or tunnel it sets up | |
| Filament management | ||
| Filament NFC tags (read & write) | ||
| Filament label printing (Dymo / Zebra) | ||
| Knows your printer | ||
| Cloud files | Local library (G-code) | |
| Print queue | ||
| Livestream | ||
| Gcode analysis | ||
| A.I failure detection | Spaghetti only (Basic licence+) | |
| AI Bed Check (is the bed clear?) | Camera bed-clear check (Basic+) | |
| AutoPrint / continuous printing | Ejection templates (Basic+) | |
| 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 | 3 roles, 85 permissions | |
| User permissions | ||
| School plan | ||
| Shared files & folders | ||
| Shared slicer profiles | ||
| Hub | ||
| Custom domains | Via Cloudflare Tunnel | |
| SSO (single sign-on) | ||
| Notifications | ||
| Email notifications | ||
| Push (mobile / app) notifications | Browser push | |
| SMS / text message notifications | ||
| Apps | ||
| Android app | Browser only | |
| iOS app | Browser only | |
| "PWA" (installable web-application) | ||
| Security & privacy | ||
| Account 2-factor authentication | ||
| Privacy-minded analytics & data-gathering ? | ||
| Support | ||
| Live-chat support | Discord community | |
| Phone support | ||
| Email support | ||
| Firmware & gateway support | ||
| OctoPrint install | Connects to OctoPrint | |
| Native Moonraker support | ||
| Mainsail install | ||
| Fluidd install | ||
| Klipper support | ||
| Duet3D integration | ||
| Direct Prusa support (MK4, XL and up / new main boards) | Via PrusaLink | |
| Direct Creality integration (modern printers) ? | Via Klipper | |
| Direct Bambu Lab printer integration | ||
| Support for custom integrations | ||
| Enterprise & partners | ||
| OEM | On request | |
| Partner program (reseller / distributor) | ||
| Affiliate program | ||
| On-prem / self-hosting ? | Contact us | |
| Selling & custom products | ||
| Automated Etsy / Shopify order-to-print ? | Etsy + Shopify (Pro licence+) | Closed beta: coming soon |
| 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!
Watchtower 3D vs. SimplyPrint: frequently asked questions
Is Watchtower really a lifetime licence?
Is Watchtower available yet?
Is Watchtower or SimplyPrint better for a print farm?
Which printers does Watchtower support?
Does Watchtower work without the internet? Does SimplyPrint?
Is Watchtower open source?
Is Watchtower's comparison with SimplyPrint accurate?
Is Watchtower cheaper than SimplyPrint?
Conclusion
Why SimplyPrint is the Top Watchtower 3D 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 Watchtower 3D alternative!
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