Comparison

SpoolTool vs PandaWatch

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

Head to head
About

SpoolTool

Features
Read full description

SpoolTool is a clean and easy-to-use app for tracking your 3D printing filament en accessories. Keep an overview of your filament spools, materials and remaining weight and accessories, so you always know what you have available before starting a print. Key features: • Track filament spools and remaining weight • Support for common materials like PLA, PETG and TPU • Stock inventory • Accessory inventory • Simple and distraction-free interface • iCloud synchronization SpoolTool+ (optional in-app purchase): • Unlock additional filament materials • Unlock all accessories • Add more brands and detailed filament information • Enable cost calculation features • Configure spool stock locations SpoolTool does not require an account and does not collect personal data. App data can be stored securely using iCloud when enabled on your device. Built with focus on simplicity, privacy and ease of use.

About

PandaWatch

Monitor all your 3D printers from one place, anywhere. Get live camera feeds, temperature readings, filament status, and error alerts. Integrates seamlessly with your Bambu Lab account for zero setup.

Highlights
  • Live camera feeds
  • Temperature monitoring
  • Filament status
  • Error alerts
  • Zero-setup fleet monitoring
  • Apple Watch app
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Stop walking to the printer room. PandaWatch gives you live cameras, temperatures, filament status, and error alerts for every Bambu Lab printer you own — in one view, from anywhere. Sign in with your Bambu Lab account, Google, Apple or Facebook and you're done. No IP addresses, no port forwarding, no setup wizard. One machine or twenty — it all just works. KEY FEATURES ZERO-SETUP FLEET MONITORING Sign in and go. PandaWatch finds your printers automatically via your Bambu Lab account — no network setup. Several Bambu accounts? Add them all to one dashboard. APPLE WATCH APP A native watchOS app puts your fleet on your wrist — status, temperatures and progress at a glance, with watch-face complications. MULTI-PRINTER LIVE ACTIVITIES (PRO) The first and only app to put your entire print farm on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. PandaWatch Pro supports up to 20 printers at once, with layouts for 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20-printer fleets, and one-tap access to any camera feed. SMART AUTO-SORTING Active printers rise to the top of your dashboard, so your busiest machines are always front and center. SIRI & APP INTENTS Ask Siri which printer has red PLA, which ones are low on filament, or when the next print finishes — without touching your phone. AMS & FILAMENT DETAILS Tap any AMS slot for full material details: drying time, weight, remaining percentage, and more, straight from the Bambu API, with full color visualization. FLEET SCOUT Need the one loaded with red PETG? Fleet Scout filters your fleet by filament color and material in seconds. LIVE CAMERA DASHBOARD View your whole fleet at once with staggered loading and battery optimization. Hide overlay text, or go fullscreen with tap-to-dismiss controls. A1 and P1 owners can enable Camera Fast Mode for a higher-refresh feed. ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS HMS error codes, temperatures, fan speeds and live layer progress. Dismiss an error per printer or across the fleet, copy a code, or browse the Code Explorer to see what each one means. If a camera won't connect, the app explains what to check on the printer. FILE BROWSER Browse your printer's SD card over FTPS. Preview 3MF files and images, and play back livestream captures. Supports X1, H2 and P2 series. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Widgets update in the background so your home screen always shows current status, and Fleet Health gives an at-a-glance overview of everything. Filter by filament color, choose which printers appear, and tap to jump straight in. IPAD DASHBOARD A proper desktop-class layout that uses the extra screen space — not a stretched phone view. Leave it running on a shelf as a dedicated monitoring display. AVAILABLE IN 10 LANGUAGES English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified Chinese, with translated printer error messages. Bambu Lab accounts in the China region are fully supported. ACCESSIBILITY VoiceOver support across printer cards, camera feeds, AMS swatches and progress bars. Transitions respect Reduce Motion. PRICING The core app is free — not "free for 3 days" free, but actually free for unlimited printers, forever. Cameras, diagnostics, widgets, Siri, Fleet Scout and AMS details — no fleet size limit, no cost. The one paid feature is multi-printer Live Activities on your Lock Screen. Up to two printers is free; PandaWatch Pro unlocks up to 20 at once for a one-time $3.99 — no subscription, no expiry. Fleet size stays unlimited either way. SUPPORTED MODELS Compatible with the entire Bambu Lab family: X1 Carbon, X1E, P1S, P1P, A1, A1 Mini, H2, P2 and X2D series. Note: Camera streaming and file browsing need a local network connection. Cloud monitoring works anywhere.

Screenshots

SpoolTool4 screens
PandaWatch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SpoolTool at weekly against PandaWatch's every 2 weeks. PandaWatch's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. SpoolTool sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PandaWatch sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpoolTool ships an update weekly, PandaWatch every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
SpoolTool versus PandaWatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpoolToolPandaWatch
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuc JanssenMichael Saunders

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SpoolTool

One-time1
  • SpoolTool+$1.99
1 purchases

PandaWatch

One-time1
  • PandaWatch Pro$3.99

Questions

Is SpoolTool free?
SpoolTool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PandaWatch free?
PandaWatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SpoolTool or PandaWatch have ads?
Neither SpoolTool nor PandaWatch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpoolTool or PandaWatch?
SpoolTool ships an update weekly, and PandaWatch every 2 weeks. Most recently, SpoolTool was updated on October 10, 2026 and PandaWatch on September 28, 2026.

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