BarTender Software
Which BarTender Product Do You Need?
BarTender by Seagull Software is sold in two delivery models, each with its own editions.
Century Systems is an authorized BarTender reseller. The tables below are BarTender’s own feature comparison, so you can see exactly where one edition stops and the next begins before you buy.
On-Premises & Cloud7 Editions12,000+ Printer Drivers100+ SymbologiesRFID Encoding
The Two Ways BarTender Is Delivered
On-Premises
The on-premises software of BarTender Labeling offers comprehensive, enterprise-wide control to ensure printing is secure and always on for the ultimate level of confidence.
Cloud
Simple setup & maintenance to maximize flexibility and leverage the latest labeling capabilities across your organization – no additional IT resources needed.
Track & Trace
BarTender Track & Trace delivers intuitive, item-level tracking tools to eliminate delays, losses, and unplanned costs within your daily operations.
The Editions
On-premises: Starter
Design and print labels in minutes — 37 of 97 listed features.
On-premises: Professional
Be more data-driven with pre-configured, dynamic tools — 66 of 97 listed features.
On-premises: Automation
Boost productivity with flexible, automated labeling — 82 of 97 listed features.
On-premises: Enterprise
Streamline teams and enforce accountability — 96 of 97 listed features.
Cloud: Essentials
Start printing without additional IT resources — 46 of 57 listed features.
Cloud: Automation
Streamline printing and teams without complexity — 57 of 57 listed features.
Cloud: Enterprise
Strengthen control of global operations — 57 of 57 listed features.
Comprehensive Specifications
BarTender at a Glance
BarTender On-Premises Edition Comparison
| Feature | Starter | Professional | Automation | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple label generation | ||||
| Local BarTender Designer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local & online template library with 400+ pre-built templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple document wizards offering step-by-step instructions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Broad barcode support with 100+ linear and 2D symbologies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 50+ shapes and 100+ line style combinations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Versatile font support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text formatting & transformation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graphic and image support for 70+ formats | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Symbols and symbol fonts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tables and grids | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-on-black printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Two-sided template printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded template revision logging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full color support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supported in 20+ different languages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content suppression | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intelligent Templates | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Template consolidation | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data-driven templates to create 1,000s of label variations from a single template | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Template selector | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Template layers | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto face detection and cropping | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scriptable object modifications | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote label creation collaboration | — | — | ✓1 | ✓1 |
| Dynamic data and databases | ||||
| Dynamically sourced dates and times | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data validation and processing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-source data objects | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basic database connectivity (Excel or CSV files) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple serialization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database connection naming | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print-time database filters | ✓2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database sourced tables | ✓2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dynamic data preview | ✓2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dynamic graphics and image sourcing | ✓2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded database tables in templates | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Enhanced database connectivity with 20+ pre-configured data sources | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced serialization including alphanumeric, hexadecimal, and custom sequencing patterns | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database builder | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SQL database write-back | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visual Basic (VB) scripting | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Global database fields | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced global database fields | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Phrase Library of standard, multi-lingual text | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Printing, marking, and encoding | ||||
| Drivers by Seagull – supporting 12,000+ printer drivers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Optimized printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Printer configuration and diagnostics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| On-demand and batch printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print preview | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image exporting in 35+ formats | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RFID encoding | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native PDF generation | — | ✓3 | ✓3 | ✓ |
| Remote, web-based printing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Driverless remote printing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Printer code templates | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reprint labels and documents | — | — | ✓4 | ✓ |
| Printer failover | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Data-driven printing forms | ||||
| Data entry forms | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database record selection | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Powerful form controls to simplify data input and selection | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scanner data input | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weighing scale data input | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image capture | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Form data validation | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data-driven, web-based printing forms | — | — | ✓5 | ✓5 |
| No-code, web-based print form builder | — | — | ✓5 | ✓5 |
| Integrations and automations | ||||
| Form-based process automation | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document-level automations | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced business system integration with any business system or application | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| REST API integrations | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Drop integrations | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email-based integrations | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| TCP/IP socket integrations | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database monitoring | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Structured data integration | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| 70+ integration actions to trigger label printing, database queries, etc. | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| .NET SDK | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| BarTender REST API | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print Portal REST API | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Centralized management | ||||
| Role-based permission management | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Centralized document storage | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Revision control for documents and files | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Optimized label design workflows | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Workflow Designer | — | — | — | ✓ |
| System audit trail | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Synchronized content between on-premises and cloud environments | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Security, monitoring, and alerts | ||||
| Status monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email notifications & alerts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Role-based security | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Password protection for documents and printing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electronic signatures | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Document encryption | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Backup and resilient licensing server | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Licensing | ||||
| Number of users | Single user | Single user or Unlimited6 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Workstation licensing | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Printer-based licensing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support | ||||
| Standard Maintenance and Support | Includes 1 year | Includes 1 year | Includes 1 year | Includes 1 year |
| Premium Maintenance and Support – Add-on Option | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
