Free BarTender and ZebraDesigner alternative

mylabelmaker is a free label maker app in your browser. Make barcodes and QR codes, print labels from Excel, download PNG or PDF, and print to a Zebra or from this computer. No signup. Here is how it compares to ZebraDesigner, BarTender, NiceLabel, and Labelary. Looking at OpenLabelMaker? Read why mylabelmaker is the better choice than OpenLabelMaker. Side by side with the app you already use: DYMO Connect, Avery Design & Print, Brother P-touch Editor, ZebraDesigner, NiceLabel, and Canva. Design the label, copy ZPL, and download the file with no account and no Pro plan.

The short version

Which free label maker fits your printer

ZebraDesigner, BarTender, NiceLabel, and Labelary keep coming up. They are built for different jobs. One line on each, then the feature table.

vs ZebraDesigner

Free, and it runs on Mac

ZebraDesigner is Windows-only and does not connect to Google Sheets. This is a free label maker in Chrome, Safari, or Edge. Print from Sheets, Excel, or CSV, then print to a Zebra.

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vs BarTender

No seat license

BarTender is the enterprise tool. If you need barcodes, Excel lists, and PNG or PDF without a four-figure seat, start here.

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vs NiceLabel

No IT ticket

Skip the install and the approval workflow. Open the free label maker, design, print from this computer or a Zebra.

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vs Labelary

Designer plus ZPL viewer

Labelary previews ZPL you already have. Here you can design the label, paste ZPL in the viewer, download PNG or PDF, and print.

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Feature comparison

Free label maker vs ZebraDesigner, BarTender, and the rest

You are probably asking: can I print from Excel, make a barcode, download a PDF, or print without installing Windows software? That is what this table is for.

mylabelmaker ZebraDesigner 3 BarTender NiceLabel Labelary
Cost & access
Price Free Free & paid Pro Per-seat license Per-seat license Free & paid API
No install required Yes No No No Yes
Runs on Mac Yes Windows only Windows only Windows only Yes
No signup Yes Pro only License needed License needed Yes
Design
Drag-and-drop canvas Paste or drop a picture Older UI Enterprise UI Enterprise UI ZPL text only
Custom label size Type inches Yes Yes Yes In ZPL
Free label templates 100+ A few samples Many Many None
Groups, tables, shapes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Undo, layers, snap Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A
Barcode generator & QR
Barcode generator CODE128, UPC, EAN Yes Hundreds of types Many types You write ZPL
QR code generator URL, WiFi, vCard Yes Yes Yes You write ZPL
Data Matrix Yes Pro tier Yes Yes You write ZPL
Print from Excel & lists
Print labels from Excel Upload .xlsx Pro tier Yes Yes No
Fill an Avery sheet from Excel Click a cell to place it No Yes Yes No
Print from CSV Yes Pro tier Yes Yes No
Print from Google Sheets Paste the sheet URL No Paid connector Paid connector No
Serial numbers 001, 002, 003 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Today and use-by dates From this computer Yes Yes Yes No
Preview each row before print Yes Static Yes Yes N/A
Print this row, or only the ones you picked Search and check Pro / print Yes Yes No
Only checked rows show on the label Yes Print filter Yes Yes No
Click a column name onto the label No box needed Pro / data Yes Yes No
Download & print
PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF At printer DPI Mostly print Yes Yes PNG / PDF of ZPL
Multi-page PDF from a list Yes Pro / print Yes Yes No
Copy ZPL / download .zpl Yes Yes Yes Yes You paste it
Copy JSON / paste JSON Yes File only File only File only No
ZPL viewer Paste and preview No No No Best preview
Print to Zebra Browser Print Windows driver Windows driver Windows / cloud Preview only
Print from this computer Page matches the label Windows print Windows print Windows / cloud No
203 / 300 / 600 DPI Per printer Yes Yes Yes Preview
Head open / out of paper Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Head-to-head

Where each tool wins and loses

Free ZebraDesigner alternative

Official Zebra desktop app

ZebraDesigner is Zebra's own Windows label app. IT teams trust it. If you are on a Mac, you cannot run it. It does not connect to Google Sheets. Essentials cannot merge a spreadsheet. Professional wants an Excel file on that PC. If you need many labels from Sheets, Excel, or CSV, mylabelmaker is the better choice.

Where ZebraDesigner wins

  • Official Zebra tool, IT departments trust it
  • Deep Windows printer driver integration
  • RFID and Pro-tier encoding features
  • Long Zebra support history

Where mylabelmaker wins

  • Free label maker on Mac and Windows, in your browser
  • No editor install, no Pro tier, no signup
  • Barcode generator, QR codes, groups, tables, and ready-made Avery, DYMO, Brother, and Zebra templates
  • Print labels from Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets. Serial numbers and dates too
Verdict. If you need RFID encoding or Windows-only print management, stay on ZebraDesigner. If you want a free label maker that runs on Mac, prints from Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV, and talks to your Zebra, mylabelmaker is the better choice. Guide: use Google Sheets with ZebraDesigner 3.

