We build Krino. This is an honest comparison, including where printIQ wins.
Quick verdict: In a Krino vs printIQ decision, printIQ is the deeper, more established enterprise-grade print MIS, with very strong gang-based estimating and a broad ecosystem. Krino is the AI-first, flat-priced option built for Australian SMB print and sign shops that want modern automation without enterprise cost or per-seat fees. If you run a large, complex operation, printIQ’s depth is hard to beat. If you are a growing shop that wants AI and a predictable bill, Krino is the lighter, faster fit.
These are two different philosophies rather than two versions of the same thing. printIQ is built to handle almost anything a large printer can throw at it, and it expects a buyer with the scale and the team to use that depth. Krino is built so a small shop can quote accurately, schedule automatically and get paid faster, without a systems administrator or a long rollout. The right answer depends far more on the size and complexity of your shop than on any single feature.
| Dimension | Krino | printIQ |
|---|---|---|
| AI features | AI scheduling, quote help and agents | Not a marketed strength |
| Pricing | One flat price, no per-user | Quote-based, not public |
| Depth and maturity | Newer, fast-moving | Very deep, long established |
| Estimating breadth | Strong, AI-assisted | Very strong, gang-based |
| Accounting | Native Xero | Integrations available |
| Australian fit | Built in AU, local support | Global, with AU presence |
| Onboarding | Days, low friction | Plan for a fuller rollout |
| Best suited to | SMB print and sign shops | Larger and enterprise operations |
Treat the table as a starting point, not a scorecard. A dimension that decides it for one shop is irrelevant to another, so read the detail below with your own workflow in mind.
printIQ has been refined over many years across a global customer base. That shows up in the number of edge cases it handles out of the box and in the confidence of shops running high job volumes through it. Maturity is a real advantage, and a newer system like Krino is candid about closing that gap feature by feature rather than pretending it does not exist. If your shop has unusual processes that a system needs to bend around, a deep, long-established platform gives you more room to do that.
printIQ is known for deep, gang-based estimating that suits complex imposition, ganging and packaging or label work. If your quoting needs to squeeze maximum efficiency out of every sheet across intricate jobs, that estimating depth is a genuine reason to shortlist it. The more your margin depends on optimising layout across many jobs at once, the more that breadth is worth. Confirm the specifics of any estimating capability directly with printIQ, since feature sets evolve.
A long-established platform tends to bring a wider set of connectors, integrations and partner services, plus the processes larger operations expect around access control, multi-site setups and reporting. For an enterprise buyer with a dedicated systems team, that ecosystem can matter as much as the core software itself. A shop running several sites or hundreds of staff is squarely in printIQ’s territory.
Krino is AI-first. A won quote can flow straight into AI job scheduling, quoting is assisted by AI print quoting, and autonomous agents handle repetitive follow-up such as chasing approvals and updating job status. This is the clearest line between the two: no Australian competitor currently markets automation at this level. For a shop without a big admin team, that automation is the difference between staying on top of the board and drowning in it.
Krino is one flat price with every feature and unlimited users included. There are no per-seat fees, so adding an estimator or a counter staffer does not raise your bill. printIQ pricing is quote-based and not public, which is common for enterprise MIS; you should ask them for a current quote and compare the total against a flat plan. Predictable cost makes budgeting simple and means growth never triggers a surprise invoice.
Krino ships a native Xero integration, prices in AUD, handles GST correctly and is supported from Australia in your timezone. For a local shop, that removes a lot of friction around reconciliation and support, and it means the person you call understands how an Australian print business actually runs.
A focused system is quicker to roll out. Krino is designed so a small team can be quoting properly in days, not months, without a lengthy implementation project to schedule around production. The faster you are live, the sooner the software starts paying for itself rather than costing you time.
Look past the licence line at the full cost of ownership. An enterprise MIS can carry implementation, configuration and ongoing administration effort that a smaller shop may struggle to resource. A flat-priced, focused system like Krino keeps that overhead low, which is often the deciding factor for an owner-operator who wears several hats. Weigh the depth you will genuinely use against the time and money it takes to run, and be honest about which features your team will actually adopt.
Choose printIQ if you are a large or enterprise operation, especially in packaging or labels, that needs the deepest gang-based estimating and a broad connector ecosystem, and you have the team to run it.
Choose Krino if you are an Australian SMB print or sign shop that wants AI automation, transparent flat pricing, native Xero and a quick setup. See the wider field in the print quoting software guide or the full comparison hub.
Is there a printIQ alternative for small shops? Yes. Krino is built for SMB shops that find an enterprise MIS heavy and expensive to run. You get modern quoting, AI and scheduling without the implementation overhead or the systems team a large platform assumes.
Does Krino have per-user fees? No. Krino is one flat price with every feature and unlimited users. Confirm printIQ’s current pricing model with them directly, since it is quote-based and will depend on your setup.
Can Krino handle sign and wide-format work as well as commercial print? Yes. Krino quotes commercial, signage and wide-format jobs from the same engine, so you do not need a separate tool for each side of the shop.
Is moving from printIQ to Krino realistic? For many small and mid-sized shops, yes. If you find you are paying for and maintaining depth you never use, a focused system can cover your real workflow with far less overhead. Map your must-have features with us first, then decide.
