These two products look similar from the outside and are priced on opposite principles. Both scan into Google Sheets from a phone browser with no App Store download. The question that decides between them is not features, it is who is holding the phone.
Written by QR to Sheets, so treat the recommendation accordingly. The competitor facts below were read from SheetLabel's own pricing page on 2026-08-30 and are stated plainly, including the cases where they win. Prices change — check theirs before deciding.
The pricing difference is the whole decision
SheetLabel charges 12.99 USD per user per month, and in their own words each person subscribes with their own Google account. QR to Sheets charges 7 USD per registered device per month, and a device is a phone or tablet that opens a scanner link. One link serves any number of phones; you pay for scanning stations, not for people.
For one person the gap is small. It widens fast with a crew, and it widens fastest with the crews this product exists for — temporary staff, event teams, seasonal warehouse pickers — because every one of them would need a Google account and a paid seat before they could scan a single item.
| Capability | SheetLabel | QR to Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 per user per month | $7 per registered device per month |
| Free tier | None — 7-day trial | 300 scans, 1 link, 1 device, no time limit |
| Billed per | Person | Scanning device |
| Scanner needs a Google account | Yes, their own | No account at all |
| Scanner needs their own subscription | Yes | No |
| How the scanner opens | Sidebar add-on inside Google Sheets | A URL in any phone browser |
| Thermal label printing | Yes — Brother, Dymo, Munbyn, Phomemo presets | No thermal presets; free bulk QR sheets for Avery labels |
| Offline scanning | Yes | Yes, buffered with a device CSV backup |
| Data location | Your Google Sheet | Your Google Sheet |
Where SheetLabel is the better choice
If your job is to print labels, buy the product built for printing labels. SheetLabel ships presets for Brother, Dymo, Munbyn and Phomemo thermal printers and shipping and price-tag templates. QR to Sheets does not print thermal labels at all — its free bulk generator produces print-ready sheets for Avery paper labels, which is a different job.
- You print barcode labels for stock and want that in the same tool that scans them.
- Everyone who scans already has a Google account and works for you permanently.
- You want to stay inside the Google Sheets sidebar rather than open a separate link.
- One or two people scan, so per-user pricing is not yet the expensive axis.
Where a scanner link wins
- The people scanning are temporary, external or change often. No accounts to create, no seats to buy, no offboarding.
- You want to try it properly before paying. 300 scans is a real pilot; a 7-day trial is a demo.
- Several phones scan at once into the same sheet and you would rather pay per station than per head.
- The workers must not need a Google account — common with contractors, volunteers and event crews.
Both write into a spreadsheet you already own, so neither locks up your data. That makes this a lower-stakes decision than it looks: the exit cost from either is a Google Sheet you keep.
What neither of them is
Neither product is a warehouse management system. There is no purchase ordering, no supplier catalogue, no reservations calendar and no automated overdue chasing. Both are a fast, accurate way to get scans into a spreadsheet you control. If you need the rest of it, look at dedicated inventory or asset software and expect to pay accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SheetLabel cost?+
12.99 USD per user per month billed monthly, with a discount for annual billing, and a 7-day free trial with no permanent free tier. Each person who scans subscribes with their own Google account. Read from SheetLabel's own pricing page on 2026-08-30; check it before deciding, as prices change.
What is the cheapest way to scan barcodes into Google Sheets with a team?+
It depends on whether you are billed per person or per device. Per-user pricing scales with headcount, so a crew of six on a 12.99 USD per-user plan costs more than the same six sharing scanning stations at 7 USD per device. If only one or two people ever scan, the difference is small and features should decide instead.
Do the people scanning need a Google account?+
With SheetLabel, yes — each person subscribes with their own Google account. With a QR to Sheets scanner link, no: the worker opens a URL in the phone browser and scans, with no account, app or login. Only the admin who connects the spreadsheet signs in with Google.
Can QR to Sheets print thermal labels?+
No. If thermal label printing matters, SheetLabel is built for it and this is not. QR to Sheets has a free bulk QR code generator that produces print-ready sheets for Avery paper labels, which suits assets and shelf tags rather than thermal roll printing.
Is there a free version of either?+
QR to Sheets is free for the first 300 scans with one scanner link and one device, with no time limit. SheetLabel offers a 7-day free trial and no permanent free tier.