Filament Swatches vs OpenSpool
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Filament Swatches
This app helps 3D printing enthusiasts organize their filament colors. It allows users to store filament details and, on iPhones with NFC, write this information to NFC tags attached to physical samples. This creates a digital link to filament data, accessible via any NFC reader.
- Manage 3D print filament colors
- Store filament information
- Write filament data to NFC tags
- Create digital links to physical samples
- NFC tag data readable by any NFC reader
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FilamentSwatches is an app that allows you to manage and store your different 3D Printing filament colors. In addition, you can use the app on iPhones with an NFC chip to read from and write the swatches to NDEF-compliant NFC tags that you can then stick onto your physical printed filament samples. This allows you to form a digital link between your physical samples and information about the filament that was used to print them. The app encodes the filament information as a URL that is saved onto the NFC tag. This way, any NFC reader can be used to view the information saved on the tag. Personally, I use the app together with 25mm NTAG215 black NFC tags that I stick on 3D printed mini filament spools.
OpenSpool
This utility app functions as a universal RFID reader for 3D printers. It supports various RFID systems used for 3D printer filament, including OpenSpool, OpenTag, and Creality. More information on integration is available via a provided GitHub link.
- Universal RFID reader
- Reads OpenSpool RFID systems
- Reads OpenTag RFID systems
- Reads Creality RFID systems
- Supports other RFID systems
- 3D printer filament tracking
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OpenSpool is the universal RFID reader for 3d printers. It reads OpenSpool, OpenTag, Creality and other RFID systems for 3d printer filament. See https://github.com/spuder/openspool for more information on integrating a RFID reader into your 3d printer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: OpenSpool at 100% against Filament Swatches's 40%. OpenSpool also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Filament Swatches's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Filament Swatches holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Filament Swatches's written reviews are positive against 100% of OpenSpool's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
| Parameter | Filament Swatches | OpenSpool |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonas Frey | Spencer Owen |
Customer experience
Filament Swatches
OpenSpool
In-app purchases
Filament Swatches
No in-app purchases
OpenSpool
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Filament Swatches free?
Is OpenSpool free?
Which has better reviews, Filament Swatches or OpenSpool?
Do Filament Swatches or OpenSpool have ads?
Other comparisons
