Google Cloud Print is dead. On December 31, 2020, Google shut down the service used by millions, and since then the "Print with Google Cloud" button in Chrome leads nowhere.

But remote printing hasn't disappeared. Businesses, freelancers and regular users still want to send documents to a printer from another room, office or city, just the tool is now different.

Over the past six years, the market has filled with replacements: from free cross-platform solutions to enterprise systems with Azure integration. Based on our experience migrating clients from Google Cloud Print, the choice comes down to six tools, we tested each one and collected real screenshots, prices and use cases.

💡 Quick overview:

• Define your primary printing scenario: Microsoft stack, mixed printer fleet or API development
• Match the scenario with the comparison table below and choose the appropriate service from six alternatives
• Install the selected tool following the instructions in the corresponding section and test a print page

1. Microsoft Universal Print

Microsoft Universal Print, the direct successor to the Google Cloud Print idea, implemented at the enterprise infrastructure level. It moves all printing to the Azure cloud, removing the need for local print servers.

Printers are registered in Azure Active Directory as devices, users authenticate through Microsoft Entra ID, and jobs are transmitted over HTTPS. For the end user it looks like regular printing: Ctrl+P → select printer → done. No need to install drivers, Universal Print automatically pulls the required driver from the cloud.

Pros:

• Full integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure AD, no need to set up hybrid infrastructure
• Location-based printing: the system automatically finds the nearest printer
• Reports and usage audit directly in Azure Portal
• Compliance with corporate security standards (Zero Trust, X.509 certificates)

Cons:

• Requires Microsoft 365 license (included in Windows 11 Enterprise E3/E5 and Microsoft 365 Business Premium)
• Needs printers with Universal Print support, or a connector on a Windows computer for older models
• No native Linux and Chrome OS support, only through third-party partner solutions

Price: from $4 per user per month (standalone license); included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and higher.

🔗 Universal Print on Microsoft website

2. PaperCut Mobility Print

PaperCut Mobility Print, a free solution from Australian vendor PaperCut that we use in practice for mixed fleets. It works on the principle of DNS-based discovery: you install a small service on a Windows or Mac computer in the local network, it publishes printers via mDNS, and clients (Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, iOS, Android) find them automatically, without entering IP addresses and configuring ports.

Unlike Universal Print, printing happens over the local network, not through the cloud. This means lower latency and no dependence on the internet channel. But for printing from outside the office, you'll need a VPN.

Pros:

• Completely free, with no limits on pages and users
• Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, iOS, Android
• No cloud registration required, everything in local network
• Integrates with paid PaperCut MF and PaperCut Hive products for accounting and quotas

Cons:

• For remote printing over the internet, VPN is needed
• Requires a host computer in the local network (Windows or Mac)
• No built-in audit and reporting in the free version

Price: free.

🔗 PaperCut Mobility Print

3. PrinterLogic

PrinterLogic (now part of the Vasion platform), an enterprise solution for organizations with 100+ workstations. This is not just a Cloud Print replacement, but a full-fledged print management system: centralized driver deployment, user self-service through a portal, audit trail of every job.

The architecture is serverless: there is no single print server that becomes a point of failure. Instead, agents on workstations receive policies and drivers directly from the cloud admin console. Printers are mapped to workstations by location, department or user role.

Pros:

• Eliminates print servers completely, no single point of failure
• Self-service portal: users add printers themselves, no IT involvement
• Detailed audit: who, what, when and how much was printed
• Windows, macOS and Linux support

Cons:

• Price by request only, expensive for small business
• Overkill for organizations under 50 users
• Implementation requires planning and migration of existing print GPOs

Price: on request; positioned as an enterprise solution with a budget starting from several thousand dollars per year.

🔗 PrinterLogic on Vasion website

4. PrintNode

PrintNode is not a user tool, but an API for developers. If you're building a SaaS, online store, warehouse system or POS terminal, and you need the server to send documents directly to the client's printer, PrintNode solves this task with one line of code.

You install a client agent on the computer with the printer (Windows, Mac, Linux), and your backend calls the REST API: POST /printjobs with PDF or ZPL, and the printer prints. Thermal label printers (Zebra), receipt printers and office lasers are supported. The agent automatically detects connected printers, no need to specify drivers.

In practice, we used PrintNode for auto-printing Shopify order labels: order webhook → PDF generation → PrintNode API → warehouse printer.

Pros:

• Clean REST API with client libraries in 7 languages (Node, Python, PHP, Java, C#, Ruby, Go)
• Free tier of 50 pages per month, enough for testing and micro-business
• Thermal printer and label support (ZPL, EPL, PDF)
• Cross-platform client agent

Cons:

• Not for end users, developer required
• Per-page price is higher than running your own print server at large volumes
• Dependency on third-party API for critical infrastructure

Price: free up to 50 pages per month, then from $0.01 per page.

