Comparison

Pharos Secure Release vs PaperCut Hive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pharos Secure Release

Securely print documents from your mobile device to any network-connected Pharos-secured printer. Manage your print jobs remotely and release them by scanning a QR code at the printer, ensuring document confidentiality and reducing waste.

Highlights
  • Secure printing across networks
  • Remote print job submission
  • Modify job list within the app
  • QR code printer release
  • Ensures document confidentiality
  • Reduces printing waste
Features
Read full description

The Secure Release app makes it easy for employees of organizations with Pharos Secure Release to print securely across networks to any Pharos-secured device on the network, improve the printing experience, ensure document confidentiality, and reduce waste. You can submit print jobs on your mobile device from any location or network, modify your job list within the app at anytime, and when it’s convenient, you can walk up to any secured printer and use the app to scan the QR code affixed to the printer to release your print job(s). This secure and intuitive workflow prevents sensitive information from being left unattended on printer output trays. It also improves convenience by allowing you to securely release your documents at any secured printer in your organization’s network. Note: This app requires a Pharos Cloud Secure Release account. iOS versions 15, 16, and 17 are fully tested and supported.

About

PaperCut Hive

Securely release print jobs from your mobile device at your organization's printers. This app offers a convenient, touch-free way to manage your printing needs, with options to review and adjust print settings before collection.

Highlights
  • Secure print job release via mobile
  • Touch-free printing options (NFC, QR code)
  • Print job review and modification
  • Cross-device printing support
  • Contactless document collection
  • Find-me/pull-printing functionality
Features
Read full description

PaperCut Hive makes printing convenient, responsible, and secure in your organization. We're all for flexibility. This app gives you the option to securely release your print jobs using your mobile phone. Of course, you can also release your job at the MFD/Printer touch screen as well. This mobile app just gives you one more option, and a touch-free one at that! To get the most out of this app, make sure you have an approved email invitation to use your organization's printers & MFPs. To release prints using your phone, simply tap your phone on an NFC sticker on the printer, scanning a QR code, or selecting the printer's name from a list. Did you forget to double-side the document? No problem, the PaperCut Hive app will remind you and allow you to make those changes on your way to the printer. PaperCut Hive makes it easy to print from all your devices including desktops, laptops, Chromebooks, and of course your iOS phone. See! You can use your phone for work too! Here’s how it works: - You’ll receive an invitation from your organization - It will guide you through the installation of this app as well as apps on your computers and other devices - You will then be able to select ‘PaperCut Printer’ when printing from any of your devices - This app also allows you to view your print jobs and securely collect your documents at any printer/MFD in your organization - Simply walk up to the printer and tap the NFC stickers, scan a QR code, or use the MFD touch screen. This app gives you a contactless/touch-free release method. Benefits: - Have you ever printed your payslip and had to run (sprint!) to the printer to collect it before anyone else does? Fixed! - Have you walked to the printer only to realise your document has gone somewhere else? Fixed! We call this find-me or pull-printing printing. - Do you forget to select duplex at the time of printing, but then feel guilty as you watch an endless stream of pages roll out? Fixed! - Confused by different print dialogues on different devices? BYOD? Fixed! - Need to set up printing on a new device and wish it could be as easy as installing a new app? Fixed! Have a question? Please email support@papercut.com or get in touch with the PaperCut Partner supporting you. Note: This app requires that your organization has an active and configured PaperCut Hive account and the PaperCut Hive embedded software installed on your MFDs. You should receive an invitation or instruction on how to set up this app from your organization. Your confidentiality is our priority. Your data is treated like we'd want our data to be treated. Check out our Privacy Policy for the full story. In fact your confidentiality is super important to us and that's exactly the reason we invented PaperCut Hive (and of course to reduce print waste and make printing easy).

Screenshots

Pharos Secure Release4 screens
PaperCut Hive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PaperCut Hive at 4.0 against Pharos Secure Release's 3.7. PaperCut Hive also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (12% vs 0%). Pharos Secure Release's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PaperCut Hive holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Pharos Secure Release's written reviews are positive against 12% of PaperCut Hive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pharos Secure Release ships an update every 3 months, PaperCut Hive every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pharos Secure Release versus PaperCut Hive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPharos Secure ReleasePaperCut Hive
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews11.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPharos Systems InternationalPaperCut Software

Customer experience

Pharos Secure Release

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

PaperCut Hive

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive11.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative79.1%

Bugs and requests

Pharos Secure Release

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PaperCut Hive

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • App regularly crashes
  • App closes as soon as it's opened
  • Print jobs disappear
  • App crashes preventing phone release
  • Printers becoming inoperable
Show 17 more
  • Printer resetting itself
  • Desktop download doesn't work on Mac
  • Crashes and doesn't load prints
  • Randomly crashes
  • Computer won't cooperate (Macs)
  • App crashes after a few uses
  • Crashes upon load
  • App is too unstable
  • App won't open or crashes on click
  • Error messages not always appearing
  • Crashing since update
  • Constantly needed to delete and redownload
  • Need to frequently re-request access
  • Keeps crashing, can't open app
  • Have to delete and reinstall bi-weekly
  • System doesn't refresh
  • Does not work well with Macs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Enable search in printer list
  • Enable ascii copy paste of QR code value
  • App works natively with iPad screen resolution
  • Support QR code loading from images
  • Mark specific printers as favorites

In-app purchases

None

Pharos Secure Release

No in-app purchases

None

PaperCut Hive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pharos Secure Release free?
Pharos Secure Release is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PaperCut Hive free?
PaperCut Hive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pharos Secure Release or PaperCut Hive?
PaperCut Hive is rated higher. Pharos Secure Release averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while PaperCut Hive averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Pharos Secure Release or PaperCut Hive have ads?
Neither Pharos Secure Release nor PaperCut Hive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pharos Secure Release or PaperCut Hive?
Pharos Secure Release ships an update every 3 months, and PaperCut Hive every 5 weeks. Most recently, Pharos Secure Release was updated on October 24, 2026 and PaperCut Hive on October 23, 2026.

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