Meet an alternative to FilaMeter

How does SimplyPrint compare with FilaMeter? What's the best 3D printing cloud platform? Discover why SimplyPrint might be what you and your printer never knew you were missing!

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Looking for FilaMeter alternatives?

FilaMeter is a free, local-first filament inventory: a tidy browser app that replaces the spreadsheet you keep your spools in, with your data living right in your browser. It's genuinely pleasant, no login, no ads, and if you just want a private place to write down what filament you own, it does that well.

But FilaMeter is a manual log. You hand-enter every spool, and you tell it what you used after each print; it doesn't connect to your printers and it has no filament database to pull from yet. SimplyPrint's filament manager works the other way around: it's connected to your printers, reads the G-code of every print, and deducts filament on its own, with a real open filament database, NFC, AMS and mobile apps. Here's a fair, side-by-side look, first purely as a filament manager, then as the whole platform.

SimplyPrint filament manager

There's a lot more to the SimplyPrint filament manager

Automatic usage tracking, NFC across every standard, Bambu & Creality AMS auto-import, direct Dymo & Zebra label printing, drying, storage locations, a mobile app and the Open Filament Database. See it all, with screenshots, on one page.

Explore the filament manager
The SimplyPrint filament manager

Compare FilaMeter vs SimplyPrint for:

The bottom line

FilaMeter is a free, open-source (CC-BY-SA-4.0), local-first spool inventory you run in your browser, a nice fit if you want a private, no-login spreadsheet replacement for a single hobbyist and don't mind logging usage by hand. It's a young 2025 indie app; it doesn't connect to printers and has no filament database yet.

SimplyPrint is a connected filament manager that has been running print operations since 2020: it reads the G-code of every print on your printer and deducts filament automatically, with native NFC, Bambu and Creality AMS auto-import, the open, MIT-licensed Open Filament Database (143 brands and growing, the very database FilaMeter is only planning to adopt), native iOS and Android apps and cloud sync by default. And the filament manager is free on every plan. If you want tracking that just happens, that's SimplyPrint; if a private local log you keep up by hand is the point, FilaMeter is a fine, cheap pick.

Comparing purely as a filament manager, the deep, head-to-head view.

A filament manager that's actually connected to your printer

This is the heart of it. FilaMeter is a manual log: you tell it what you used after each print. SimplyPrint is connected to your printers, so your inventory stays right on its own.

Automatic usage tracking
SimplyPrint
We read the G-code of every print on a connected printer, convert it to grams and deduct it from the assigned spool when the print ends, automatically. No logging, no scale, no spreadsheet.
FilaMeter
FilaMeter has no printer connection of its own. It auto-calculates remaining and used weight from the figures you type in, but you log every print by hand. The only non-manual path is SpoolSense, an unshipped in-spool optical sensor that syncs to FilaMeter, not a printer, and reads no G-code.
NFC, AMS & multi-material
SimplyPrint
Native NFC read and write across Bambu Lab, Creality CFS, Prusa OpenPrintTag, OpenSpool and OpenTag, from your phone, browser or a USB reader, plus Bambu and Creality AMS auto-import that creates the spool, assigns the slot and syncs the AMS-measured weight.
FilaMeter
No NFC, no AMS, no multi-material. FilaMeter has no printer connection to read a slot from, and ships no NFC support; its SpoolSense sensor is optical eInk, not NFC. Spools are identified by an on-screen or bought QR code only.
Labels & hardware
SimplyPrint
Direct label printing to Dymo and Zebra thermal printers, plus native NFC tags. Nothing extra to buy or build.
FilaMeter
No direct thermal printing. Labels are pre-printed QR stickers you buy, or a single on-screen QR per spool you copy or download as an SVG. The one piece of hardware, the SpoolSense optical sensor, is still a preorder.
The core difference is simple: SimplyPrint is connected to the printer, so tracking happens by itself; FilaMeter is a log you keep up by hand.

A real, open filament database, not a planned one

When you add a spool, where does the brand and material data come from? This is the clearest gap, and FilaMeter is refreshingly open about it.

