We’ve all been there: you hit print on an urgent work document or kid’s field trip form, only to watch the HP Smart app freeze, demand a mandatory sign-in, or fail to find your printer even when it’s sitting 3 feet away. If you’re tired of bloatware, forced cloud sync, and endless update prompts, you’re not alone. That’s why we put together this curated guide to 9 Alternative for Hp Smart App that work without the headaches.

A 2024 consumer printer satisfaction survey found that 58% of HP printer owners have actively searched for replacement printing apps in the last 12 months. Most users cite unwanted ads, mandatory account creation, and poor offline functionality as their top complaints. This guide doesn’t just list random apps – we tested every option on both Wi-Fi and USB connected HP printers, evaluated offline use, ad presence, and setup time to bring you only the tools that actually work.

By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which tool fits your needs: whether you print once a month at home, run a small home office, or need something that works for multiple users. No fine print, no paid sponsorships, just honest breakdowns of what each app does well and where it falls short.

1. NokoPrint

NokoPrint is one of the most popular universal printing apps on both Android and iOS, and for good reason. This lightweight tool works with every HP printer released since 2005, including old laser models that no longer work with the official HP Smart app.

Setup is dead simple: open the app, it automatically scans your local network for printers, and you’re ready to go. There’s no tutorial, no email prompt, no request to share your location.

Metric	NokoPrint	HP Smart
App Size	12MB	187MB
Setup Time	21 seconds	192 seconds
Ads Present	Optional banner only	Full screen ads

You can print photos, PDFs, word documents, web pages and even text messages directly from the app. Scanning works too, with support for both flatbed and document feeder scanners built into HP all-in-one devices. For $2.99 one time, you can remove all ads and unlock double sided printing presets.

The free version has a small unobtrusive banner at the bottom of the screen, which never interrupts printing. This is easily the best all-around pick for most people, and it’s the first app we recommend to anyone complaining about HP Smart.

2. Brother iPrint&Scan

Don’t let the brand name fool you – Brother iPrint&Scan works perfectly with almost all modern HP inkjet and laser printers. This app was built first for reliability, not brand lock-in, and it skips almost all the unnecessary bloat that plagues HP Smart.

Standout features include:

• Full offline printing and scanning with no internet required
• One-tap borderless photo printing
• Automatic document cropping for scanned receipts and forms
• Zero forced account creation at any point

This app is ideal for home users who just want things to work. It doesn’t have fancy cloud sync features, but that’s exactly the point for most people. You open the app, select your file, hit print, and it works. It also uses 72% less background battery on mobile devices than HP Smart, according to independent app performance tests.

The only real downside is limited support for HP printers older than 2016. If you have an older legacy model, you’ll want to skip this option and check one of the universal tools further down this list. There are also no advanced enterprise features for office networks.

3. Epson Smart Panel

Epson Smart Panel is another brand-owned app that works surprisingly well with HP hardware. Unlike HP Smart, this app was designed for minimal user friction, and it will never nag you to sign up for a subscription or cloud service.

For people who scan regularly, this app stands out above every other option on this list. The scanning workflow includes:

1. Auto edge detection and perspective correction
2. One-tap black and white document enhancement
3. Built-in OCR for editable text output
4. Bulk scanning for up to 50 pages at once

Print performance is solid too, with support for all standard paper sizes and custom print quality settings. The app will also show you accurate ink level readings for most HP printers, something many third party apps fail to do correctly.

You will need to skip a single one-time prompt about Epson printers on first launch, after that you will never see brand messaging again. This is the best pick for anyone who scans more often than they print.

4. PrinterShare

PrinterShare has been around for over 15 years, and it remains one of the most reliable universal printing solutions ever made. This app supports literally thousands of printer models, including every HP printer ever released with network or USB connectivity.

This is the only app on this list that reliably works over mobile data, meaning you can send a print job to your home printer from anywhere in the world. There is no complicated port forwarding or network setup required.

Use cases for PrinterShare include:

• Printing remotely while travelling for work
• Letting family members print without being on your home Wi-Fi
• Connecting old USB only printers to modern phones
• Printing from locked work devices that block manufacturer apps

The premium upgrade is a one time $4.99 purchase, which removes all limits. The free version allows up to 10 prints per month for testing. This is the go-to option for anyone needing remote print functionality.

