Filament tracker comparison
Spoolroom vs Spoolman
Both track 3D printer filament by the spool, both take a scale reading, and both can take print usage off a spool automatically. The difference is who runs it. Spoolman is free, open-source software you install on your own hardware. Spoolroom is a hosted service you sign in to.
Published by Spoolroom. Spoolman details come from its own documentation and the documentation of the tools that connect to it, read on ; they are not hands-on tests. Each claim links its sources, listed at the end. A feature we did not find in the documentation is left out, not called missing.
The short version
Spoolman
A self-hosted web service under the MIT license. You run it with Docker or a Linux install script, your data stays on your machine, and Moonraker (Klipper) or OctoPrint report filament used as each print runs. It has a REST API, a QR label designer, NFC tag support and a Home Assistant integration, and its web client works on phones.
Spoolroom
A hosted filament and supplies tracker. There is no server to run; you sign in with a passkey or an emailed link. An optional read-only watcher on your network logs finished prints. It adds supplies, maintenance and cost per print beside the filament, with a free plan and paid plans, and email support.
Side by side
Read on . Source numbers link to the list at the end of the page.
What it is
Price and license
Setup
- Spoolman
- Install with Docker (recommended) on any system that runs it, or with a Linux install script, on an always-on machine. Then add a [spoolman] section to Moonraker or install the OctoPrint plugin.Sources: 61214
- Spoolroom
- Create an account and start adding spools. For automatic print logging, install the optional watcher on an always-on machine on your printers' network with a one-line command; it only connects outbound.Sources: 18
Where your data lives
Sign-in and remote access
Adding spools
- Spoolman
- A guided add flow (manufacturer, filament, spool) that searches a community filament database, quick-pick roll sizes and a bulk-add form. Custom fields on any record.Sources: 134
- Spoolroom
- Pick from the bundled filament catalog, or photograph a label or import an order receipt and check the fields before saving (photo and receipt reading use AI credits). Imports a Spoolstock CSV. Import from Spoolman is not available.Sources: 16
Weighing and what is left
Print usage
Printers
- Spoolman
- Documented integrations: Klipper with Moonraker, and OctoPrint 1.9.0 or later. Other tools connect through its REST API. One instance serves many printers, and several printers can share a spool.Sources: 7141
- Spoolroom
- Tested with a real printer: Snapmaker U1 (Klipper/Moonraker) and Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2. Experimental: built from published documentation, not yet tested on a real printer: every other listed family. Every logged print comes off the spool it used, and a weigh-in keeps each balance matched to the scale. Plans include 1, 3 or 6 printers.Sources: 1816
On a phone
Labels and tags
- Spoolman
- A label designer for QR labels built from any spool, filament or manufacturer field, saved as PNG or a label-printer file. NFC/RFID tags link to spools through an ESP32 or USB reader, or an Android phone.Sources: 148
- Spoolroom
- Print a sheet of QR labels, stick them on, and scan one with a phone to open its spool.Sources: 16
API and integrations
- Spoolman
- REST API with live websocket updates. Integrations listed: Moonraker and its front ends, OctoPrint, OctoEverywhere, Home Assistant (sensors per spool) and an MCP server for AI assistants. Prometheus metrics for usage history.Sources: 11510
- Spoolroom
- A REST API (API keys on paid plans) and an MCP connection for AI assistants, plus Filo, its own assistant, which uses AI credits.Sources: 16
Beyond filament
- Spoolroom
- Also counts supplies such as magnets, heat-set inserts, adhesives and nozzles, with maintenance reminders and cost per print.Sources: 16
Getting your data out
Support
- Spoolroom
- Email support from the team that runs the service.Sources: 20
| Factor | Spoolman | Spoolroom |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A self-hosted web service and database for filament spools. You run it, and your printer software reports usage to it.Sources: 1 | A hosted web app for filament and other printing supplies. You sign in; there is no server to run.Sources: 16 |
| Price and license | Free, open-source software under the MIT license. No subscription; you supply the hardware it runs on.Sources: 2, 1 | A hosted service with a free plan and paid plans. It is not open source and cannot be self-hosted.Sources: 16 |