The database
SimplyPrint
Every spool starts from the Open Filament Database, MIT-licensed and stewarded by SimplyPrint, with 143 brands and growing, editable by anyone in a no-code web editor, and wired into your slicing profiles and the automatic deduction.
FilaMeter
FilaMeter has no filament database today, you hand-enter every spool's brand, material and details. The team is openly planning to adopt a filament database (their public issue #120 proposes the Open Filament Database, the very one SimplyPrint stewards), but it isn't shipped.
Where the data goes
SimplyPrint
The same open data backs your presets and the automatic deduction, so adding a spool and tracking it are one connected flow.
FilaMeter
Until that database lands, every spool is typed in from scratch, and consumption is still logged by hand.
It's to FilaMeter's credit that they're planning to adopt the Open Filament Database, SimplyPrint ships it today, with 143 brands wired straight into adding a spool and tracking it.

Where FilaMeter is the better pick

FilaMeter is a well-made little tool, and for some setups it's the right call. Credit where it's due:

Free, private and local-first
SimplyPrint
Free on every plan and ad-free too, but it's our hosted cloud, and you sign in to use it.
FilaMeter
Genuinely free, ad-free and with no login at all. Your data lives in your browser (PouchDB) and works offline on one device, a real plus if local-first privacy is the point. Cross-device sync is a cheap one-time $39.99 lifetime key, not a subscription.
Open-source & self-hostable, simple by design
SimplyPrint
We open-source our data and peripheral tooling (the Open Filament Database, our slicer-profile database, the OctoPrint plugin), but the core platform is hosted, not self-hosted.
FilaMeter
The whole app is open source (CC-BY-SA-4.0) and self-hostable from the public repo as a static export, and it's a fast, zero-onboarding spreadsheet replacement, no clutter for someone who just wants a private spool list.
If you want a free, private, local-first spool log you own outright, and you're happy logging usage by hand, FilaMeter is a fine choice, and a cheap one. If you'd rather the tracking just happen from a connected printer, with a real filament database, NFC, AMS and mobile apps, that's SimplyPrint.
The bottom line

FilaMeter does one job, a local filament inventory, and keeps it private and simple. SimplyPrint includes that same filament manager and surrounds it with the rest of a print operation: a print queue, a full cloud slicer, AI failure and bed detection, a maintenance system, teams and permissions, mobile apps and more, in one hosted platform that's free to start. In the table below, FilaMeter's column is filament; ours is the whole platform.

The same filament comparison, plus everything else SimplyPrint does that a local spool log doesn't.

A filament manager that's actually connected to your printer

This is the heart of it. FilaMeter is a manual log: you tell it what you used after each print. SimplyPrint is connected to your printers, so your inventory stays right on its own.

Automatic usage tracking
SimplyPrint
We read the G-code of every print on a connected printer, convert it to grams and deduct it from the assigned spool when the print ends, automatically. No logging, no scale, no spreadsheet.
FilaMeter
FilaMeter has no printer connection of its own. It auto-calculates remaining and used weight from the figures you type in, but you log every print by hand. The only non-manual path is SpoolSense, an unshipped in-spool optical sensor that syncs to FilaMeter, not a printer, and reads no G-code.
NFC, AMS & multi-material
SimplyPrint
Native NFC read and write across Bambu Lab, Creality CFS, Prusa OpenPrintTag, OpenSpool and OpenTag, from your phone, browser or a USB reader, plus Bambu and Creality AMS auto-import that creates the spool, assigns the slot and syncs the AMS-measured weight.
FilaMeter
No NFC, no AMS, no multi-material. FilaMeter has no printer connection to read a slot from, and ships no NFC support; its SpoolSense sensor is optical eInk, not NFC. Spools are identified by an on-screen or bought QR code only.
Labels & hardware
SimplyPrint
Direct label printing to Dymo and Zebra thermal printers, plus native NFC tags. Nothing extra to buy or build.
FilaMeter
No direct thermal printing. Labels are pre-printed QR stickers you buy, or a single on-screen QR per spool you copy or download as an SVG. The one piece of hardware, the SpoolSense optical sensor, is still a preorder.
The core difference is simple: SimplyPrint is connected to the printer, so tracking happens by itself; FilaMeter is a log you keep up by hand.

A real, open filament database, not a planned one

When you add a spool, where does the brand and material data come from? This is the clearest gap, and FilaMeter is refreshingly open about it.