Free BarTender alternative

Enterprise heavyweight

BarTender is the industrial labeling tool. It can do almost anything. It also costs a seat, needs Windows, and takes training. If you print 5 to 500 labels a day, you may not need that.

Where BarTender wins

  • Deep ERP and WMS integration (SAP, Oracle, Infor)
  • Print job auditing and role-based access
  • Hundreds of barcode types
  • Enterprise support contracts

Where mylabelmaker wins

  • Free, instead of four to five figures a seat
  • Barcode generator, QR codes, PNG and PDF in a few minutes
  • Print from Excel on Mac or Windows, in a browser
  • Print to a Zebra, or print from this computer with no thermal printer
Verdict. If SAP is driving thousands of labels a day, pick BarTender. If you are a small shop that needs a free barcode generator and Excel lists, mylabelmaker covers that job.

Free NiceLabel alternative

Enterprise cloud labeling

NiceLabel (now Loftware) sits in the same enterprise tier as BarTender. You install it, you pay per seat, and someone in IT owns the cloud. That is the right tool if you approve labels across sites. It is a lot if you just need a shipping label tonight.

Where NiceLabel wins

  • Cloud print management at scale
  • Centralized label approval workflows
  • Compliance, pharma, supply-chain templates
  • Multi-site fleet management

Where mylabelmaker wins

  • Free. No license, no procurement cycle
  • Mac and Windows, in a browser tab
  • Custom label size, templates, Excel lists, serial numbers
  • PNG, PDF, ZPL viewer. Print from this computer when you have no Zebra yet
Verdict. If 50 people have to approve a label before it prints, you want NiceLabel. If it is you, a spreadsheet, and a printer, open the free label maker.

Free ZPL viewer, plus a designer

ZPL preview service

Labelary is a ZPL viewer for people who already have code. Paste ZPL, see a PNG. That is useful. It will not help you design a shipping label from scratch, print from Excel, or send a job to the printer.

Where Labelary wins

  • Best ZPL to PNG / PDF rendering for rare commands
  • Free public API for previewing ZPL
  • Built for backend and print-server developers

Where mylabelmaker wins

  • Drag-and-drop label maker. You do not have to know ZPL
  • ZPL viewer in the app: paste, preview on this computer, download PNG or PDF
  • Print the same ZPL to a Zebra, or print from this computer
  • Print from Excel, barcode generator, templates, autosave
Verdict. Need a free ZPL viewer and a designer? Use mylabelmaker. If a rare command looks off in our preview, check it on Labelary too. They pair well. Guides: Labelary alternative, free Zebra label software, Windows free software.

Quick decision guide

Still picking? Read these two columns

Pick the free label maker if

  • You are on a Mac, Windows, or both
  • You want a barcode generator, QR codes, or print labels from Excel today
  • You do not want to pay for a seat or install ZebraDesigner
  • You need PNG, PDF, or a ZPL viewer, and maybe no printer yet (print from this computer)
  • You print under about 1,000 labels a day on a USB or network Zebra (Browser Print, free from Zebra, is still needed once to talk to the printer)

Pick a paid enterprise tool if

  • You need SAP, Oracle, or ERP-driven printing at scale
  • You need audited, role-based label approval
  • You need RFID encoding or pharma compliance
  • You have a dedicated IT team and a 5-figure label budget

Tutorials

Guides that match your workflow

Batch labels. Print many at onceOne design. The rows you checked. No signup. How to print labels from ExcelUpload the workbook. Print the rows you checked. How to print labels from a CSVPaste the export. Print the rows you checked. Mail merge labels without WordOne design. Every row. No Word table. How to create labels from Google SheetsThey edit the sheet. You print the labels. Batch label printing guideOne design. The rows you checked. No signup. How to print labels from ExcelClick the columns. Print the rows you checked. How to print labels from a CSVThe rows show up. You print the ones you checked. How to print labels from WordCopy the list out of Word. Print one label per row. How to print labels from Google SheetsThey keep editing Google Sheets. You print the labels. Mail merge labels from Google SheetsOne design. One badge per row. No signup. Bulk barcode labelsOne barcode design. A row for every SKU. Batch barcode labelsChecked rows, and the copies you asked for. Batch print barcodesPaste the list. Print a barcode for each row. Print bulk labelsCopies of one label, or one label per row. Sequential numbered labelsStart, step, digits, and how many copies. Create & print labels onlineHub for free design + thermal print Free label maker softwareWhat free tools must include in 2026 Zebra designer onlineBrowser alternative to ZebraDesigner Mac usersZebra label maker for Mac : no ZebraDesigner Excel / CSVBatch print from spreadsheets Google Sheets + ZebraDesigner 3It does not connect. Print the list here Easy label maker for beginnersNo signup. Type on the label All in one Zebra label softwareDesign, list, ZPL, and print Free industrial labels from ExcelOne row, one sticker. You do not pay to start BarTender altFree replacement for small teams Best free thermal software2026 comparison roundup All guides →Shipping, ZPL, setup, inventory Full site map →Every public page for crawl & browse

Open the free label maker

No signup. Make a barcode, print from Excel, or download a PDF. Plug in a Zebra when you are ready, or print from this computer.

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