Brother P-touch Editor vs FreeLabels Desktop

Brother P-touch Editor 6 is free software for designing and printing custom labels. It supports styled text, images and barcodes, including QR code labels, and tables can contain text, numbers, symbols or barcode data. Designs can draw on more than 700 clip-art items, frames, patterns and shape tools. For text, users can choose installed TrueType or OpenType fonts or fonts included with the software. Search helps find templates and previously created labels. Label content can be drawn from Excel and other databases, including for mailing lists and asset-management labeling. Brother lists JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG and TIF/TIFF image support. Barcode and specialty labels may be printed individually or in batches. Printing requires connecting a compatible P-touch or Brother QL printer to a PC through USB or Bluetooth. Brother describes the software as compatible with Windows and Macintosh and says it works with select P-touch and QL models. The Windows version is listed as 6.0. For macOS 10.15 or higher, Brother directs users to download the app from the App Store.

FreeLabels Desktop is a free offline application for designing and printing barcode and QR labels from a computer. It targets shops, warehouses and small manufacturers that print labels in bulk. Product data can be imported from.xlsx files, including names, SKUs, prices, barcodes, QR or EPC data, expiry, GST rate, HSN code and brand. The app renders EAN-13, Code128 and EPC/GID-96 barcodes, and creates QR codes for URLs, text or EPC data. Page presets cover A4, A5, 50×30 mm thermal rolls, Avery layouts and custom sizes or grids. Users can add a logo, choose a solid or image background and save reusable template files. Output includes paginated PDFs plus ZPL or TSPL files for Zebra and similar thermal printers. The app runs locally; the maker says product lists, images and templates never leave the machine. The free plan costs nothing, forever, with no account, license fee or watermark. Installers need roughly 150–200 MB; Windows requires 10/11 64-bit, macOS 12 or later, and Linux has a 64-bit.deb.