🔗 PrintNode

5. DirectPrint.io

DirectPrint.io grew out of the Google Cloud Print niche for education when schools on Chromebooks were left without printing, this British service offered native integration with Google Admin Console. Today it's a full-fledged cloud printing platform focused on Chrome OS, Windows and managed environments.

Printers are published through Google Admin Console, users print through the standard Chrome dialog without installing drivers on each device. The administrator sees all printers, queues, paper consumption and can limit color printing or set per-user quotas.

Pros:

• Native integration with Google Workspace and Chromebook, what Google Cloud Print promised but didn't finish
• Pull printing: user sends a job, but picks it up at any printer after authentication
• Detailed usage reporting
• Quick setup, typical school deployment in 1 day

Cons:

• Paid subscription per device, expensive for large fleets
• No native macOS support (Chrome only)
• Less common in CIS, English support

Price: from £1 per device per month.

🔗 DirectPrint.io

6. Vendor cloud services

HP ePrint, Epson Connect, Canon PRINT, Brother Web Connect, every major printer manufacturer today has its own cloud. The idea is the same as Google Cloud Print: the printer connects to the internet directly (or through a home router), gets a unique email address, and you send documents to print via email from any device.

The most polished option is HP Smart: the app combines printing, scanning, ink ordering and diagnostics in one interface. The printer reports errors and low toner levels itself. Epson Connect adds remote scanning to the cloud.

Pros:

• Free with the printer, no subscriptions needed
• Works from any app through the "Share" dialog → vendor app
• No network policy configuration required, printer connects to the cloud itself
• OS-independent, printing from iOS and Android out of the box

Cons:

• Tied to one printer brand, changed vendor → changed ecosystem
• Mobile app quality varies: HP and Epson are excellent, others are hit or miss
• Email-to-print is a potential security hole (spam to printer)

Price: free with a printer of the corresponding brand.

🔗 HP Smart | 🔗 Epson Connect

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Can you still use Google Cloud Print in 2026?

No. Google shut down the Google Cloud Print servers on December 31, 2020. When trying to print through the old Chrome dialog, you'll see a connection error. All 5 official download pages for Cloud Print Service and Cloud Print Driver (tools.google.com/dlpage/cloudprint*) return 404. There is no service return, Google recommends using either vendor printer apps or Microsoft Universal Print.

Which alternative is best for a small office with 5-10 people?

If you have a Windows network and Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium, Microsoft Universal Print is already included in the subscription and configures in half an hour. If you don't have a subscription, PaperCut Mobility Print: it's free, works on any OS and doesn't require cloud registration. In both cases, printers are detected automatically, no need to install drivers on each machine.

Do the alternatives work with Chrome OS and Chromebook?

Yes. PaperCut Mobility Print and DirectPrint.io have native Chrome OS support. PaperCut publishes printers via mDNS, Chromebook sees them without additional extensions. DirectPrint.io integrates with Google Admin Console and allows centralized printer management for Chromebook fleets in schools and colleges.

Do I need to buy a new printer for cloud printing?

Not necessarily. Microsoft Universal Print supports old printers through a connector, a small service on a Windows computer that proxies a locally installed printer to Azure. PaperCut Mobility Print and PrintNode work with any printer recognized by the system as a print device. Vendor cloud services (HP ePrint, Epson Connect) require a printer of the corresponding brand with Wi-Fi support, but models older than 5-7 years usually already have this feature.

How secure is cloud printing?

All listed alternatives use HTTPS to transmit jobs. Microsoft Universal Print additionally encrypts documents at rest according to Microsoft 365 standards and supports Zero Trust Network through Microsoft Entra ID authentication. PrinterLogic offers an audit trail of every job. The most vulnerable method is email-to-print from manufacturers: theoretically anyone who learns the printer's email can send spam to it. We recommend enabling a sender whitelist in the printer settings.

What to install in 2026: the final breakdown

The market has replaced Google Cloud Print with six years of mature alternatives, and now the choice comes down to three scenarios.

If you have a Microsoft stack, go with Universal Print. It's already in your subscription, configures in Azure Portal and closes the print server question forever. For mixed fleets with macOS, Chrome OS and iOS, PaperCut Mobility Print: free, cross-platform, no cloud dependency. If you're a developer, PrintNode will give you printing from code in half a day of integration.

Try PaperCut Mobility Print right now, it's free, installs in 5 minutes and requires no registration. This is the fastest way to restore remote printing after the death of Google Cloud Print.