BARTENDER / PRICING / UPDATED 26 OCT 2026
BarTender Price Increase: What BarTender Costs in 2026
BarTender list prices as of October 2026, the 2024 and 2026 rises reported by a reseller, and the cost for 1, 5 and 10 printers next to LabelInn Pro.
SHORT ANSWER
Short answer. As of October 2026, Seagull Scientific's own pricing page lists BarTender on-premises from $199 a year (Starter), $299 (Professional) and $575 (Automation, the edition whose listing adds REST APIs and File Drop), and BarTender Cloud from $390 (Essentials) and $1,750 (Automation). Every licence is an annual agreement; there is no monthly plan. Reseller notices report two list-price rises: 15% on perpetual and 10% on subscription licences from 1 October 2024, then 8% on perpetual and 5% on subscription products from 1 July 2026. LabelInn Pro, which has watched folders, the REST API and database sources, is $24.90 a month or $249.00 a year, with unlimited printers.
BarTender is still the better buy for some teams, and the trade-offs are listed below. The point of this page is to give you the numbers before the renewal quote arrives.
Price your own setup. Signing up starts a 14-day Pro trial: connect one printer and one data file, and see whether Pro covers what you pay BarTender for. Download →
WHAT PRO PAYS FOR
Data and automation, not printer seats.
Three things BarTender sells in its Automation edition.
A file lands, one label per row prints, the file is archived.
SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and SAP HANA in the Windows app.
Add every ZPL, TSPL, TPCL or ESC/Label printer you have.
01 / LIST PRICES
BarTender list prices as of October 2026
Read from Seagull Scientific's buy page on 26 Oct 2026. All are "starting from" prices in US dollars.
| Edition | Starting from, a year | Users | Licensing | Integrations listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-premises Starter | $199 | Single user | Workstation or printer-based | - |
| On-premises Professional | $299 | Single user or unlimited | Workstation or printer-based | - |
| On-premises Automation | $575 | Unlimited | Printer-based | REST APIs, File Drop, no-code builders |
| On-premises Enterprise | Quote | Unlimited | Printer-based | REST APIs, File Drop, no-code builders |
| Cloud Essentials | $390 | - | Printer-based subscription | - |
| Cloud Automation | $1,750 | - | Printer-based subscription | REST APIs and File Drop |
- Annual only. Seagull's FAQ: "Currently, all BarTender licenses are only available with annual agreements." 1-, 3- and 5-year plans are offered.
- Workstation licensing lets a single user on a single PC print to unlimited printers. It is available for Starter and Professional only.
- Printers cost extra on printer-based licences. Customers "can add more printers to their license", and "there are additional costs for all upgrades and add-ons". The page does not say how many printers the starting price covers or what each added printer costs.
- Support. Each on-premises edition includes one year of Standard Maintenance and Support.
02 / RISES
The price rises, by date
These come from reseller notices relaying Seagull's list-price changes, not from a Seagull announcement we could find. They do not give the new prices; the table above is the current list.
| Effective | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2024 | "Perpetual Licensing will be increased by 15%." "Software Subscription Pricing will be increased by 10%." The notice adds "Perpetual MNT Rate will be 23%" and says existing maintenance agreements and licences are not affected. | Reseller notice (Jarltech) |
| 1 July 2026 | Across Seagull's portfolio: "price increases of 5% for Subscription products and 8% for Perpetual products". Orders up to 30 June 2026 were invoiced at the old list prices. | Reseller notice (Jarltech) |
Your own renewal depends on your edition, printer count, maintenance level and reseller, so the quote can differ from both the list and these percentages.
