Top 5 compared
The best label makers
Jars you can find in a hurry, chargers you can tell apart and files that stay in order, labelled in a minute.
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The top 5 at a glance
A label maker prints short sticky labels for storage bins, spice jars, cords and the switches in the breaker panel. Keyboard models are self-contained: type the words, check them on the little screen and print. App printers have no keys and print what you design on a phone over Bluetooth, with more fonts and icons to choose from.
Most print by heat, so there’s no ink to buy, only the maker’s own tape or label rolls, which is where the running cost sits. Laminated tape lasts longest, indoors or out; paper and plastic tapes and sticker rolls suit the pantry, files and boxes.
What matters
- Refill tape that’s easy to buy, and how much is on a roll.
- Labels about 12 mm (1/2 in) wide suit jars, cords and files.
- Whether batteries or a charger come in the box.
#1DYMO LetraTag 100H Label Maker (with 3 tapes)
$50–$75
Self-contained and quick: type on its ABC keys, check the words on the screen and print, with no phone or app to set up, so anyone in the house can pick it up and use it. It prints one or two lines and stamps the date on pantry jars and files, and DYMO’s tapes come in paper, clear plastic and iron-on fabric.
What owners say: Owners find the keypad easy and the machine very handy and practical. Label adhesion is the common complaint, with some tape hardly sticking, and durability and print quality draw mixed reports.
A closer look: It runs on four AA batteries, not in the box, and switches itself off when left alone to save them. Clear plastic tape suits glass jars where a white label would look busy, and paper is fine for files and boxes; DYMO’s own cassettes and cheaper compatible ones are both easy to find in Canada.
- Built-in date stamp
- Prints one or two lines
- Switches off to save batteries
Best for: Pantry jars, files and boxes
- How you type
- ABC keyboard
- Label width
- 12 mm (1/2 in)
- Power
- 4 × AA, not included
- Refills
- LetraTag cassettes, 4 m (13 ft): paper, plastic, iron-on fabric
- Labels in the box
- 3 tapes: paper, white plastic, clear plastic
#2Nelko P21 Bluetooth Label Maker (phone app, no keyboard)
$20–$30
A pocket-sized printer with no keys at all: the label is designed in Nelko’s phone app, with its fonts, icons and borders, then printed by heat onto sticker rolls. It suits anyone who’d rather design labels on a phone than type them on tiny keys.
What owners say: The app is intuitive, owners say; it pairs with a phone in moments and prints clear labels fast, and they like how compact it is and how little the labels cost over time.
Heads up: Every label is made in the Nelko app on an iPhone or Android phone; Nelko says it doesn’t work with Google phones running Android 14, and it can’t print from a computer.
A closer look: Nelko recommends its own rolls, which come in fixed sizes such as 14 × 40 mm, handy for spice jars and light switches, in clear as well as white. It charges by USB-C, and the cable comes without a wall plug, so a phone charger does the job.
- Small enough for a pocket
- In-app fonts, icons and borders
- Clear or white label rolls
Best for: Making labels from a phone
- How you type
- Phone app only
- Label width
- 12 to 15 mm (about 1/2 in)
- Power
- Built-in battery, USB-C cable (no plug)
- Refills
- Nelko ready-cut labels, e.g. 180 of 14 × 40 mm a roll (no continuous tape)
- Labels in the box
- 1 roll
#3Brother P-touch PT-D220 Label Maker
$50–$75
Brother’s laminated TZe tape stands up to water, fading and wear indoors or out, so labels last on toolboxes, freezer containers and the cords behind a desk. This compact desk model adds a full QWERTY keyboard with one-touch keys for fonts, frames and symbols, and 25 ready-made templates.
What owners say: Owners say it works well and takes no time to set up. Most of the grumbles are about the power adapter missing from the box, and the overall quality gets a mixed verdict.
Heads up: It runs on six AAA batteries or Brother’s adapter, and neither comes in the box.
A closer look: Start from a template for file folders or storage bins and change the words, which is quicker than designing from scratch. TZe cassettes run from 3.5 to 12 mm wide in many colours, so the garage, the files and each child’s school things can each have a colour of their own.
