HP Smart is the most-criticized printer app on the App Store, with crashes, setup issues, and printing errors in nearly every recent review. These alternatives include both better printer apps from other manufacturers and the native print services already built into your phone.
Each app below addresses a specific gap in HP Smart's offering. We picked them based on real user review patterns and feature differentiation.
AirPrint is built into iOS — tap Share, tap Print, pick your printer, done. No HP Smart, no setup, no cloud accounts. Most modern printers (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother) support AirPrint out of the box. For 90% of casual printing on iPhone or iPad, you do not need any printer app at all.
Explore Apple AirPrint data →Mopria Print Service is the Android equivalent of AirPrint — preinstalled on most modern Android phones and supports printers from all major manufacturers. Print directly from any app via Share > Print, no HP Smart required. The cleanest answer for Android users.
Explore Mopria Print Service data →If you are open to changing printer brands, Canon's official app has consistently better reviews than HP Smart on both stores. Canon's printers also tend to use cheaper ink in the long run, especially the MegaTank refillable models. The cleanest hardware-and-app switch.
Explore Canon PRINT data →Brother is widely recommended for users who print rarely but want reliability — laser printers don't dry out the way inkjets do, and the iPrint&Scan app has fewer complaints than HP Smart. Brother HL-series laser printers are particularly popular among reviewers tired of HP's ink and app issues.
Explore Brother iPrint&Scan data →Epson iPrint is the official app for Epson printers and is widely considered more reliable than HP Smart. Epson's EcoTank line uses refillable bottles instead of cartridges, which addresses the underlying ink-cost frustration that drives many HP complaints.
Explore Epson iPrint data →Both iOS and Android can save anything as a PDF via the standard print dialog (pinch out on the print preview on iOS, select "Save as PDF" on Android). For receipts, forms, and reference materials, this avoids printing entirely and saves on ink costs.
Explore Print to PDF (built-in) data →We found these alternatives by analyzing review patterns across printer and productivity apps. The HP Smart app has structural issues with setup, connectivity, and stability that drive ~50% of negative reviews. Each alternative below either bypasses HP Smart entirely (AirPrint, Mopria) or comes from a printer brand with a better-rated app.
Mostly no. AirPrint (iOS) and Mopria (Android) handle basic printing for almost all HP printers without HP Smart installed. HP Smart is only required for some advanced features like scanning to phone, ink reordering, and Instant Ink management. For everyday printing, native print is more reliable.
Reviews flag setup issues (18%), printing errors (17%), and crashes (13%) as the top complaints. The app handles a complex matrix of printer models, network configurations, and HP cloud accounts, and the failure modes compound. The most reliable workaround is to use AirPrint or Mopria for printing and only open HP Smart when absolutely necessary.
It depends on volume. For low-volume users, Instant Ink can be expensive per page. For heavy users, it can be cheaper than buying cartridges. The most-cited frustration in reviews is the perception of being pressured into the subscription rather than choosing it freely.
App Vulture uses AI-powered review intelligence to analyze what real users say about apps — their pain points, feature requests, and reasons for switching. We identified these alternatives by analyzing review patterns across printer and productivity apps and validated each candidate against the source app's most common churn reasons.
Password & Authentication alternatives.
Productivity alternatives.
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Business alternatives.