Raw PrintRawBT is one of the best-known Android print services for thermal receipt printers, and plenty of web POS systems print through it. But its free version adds a notice to every printout, and removing it means buying a license. If you'd rather print clean receipts at no cost, or you're comparing options before you roll out tablets to several counters, here are the alternatives worth knowing about.
Disclosure: we make Raw Print, which is one of the apps below. We've stuck to what each developer publishes about their app (checked in October 2026) and linked our sources at the end. Apps change, so check the current listing before you decide.
The short answer
| App | What's free | Text added to receipts | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Print | Everything | None | Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, USB |
| Open ESC/POS Print Service | Everything (open source, GPL-3.0) | None mentioned | Bluetooth, USB, TCP/network |
| Quick Printer | Basic printing; QR, barcodes and raw commands are Premium | Free version prints a message at the end of the ticket | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB |
| ESC POS Bluetooth Print Service | A trial of 26 print jobs, then a premium license | None mentioned | Bluetooth |
What to check in a RawBT alternative
- Link compatibility. If a web POS sends receipts with
rawbt:links, the replacement has to understand the same link format, or you'll need to change the POS code. - Connections. Most portable printers use Bluetooth. Countertop printers often use USB or a network cable. Make sure the app supports the one you have.
- What "free" means. Some apps are free with a message printed on every receipt, some stop after a set number of prints, and some are simply free.
- Printer type. ESC/POS receipt printers and "cat-style" photo printers (Paperang, Peripage and similar) speak different languages. Not every app supports both.
- Your language. Cheap printers only have a few built-in alphabets. Arabic, Hindi, Thai or Chinese text needs an app that prints it as an image.
1. Raw Print
Raw Print is a free print service for 58 mm and 80 mm ESC/POS receipt printers. It has no ads, adds nothing to your receipts and doesn't need an account.
- Works with existing links: it accepts
rawbt:links (plus its ownrawprint:scheme), so most web POS pages print without changes. It also takes jobs from the share menu, "Open with", Android intents and the system Print menu. - Setup: scan, tap the printer and print a test receipt. The app asks the printer what it supports without wasting paper, and one-tap answers fix wrong paper width, characters or pictures.
- Any language: text the printer can't show (Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Thai, Chinese, emoji) is printed as an image with correct shaping and right-to-left order.
- Connections: Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy and USB OTG, with automatic reconnection in the background.
Limits: no Wi-Fi or Ethernet printers yet, and no support for cat-style photo printers. Links written as intent://…;package=ru.a402d.rawbtprinter;end are addressed to RawBT's package, so Android only opens RawBT for them. Remove the package= part to let Raw Print handle them.
2. Open ESC/POS Print Service
An open-source (GPL-3.0) Android print service for ESC/POS receipt printers and CPCL label printers. It supports Bluetooth, USB and TCP printers, accepts HTML through an intent, and prints images shared from other apps, with options like cutting after each page and per-printer speed limits.
Good for: developers who want full control and are happy to build the app themselves. Its GitHub page doesn't list a Play Store release, so it isn't a one-tap install for shop staff.
3. Quick Printer (ESC POS Print)
Quick Printer lets you add receipt printers over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB and print text shared from other apps. It uses simple tags for formatting (bold, big text, alignment, tables, cutting paper and opening the cash drawer), which makes it handy for apps that can only share plain text.
Watch out for: according to its documentation, the free version prints a message at the end of the ticket, and QR codes, barcodes, raw ESC/POS commands and custom image sizes need the Premium version.
4. ESC POS Bluetooth Print Service
From Looped Labs, this app adds a Bluetooth receipt printer to Android's Print menu and share menu, so you can print from a browser or any app that supports printing. It lists support for generic Bluetooth printers and brands such as Epson, Star, Woosim, HOIN, Bixolon, Zebra, SUNMI and ZKC (models that can print graphics).
Watch out for: you can test it for 26 print jobs; after that it needs a premium license. It's Bluetooth only.
When RawBT is still the right choice
To be fair, RawBT does some things the free alternatives above don't all cover:
- Network printers: it can print to Ethernet or Wi-Fi printers on port 9100 (AppSocket).
- Photo thermal printers: it lists support for Paperang, Peripage and "cat/panda" printers.
- You already have a license: its developer says the licensed version differs only in not printing the notice. Speed and quality are the same.
Switching from RawBT to Raw Print
- Install Raw Print, switch on your printer and follow the 3-step setup.
- Open your POS and print a receipt. If both apps are installed, Android asks which app should open the link. Choose Raw Print and tap Always.
- If nothing happens, your POS probably uses an
intent://link with RawBT's package name. Ask your POS provider to remove thepackage=part.
Sources
- RawBT app description (developer 402D), as published on APKMirror
- Quick Printer README on GitHub
- Open ESC/POS Print Service repository on GitHub
- ESC POS Bluetooth Print Service listing (Looped Labs), as published on BlueStacks
RawBT, Quick Printer and ESC POS Bluetooth Print Service are products of their respective developers. Raw Print is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.