BarTender
Barcode software
Label printing software
Inventory management software
RFID software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$199 per year
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Media and communications
- Real estate and property management
- Construction
What is BarTender
BarTender is enterprise label design and printing software used to create, manage, and automate labels, barcodes, and related documents for products, packaging, and logistics. It is commonly used by manufacturers, warehouses, healthcare organizations, and regulated industries that need controlled label templates and print processes. The platform supports centralized template management, print automation/integration, and governance features such as versioning and approvals, with optional RFID encoding support depending on edition and configuration.
Enterprise-grade label governance
BarTender includes capabilities for centrally managing label templates, controlling revisions, and standardizing printing across sites and users. These controls help organizations reduce template sprawl and inconsistent label outputs. It is well-suited to environments where label changes require review, traceability, or controlled rollout.
Broad printer and symbology support
The product supports a wide range of barcode symbologies and common industrial label printer ecosystems. This reduces the need for separate tools when supporting multiple label formats and printer models across facilities. It also supports RFID use cases where compatible hardware and licensing are in place.
Integration and print automation options
BarTender provides automation and integration approaches for triggering print jobs from business systems and operational workflows. This is useful for high-volume labeling tied to ERP/WMS/MES transactions, shipping events, or production steps. Compared with lightweight barcode generators, it is designed for managed, repeatable print operations rather than ad-hoc label creation.
Not an inventory management system
Although BarTender can connect to databases and business systems to populate label data, it does not replace inventory management functionality such as purchasing, stock valuation, replenishment, or order management. Organizations typically need a separate system of record for inventory and then integrate labeling to it. Buyers expecting end-to-end inventory workflows may find the scope narrower than inventory-focused products.
Licensing and edition complexity
Capabilities vary by edition and licensing model, which can make it harder to estimate total cost for multi-site deployments. Features such as automation, centralized management, and RFID may require specific editions or add-ons. This can introduce procurement and compliance overhead when scaling usage across departments.
Implementation requires admin effort
Deployments that include centralized template control, approvals, integrations, and high-availability printing typically require IT involvement and process design. Template governance and integration testing can add time compared with simpler desktop-only label tools. Ongoing administration is often needed to manage users, printers, and template lifecycle.
Plan & Pricing
On‑Premise BarTender Software:
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $199 USD per year (starting) | Single user; unlimited printers; easy design tools; hundreds of pre-built templates; basic print management. (Get a quote required for purchase). |
| Professional | $299 USD per year (starting) | Dynamic labels, RFID tags, and cards; unlimited users on 2 printers OR 1 user on unlimited printers; data-entry forms, Intelligent Templates™, database connectivity, encoding and manual printing. |
| Automation | $546 USD per year (starting) | Unlimited users; 2+ printers; all Professional features plus business-system integration, intelligent forms, application building and automated printing. |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing / Contact sales | Comprehensive enterprise labeling management; 3+ printers; centralized management (documents, workflows, print management), enhanced security and high availability. |
BarTender Cloud (SaaS):
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Essentials | $390 USD per year (starting) | BarTender Cloud Designer; BarTender template library with template assistant; quick way to start printing. |
| Cloud Automation | $1,750 USD per year (starting) | All Cloud Essentials features plus 5 GB storage, BarTender REST API, standard support, optional add‑ons. |
Additional notes:
- Pricing pages show these amounts as "starting from" (get a quote) on the official site. Sources indicate BarTender licenses are offered on 1‑, 3‑, and 5‑year terms (annual billing only) with published multi‑year discounts (3‑year and 5‑year discounts). Monthly plans are not offered (annual agreements only).
Seller details
Seagull Scientific, Inc.
Bellevue, Washington, USA
1985
Private
https://www.seagullscientific.com/
https://x.com/SeagullSci
https://www.linkedin.com/company/seagull-scientific/
