Brother P-touch Editor vs LabelForge
Brother P-touch Editor
brother-usa.comLabelForge
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Brother P-touch Editor | LabelForge |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Label Design Software | 9.0 (#1) | 7.8 (#14) |
| Spec score · Barcode Labeling Software | 9.0 (#3) | 7.8 (#18) |
| Batch printing | Brother says users can print barcode and specialty labels individually or in batches, depending on their needs. | Users can import a CSV to print one label per row, or scan barcodes to trigger automatic printing. |
| Printer connections | Brother says the editor connects to select printers through USB or Bluetooth. | Printing supports network printers on raw port 9100, Windows printers by name, and USB devices on Linux or Mac. |
| Purpose | P-touch Editor 6 is free software for designing and printing custom labels with text styles, images, and barcodes. | LabelForge designs labels visually and prints ZPL to Zebra printers, with the ZD410 listed as tested hardware. |
| Templates | P-touch Editor 6 includes template search and templates aimed at home, office, business, and industrial labeling. | JSON templates support text, Code128, Code39, Code93, EAN-13, QR codes, DataMatrix, lines, and boxes. |
Plans
In their own words
Brother P-touch Editor
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.
LabelForge
LabelForge is a desktop app for designing labels and printing them as ZPL to Zebra printers. Its visual editor previews a label as you work and lets you select, move, resize, and grid-snap elements without editing JSON. Templates can combine text, lines, boxes, and barcodes including Code128, Code39, Code93, EAN-13, QR codes, and DataMatrix. For variable data, import a CSV to print one label per row, or scan a barcode to trigger printing. It connects to network printers over raw port 9100, Windows printers by name, and USB devices on Linux or Mac. ZPL is tested on physical hardware, including the listed ZD410; TSPL, EPL, CPCL, and EZPL are experimental and not verified on physical printers. Other programs can submit jobs through an HTTP server, a watched JSON folder, or the command line. The free plan costs nothing. LabelForge runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and requires Node.js 18 or later; version 20 or later is recommended.