Comparison

Citizen POS Printer Utility vs Virtual Thermal Printer

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

Head to head
About

Citizen POS Printer Utility

Configure Citizen POS printers with ease. Adjust settings like MSW, logos, and network connections via Bluetooth, LAN, or USB. Supports a wide range of Citizen printer models.

Highlights
  • MSW Setting
  • Logo Setting
  • Bluetooth Setting
  • IP Address Setting
  • USB Setting
  • Wide printer model support
Features
Read full description

Citizen POS Printer Utility is an application for setting the Citizen POS printer. [Key Features] - MSW Setting - Logo Setting - Bluetooth Setting - IP Address Setting - USB Setting [Supported Printers] - CT-E601 - CT-E301 - CT-D101 - CT-S751 - CT-S4500 - CT-E351, CT-E651 - CT-D150, CT-D151 - CT-S251 - CT-S281 - CT-S310II - CT-S801, CT-S851, CT-S601, CT-S651 - CT-S801II, CT-S851II, CT-S601II, CT-S651II - CT-S801III, CT-S851III - CT-S2000, CT-S4000 [Supported Interface] - Bluetooth, LAN, Wireless LAN, USB(Ligntning) Remarks * Web site URL for SDK https://www.citizen-systems.co.jp/en/printer/download/#sdk Thank you for your interest in CITIZEN POS Printers!

About

Virtual Thermal Printer

This utility app simulates a thermal receipt printer for POS systems. It supports various ESC/POS commands to print text, barcodes, and QR codes, and offers multiple code-page options for international character sets.

Highlights
  • Simulates POS thermal printer
  • Supports ESC/POS commands
  • Prints text, barcodes, and QR codes
  • Configurable IP address and port
  • Multiple code-page support
  • Raster image printing
Features
Read full description

Print receipts from POS applications that support ESC/POS printing over IP. Just power on the printer and configure the IP-address and port displayed in your POS application. List of supported commands: - ESC @: Initialize printer - LF: Print and line feed - GS !: Double-width and double-height - ESC E: Turn emphasized mode on/off - ESC -: Turn underline mode on/off - ESC a: Align text (left, right and center) - ESC i and ESC m: Partial cut - GS B: Turn white/black reverse print mode on/off - GS V: Cut paper ( - GS k: Print barcode (EAN8, EAN13, Code39) - GS ( k: Print QR Code. Functions 169 & 180 - DLE EOT: Printer status (1..4) - GS v 0: Print raster bit image For more details on ESC/POS commands see https://reference.epson-biz.com/modules/ref_escpos/index.php?content_id=2 The following code-pages are supported: - CP437: US ASCII - CP850: Latin I - CP852: Latin II - CP858: Latin I + Euro - CP860: Portugese - CP863: Canadian-French - CP865: Nordic - CP866: Russian Note: The content printed in the above screenshots is for illustrative purposes only. Depending on the POS system used, the output may vary. Please make sure your POS application supports ESC/POS commands before installing this application.

Screenshots

Citizen POS Printer Utility4 screens
Virtual Thermal Printer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Citizen POS Printer Utility at Free against Virtual Thermal Printer's $1.99. Citizen POS Printer Utility also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3). Virtual Thermal Printer's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Citizen POS Printer Utility is free to download; Virtual Thermal Printer costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Citizen POS Printer Utility holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Citizen POS Printer Utility ships an update every 11 months, Virtual Thermal Printer every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Citizen POS Printer Utility versus Virtual Thermal Printer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCitizen POS Printer UtilityVirtual Thermal Printer
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.Pascal Kimmel

Customer experience

Citizen POS Printer Utility

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Virtual Thermal Printer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Citizen POS Printer Utility

No in-app purchases

None

Virtual Thermal Printer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Citizen POS Printer Utility free?
Citizen POS Printer Utility is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virtual Thermal Printer free?
Virtual Thermal Printer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Citizen POS Printer Utility or Virtual Thermal Printer?
Citizen POS Printer Utility is rated higher. Citizen POS Printer Utility averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Virtual Thermal Printer averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Citizen POS Printer Utility or Virtual Thermal Printer have ads?
Neither Citizen POS Printer Utility nor Virtual Thermal Printer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Citizen POS Printer Utility or Virtual Thermal Printer?
Citizen POS Printer Utility ships an update every 11 months, and Virtual Thermal Printer every 5 weeks. Most recently, Citizen POS Printer Utility was updated on September 10, 2026 and Virtual Thermal Printer on September 3, 2026.

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