| Setup | Install with Docker (recommended) on any system that runs it, or with a Linux install script, on an always-on machine. Then add a [spoolman] section to Moonraker or install the OctoPrint plugin.Sources: 6, 12, 14 | Create an account and start adding spools. For automatic print logging, install the optional watcher on an always-on machine on your printers' network with a one-line command; it only connects outbound.Sources: 18 |
| Where your data lives | On your own machine: a SQLite file by default (PostgreSQL, MySQL or CockroachDB if you prefer), with an automatic nightly backup beside it.Sources: 1, 6, 9 | In Spoolroom's hosted database and photo storage, in the United States. You can download a full backup at any time.Sources: 19, 16 |
| Sign-in and remote access | No built-in sign-in; its docs say to read the Security page before exposing it outside your network. HTTPS (needed for phone QR scanning) comes from a reverse proxy or a service such as OctoEverywhere.Sources: 6, 11 | Passkey or emailed-link sign-in, from anywhere with a connection. Opened pages stay readable offline; saving changes needs a connection.Sources: 20, 16 |
| Adding spools | A guided add flow (manufacturer, filament, spool) that searches a community filament database, quick-pick roll sizes and a bulk-add form. Custom fields on any record.Sources: 1, 3, 4 | Pick from the bundled filament catalog, or photograph a label or import an order receipt and check the fields before saving (photo and receipt reading use AI credits). Imports a Spoolstock CSV. Import from Spoolman is not available.Sources: 16 |
| Weighing and what is left | Enter a scale reading of the whole spool and Spoolman subtracts the empty-spool weight. Usage can also be entered by weight or length.Sources: 5, 4 | Enter a scale reading of the whole spool and Spoolroom subtracts the empty-spool weight (tare). Each weigh-in, print and correction stays in the spool's history.Sources: 17, 16 |
| Print usage | Moonraker (Klipper) or the OctoPrint plugin sends filament used to Spoolman while a print runs. You set the active spool per tool with a macro (SET_ACTIVE_SPOOL) or from a front end such as Fluidd.Sources: 12, 14, 13, 1 | The optional read-only watcher reports finished prints and takes the filament off the spool in that slot; an unclear slot waits for your review. Without it, log a print from the sliced file or by hand.Sources: 18, 16 |
| Printers | Documented integrations: Klipper with Moonraker, and OctoPrint 1.9.0 or later. Other tools connect through its REST API. One instance serves many printers, and several printers can share a spool.Sources: 7, 14, 1 | Tested with a real printer: Snapmaker U1 (Klipper/Moonraker) and Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2. Experimental: built from published documentation, not yet tested on a real printer: every other listed family. Every logged print comes off the spool it used, and a weigh-in keeps each balance matched to the scale. Plans include 1, 3 or 6 printers.Sources: 18, 16 |
| On a phone | The web client has had full mobile support since v0.26.0. No official app; Android phones can read NFC tags in the browser over HTTPS, and the wiki lists community apps.Sources: 3, 8 | Built for phones first: it works in any phone browser and can be added to the home screen.Sources: 16 |
| Labels and tags | A label designer for QR labels built from any spool, filament or manufacturer field, saved as PNG or a label-printer file. NFC/RFID tags link to spools through an ESP32 or USB reader, or an Android phone.Sources: 1, 4, 8 | Print a sheet of QR labels, stick them on, and scan one with a phone to open its spool.Sources: 16 |
| API and integrations | REST API with live websocket updates. Integrations listed: Moonraker and its front ends, OctoPrint, OctoEverywhere, Home Assistant (sensors per spool) and an MCP server for AI assistants. Prometheus metrics for usage history.Sources: 1, 15, 10 | A REST API (API keys on paid plans) and an MCP connection for AI assistants, plus Filo, its own assistant, which uses AI credits.Sources: 16 |
| Beyond filament | Manufacturers, filaments and spools, with custom fields and locations.Sources: 1, 3 | Also counts supplies such as magnets, heat-set inserts, adhesives and nozzles, with maintenance reminders and cost per print.Sources: 16 |
| Getting your data out | The database file is yours, and the API exports spools, filaments and manufacturers as CSV or JSON.Sources: 9, 5 | On every plan: a full JSON backup, spreadsheet CSV, a prints and costs CSV, and a HueForge library.Sources: 16 |
| Support | A community project: GitHub issues and discussions, and donations through Ko-fi.Sources: 7, 1 | Email support from the team that runs the service.Sources: 20 |
Which printers, honestly
Spoolman does not talk to printers itself: the printer software does. Its documented routes are Moonraker's [spoolman] section for Klipper and the OctoPrint plugin for OctoPrint 1.9.0 or later, so it follows any machine those run.