- 25 ready-made label templates
- One-touch font and frame keys
Best for: Tough labels for home and office
- How you type
- QWERTY keyboard
- Label width
- Up to 12 mm (1/2 in)
- Power
- 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately
- Refills
- Brother TZe cassettes, 8 m (26.2 ft), laminated
- Labels in the box
- 1 TZe sample tape, 4 m (13.1 ft)
#4Brother P-touch PT-N20 Label Maker
$20–$30
Brother’s colourful everyday machine: type on a full QWERTY keyboard, check the label on the preview screen and print one or two lines, with 250 symbols and 15 frames to dress it up. Its 12 mm Btag tape comes in 17 colours and patterns, and it costs less than Brother’s PT-D220.
What owners say: Print quality and how easily the tape loads win owners over, and they like it for crafts; the one thing they keep raising is that it arrives without batteries or an adapter.
A closer look: Btag tape isn’t laminated, so it suits folders, shelves and school supplies indoors more than tools in a damp garage. Brother’s own cassettes hold 4 m (13 ft), and the starter tape in the box is a short 2 m (6.6 ft), so it’s worth ordering a refill at the same time.
- Tape in 17 colours
- 250 symbols and 15 frames
Best for: Colour-coding school and craft supplies
- How you type
- QWERTY keyboard
- Label width
- 12 mm (1/2 in)
- Power
- 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately
- Refills
- Brother Btag cassettes, 4 m (13 ft), not laminated
- Labels in the box
- 1 Btag starter tape, 12 mm × 2 m (6.6 ft)
#5DYMO LabelManager 160 Label Maker (with 3 tapes)
$75–$100
DYMO’s office label maker, with a QWERTY keyboard, one-touch formatting keys and over 200 symbols and clip art. Its D1 tape is made for indoors and out, and DYMO says it stands up to UV light, heat, humidity and most household cleaners; this pack adds three 7 m (23 ft) rolls of 12 mm (1/2 in) tape.
What owners say: Very easy to use and a great labeller, owners say; whether the labels stick well is where they disagree, and some note that no power adapter comes in the box.
A closer look: Narrow 6 mm D1 tape suits cords and thin shelf edges, 9 mm sits between, and the 12 mm handles files and bins; the cassettes come in several colours too. DYMO rates the tape for near-freezing conditions as well, so labels on bins in a cold garage stay readable.
- One-touch formatting keys
- 200+ symbols and clip art
- Tape stands up to cleaners
- D1 tape in three widths
Best for: Workshop and outdoor jobs
- How you type
- QWERTY keyboard
- Label width
- Up to 12 mm (1/2 in)
- Power
- 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately
- Refills
- DYMO D1 cassettes, 7 m (23 ft)
- Labels in the box
- 3 D1 tapes, 12 mm × 7 m (23 ft)
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1DYMO LetraTag 100H | #2Nelko P21 | #3Brother PT-D220 | #4Brother PT-N20 | #5DYMO LabelManager 160 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | $50–$75 | $20–$30 | $50–$75 | $20–$30 | $75–$100 |
| How you type | ABC keyboard | Phone app only | QWERTY keyboard | QWERTY keyboard | QWERTY keyboard |
| Label width | 12 mm (1/2 in) | 12 to 15 mm (about 1/2 in) | Up to 12 mm (1/2 in) | 12 mm (1/2 in) | Up to 12 mm (1/2 in) |
| Power | 4 × AA, not included | Built-in battery, USB-C cable (no plug) | 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately | 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately | 6 × AAA or adapter, both sold separately |
| Refills | LetraTag cassettes, 4 m (13 ft): paper, plastic, iron-on fabric | Nelko ready-cut labels, e.g. 180 of 14 × 40 mm a roll (no continuous tape) | Brother TZe cassettes, 8 m (26.2 ft), laminated | Brother Btag cassettes, 4 m (13 ft), not laminated | DYMO D1 cassettes, 7 m (23 ft) |
| Labels in the box | 3 tapes: paper, white plastic, clear plastic | 1 roll | 1 TZe sample tape, 4 m (13.1 ft) | 1 Btag starter tape, 12 mm × 2 m (6.6 ft) | 3 D1 tapes, 12 mm × 7 m (23 ft) |
| Best for | Pantry jars, files and boxes | Making labels from a phone | Tough labels for home and office | Colour-coding school and craft supplies | Workshop and outdoor jobs |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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