03 / PER PRINTER
Cost for 1, 5 and 10 printers
LabelInn does not license printers. Pro includes 3 users and 3 devices (a device is a PC or phone signed in to LabelInn); one PC can drive several network printers. An extra device is $10 a month or $100 a year. BarTender Automation is compared because it is the edition whose listing has REST APIs and File Drop, like LabelInn Pro.
| Printers | BarTender Professional, Workstation | BarTender Automation (on-premises) | LabelInn Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | From $299 a year: one user, one PC | From $575 a year | $249.00 a year |
| 5 | From $299 a year if all five print from one PC and one user; otherwise printer-based, by quote | From $575 a year plus added printers, by quote | $249.00 a year, from up to 3 PCs |
| 10 | From $299 a year if all ten print from one PC and one user; otherwise printer-based, by quote | From $575 a year plus added printers, by quote | $249.00 a year from up to 3 PCs; $949 if each printer has its own PC (7 extra devices) |
Seagull does not publish a per-printer price, so the BarTender cells stop at the starting price; ask your reseller to fill them. Workstation licences do not list REST APIs or File Drop. If you only design and print by hand or from a spreadsheet, compare BarTender Starter or Professional with LabelInn Free or Starter ($79.90 a year) instead.
04 / TRADE-OFFS
What you give up, and what you gain
A fair list in both directions, so the switch is decided on more than price.
What you give up by leaving BarTender
- Printer reach. Seagull's page lists Drivers by Seagull, "supporting 12,000+ printer drivers". LabelInn drives printers that speak ZPL, TSPL, TPCL or ESC/Label, directly and without a driver.
- Some integrations. TCP/IP socket, Microsoft Message Queue and XML/XSL transform integrations and SAP or Oracle modules have no direct equivalent.
- Scripts and actions. They do not import; each is rebuilt as a workflow.
- Paperwork. If a validation package or audit names BarTender, switching is a documentation project.
What you gain with LabelInn
- Monthly billing. Pro is $24.90 a month, or $249.00 a year (ten months for twelve).
- Printers are not counted. Add every supported printer you own at no extra charge.
- More places to run. Windows, macOS, a first Linux release, a web designer and Android.
- Your labels come with you. The importer opens .btw files for free; see importing BarTender labels.
- Data and automation in one plan. Watched folders, the REST API, webhooks, schedules and database sources are all on Pro.
05 / RENEWAL
Check your own number before you renew
- Ask your reseller for the renewal in writing: edition, number of printers, maintenance level and term (1, 3 or 5 years).
- Count the printers, and the PCs and people that print to them.
- List what runs unattended: File Drop folders, web service calls, database watching, schedules.
- Start the 14-day LabelInn Pro trial and rebuild the busiest of those jobs on one line.
- Decide before the renewal date, not after it. If BarTender still wins on your list, renew with the numbers in hand.
LabelInn prices come from our pricing page; Enterprise is quoted. If you are still on BarTender 2019, read BarTender 2019 end of support first.
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QUESTIONS / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does BarTender cost in 2026?
As of October 2026, Seagull's page lists on-premises Starter from $199 a year, Professional from $299 and Automation from $575, and BarTender Cloud Essentials from $390 and Cloud Automation from $1,750. Enterprise is by quote. All are annual agreements.
Did BarTender raise its prices?
Reseller notices report list-price rises of 15% on perpetual and 10% on subscription licences from 1 October 2024, and 8% on perpetual and 5% on subscription products from 1 July 2026. Your quote depends on edition, printers and reseller.
Is BarTender priced per printer?
On-premises BarTender is sold with printer-based or Workstation licensing; Workstation (Starter and Professional only) lets one user on one PC print to unlimited printers. The cloud editions are printer-based subscriptions. Seagull says added printers cost extra but does not publish the per-printer price.
Is there a monthly BarTender plan?
No. Seagull's FAQ says all BarTender licences are currently only available with annual agreements, with 1-, 3- and 5-year terms.
What does LabelInn cost for 10 printers?
Pro is $249.00 a year whatever the number of printers. It includes 3 users and 3 devices; if the ten printers hang off ten separate PCs, seven extra devices bring it to $949 a year.
When is BarTender worth the higher price?
When you print to printers outside ZPL, TSPL, TPCL and ESC/Label, depend on TCP/IP, Message Queue or SAP / Oracle integrations or BarTender scripts, or work under a validation package that names BarTender.
KEEP GOING
Related
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