Printers · Comparison

HP Smart Tank 5000 vs Epson EcoTank ET-4800

Our two top-scoring models come out in a virtual tie: 8.7 out of 10 each, with HP ahead by a hair on the unrounded number. This isn't a quality gap — it's a question of which features you need and how much you want to pay for them.

Last updated 2026-08-01.

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Quick comparison

Ranked by Picksights Score. Prices are approximate and change frequently.
Product	Picksights Score	From	Best for
#1 · HP HP Smart Tank 5000	8.7/10	$169.99	Best from the most popular printer brand
#2 · Epson Epson EcoTank ET-4800	8.7/10	$219.99	Best for a home office

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Top pick

Number 1: HP Smart Tank 5000

PS8.7/10

Best from the most popular printer brand

The largest printer brand by market share turns out to be a genuinely close call on our own numbers, not a given. The Smart Tank 5000 undercuts the Epson ET-4800 on price while matching its document feeder, and Consumer Reports' own testing puts its running cost in the same tank-printer tier as the Epson machines here. It edges out the ET-4800 by a hair on our formula — call it a statistical tie between the two rather than a clear winner. If brand-name support and ink availability matter to you, this is the one; if you specifically want fax and Ethernet, the ET-4800 still has them and this doesn't.

Pros

From the single largest printer brand by market share, with the widest third-party ink and support ecosystem of any printer here
35-sheet automatic document feeder at a lower price than the Epson ET-4800, which is the only other machine in this ranking that has one
Consumer Reports measures cost per page at roughly 0.4 cents black-and-white — genuine cartridge-free tank economics, not a marketing claim

Cons

No fax or Ethernet, unlike the ET-4800 — wireless only
Consumer Reports rates text quality "very good" but not quite class-leading, the same tier as the ET-4800 rather than a step up
HP's history with third-party ink cartridge restrictions on other printer lines makes some buyers wary of the brand generally, even though this specific tank model doesn't use cartridges

From $169.99Approximate — prices change

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Sources: Consumer Reports (HP Smart Tank 5000 lab review) (2026) · HP official cost-per-page breakdown (Smart Tank vs cartridge) (2026)Last checked by Picksights 2026-08-01

Epson

Number 2: Epson EcoTank ET-4800

PS8.7/10

Best for a home office

The one to buy if the printer has a job rather than a corner. The document feeder alone changes what you can do with it — scanning a stack instead of a page at a time — and it is the only machine here with Ethernet. It also costs the most up front, which is exactly the number you should be ignoring: on Consumer Reports' own modelling, a $128 cartridge printer overtakes this on total cost inside the first year and keeps going.

Pros

Bottled ink costs a fraction of cartridge ink per page — the whole argument for buying a tank printer
Automatic document feeder and Ethernet, which the cheaper tanks here leave out
Fax and copy included, so it replaces an office multifunction outright

Cons

The highest purchase price of the three, which is the number most shoppers compare
Photo output is competent rather than a reason to buy it
Tank printers need occasional use or the print head can clog

From $219.99Approximate — prices change

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Sources: Consumer Reports (laboratory testing and cost-of-ownership modelling) (2026-06-24) · TechRadar (standardised test across 200+ printers) (2026-07) · Epson official support documentation (ET-4800) (2026)Last checked by Picksights 2026-07-29

The real question: do you need fax and Ethernet?

Both include a 35-sheet automatic document feeder. The real difference is that the ET-4800 adds fax and Ethernet — and costs about $50 more for it. If you need fax for some paperwork or want a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi, that difference justifies the extra cost.

If you need neither, the HP Smart Tank 5000 gets you the same document feeder, comparable tank-ink economics per Consumer Reports, and comes from the largest printer brand on the market, for less money. It's the more sensible pick for most households that want a document feeder but not fax or Ethernet.

How we rank

Picksights Score is a weighted average of 4 criteria, the same as in the full printer ranking:

Running cost — 35%
Print quality — 25%
Price — 25%
Features — 15%

Full ranking: Best Home Printer →

Also see: ET-4800 vs ET-2803 →

Guide: Best Printer for Home Office →