Comparison

Spool Buddy vs Spoolman GO

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

Head to head
About

Spool Buddy

Effortlessly manage your 3D printing filament inventory. Track brands, colors, and usage with a simple, fast interface. Syncs seamlessly across Apple devices without requiring logins or network calls.

Highlights
  • iCloud syncing
  • No logins or network calls
  • Track brands, colors, and modifiers
  • Search and filter by properties
  • Usage and inventory tracking
  • Optimized for iOS and macOS
Features
Read full description

Filament tracking for 3D printing, without the fuss. Spool Buddy is a simple, fast filament inventory app made for hobbyists who want to know what filament they have, where it is, and how much is left — without accounts, subscriptions, tracking, or complicated setup. Add your filaments, organize them by brand, material, color, location, modifiers, and more. Track usage across one or multiple spools, keep drying logs, attach photos, archive old filament, and export or print your inventory when you need it. Spool Buddy syncs with iCloud, so your filament library stays up to date across iPhone, iPad, and Mac without creating an account. Features include: - Track filament inventory, usage, and remaining amounts - Multi-spool support for filaments - NFC reading and writing - iCloud sync with no logins - Photos for filament entries - Drying logs - Custom brands and materials - Detailed filament information, including colors, polymers, modifiers, fillers, and visual properties - Automatic color names and color family filtering - Support for gradients and complex filament colors - Filter by storage location, brand, color family, modifiers, and polymer - Sort by price, date added, color, brand, and name - Group by brand or material - Usage indicators at a glance - Archive filaments you no longer actively use - Export your inventory to CSV - Print your filament inventory - Optimized for iOS and macOS 26 - Small, fast, and designed to stay out of your way Spool Buddy is completely free to use. There are no subscriptions, no locked features, and no required purchases. In-app purchases are optional tips only, for people who want to support the app’s development. Made by an indie solo developer for people who just want a clean, useful way to manage their filament.

About

Spoolman GO

Read full description

Spoolman GO is the iPhone companion app for your self-hosted Spoolman or FilaMan-compatible server. Manage your filament spools, track inventory, and write NFC tags in the OpenSpool format — right from your iPhone. FEATURES • Dashboard with inventory overview: total weight, material distribution, low-stock warnings, and manufacturer statistics at a glance • Spool list with search and filters by material, manufacturer, location, and stock status, including a remaining-weight status indicator • Detail view with all filament data, settings, and remaining weight • Book filament consumption and log measured remaining weight • Overview for spools, filaments, vendors, and locations — edit all fields • Multi-color display: pie chart (coaxial) or linear gradient (longitudinal) in lists and details • Scan QR codes and open the matching spool directly (`/spool/show/...` and `WEB+SPOOLMAN:S-...`) • Read and write passive NFC tags (OpenSpool 1.0, NDEF MIME application/json; no direct printer or accessory pairing) • Automatically store NFC tag UID on the matching spool (lot_nr) • Auto-detect API: native Spoolman (/api/v1) or FilaMan Spoolman compatibility (/spoolman/api/v1) • Light / Dark / System color scheme • Demo Mode: explore the general app UI without a server using realistic sample data; writing NFC tags requires Live Mode • No account, no cloud service — all your data stays with you • Settings: server connection, appearance and language, low-stock threshold • Improved VoiceOver support with labeled actions, form fields, filters, and purchase states REQUIREMENTS • Self-hosted Spoolman or FilaMan with Spoolman-API Plugin • For NFC: iPhone 7 or newer, iOS 13+, physical device required (not Simulator) • For QR scanning: camera access PRIVACY Spoolman GO collects no user data. All settings are stored locally. The app only communicates with the server you configure. TERMS OF USE Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Spool Buddy4 screens
Spoolman GO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spoolman GO at every 6 days against Spool Buddy's every 2 weeks. Spoolman GO also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.2). Spool Buddy's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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. Spool Buddy sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Spoolman GO sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spool Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, Spoolman GO every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Spool Buddy versus Spoolman GO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpool BuddySpoolman GO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.216.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartian Code OyFLORIAN BERTHOLD PFLAUM

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Spool Buddy

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
1 purchases

Spoolman GO

Subscriptions1
  • Spoolman GO Monthly$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Spool Buddy free?
Spool Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spoolman GO free?
Spoolman GO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spool Buddy or Spoolman GO have ads?
Neither Spool Buddy nor Spoolman GO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spool Buddy or Spoolman GO?
Spool Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, and Spoolman GO every 6 days. Most recently, Spool Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Spoolman GO on October 14, 2026.

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