Express Labels Mobile vs ZebraDesigner

Express Labels Mobile is a free Android and iOS app for designing, previewing and printing Brady labels from a mobile device. Users can edit with touchscreen gestures or a QWERTY keyboard, and more than 10 design guides cover formats such as flags, pipe markers, sleeves, tubes and wraps. BradyVoice lets users dictate text for blank or wrap labels, with automatic sizing and formatting. Image-to-Text OCR converts printed drawings, PDFs and handwritten notes into editable label text. The app imports spreadsheets, text files and Fluke Networks LinkWare Live data. Supported cloud storage includes Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and OneDrive. Brady Workstation templates can be opened from local files, Dropbox or Google Drive, but LabelMark 6 templates must be edited on a PC. The app connects to compatible Brady printers by Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It supports barcode creation, compliance labels and variable data printing, but not shipping labels. The listed mobile requirements are iOS 15.0 or later, iPadOS 15.0 or later, and Android 10.0 or later.

ZebraDesigner provides Windows software for designing labels, tags, and receipts, from basic text layouts to designs using RFID or fixed and variable data. Essentials includes text, barcode, and graphic objects, keyboard, date, time, and counter data sources, plus a GS1-128 barcode wizard. Professional adds connections to Excel, Access, text files, and other databases through ODBC, and supports printing and encoding RFID labels. Developer tools create ZPL templates for integration with other applications; listed options include Enterprise Connector for Oracle apps, PrintConnect, Print Station, and Zebra's XML-enabled printing solution. ZebraDesigner 3 can open legacy label formats from ZebraDesigner 2, and its interface is available in 20 languages. Supported systems are Windows 10 and 11 desktop editions and Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025. Remote Desktop Services and virtual machines are not supported, except Hyper-V technologies. Essentials and Developer editions cost nothing. Professional costs $345, paid once as an activation license key, limited to one computer.