The database
SimplyPrint
Every spool starts from the Open Filament Database, MIT-licensed and stewarded by SimplyPrint, with 143 brands and growing, editable by anyone in a no-code web editor, and wired into your slicing profiles and the automatic deduction.
FilaMeter
FilaMeter has no filament database today, you hand-enter every spool's brand, material and details. The team is openly planning to adopt a filament database (their public issue #120 proposes the Open Filament Database, the very one SimplyPrint stewards), but it isn't shipped.
Where the data goes
SimplyPrint
The same open data backs your presets and the automatic deduction, so adding a spool and tracking it are one connected flow.
FilaMeter
Until that database lands, every spool is typed in from scratch, and consumption is still logged by hand.
It's to FilaMeter's credit that they're planning to adopt the Open Filament Database, SimplyPrint ships it today, with 143 brands wired straight into adding a spool and tracking it.

Where FilaMeter is the better pick

FilaMeter is a well-made little tool, and for some setups it's the right call. Credit where it's due:

Free, private and local-first
SimplyPrint
Free on every plan and ad-free too, but it's our hosted cloud, and you sign in to use it.
FilaMeter
Genuinely free, ad-free and with no login at all. Your data lives in your browser (PouchDB) and works offline on one device, a real plus if local-first privacy is the point. Cross-device sync is a cheap one-time $39.99 lifetime key, not a subscription.
Open-source & self-hostable, simple by design
SimplyPrint
We open-source our data and peripheral tooling (the Open Filament Database, our slicer-profile database, the OctoPrint plugin), but the core platform is hosted, not self-hosted.
FilaMeter
The whole app is open source (CC-BY-SA-4.0) and self-hostable from the public repo as a static export, and it's a fast, zero-onboarding spreadsheet replacement, no clutter for someone who just wants a private spool list.
If you want a free, private, local-first spool log you own outright, and you're happy logging usage by hand, FilaMeter is a fine choice, and a cheap one. If you'd rather the tracking just happen from a connected printer, with a real filament database, NFC, AMS and mobile apps, that's SimplyPrint.
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FilaMeter 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 FilaMeter as well!

Pros of using FilaMeter

FilaMeter has real strengths, and they're worth being honest about:

  • Genuinely free, ad-free and no-login: the full single-device inventory isn't paywalled, there are no ads, and you don't even make an account.
  • Local-first and private: your data lives in your browser (PouchDB), works offline on one device and never has to leave your machine, a real plus if privacy or offline use matters.
  • Open source and self-hostable: the app is open (CC-BY-SA-4.0) and you can self-host it from the public repo as a static export.
  • A cheap one-time sync key, not a subscription: cross-device real-time sync is a single $39.99 lifetime purchase, with no recurring fees.
  • Simple, fast and complete enough: a zero-onboarding spreadsheet replacement with a manual usage-history log, per-spool price, and import/export for backup and migration, by a small team shipping conventional releases.

Cons of using FilaMeter

Where FilaMeter falls short if you want tracking that just happens:

  • It isn't connected to your printers: FilaMeter never measures usage itself. It auto-calculates remaining weight from the figures you type, but you log every print by hand; its SpoolSense optical sensor is unshipped and syncs to FilaMeter, not to a printer, and reads no G-code.
  • No filament database yet: there's no brand or material catalogue to pull from, so every spool is hand-entered. Adopting one (the Open Filament Database) is an open plan, issue #120, not a shipped feature.
  • No NFC, AMS or direct label printing: native NFC read/write, Bambu and Creality AMS auto-import and direct Dymo/Zebra thermal labels aren't built in. Labels are bought QR stickers or a single on-screen QR per spool.
  • No app to install and a flat data model: there's no native iOS or Android app on the App Store or Google Play (it's a responsive website that ships a web manifest but no service worker), location is a single free-text field with no nesting, and notes are one free-text comments field with no custom fields.

FilaMeter vs. SimplyPrint

Side-by-side list comparison of details and features in FilaMeter and SimplyPrint

