HP

Review by eFreeware

Setting up a new printer is rarely the fun part of buying one. There is the box to open, the network to sort out, the ink to install and the moment where nothing responds and you are not sure which step went wrong. The HP app exists to take most of that off your plate, and to stay useful afterwards for the printing, scanning and maintenance that follow.

It is published by HP Inc. and it is the successor to two older tools: HP Smart and myHP have been folded into a single app now simply called HP. It is the go-to app for HP devices, and its scope has widened beyond printers to cover HP laptops, desktops, pens and docks as well. It is free to download on Android phones and tablets, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases, so nothing inside it is gated behind a payment.

The numbers behind it are substantial: more than 100 million installs and a 4.1 average across 933,783 ratings. That tells you this is not a niche utility but the default companion for a very large base of HP hardware. Whether it earns a place on your phone depends on what HP equipment you own and how much of the printing you do from a handset.

Built for people who already own HP hardware

The app is written for households and small offices with HP printers, and increasingly for anyone with other HP products in the house. If a printer is sitting in a corner and you would rather not think about drivers or setup wizards on a computer, this is the intended path. The guided setup is designed to walk you through getting a new device running, and once that is done the app becomes the place you check ink levels and adjust settings.

It also suits people who print in short bursts rather than long sessions. A school form filled in at the kitchen table, a birthday card remembered at the last minute, a receipt that needs to be captured and emailed before it fades in a wallet. Those are the tasks the app is built around, and the developer frames it as working whether you are at home or in an office.

The support side matters too. Anyone who has spent an afternoon on hold over a printer error will see the appeal of reaching help from the same app that manages the device. Phone calls, live chat and in-app answers are all offered as routes to a fix, though the developer notes that chat and phone support run during business hours and vary by country.

Where the app makes less sense is for anyone outside the HP ecosystem. It is a companion for HP hardware, not a general-purpose printing tool, and its usefulness rises and falls with how much HP equipment you own.

Setup, printing and scanning from your phone

The core of the app is the print and scan workflow. You can send a document to the printer from a phone or tablet, and the developer describes scanning receipts in seconds and sending them straight to an email address. Documents can be adjusted and edited before printing, and scans can be digitized for sharing or storage. For anyone who works from a phone more than a laptop, that is the heart of the package.

Printing photos is handled as its own task, with the app promising high-quality output straight from your device. Fax is included as well, and the developer is specific about the scope here: sending capability is the relevant function. That is an unusual inclusion in a modern mobile app and will matter to anyone still dealing with clinics, agencies or suppliers that insist on fax.

Print shortcuts let you save the jobs you repeat, so a regular document does not have to be set up from scratch each time. Supply management is part of the same flow: the app notifies you when ink or paper is running low and lets you order more from inside it. Warranty tracking is available too, which keeps the paperwork for your HP devices in one place rather than in a drawer.

Printables, recommendations and device management

Beyond the practical jobs, the app includes HP Printables, a library of cards, coloring pages, educational worksheets and craft projects. This is a creativity feature, and it is the part of the app most likely to be used by families with children rather than by anyone printing invoices. The printables are licensed for personal use and cannot be distributed commercially.

The app also surfaces recommendations and lets you adjust device settings, with the idea that your technology should be configured the way you prefer. It is a management layer as much as a printing tool, and the recent redesign extended support to more HP products, including laptops, desktops, pens and docks. If you own several HP devices, having one place to check on them is the point.

New features are added over time, and leaving auto-updates on means improvements arrive without you chasing them. That is a reasonable expectation for an app tied to hardware that HP keeps selling.

What it costs and what it requires

The download is free, the app contains no advertising and there are no in-app purchases. That is a clean arrangement for a first-party companion app, and nothing appears to be locked behind a paywall inside the app itself.

There are requirements worth knowing before you install it. You need internet access, and an HP account unlocks full functionality. The developer also reserves the right to introduce charges for selected app functionality in the future, which is a caveat rather than a current cost.

Feature availability varies by printer and computer model, by country, and between desktop and mobile versions. Some features are only available in English. Live chat and phone support operate during business hours and differ by region, with chat defaulting to English where a localized service is not offered. None of this is unusual for hardware companion software, but it does mean two people with different HP devices may not see the same app.

How it compares with the alternatives

The obvious comparison is with the printing tools built into Android and with the generic drivers a computer offers. Those can handle a basic print job, but they do not manage a device, track supplies, check warranties or put you in touch with support. The HP app is trying to be the single place where all of that lives, and for HP owners that consolidation is the main argument in its favor.

A second comparison is with third-party print and scan utilities. Those tend to focus narrowly on getting a document out of your phone, sometimes with more control over layout or file handling. What they generally do not offer is the manufacturer's own view of your hardware, including supply alerts and warranty records.

The third alternative is simply doing things the old way: setting up the printer from a computer, checking ink by looking at the cartridge, and calling support only when something breaks. That costs nothing, but it also means giving up the convenience of managing everything from a phone.

The app's own pitch is that it is the go-to tool for HP devices, and the install numbers suggest plenty of people have accepted that framing. The trade-off is that it is tied to one manufacturer's hardware and to an account, which is the price of having setup, printing and support in one place.

A sensible companion for HP owners

I would treat the HP app as the default choice for anyone who owns an HP printer, and a reasonable one for anyone with other HP hardware in the house. It covers the jobs that actually come up: getting a new device running, printing and scanning from a phone, keeping an eye on ink and paper, and finding help when something misbehaves. The fact that it is free, ad-free and without in-app purchases makes it an easy thing to try.

The caveats are the ones that come with any hardware companion. You need an HP account for the full experience and a connection to use it, some features are English-only, and what you see depends on your model and your country. Support hours are limited to business hours and vary by region. The developer has also left the door open to charging for some functionality later, which is worth keeping in mind rather than assuming the current arrangement is permanent.

For a household that prints forms, cards and the occasional photo, or a small office that wants supplies and support in one place, the app does the job it sets out to do. For anyone without HP equipment, there is little here to draw you in.

What's new in version 26.4.0.6863

HP Smart is now HP! We redesigned the app for a simpler, more convenient experience. You can now get support for more HP products — not just your printer. This includes HP laptops, desktops, pens, docks, and more.