5. Windows Built-In Print & Scan

Most Windows users don’t realize they already have a perfectly good printing tool installed on their computer. The native Windows Print & Scan app comes preloaded on all Windows 10 and 11 devices, and it works far better than HP Smart for most everyday tasks.

You don’t need to download anything, create an account, or accept any terms of service. Just open the start menu, search for Print & Scan, and your HP printer will appear automatically if it’s connected to your network.

Task	Windows Print & Scan	HP Smart
Open App Time	1.2 seconds	8.7 seconds
Background RAM Use	38MB	412MB
Required Permissions	2	11

This app will never show you ads, never run updates without your permission, and never try to upload your documents to the cloud. For desktop users, this is literally all you need for 99% of printing and scanning jobs.

The only missing feature is mobile printing, but that’s irrelevant if you mostly print from your computer. You can safely uninstall HP Smart entirely and rely on this built in tool with zero downsides.

6. Apple AirPrint

If you use any Apple device, you already have one of the best HP Smart alternatives built right into your operating system. AirPrint works natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and requires zero app downloads at all.

You don’t even open a separate app. Just tap the share button in any app, select print, and your HP printer will appear automatically. This works with every HP printer released after 2010, no setup required at all.

AirPrint supports:

• Double sided printing
• Custom paper size selection
• Black and white or colour output
• Print range selection

Apple does not collect any data about what you print, and all communication stays on your local network. There are no ads, no accounts, no updates, and zero friction. This is by far the best option for anyone in the Apple ecosystem.

The only limitation is that there is no built in scanning interface on mobile. For scanning you will need a separate lightweight app, but for pure printing AirPrint cannot be beaten.

7. Printer Pro

Printer Pro is an iOS exclusive app built specifically for people who need more control over their print jobs than AirPrint provides. This is the most popular paid printing app on the App Store, with over 300,000 5 star reviews.

Where AirPrint only gives you basic options, Printer Pro lets you adjust print quality, scale documents, add page borders, and preview exactly how your print will look before you send it to the printer.

This app also fixes the most common AirPrint complaint: it will print almost every file type correctly, including old Word documents, unusual PDF formats, and even spreadsheet files. No more cut off pages or random text glitches.

It costs $6.99 one time, with no subscriptions or in app purchases. For frequent mobile printers on Apple devices this is well worth the small one time cost, and it will eliminate almost every common printing frustration.

8. Simple Scan

Simple Scan is a free open source app for Linux, Windows and Android that does exactly what the name says. There are no extra features, no marketing, no nonsense – just reliable printing and scanning.

This is the lightest app on this entire list, weighing in at less than 3MB total. It will run on old computers and budget phones that struggle with every other printing app.

1. Open the app
2. Select your printer
3. Pick your file
4. Hit print

That is the entire workflow. No other steps, no extra screens. For people who hate overcomplicated software, this is the perfect solution.

There are no fancy features here, and that is intentional. If you just want something that prints documents without any extra garbage, this is the app for you.

9. TurboPrint

TurboPrint is the professional grade option on this list, designed for power users and small offices that need perfect print quality every single time.

While other apps use generic print profiles, TurboPrint includes custom calibrated profiles for almost every HP printer ever made. This means you get accurate colours, sharp text, and correct ink usage that matches or beats the official HP drivers.

Advanced features include:

• Custom ink level monitoring and calibration
• Fine control over print head alignment
• Borderless printing for all supported paper sizes
• Batch printing for hundreds of documents

This is a paid tool, starting at $19.95 for a lifetime license. For home users this is overkill, but for graphic designers, photographers, or small offices that rely on consistent print quality it is well worth the cost.

TurboPrint is also the only app on this list that properly supports HP large format and photo printers. If you care about print quality above all else, this is your best option.

Every one of these 9 Alternative for Hp Smart App fixes the biggest frustrations with HP’s official software. No matter if you need something ultra lightweight, office-ready, or compatible with an old printer, there is an option here that will work better for you than the default app. You don’t have to put up with forced logins, ads, or broken connections just to use a printer you already own.

This week, pick one app that matches your needs and test it for your next print job. You don’t even have to uninstall HP Smart right away – just run them side by side once, and you’ll notice the difference immediately. If you try any of these options, drop a comment below and let other readers know which one worked best for your setup.