OpenZPL vs mylabelmaker
mylabelmaker is a browser label designer you drag a label together in and print, pay-per-print with no account; OpenZPL is a ZPL rendering API that turns ZPL into PNG or PDF for your own code. They solve different problems: use mylabelmaker to make and print a label by hand, OpenZPL to render labels from a program.
Mis à jour le 2026-10-20 · Renders made with the OpenZPL engine
Ouvrir dans le visualiseurThe short version
mylabelmaker is a visual label maker: you drag text, barcodes and spreadsheet rows onto a canvas in the browser, then print to a Zebra, DYMO, Brother or Rollo, or download the label. OpenZPL is the opposite end of the job: a rendering API that your code calls to turn a ZPL string into a PNG or PDF, the same requests as Labelary's. One is for a person making a label by hand; the other is for a program making thousands. Both can hand you ZPL, which is where people compare them.
Who each is for
- Pick mylabelmaker when a person designs the label: you want a drag-and-drop canvas, built-in templates, spreadsheet-to-label printing and direct printing to the printer on your desk, without writing code. Its ZPL export then hands the finished label to a Zebra workflow.
- Pick OpenZPL when a program makes the label: your backend already builds ZPL (an order, a shipment, a batch) and needs it rendered to an image or PDF to preview, email or store, at volume, behind an API key with a usage dashboard.
- Many setups use both: design the template once in a visual tool, then render the filled-in ZPL from your code through the API on every order.
Features
| Feature | OpenZPL | mylabelmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Public ZPL rendering API (ZPL in, PNG/PDF out) | Yes, the product | No (states "No public render API") |
| Labelary-compatible v1 endpoint | Yes | No |
| API keys and a usage dashboard | Yes | No account, no key |
| Rate limits and monthly plans for programmatic use | Yes | No |
| Visual drag-and-drop designer | Online viewer and editor | Yes, the product |
| Built-in label templates | No | Yes |
| Spreadsheet / CSV to labels (one row, one label) | No | Yes |
| Direct printing to the printer (Browser Print, DYMO, Brother) | No | Yes |
| Copy or download ZPL from a design | n/a (you bring the ZPL) | Yes |
| Online ZPL viewer (paste ZPL, see a picture) | Yes | Yes |
| PNG and PDF output | Yes, from the API | Yes, as a download |
| MCP server for AI assistants | Not yet | Yes |
Prices
The two charge for different things, so the numbers don't line up directly. mylabelmaker is free to design, save and copy ZPL in; it charges $0.99 to print or download (PNG, PDF or a .zpl file), and that one payment covers that browser for a month, with no account and no automatic renewal. OpenZPL is free to evaluate the API (100 labels a day, no sign-up) and charges a monthly plan for production rendering.
| OpenZPL | mylabelmaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 labels a day through the API, no sign-up | Design, save and copy ZPL, no sign-up |
| Paid | $19/mo Starter (100k labels), $49 Pro, $149 Business; lower by country | $0.99 per browser per month to print or download |
| Billed for | Labels rendered through the API | Each month you print or download a label |
| Account | For API keys and the dashboard | None |
Prices as published on 2026-10-31. mylabelmaker's model fits an occasional person printing a few labels; OpenZPL's fits an application rendering labels continuously. If you need both a designer and an API, that's two tools, not one.
What OpenZPL doesn't do
OpenZPL has no visual designer beyond the viewer, no templates, no spreadsheet-to-label printing and doesn't print to a printer: it renders ZPL your code supplies. For a hand-designed label printed from the browser, a visual maker like mylabelmaker is the right tool. If you specifically want to render ZPL from a program, or a Labelary-compatible API, that's OpenZPL.
Questions
Is mylabelmaker a ZPL rendering API like OpenZPL or Labelary?
No. By its own comparison page it has no public render API; it's a browser designer that can export ZPL and preview pasted ZPL. For an API your code calls to render ZPL to PNG or PDF, use OpenZPL.
Can OpenZPL design a label visually and print it?
OpenZPL has an online viewer and editor, but it isn't a drag-and-drop designer and doesn't print to a printer. It renders ZPL to images and PDFs through its API. For designing and printing by hand, a visual label maker fits better.
Which is cheaper?
They bill differently: mylabelmaker charges $0.99 per browser each month you print or download; OpenZPL charges a monthly plan for API rendering, free to evaluate. For a few hand-made labels mylabelmaker is cheaper; for programmatic rendering at volume, OpenZPL is built for it.