1 Available only for subscription users. Coming in 2026.
2 Available only for basic databases (Excel or CSV files).
3 See additional details here: How Many PDF Prints Are Allowed Per Printer License.
4 Supports 7 days of reprinting records.
5 Available only for subscription users.
6 Single user for Workstation licensing. Unlimited users for printer-based licensing.
A dash means BarTender does not list that feature for that edition. Numbered notes are Seagull’s own conditions, which the comparison chart shows only as a marker.
BarTender Cloud Edition Comparison
| Feature | Essentials | Automation | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||
| Zero footprint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited users | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Account storage | 2GB | 5GB | 5GB |
| Customer Success | ✓1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site branding configuration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| High 99.99%+ availability | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple label generation | |||
| Local & online template library with 400+ pre-built templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple document wizards offering step-by-step instructions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Broad barcode support with 100+ linear and 2D symbologies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 50+ shapes and 100+ line style combinations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Versatile font support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text formatting & transformation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graphic and image support for 70+ formats | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Symbols and symbol fonts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tables and grids | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded template revision logging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full color support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intelligent Templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data-driven templates to create 1,000s of label variations from a single template | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Template selector | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Template layers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote label creation collaboration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bartender Cloud Designer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Font Manager | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image, Excel, CSV, and TXT file upload | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Transparency support | — | ✓2 | ✓2 |
| Dynamic data and databases | |||
| Basic database connectivity (Excel or CSV files) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple serialization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dynamic data preview | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded database tables in templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced serialization including alphanumeric, hexadecimal, and custom sequencing patterns | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in Template Assistant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Printing, marking, and encoding | |||
| Drivers by Seagull – supporting 12,000+ printer drivers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Optimized printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| On-demand and batch printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print preview | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RFID encoding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native PDF generation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote, web-based printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Driverless remote printing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct cloud printing | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pre-built ERP print connectors | — | ✓3 | ✓ |
| Data-driven printing forms | |||
| Data entry forms | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Database record selection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data-driven, web-based printing forms | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| No-code, web-based print form builder | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print-time override | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations and automations | |||
| Advanced business system integration with any business system or application | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| REST API integrations | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Drop integrations | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Centralized management | |||
| Role-based permission management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Centralized document storage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revision control for documents and files | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Workflow Designer | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cloud Spaces | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support | |||
| Premium Maintenance and Support – Add-on Option | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Starting support level | Essential | Standard | Standard |
1 Available for customers with more than 2 printers.
2 Available only as an add-on.
3 The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central print connector is only available as an add-on.
A dash means BarTender does not list that feature for that edition. Numbered notes are Seagull’s own conditions, which the comparison chart shows only as a marker.
Not sure which edition fits? Century Systems will size it with you and quote the licensing — or start a free 30-day trial of the full product. Start a free 30-day trial →