# SimplyPrint vs Prusa Connect

## About Prusa Connect

- **Website:** [Prusa Connect](https://connect.prusa3d.com/)

## Overview

Prusa Connect is Prusa Research's own cloud for Prusa printers, and it has come a long way: it now has a free **EasyPrint** cloud slicer, native iOS and Android apps, real 1080p camera streaming, teams with roles, and 2FA. If your shop is 100% Prusa, it's a genuinely good, free, first-party way to run it, and it's made by the people who made your printers, hosted in the EU.

The catch is in the name: *Prusa* Connect. It manages Prusa hardware and nothing else, no Bambu, no Klipper, no Creality, no generic Marlin, and older Prusas need a Raspberry Pi to join. The day you add a printer from another brand, you need a platform that speaks all of them. That's SimplyPrint, and it adds the farm-grade automation, AI and shop-floor tools Prusa Connect doesn't. Here's a fair, side-by-side look.

## Pros of Prusa Connect

Prusa Connect has real strengths, and they're worth being honest about:**

- Free for Prusa owners,** with a generous free tier (1080p livestream and a cloud slicer at no cost).
- **Deepest Prusa integration:** made by Prusa, with telemetry, firmware updates and official cameras.
- **EU/GDPR:** hosted by an EU company, a solid "made in EU" data-residency story.
- **EasyPrint cloud slicer:** free in-browser/in-app slicing on Prusa's servers.
- **Caught up on basics:** native iOS/Android apps, teams with roles, 2FA and a print queue all shipped.

## Cons of Prusa Connect

Where Prusa Connect runs into a ceiling:**

- Prusa printers only:** no Bambu, Klipper, Creality, Anycubic, Duet or generic Marlin, and the older MK3S+ needs a Raspberry Pi.
- **No AI failure detection** and no AI bed-check.
- **No continuous printing:** a per-printer queue and a Farm beta, but no AutoPrint-style lights-out automation.
- **Filament is usage-tracking only:** no spool inventory, no NFC, no label printing.
- **No maintenance system, no SSO and no dedicated education plan.**

## Feature Comparison: SimplyPrint vs Prusa Connect

### General

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Has free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Max cost | Free; paid storage tiers | Free, or from $4/printer/mo |
| Free cloud storage | 1GB (expandable) | 1GB |
| Usage based cost | ✗ | ✗ |
| Unlimited printing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supports all printers | Prusa printers only | ✓ |

### Features

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Remote access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Filament management | Usage tracking only | ✓ |
| Knows your printer | Prusa only | ✓ |
| Cloud files | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print queue | ✓ | ✓ |
| Livestream | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gcode analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| A.I failure detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| AutoPrint / continuous printing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom fields | ✗ | ✓ |
| Staggered Start (for power draw) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Print job history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print remotely | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in slicer | EasyPrint (cloud) | ✓ |
| Multi-printer friendly | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-print | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-stream | ✓ | ✓ |
| Statistics | ✓ | ✓ |
| API | Limited (camera + mobile) | ✓ |
| Slicer smart-rotation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Smart filament change | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bed level helper | ✗ | ✓ |

### Organizations

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Multiple users | ✓ | ✓ |
| User groups / ranks | ✓ | ✓ |
| User permissions | ✓ | ✓ |
| School plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shared files & folders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared slicer profiles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hub | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom domains | ✗ | ✓ |
| SSO (single sign-on) | ✗ | ✓ |

### Notifications

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Email notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Push (mobile / app) notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS / text message notifications | ✗ | ✓ |

### Apps

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Android app | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS app | ✓ | ✓ |
| "PWA" (installable web-application) | ✗ | ✓ |

### Security & Privacy

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Account 2-factor authentication | ✓ | ✓ |
| EU servers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Privacy-minded analytics & data-gathering | ✗ | ✓ |

### Support

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Email support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live-chat support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Phone support | ✗ | ✓ |

### Firmware & Gateway Support

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| 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

| Feature | Prusa Connect | SimplyPrint |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| OEM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Partner program (reseller / distributor) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Affiliate program | ✗ | ✓ |