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Jack Green
Jack Green

Posted on Originally published at tools.jackgreen.top

I Built a Free Barcode Generator (Because Avery Charges $60/Year)

#javascript #webdev #productivity #opensource

I Built a Free Barcode Generator (Because Avery Charges $60/Year)

Last year I was helping a friend list products on Etsy. She needed barcodes for her handmade candles — 12 UPC codes, one for each scent. She signed up for Avery, filled in her details, and hit "Download" — only to be greeted with a watermark and a paywall. $60 a year. For barcodes she could generate herself in 30 seconds.

I closed the tab. Opened a text editor. Built something better that afternoon.

The Problem

Barcode services like Avery, BarcodesInc, and others all follow the same playbook:

  1. Let you generate barcodes for free (engaging, addictive)
  2. Make you create an account (data capture)
  3. Put a watermark on the free download (frustration)
  4. Demand payment to remove it (rage quit)

It's a subscription trap disguised as a utility. And it preys on people at their most vulnerable — small sellers and crafters who just need barcodes to list their products.

What I Built

app-35708913a623 — a completely free, zero-signup, browser-based barcode generator.

  • No account. Open the page, type your code, download.
  • No watermark unless you want it. Free tier includes optional branding.
  • No payment. Ever. Not a "freemium" model, not a trial, just free.
  • No data collection. Everything runs in your browser. Your product data never touches a server.
  • Works offline. Once loaded, you don't even need internet.

Features

  • 4 barcode types: Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 39
  • Batch mode: Generate up to 100 barcodes at once
  • Label sheets: Print-ready PDF layouts for common label sizes (2"x1", 3"x1", 4"x2.5")
  • Live preview: See your barcode before you download
  • Privacy first: 100% client-side, no server processing

Why It Matters

Etsy sellers, craft fair vendors, small business owners — we're all expected to pay for everything. A barcode generator shouldn't be a cash grab. It should be a utility — like a ruler or a calculator.

The fact that this exists at all is kind of wild. You can download professional, print-ready barcodes, no strings attached, for zero dollars. No upsell. No "upgrade to premium." Just... done.

The Tech

  • Frontend: Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS — no framework needed
  • Barcode engine: JsBarcode (runs in-browser, client-side)
  • PDF generation: pdf-lib (client-side, no server)
  • Hosting: Static files on nginx

The whole thing is under 400 lines of code. That's it.

Try It

Try it: tools.jackgreen.top/app-35708913a623

Built because someone should have done this already. Now it exists.

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