HP vs Epson vs Canon: Which Printer Brand Is Best in 2026?

HP, Epson, and Canon account for roughly 85% of printer sales in the UK. Walk into any Currys or browse Amazon and those are the three brands staring back at you. But here’s the thing most people don’t realise until they’ve already bought: these three brands have wildly different attitudes towards your money, your data, and your freedom to choose your own ink.

I’ve used printers from all three over the years, and I have strong opinions. This guide compares them honestly — the good, the bad, and the genuinely dodgy.

For detailed head-to-head comparisons, see our Epson vs HP printers and Epson vs Canon printers guides.

Brand Comparison at a Glance

Factor	HP	Epson	Canon
Cartridge ink cost	High (£30-55/set)	High (£30-50/set)	High (£30-50/set)
Tank ink cost	Low (Smart Tank)	Lowest (EcoTank)	Low (MegaTank)
Subscription model	HP Instant Ink (free-£12.99/mo)	None	None
Third-party ink friendly	No — actively blocked	Yes (tank), Mixed (cartridge)	Yes (mostly)
Laser printers	Good range	Limited (mostly business)	Good range (i-SENSYS)
Photo quality	Good	Excellent	Excellent
Software/app	HP Smart (best app)	Epson iPrint (adequate)	Canon PRINT (adequate)
Firmware updates	Aggressive (can block ink)	Non-intrusive	Non-intrusive
UK price range (inkjet)	£40-350	£50-350	£40-300
Warranty	1-2 years	1-3 years	1 year
Eco programme	HP Planet Partners	Epson recycling	Canon recycling

Ink Costs: The Biggest Difference

This is where your actual spending happens, and it’s where the three brands diverge most dramatically.

Standard Cartridge Printers

All three charge roughly the same for replacement cartridges — and they’re all expensive. A full set of genuine HP, Epson, or Canon cartridges costs £30-55 and prints 150-400 pages. That’s 8-15p per colour page, 5-10p per mono page. At this level, brand loyalty saves you nothing.

Tank-Based Printers

This is where things get interesting:

Epson EcoTank pioneered refillable ink tanks. Replacement bottles cost £8-12 each (£32-48 for a full set) and print 4,500-7,500 pages. Cost per page: 0.3-2p. The Epson EcoTank ET-2860 is the one I recommend most.

HP Smart Tank followed Epson’s lead a few years later. Replacement bottles cost £8-10, with similar yields. The HP Smart Tank 5105 is the main competitor. Running costs are comparable.

Canon MegaTank is Canon’s version. Bottles cost £8-12 each. The Canon PIXMA G3570 offers up to 6,000 mono or 7,700 colour pages from the included ink.

Bottom line: All three tank systems are dramatically cheaper than cartridges. Epson was first, has the widest range, and is the most established. HP and Canon have caught up on price and yield.

HP Instant Ink (Subscription Model)

HP is the only brand offering a subscription ink service. Here’s the deal:

Plan	Monthly Cost	Pages Included	Rollover
Free	£0	15 pages	Up to 45
Light	£0.99	10 pages	Up to 30
Moderate	£3.49	50 pages	Up to 100
Frequent	£7.49	100 pages	Up to 300
Business	£12.99	300 pages	Up to 900

HP ships replacement cartridges before you run out. Unused pages roll over (with caps). The free tier is genuinely useful if you barely print — 15 pages a month for nothing.

The problem: If you cancel Instant Ink, HP remotely disables the cartridges in your printer — even if they’re half full, even if you’ve paid for that month. The cartridges you physically possess just stop working. I tried Instant Ink for six months and this is ultimately why I cancelled. The idea that a company can remotely switch off something I’ve paid for sits very badly with me.

Epson and Canon don’t do anything like this.

Third-Party Ink Compatibility

This is where HP gets properly controversial.

HP: Hostile to Third-Party Ink

HP has repeatedly pushed firmware updates that block non-genuine cartridges. The HP+ programme (needed for some promotional pricing and features) mandates genuine HP ink only. In 2023, HP settled a class-action lawsuit in the US over this.

If you buy an HP printer planning to use cheap compatible cartridges from Amazon — be aware that a firmware update could disable them at any time. I’ve seen this happen to three different people. One of them had just bought a multipack of compatibles for £15. All useless overnight.

Epson: Generally Friendly

Epson’s EcoTank printers use bottles — third-party bottles are widely available and work fine. Epson’s cartridge printers are mixed (some use chips), but Epson doesn’t push firmware updates to block compatibles.

Canon: Mostly Friendly

Canon printers generally accept third-party cartridges without drama. No firmware blocking. Their MegaTank printers use refillable bottles where third-party options are widely available.

My view: If you want to use third-party ink to save money, avoid HP. Epson and Canon are the safe choices.

Software and Apps

HP Smart

Credit where it’s due — HP’s app is the best of the three. Well-designed, handles WiFi setup smoothly, clear ink level monitoring, built-in document scanner using your phone camera. Mobile printing works reliably.

The trade-off? HP Smart collects usage data and pushes Instant Ink sign-ups. Hard. Some HP+ printers actually require an HP account to use all features. I find this a bit much, personally.

Epson iPrint & Smart Panel

Epson offers two apps — the older iPrint and the newer Smart Panel. Smart Panel is a decent improvement but still feels a bit dated compared to HP Smart. Basic functions work fine. WiFi setup can be fiddly on some models. But it doesn’t nag you, doesn’t push subscriptions, and doesn’t require an account. I appreciate that.

Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY

Canon’s app handles printing, scanning, and ink levels without fuss. Not as slick as HP Smart, but doesn’t push subscriptions or harvest your data. The Easy-PhotoPrint Editor app is genuinely useful for photo layouts and cards.

My take: HP has the best app, but it comes with strings attached. Epson and Canon are less polished but more respectful of your privacy and wallet.

Print Quality

Text Documents

All three produce excellent text on laser printers. For inkjets, text sharpness ranks roughly: Epson (Micro Piezo) ≥ Canon (FINE) > HP (thermal). The differences are small — you’d only notice side-by-side on plain paper.

Photos

This is Canon and Epson territory. HP is the weakest of the three for photos.

• Canon produces warmer, more natural-looking colours. ChromaLife 100+ inks on genuine Canon photo paper look gorgeous and last well.
• Epson’s Claria inks produce vivid, sharp photos with slightly more saturated colours. Superb detail in highlights and shadows.
• HP photo quality is fine but rarely makes you go “wow.” HP’s strength is convenience — easy borderless printing from the app — rather than outright quality.

For serious photo printing, it’s Canon or Epson. No question.

Graphics and Colour Documents

All three are comparable for charts, presentations, and colour documents. At this level, the differences are negligible.

Reliability and Longevity

Independent reliability surveys (including Which? and Consumer Reports) consistently rank the brands in this order:

1. Brother — not one of the big three, but consistently ranked most reliable
2. Epson — especially the EcoTank line, which has fewer moving parts
3. Canon — solid mid-pack reliability
4. HP — higher failure rates in some consumer models, partially attributed to firmware complexity

I’ve personally had two HP inkjets fail within three years and an Epson EcoTank that’s been running for four years without a hiccup. Sample size of one, obviously, but it matches the broader data.

Worth knowing: Epson’s print heads are permanent (built into the printer), so they last longer if maintained but cost a lot to replace if they fail. HP and Canon cartridge printers include a fresh print head with every cartridge, so replacement is automatic but ongoing.

Laser Printer Ranges

Not all three compete equally here:

• HP offers a solid range from the compact LaserJet M110we (about £130 on Amazon UK) to multifunction models like the LaserJet MFP M234dwe. Running costs are higher than Brother, though.
• Canon has the i-SENSYS range — some excellent mono and colour lasers with competitive toner costs.
• Epson has a limited consumer laser range and focuses primarily on inkjet technology.

If you want a laser printer, HP and Canon both offer good options — but Brother (outside the big three) consistently provides better value, lower running costs, and higher reliability. See our best laser printer for home guide for specifics.

Environmental Credentials

Initiative	HP	Epson	Canon
Cartridge recycling	HP Planet Partners	Epson recycling programme	Canon recycling
Recycled materials in printers	Yes (ocean-bound plastic)	Limited	Limited
Energy efficiency	Good	Excellent (Heat-Free inkjet)	Good
Refillable systems	Smart Tank	EcoTank	MegaTank
Packaging reduction	Improving	Good	Good

Epson’s “Heat-Free” inkjet technology uses no heat to fire ink, which means lower energy consumption per page. At current UK electricity rates of about 24.5p/kWh, the actual difference is pennies per year — but it adds up if you’re printing hundreds of pages monthly.

HP does deserve credit for its use of ocean-bound plastics in printer housings. That’s a genuine initiative, not just greenwashing.

Tank-based printers from all three brands produce dramatically less packaging waste than cartridge models — one set of ink bottles replaces dozens of sealed plastic cartridges.

Price Range Comparison (UK, 2026)

Category	HP	Epson	Canon
Budget inkjet	£40-70	£50-70	£40-60
Mid-range inkjet	£70-130	£70-130	£60-120
Tank inkjet	£200-350	£200-350	£180-300
Mono laser	£100-250	Limited range	£120-300
Colour laser	£200-600	N/A (consumer)	£200-500
Photo printer	£60-350	£60-400	£50-350

All three cover the full price spectrum for inkjets. For laser, HP and Canon have wider ranges than Epson.

Which Brand Should You Choose?

Choose HP If:

• You genuinely want the best mobile app experience
• You print a predictable number of pages each month and Instant Ink works for you
• You’re happy using genuine HP consumables only
• You need a compact mono laser

Choose Epson If:

• You want the lowest running costs (EcoTank — this is my pick for most people)
• Third-party ink compatibility matters
• You print photos regularly and want excellent quality
• You prefer a brand that doesn’t push subscriptions or block your ink

Choose Canon If:

• Photo quality is your top priority
• You want good all-round performance without being upsold
• MegaTank running costs appeal but you prefer Canon’s warmer colour handling
• You need a solid range of both inkjet and laser options

Or Consider Brother:

• For laser printers specifically, Brother consistently offers the best value and highest reliability
• Third-party toner is widely available and not blocked
• Not strong for inkjet or photo printing, mind

My overall recommendation: Don’t pick a brand first — pick the right technology. A tank-based inkjet from any of these three brands will save you hundreds over a cartridge model. A Brother laser will save you even more if you don’t need colour. Get the technology right, then choose the best model within that category. That’s the approach that saves money.

For specific model guidance, see our best printer for infrequent use and Epson vs HP printers comparisons.