# Pharos Secure Release vs PaperCut Hive

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pharos Secure Release | PaperCut Hive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pharos-secure-release/id1096696311/reviews) | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papercut-hive-secure-print/id1520121351/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **11.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 89 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pharos Systems International](https://appshunter.io/developer/918145671) | [PaperCut Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/1343622618) |

## What reviewers say

### Pharos Secure Release

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pharos-secure-release/id1096696311)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PaperCut Hive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papercut-hive-secure-print/id1520121351)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 New app is much better
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Works on iPhone and iPad
- 👍 Convenient release from phone
- 👍 Preview before releasing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App regularly crashes
- 🐛 App closes on opening
- 🐛 Inefficient and irritating
- 🐛 Causes headaches and stress
- 🐛 Unnecessarily complicated

**Reported bugs**

- App regularly crashes
- App closes as soon as it's opened
- Print jobs disappear
- App crashes preventing phone release
- Printers becoming inoperable

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*