Compared · checked 2026-10-24
The best free label maker software
Address labels on sheets, price tags with barcodes and shipping labels on a thermal printer each need a different tool, or one that does all three. Here are four free label designers and what each can print.
We make Label Designer, one of the tools on this page. Every fact about the other tools comes from their own pages, linked under each one, as they read on 2026-10-24. Prices and features change: check each site before you choose.
How we compared them
- Free, with no paid licence for the features you need
- Data merge from a spreadsheet, barcodes and numbering
- Printing on both label sheets and thermal (Zebra) printers
- Where it runs and what it needs
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Runs where | Account needed | Data merge | Label sheets | Thermal printers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Label Designer ours | Free | Browser; offline .html | No | CSV, TSV, Excel .xlsx, JSON | Avery and Herma codes, or custom | Yes, ZPL export and import |
| Avery Design & Print | Free | Browser | Optional; needed to save online | Yes, from spreadsheets | Avery products | Not stated |
| ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials | Free; Professional needs a paid licence | Windows 10 and 11 | No activation | Professional only | Not stated | Yes, Zebra Link-OS printers |
| gLabels | Free, open source (GPL-3.0) | Linux (3.x); version 4 from source | Not stated | Yes, from CSV and similar | Yes, including Avery templates | Not stated |
| Feature | Label Designer ours | Avery Design & Print | ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials | gLabels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcodes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| QR codes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GS1 barcodes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| Merge from CSV or Excel | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Serial numbers and counters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Avery sheet layouts | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Thermal label printers | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Partly |
| ZPL output | Yes | No | Yes | Not stated |
| Images on labels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs in a browser | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Operating systems | Any, in a browser | Any, in a browser | Windows | Linux; others from source |
| No account needed | Yes | Partly | Yes | Not stated |
| Free for every feature | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | Yes |
1. Label Designer (ours)
Best for: One free tool for sheets and Zebra printers, with spreadsheet merge and GS1 barcodes, in the browser.
Good
- Barcodes and QR codes, GS1, with check digits added for you
- One label per spreadsheet row, quantity column, counters, dates and formulas
- Avery Letter and A4 sheets by code, thermal rolls or any custom size
- Writes Zebra ZPL at 152 to 600 dpi and draws a ZPL file to edit; PDF, PNG and SVG export
- Works on your phone, tablet and computer in the browser, even offline
Not so good
- Still in beta
- Old .xls files must be saved as .xlsx or CSV first
- Direct USB or network printing to a Zebra printer needs a helper such as Zebra Browser Print, or sending the .zpl file
- Browser printing must be set to 100% scale for sheets to line up
2. Avery Design & Print
Best for: Printing on Avery sheets with ready-made designs and a mail merge.
Good
- Free online designer matched to Avery products
- Imports names and addresses from spreadsheets
- Barcode and QR code generator with sequential numbering
- Images from your computer, Avery's gallery or Google Photos; PDF download
Not so good
- Made for Avery sheet products; thermal printers are not mentioned
- Sequential numbering does not work with UPC-A or EAN-13
- The offline desktop software was retired in 2020
Avery Design & Print website · Sources: Avery Design & Print, Avery help: without an account, Avery help: QR and barcodes, Avery help: sequential numbering, Avery help: offline software, Avery help: barcode types, Avery help: export files, Avery terms and conditions
3. ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials
Best for: Zebra printer owners on Windows who design simple barcode labels by hand.
Good
- Free WYSIWYG barcode label design for all Zebra Link-OS printers
- GS1-128 wizard, templates and counters
- Print to file gives a ZPL .prn file
- 20 interface languages
Not so good
- Windows only
- Excel, Access and other database connections are in the paid Professional edition
ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials website · Sources: ZebraDesigner product page, ZebraDesigner 3 downloads and requirements, Zebra support: PRN file, ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials user guide, Zebra software licence
4. gLabels
Best for: Linux users who want a free, open source label and business card designer with CSV merge.
Good
- Text, images, lines, shapes and barcodes on labels and business cards
- Simple document merge from CSV
- Template database including Avery sheets
- Open source
Not so good
- Version 3 has not been supported since 2018; version 4 has no official release and must be built from source
- Windows and macOS only through version 4 builds
gLabels website · Sources: gLabels home, gLabels 4 on GitHub, gLabels Avery templates, gLabels barcode backends (source), gLabels user variables
Which one to choose
Label Designer is our pick: it is the only one here that does spreadsheet merge on Avery sheets and Zebra ZPL for free, in any browser. It is in beta, and printing straight to a Zebra printer needs a helper.
Choose Avery Design & Print if you print only on Avery sheets and want its ready-made designs. Choose ZebraDesigner Essentials if you own a Zebra printer, use Windows and design labels by hand, since data merge needs its paid edition. Choose gLabels on Linux.
Questions
Is there free label software with mail merge?
Yes. Label Designer, Avery Design & Print and gLabels merge from spreadsheets for free. ZebraDesigner has database connections only in its paid Professional edition.
Which free label software works with Zebra printers?
ZebraDesigner 3 Essentials prints to Zebra Link-OS printers on Windows. Label Designer writes ZPL in a browser on any system, and the file can be sent to the printer.
Can I make Avery labels for free?
Yes. Avery Design & Print is Avery's own free tool. Label Designer and gLabels also include Avery sheet layouts by their codes.
Do I need an account?
Not for Label Designer or ZebraDesigner Essentials. Avery works without one through its shortcut page, but saving online needs an account.
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