Spoolroom's watcher has its own driver for each printer family, at two levels. Tested with a real printer: Snapmaker U1 (Klipper/Moonraker) and Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2. Experimental: built from published documentation, not yet tested on a real printer: other Klipper/Moonraker machines, Creality K1 family, Anycubic Kobra, Bambu Lab, Creality stock firmware, Prusa (PrusaLink), Elegoo Centauri Carbon (first gen), FlashForge, OctoPrint. Every logged print comes off the spool it used, and a quick weigh-in keeps each balance matched to your scale. See every printer and its setup.
When Spoolman is the better fit
- You run Klipper with Moonraker, or OctoPrint, and want filament tracked inside the tools you already use: Moonraker reports usage as the print runs, and front ends such as Fluidd show the active spool and check it before a print starts.
- You want free, open-source software (MIT) that you can read, change and keep running on your own terms, with no account and no subscription.
- You want the data on your own hardware and network, with no cloud service in the loop, and you are comfortable keeping a server updated, backed up and secured.
- You already run Home Assistant, Prometheus or other home-server tools and want spool sensors, automations or usage graphs there.
- You want NFC tags on your spools, or many printers sharing one inventory without a plan's printer count.
When Spoolroom may fit better
- You would rather not install, update, back up or secure a server, or set up remote access to reach your inventory away from home.
- You keep supplies beyond filament (magnets, heat-set inserts, adhesives, nozzles) and want them counted beside your spools, with maintenance reminders and cost per print.
- You want each spool's history of weigh-ins, prints and corrections in one place, and a full backup you can download on any plan.
- You print on a Snapmaker U1 or an Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2, the two printers Spoolroom has been tested with, or you are happy to try an experimental driver and report back.
- You want to start from a label photo or an order receipt (these use AI credits; Free includes 25 to start, and they don't expire), or ask questions about your shelf.
- You want email support from the team that runs the service.
Spoolroom is not the right choice if you need open source, self-hosting or a service that runs without an internet connection.
Moving between them
Import from Spoolman is not available. Spoolroom imports a Spoolstock CSV and order receipts only, so moving from Spoolman means adding your spools again: from the catalog, a label photo or a receipt. Going the other way, Spoolroom's exports are its own JSON and CSV files; we have not tested reading them into Spoolman.
Sources
Each source was read on the date shown. Official documentation is not an independent test, and both products change: check the source before relying on a detail.
- Spoolman repository READMESelf-hosted web service; REST API and websocket; label designer with QR codes; databases; several printers; listed integrations. Read .
- Spoolman license file (MIT)Free and open-source license. Read .
- Spoolman v0.26.0 release notes (July 31, 2026)Rewritten web client with full mobile support; bulk add. Read .
- Spoolman v0.27.0 release notes (September 25, 2026)NFC/RFID tags, Android phones reading tags, measuring a spool with its empty weight. Read .
- Spoolman REST API referenceMeasure a spool from its gross scale weight; use by weight or length; CSV and JSON export. Read .
- Spoolman wiki: InstallationDocker or a Linux install script; SQLite by default; no built-in authentication. Read .
- Spoolman wiki: Automatic Filament Usage TrackingMoonraker and OctoPrint report usage; one instance serves many printers; support links. Read .
- Spoolman wiki: Backup and RestoreDatabase file on your machine; automatic nightly backup. Read .
- Spoolman wiki: Filament Usage HistoryUsage history through Prometheus metrics. Read .
- Spoolman wiki: Frequently Asked QuestionsHTTPS for phone QR scanning through a reverse proxy or OctoEverywhere. Read .
- Moonraker configuration: [spoolman]Klipper usage sent to Spoolman; SET_ACTIVE_SPOOL macros. Read .
- Fluidd documentation: Spool Management (Spoolman)Spool picker at print start, webcam QR scan, filament checks, toolchangers. Read .
- OctoPrint plugin repository: SpoolmanSpool per tool, usage committed to Spoolman, OctoPrint 1.9.0 or later. Read .
- Spoolman Home Assistant integrationA Home Assistant device and sensors per spool, low-filament sensor, services. Read .
- Spoolroom: features, plans and exportsSpoolroom features, plan limits, export files, offline behavior. Read .
- Spoolroom: how much filament is leftScale reading minus the empty-spool weight. Read .
- Spoolroom: printer coverage and setupThe watcher, and which printers are tested or experimental. Read .
- Spoolroom privacy policy: service providersWhere Spoolroom stores data (United States). Read .
- Spoolroom supportEmail support; passkey or emailed-link sign-in. Read .