Virtual Thermal Printer vs ESA Alben
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
ESA Alben
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This is the official ESA Alben application for ESA Alben devices. You can search for a device via bluetooth or manually connect to its IP address. By activating your license (provided by ESA) you can monitor and configure your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ESA Alben at Free against Virtual Thermal Printer's $1.99. On update cadence, 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
ESA Alben 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.
Virtual Thermal Printer ships an update every 5 weeks, ESA Alben every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Virtual Thermal Printer | ESA Alben |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pascal Kimmel | ESA S.p.A. (BG) |
In-app purchases
Virtual Thermal Printer
No in-app purchases
ESA Alben
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Virtual Thermal Printer free?
Is ESA Alben free?
Do Virtual Thermal Printer or ESA Alben have ads?
Which is updated more often, Virtual Thermal Printer or ESA Alben?
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