Comparison

Universal Printer & Scanner vs LightDrop

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

Head to head
About

Universal Printer & Scanner

Features
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Smart Printer: Print & Scan Print to Any Printer + Scan Print anything from your iPhone or iPad — to almost any printer. Universal Smart Printer connects to AirPrint AND older Wi-Fi / office printers that other apps can't reach, shows you live ink levels, and confirms that every job actually printed. Works with thousands of printer models — plus AirPrint, Wi-Fi and non-AirPrint network/office printers. Key Features: - Works with ANY printer: AirPrint, Wi-Fi, and non-AirPrint network/office printers - Finds printers automatically on your network — no complicated setup - Live ink levels & status: low ink, out of paper, cover open, done - Real print confirmation — know it printed, not just "sent" - Scan to PDF with your camera - Print from Photos, Files, Google Drive, or any app via the Share Sheet - Print documents, PDFs and photos with size, orientation and quality options Your first print is free — try it with no forced signup. Subscription Plans (Smart Printer Pro) Unlock unlimited printing and scanning: - Monthly Pro — $9.99/month, auto-renews monthly. - Yearly Pro — $39.99/year, includes a 3-day free trial for new users, renews annually. Important Information About Subscriptions: - Payment is charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period, at the same rate. - You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal anytime in your App Store Account Settings. For more details, read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. https://alcheclub.co/terms-of-use/ https://alcheclub.co/privacy-policy/

About

LightDrop

Features
Read full description

LightDrop moves files between two devices that share no network. One screen shows a QR code, the other device's camera reads it. No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth, no cable, no account, no server — just light. WHEN YOU NEED IT • An air-gapped or locked-down machine that will never join your network. • A work computer where USB ports are disabled and cloud drives are blocked. • Guest Wi-Fi that isolates every client, or a hotel network you would rather not trust. • A second screen nearby when email, cloud drives, and cables are not an option. • Anywhere a file has to cross an air gap and email is not an option. HOW IT WORKS • Pick text or a file on the sending device. LightDrop turns it into an animated QR stream. • Point the receiving device's camera at that screen. Fragments land continuously and the progress grid fills in. • Fountain coding means order does not matter and a dropped frame never restarts the transfer — keep the camera pointed and it completes. TURBO TRANSFER (PRO) • A binary QR fountain that packs a full 8 bits per byte instead of encoding through text — 10–30Ɨ the throughput of standard mode. • Up to 2900 bytes per frame, at up to 30 frames per second. • LightDrop to LightDrop. Standard mode stays on as a compatible fallback, and the receiver recognises both automatically with nothing to configure. PASSWORD ENCRYPTION (PRO) • Encrypt the payload with a password before it ever reaches the screen. • A bystander's camera can record every QR code and still get nothing without the password. • Standard AES-GCM. Nothing leaves your device to make it work. IMAGES, HANDLED • Photos are compressed automatically before sending, so a normal picture takes a minute or two rather than ten. • The receiving device previews the image inline and saves it to your photo library in one tap. • Images are detected by file content, not by file extension. NO NETWORK MEANS NO NETWORK • No account. No sign-in. No email address. • No server ever receives your data, because there is no server. • No analytics SDK, no advertising identifier, no third-party trackers. • Works in airplane mode, in a shielded room, or on a machine that has never been online. ONE PURCHASE, EVERY DEVICE LightDrop is the same app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Pro unlocks on every device signed in to your Apple Account with a single purchase. PRICING • Monthly — 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, then renews automatically each month unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. • Lifetime — pay once and own it, with Family Sharing for everyone in your group. GOOD TO KNOW • Transfer speed depends on the sending screen's size and brightness, the receiving camera, and how steady you hold the device. Keep both screens clean and reasonably close. • Large files take real time. LightDrop estimates the duration before you start, so the decision is yours. — Privacy Policy: https://yangworks.dev/lightdrop/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ LightDrop Pro Monthly is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings after purchase. The Lifetime option is a one-time purchase with no renewal.

Screenshots

Universal Printer & Scanner4 screens
LightDrop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: LightDrop at none against Universal Printer & Scanner's shown. LightDrop also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Universal Printer & Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and LightDrop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 3 level
Universal Printer & Scanner versus LightDrop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversal Printer & ScannerLightDrop
PriceFreeFree
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.116.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperHoan NguyenęØ 高

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Universal Printer & Scanner

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Pro$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Pro1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Pro$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Pro3 Days trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

LightDrop

Subscriptions1
  • LightDrop Pro — Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • LightDrop Pro — Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Universal Printer & Scanner free?
Universal Printer & Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LightDrop free?
LightDrop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Universal Printer & Scanner or LightDrop have ads?
Universal Printer & Scanner shows ads; LightDrop does not.

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