FilaMeter logo SimplyPrint logo
Filament management
Free to use
Open-source / self-hostable ? Open source, but CC-BY-SA-4.0 (content license)
Filament database ? Open Filament Database
Connects directly to your printer ?
Automatic usage tracking (no manual subtracting) ? Manual log; auto-calculates from figures you enter
AMS auto-import (Bambu / Creality / Anycubic) ? Bambu, Creality, Anycubic + more
Read filament NFC tags
Write filament NFC tags
Label printing (direct to Dymo / Zebra) Dymo & Zebra
Barcode / QR scanning On-screen QR only (opens a URL)
Drying tracking
Storage locations Single free-text field, no nesting
Cost & spend tracking Price field; no purchase date / vendor
Custom fields
Mobile app (iOS & Android)
Multi-user / team access
Import your existing spools ? Import/Export (CSV/JSON); no direct importer
Developer API for filament data ?
Compare Learn more Learn more
FilaMeter logo SimplyPrint logo
Filament management
Free to use
Open-source / self-hostable ? Open source, but CC-BY-SA-4.0 (content license)
Filament database ? Open Filament Database
Connects directly to your printer ?
Automatic usage tracking (no manual subtracting) ? Manual log; auto-calculates from figures you enter
AMS auto-import (Bambu / Creality / Anycubic) ? Bambu, Creality, Anycubic + more
Read filament NFC tags
Write filament NFC tags
Label printing (direct to Dymo / Zebra) Dymo & Zebra
Barcode / QR scanning On-screen QR only (opens a URL)
Drying tracking
Storage locations Single free-text field, no nesting
Cost & spend tracking Price field; no purchase date / vendor
Custom fields
Mobile app (iOS & Android)
Multi-user / team access
Import your existing spools ? Import/Export (CSV/JSON); no direct importer
Developer API for filament data ?
General
Has free plan
Free printers 2
Max cost Free Free, or from $4/printer/mo
Free cloud storage 1GB
Usage based cost
Unlimited printing
Supports all printers
Features
Remote access
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)
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)
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 Learn more Learn more

Contact us if you think we made a mistake in our comparison!

FilaMeter vs. SimplyPrint: frequently asked questions

Is SimplyPrint or FilaMeter better for filament tracking?

It depends on what you want. FilaMeter is the better fit if you specifically want a free, private, local-first spreadsheet replacement for a single hobbyist and you're happy logging usage by hand. SimplyPrint is the better fit if you want filament tracking that happens automatically: it connects to your printers, reads the G-code of each print and deducts filament on its own, with the Open Filament Database, native NFC, Bambu and Creality AMS auto-import, direct Dymo/Zebra labels and native mobile apps, free on every plan.

Does FilaMeter track filament usage automatically?

Not from your printer. FilaMeter has no printer connection; it auto-calculates remaining and used weight from the figures you type in, but you log every print by hand. Its only non-manual path, SpoolSense, is an unshipped in-spool optical sensor that syncs to FilaMeter, not to a printer, and reads no G-code. SimplyPrint reads the G-code of every print on a connected printer and deducts usage automatically, with nothing to log.

Is FilaMeter free, and what does the $39.99 buy?

The core app is completely free, ad-free and needs no login, with the full single-device inventory included. The only paid option is a one-time $39.99 "lifetime sync key" that unlocks real-time cross-device sync, it's a single purchase, not a subscription, which is a nice touch. SimplyPrint's filament manager is also free, included on every plan down to Free, with automatic tracking, the Open Filament Database and cloud sync by default.

Does FilaMeter have a filament database?

Not yet. FilaMeter has no brand or material catalogue today, so you hand-enter every spool. To their credit, the team is openly planning to adopt one, their public issue #120 proposes the Open Filament Database, which is the very community database SimplyPrint stewards and ships. In SimplyPrint that database is already there: 143 brands and growing, in a no-code web editor, wired straight into adding a spool and tracking it.

Does FilaMeter work with the Bambu Lab AMS or NFC tags?

No. FilaMeter has no AMS integration and no NFC reading or writing, it has no printer connection to read an AMS slot from, and its SpoolSense sensor is optical, not NFC. Spools are identified by an on-screen or bought QR code. SimplyPrint reads Bambu and Creality AMS tags to auto-create and auto-assign spools and sync their weight, and reads and writes NFC across Bambu, Creality CFS, Prusa OpenPrintTag, OpenSpool and OpenTag from your phone, browser or a USB reader.

Does FilaMeter have a mobile app?

No native app. FilaMeter is a responsive website; it ships a web manifest but no service worker, and there's no app to install on the App Store or Google Play. SimplyPrint has native iOS and Android apps, so you can scan, assign and track filament from your phone, and your inventory syncs across devices by default.

Can I move my FilaMeter inventory into SimplyPrint?

Largely, yes. FilaMeter has its own Import/Export (CSV/JSON), so you can get your spools out, and SimplyPrint can ingest a CSV/JSON inventory, with brands matched against the Open Filament Database as they import. There's no dedicated one-click FilaMeter importer, so it's an export-then-import rather than a single button, but your data isn't locked in.

Conclusion
Why SimplyPrint is the Top FilaMeter 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 FilaMeter alternative!

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