The best HP compatible cartridges — tested on six printers
By Marcus Nolan · Senior Editor
Published April 22, 2026
Why compatible cartridges matter
HP’s Instant Ink program and OEM cartridge pricing turns your printer into a subscription service. Compatible cartridges from third-party manufacturers can cut costs by 60% or more — but only if they actually work.
We ran 12 third-party HP-compatible cartridges through six popular HP printers (OfficeJet Pro 9015e, Envy 6055, LaserJet Pro M15w, and others) with brutal real-world tests:
- Yield tests: Printed until dry with 5% page coverage
- Quality checks: Scanned 1200dpi samples of text/graphics/photo prints
- Reliability: Installed/uninstalled cartridges 20x to test chip recognition
Top performers
1. InkTec Premium HP 962- Price: $16.99 for 2XL black + tri-color
- Yield: 11% more pages than HP 962XL OEM
- Works with: OfficeJet Pro 9015e/9025e, Envy 7855/7858
- Caveat: Slight magenta shift in photo prints
2. - Price: $49.99 for 4-pack (2 black, 2 tri-color)
- Best for: HP Envy 6055/7155, DeskJet 2755e
- Perk: Chip resets automatically after 3 installs
3. - Price: $37.89 for 5-pack
- Only compatible: LaserJet Pro M15w/MFP M29w
- Avoid if: You print graphics (text-only optimized)
The compatibility gamble
| Cartridge | Works With | Fails On | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| B0DPHQRLJC | OfficeJet 8025e | Envy 6055 | $9.98 |
| B0B2RM68G2 | DeskJet 3755 | OfficeJet Pro | $19.00 |
Pro tip: Always check your printer’s firmware version. HP’s 2023+ updates block some third-party chips.
When to stick with OEM
- Printing legal/medical documents
- Using HP Instant Ink subscription
- Warranty concerns (some void coverage for third-party ink)
For everyone else? These tested compatibles deliver the same page at half the cost.