Comparison
Solvi Barcode Labels vs Retail Barcode Labels: an honest comparison
Shopify's free label app against ours, feature by feature: previews, media presets, unique codes, pricing — including the cases where the free app is genuinely the right choice.
By Bastien HugonFounder & Engineer8 min readPublished July 9, 2026
TL;DR
Retail Barcode Labels (free, by Shopify) is the right choice if you print a few basic labels occasionally and can tolerate trial-and-error alignment. [Solvi Barcode Labels](/apps/barcode-labels) is built for the regular workflow: the preview is the exact PDF you print, media presets carry true Avery/Dymo/Zebra/Brother dimensions, and generated codes are checked for uniqueness across your whole catalog. Free plan covers one full Avery 5160 sheet a month, so you can verify on your own printer before paying.
This is a comparison we are on one side of — we build Solvi Barcode Labels. So instead of adjectives, this page runs on checkable facts: what each app does at each step of the label workflow, where the free app is genuinely enough, and where the paid app earns its $5.99. If you want the wider market view, the five-alternative comparison covers more apps.
The two apps at a glance
Retail Barcode Labelsby Shopify
Shopify's own free label app: auto-generates Code 128 barcodes and prints on Avery, Dymo and Zebra media.
Free
Best for: Occasional, basic labeling where free beats everything and a misprinted sheet now and then is acceptable.
- Completely free, made by Shopify
- Generates Code 128 barcodes for products automatically
- Templates for common Avery, Dymo and Zebra media
- 2.2★ average across 550+ App Store reviews at the time of review
- Recurring review complaints about misaligned sheets and limited layout control
- No exact-size PDF preview before printing; limited label customization
Solvi Barcode Labelsby Useful Tools
Our appPrint barcode labels right the first time: unique codes, true-size sheets, ready in minutes.
Free plan · from $5.99/month · 7-day free trial
Best for: Regular label runs where alignment, unique codes and predictable output matter more than $5.99/month.
- Quantities start at zero
- Unique barcodes saved to your variants
- Presets for Avery, Dymo, Zebra and Brother media
Feature by feature
| Retail Barcode Labels | Solvi Barcode Labels | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free plan (30 labels/mo) · $5.99/mo Starter · $21.99/mo Growth |
| Made by | Shopify | Useful Tools (independent studio) |
| Preview | Approximate mock-up | The exact PDF you download — same engine, same coordinates |
| Media presets | Avery, Dymo, Zebra templates | Avery, Dymo, Zebra, Brother with true dimensions + custom sizes |
| Barcode generation | Auto-assigns Code 128 | Sequential Code 128, checked against the whole catalog, saved to variants |
| Duplicate protection | Not enforced | Yes — generation refuses catalog duplicates |
| Quantity handling | Per selection | Quantities start at 0; set per variant in bulk; missing-barcode banner |
| Price on label | Yes (templates) | Yes — localized currency, compare-at strikethrough optional |
| Start-at-label offset | No | Yes — reuse a partially used sheet |
| Support | Shopify general support | Email answered by the developer, < 24h |
Where Retail Barcode Labels is enough
Honest answer: several real cases. If you label a dozen products once a quarter, free wins — misprint a sheet, shrug, print again. If your labels never leave the stockroom and neatness is not a constraint, the fixed templates are fine. And if you only ever print to a Dymo one label at a time, the roll format hides most alignment problems anyway. The free app's weaknesses are volume weaknesses: they compound with every sheet you print.
Where Solvi earns the $5.99
- The preview is the print. Solvi renders the preview with the same engine that produces the PDF, at the same coordinates. If the preview shows barcode #17 inside its die-cut, the print will too. This single property removes the print-and-pray cycle that fills the free app's review page.
- True-size media presets. The Avery 5160 preset is 2.625″ × 1″ with the exact 0.1875″/0.5″ margins — not an approximation. Same for Dymo 30252, Zebra 2×1 and Brother DK rolls. The 5160 guide shows why tenths of a millimeter matter.
- Unique codes you can trust. Generated barcodes are sequential Code 128 values checked against every variant in your catalog before saving — because a duplicate barcode scans fine and rings up the wrong product. How duplicates happen.
- Quotas, not credits. Paid plans are monthly quotas that reset on their own. No credit packs, no expiring balances.
Our verdict
Pick by frequency. Occasional labels: keep the free app and accept the occasional wasted sheet. Weekly or restock-driven labels: the first misprinted Avery sheet costs more than a month of Solvi Barcode Labels — and the free plan lets you verify our alignment claim on your own printer before paying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run both apps at the same time?
Yes, temporarily — they do not conflict, because barcode values live on the Shopify variant, not in either app. Running both during a switch is actually the sane way to compare output on your own printer. Long term, keep one: two generators assigning codes to new products is how catalogs end up with mixed numbering schemes.
Will Solvi overwrite barcodes that Retail Barcode Labels created?
No. Solvi only generates codes for variants whose barcode field is empty, and flags variants that already have values. Codes assigned by the Shopify app keep printing and scanning exactly as before.
Is the 2.2★ rating of Retail Barcode Labels accurate?
It is the published App Store average across 550+ reviews as of July 2026 — you can verify it on the listing linked above. Ratings shift over time, which is why this page carries a last-checked date and our competitor facts are re-verified quarterly.
What does Solvi's free plan include?
30 labels per month — exactly one full Avery 5160 sheet. That is deliberate: it is enough to run a real alignment and scan test on your own printer and media before you pay anything. The Starter plan ($5.99/month, 7-day free trial) covers 1,000 labels per month.
Related guides
Comparison
5 Retail Barcode Labels alternatives for Shopify (2026)
Shopify's free Retail Barcode Labels app sits at 2.2★ across 550+ reviews. Here are five alternatives compared on the things that actually break: alignment, previews, unique codes and pricing.
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Comparison
The 5 best Shopify barcode label apps in 2026, tested
Five barcode label apps compared on printing accuracy, media presets, unique-code generation and pricing — with transparent criteria, published test method, and the vendors' own listings linked.
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How-to
How to print Avery 5160 barcode labels from Shopify
The exact Avery 5160 geometry — 2.625″ × 1″ labels, 30 per sheet — plus the step-by-step workflow and print settings that keep all thirty barcodes aligned.
8 min read
How-to
How to generate unique barcode numbers for your products
When an internal Code 128 code is enough, when you need GS1-registered UPC or EAN numbers, and how to keep every barcode in your catalog unique.
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Do this in minutes with Solvi Barcode Labels
Print barcode labels right the first time: unique codes, true-size sheets, ready in minutes.