HP Smart Tank 5101 vs 5000: Two Near-Identical Tanks and HP's Reliability Lottery

Updated June 18, 2026

HP Smart Tank 5101

VS

HP Smart Tank 5000 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer

Pick a coin. The HP Smart Tank 5101 and the 5000 sit that close together. Both are cartridge-free HP Smart Tank refillable all-in-ones, both pitch the same starter load — 2 years of ink and up to 6000 pages in the box — both refill the same plug-and-drain way, and both print, scan, and copy over Wi-Fi. HP markets the 5101 as FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing and uses the word-for-word same line on the 5000. The model number buys you almost nothing mechanical — the only everyday-usable split is that the 5101 lists HP AI page formatting and the 5000 lists Premium Support.

So the literal pick is quick: print a lot of web pages and emails and the 5101's AI trim earns a slight nod; print plain documents and the 5000 does the identical job. The harder question sits underneath, and it has nothing to do with the model number. These tanks are cheap to feed and bimodal to live with — when they work, owners love the running cost; when they fail, they fail out of the box. Spend a moment on the feature split. Spend the rest on reliability and how often you actually print.

HP Smart Tank 5101

HP Smart Tank 5000 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer

At a Glance

Spot the difference: it's mostly the marketing

On the "At a Glance" table these two read as one HP Smart Tank column with a single row that moves. Start there, because that row is the only reason to weigh one over the other.

The 5101's headline extra is software. HP lists PERFECTLY FORMATTED PRINTS WITH HP AI – Print web pages and emails with precision, formatting that strips ads and clutter so a recipe or an email doesn't spill onto a second sheet. That is real paper saved if web printing is your habit. The 5000's listed extra is support, not a feature: HP markets PREMIUM SUPPORT - Strong technical expertise to solve issues faster and frames the machine around set-it-up-once reliability. One is a printing feature; the other is a service promise. Owners report HP support is hard to reach on both, so weigh that promise carefully.

Smart Tank 5101

Smart Tank 5000

Everything else is shared. Both refill the same way — HP describes the 5101's MESS-FREE REFILL – Replenish ink with HP's easy-access, mess-free refill system. and the 5000 uses the identical bottle system, which one owner confirms is Refilling is clean and simple, with minimal mess. Both carry a flatbed scanner, both print-scan-copy from one body, and both run the HP Smart app for setup. If you don't print web pages, the 5000 gives you the same machine without paying for the AI line.

So the feature math is one sentence: lean to the 5101 only if you print a lot of web pages and emails. Otherwise these are the same printer.

The real variable isn't the model — it's the unit you get

Here's the thing: the feature split is the small story. The two share the part that actually decides how happy you'll be — the running cost, the idle-clog risk, and an out-of-box reliability that swings hard between delighted and bricked. That is the real comparison, and it sits dead level on both.

Start with the part that goes right. The savings are why anyone buys a Smart Tank, and HP markets the 5101 around exactly that — FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing. Owners back the pitch: 5101 buyers who left HP cartridges over per-set gouging report the ink economy is the printer's standout, and the 5000 earns the same praise — an owner calls it The HP Smart Tank 5000 is a fantastic all-in-one printer that really stands out for its low operating cost and ease of use. Independent testing backs the running-cost gap up: RTINGS' cost-per-print and page-yield testing measures refillable tank ink many times cheaper per page than cartridge printers, and Consumer Reports' inkjet running-cost testing reaches the same verdict across the tank class. We lay out exactly how that cost axis gets weighed against the rest in our inkjet comparison criteria.

Now the part that goes wrong. The failure tail on both is severe. A 5101 review is headlined A Nightmare in a Box: The HP Smart Tank 5101 is a Total Fail, and a 5000 owner reports the bluntest fault of all — Except if doesn’t ever print. while copy and scan still work. The 5000 also leans on the cloud harder than buyers expect: lose your connection and it's IMPOSSIBLE to print, scan a document, or even make a simple photocopy. These are not the typical complaints; they're machine-dead-on-arrival reports. Buy with a return window and test the printer the day it lands. A workaround exists for the app trap on both: HP still ships HP fortunately still makes regular old drivers that don't require HP Smart. if you dig to the bottom of the support page. The guide to HP inkjet printers covers this ecosystem before you buy into it, and HP's own printer specifications confirm the cartridge-free bottle system on both Smart Tank models.

Then the catch every tank shares: clog if idle. A 5000 owner's only downside is you have to print in every 4/5 days otherwise ink might get dried up in the tubes, and the same rule binds the 5101 — an ink tank printer is not good for someone who isn't planning to print at least weekly. That is the gating decision, not the model number.

HP Smart Tank 5101

HP Smart Tank 5000 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer

Either tank, or away from HP entirely?

Because these two share an ink system, a chassis, and a reliability profile, "who buys which" comes down to one habit — do you print lots of web pages and emails — wrapped around a bigger question about whether an HP tank suits you at all. If you're coming from an HP cartridge printer and the Instant Ink bills, either one ends that drain and the choice between them is purely the web-print feature. If you're switching from an older Smart Tank, the 5101's AI formatting is the only thing new enough to notice. For HP loyalists who want the latest, the 5101 is the closer match; for buyers who only print plain documents, the 5000 saves a touch with nothing lost. For weekly home printing either works; for the lightest users, neither does — and for anyone already burned by HP, a different brand of tank may be the better escape.

Lean to the 5101 if…

…you print a lot of web pages, emails, or recipes. HP AI page formatting is the 5101's one usable everyday extra, trimming clutter so a print doesn't spill onto a wasted second sheet — small savings that add up for a browser-heavy household. You get the identical bottle-ink economy and no-subscription freedom either way. Going in, accept that it's the same reliability gamble as its sibling; the AI line doesn't make the hardware any more dependable.

Take the 5000 if…

…you mostly print plain documents and want to spend a little less. Without the AI formatting you lose nothing for document and photo printing, and the 5000 delivers the same cartridge-free savings — owners who needed it daily for work report it held up. It best suits the household that prints regular pages but rarely from a browser. Just plan around its cloud dependence: keep a local driver installed so a dropped connection doesn't leave you unable to copy a single page.

Skip both if…

…you print only a few times a year, or you're done gambling on HP. Both Smart Tanks need regular use to stay healthy, and both carry out-of-box failure reports a return window won't fully insure you against. For truly occasional printing, a color laser that doesn't dry out is the safer pick. If a refillable tank does suit you, weigh the whole field — including non-HP options — in our best supertank printers roundup, and frame the bottle-ink case in full in our refillable inkjet printer guide.