As much as many try to start the year off by organizing every area of our homes, even our best efforts sometimes fall short. Finding the perfect place for each item in your pantry, home office, closet and bedroom is harder than it seems, particularly if you have a small home. That said, some office supplies and appliances can make your journey to organization much easier, including a label maker. Label makers make it easy to give every item a “home” and stay organized, according to Marina Radlinski, a home organizing expert at Palm Beach Organized. “Labels remove friction. They eliminate guessing,” she says. “They turn a system from ‘organized once’ into organized long-term.” They also allow you to group things by categories, put dates on perishable items and help prevent you from mixing up ingredients.
Plus, label makers have evolved a lot over time, so they do a lot more than simply print words in one font — some have different typefaces and emojis, and some print barcodes, too. To identify the best label makers, I spoke with Radlinski and other professional organizers for guidance on which features to prioritize; they also recommended their favorite options.
How I picked the best label makers
When shopping for a great label maker, there are a few key features to ensure yours has if you want to get the most out of it. Here is everything our experts recommend looking for when buying a label maker:
- Easy to use: The most important thing to consider when shopping for a label maker is whether it is simple to navigate, according to Caroline Solomon, a home organizing expert. In other words, choose one that’s easy to set up and that doesn’t have features that won’t be necessary to you. If you don’t care as much about having different types of fonts, tapes and emoji options, then you’ll probably find that a small, simple label maker without a screen and one font is enough for you. On the other hand, if you want it to do more, then be prepared for a more complex user experience.
- Features: If you plan on using your label maker for several different purposes and don’t mind learning how to use the device with more features, consider ones with different fonts, colors, emojis, tapes and more. Many label makers include screens and keyboards, such as those from Brother, which are recommended by Radlinski and Solomon. These features allow them to function like a typewriter, though they are usually more expensive than the more straightforward devices. Some label makers also connect to an app on your phone via Bluetooth, which is an additional step to consider.
- Print and tape type: Most of the label makers on this list use thermal printing and 22laminated tape for the labels. Thermal printing uses heat to transfer the label to the tape rather than ink. While you’ll still need to replace tape in your label maker, thermal printing doesn’t require replacing ink.
- Power source: All label makers on this list are either wireless and use a USB-C or AC adapter to charge, or battery-operated. Additionally, some require a companion app and support Bluetooth connectivity. Some, such as the Brother P-Touch PTD210 Easy-to-Use Label Maker, don’t require an app and work by using the device’s keyboard.
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The best label makers in 2026
All of the products below are direct recommendations from our experts or editor, and/or have at least a 4-star average rating from 500 reviews or more on Amazon.
Best overall label maker
This label maker is recommended by Solomon, who says she purchased it when she started her home-organizing business years ago. “The best label maker hands down is the classic Brother P-Touch label maker for how easy it is to use and how long each tape roll lasts,” she says. It’s a great label maker for those who want a “no bells and whistles” option that also has different fonts and sizes, according to Solomon. This is also a great feature for people with vision impairments. It includes multiple fonts and templates, and its screen lets you preview your label before printing, helping you avoid typos and other mistakes. It’s both battery-operated and compatible with an adaptor, so you can leave it at home or take it with you for work purposes.
Best affordable label maker
This is a more compact version of the Brother P-Touch PTD210, but it still has a QWERTY keyboard and a front-facing screen. It has three fonts, 10 frames, 100+ emojis and many tape options. It also saves previous labels so it’s easy to swiftly print more labels if you’re in a rush. While it’s battery-powered, it’s available in a desktop version with a larger surface area and a more spread-out keyboard. There’s also a Bluetooth-compatible version, as well.
Best portable label maker
This compact label maker is the perfect size to keep at home on your desk or take with you on trips. It’s around the size of a phone and while it doesn’t have a screen, it has Bluetooth, which connects to your phone on the companion app so that you’ll be able to see how your label will come out before it prints. Plus, aside from words and symbols, it also prints QR codes, shapes, ID codes, logos, barcodes and photos. If you prefer creating labels on your phone rather than using a small keyboard, this is a great option.
Best label maker for smartphones
This small label maker is recommended by Radlinski, who loves it for its size, which fits in most drawers, and for the fact that everything is done on your phone. While it doesn’t have a screen, it connects to your phone via Bluetooth on the companion app — this is where you’ll find all of the fonts, emojis, symbols (more than 400) and more than 60 frames. Additionally, the label maker works with a tablet and your phone, and it includes voice-to-text, according to the brand. It’s 2.5 x 4.6 x 4.6 inches and is around the size of a cereal bowl, but in a square shape.
Best battery-powered label maker
NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin recommends this label maker, which she’s had for years, for its extensive feature set. It has multiple types of fonts, frames and symbols, and you can adjust the size of the words, according to Malin. “The keyboard is a nice size, so it’s easy to type on, and you can add two lines of text to the same label, which is helpful to get really specific,” she says. “The labels print out perfectly every time, and they stick onto almost any surface really well.” The device also uses batteries, but Malin says she hasn’t had to replace them after a few years.
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How to shop for label makers
When you’re ready to shop for a label maker, whether for fun, work, school or home organization, there are a few things our experts recommend prioritizing when shopping for them.
Decide what you’ll use it for
Determining how you plan to use the label maker will help you choose the type that’s best for you. If you plan on making small labels for folders, home office organization, labeling drawers or small items, then it’s best to shop for a label maker that has a keyboard and/or one that uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone before printing. These types of label makers are often portable and great for short tasks, instead of for small businesses.
If you plan to use the label maker for a small business, such as for product labels or barcodes, you’ll want a desktop model that connects to your computer and produces larger labels.
Prioritize the feature you want
In addition to deciding what you want to use the label maker for, make sure it ultimately has all of the features you’re interested in and if you avoid ones with extra features you don’t want, you’ll probably also save some money by using a simple, uncomplicated and more affordable device. Decide if you want options when it comes to fonts, font sizes, shapes, symbols, and frames for different reasons or if you only want a few fonts that are in one style, for example.
Ways to use label makers
Don’t just label small items, but the shelves or bins they sit on. Radlinski recommends this method because it requires less mental work, especially if you have multiple people around you who often put things in the wrong places. This is a great method for families and work staff for office supplies, toys, tech devices and more.
Use them for items with expiration dates. This primarily refers to food items that are not shelf-stable or that could pose health risks. While it’s easy to simply write a date on a box for example, a label is much more organized and easier to read, especially if they’ve been in a refrigerator for a while. Additionally, Radlinski recommends this method for supplements or small bins in a pantry.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Marina Radlinski is a home organizing expert at Palm Beach Organized, a home organization brand based in Palm Beach.
- Caroline Solomon is a home organizing expert who teaches courses on home organization.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Select, where I write about deals, sale events, product roundups, guides and more. I write and edit stories on laundry, home, kitchen and cleaning appliances including vacuums, dishwashers, air fryers and more. I spoke with multiple home organization experts for this story for their guidance and recommendations.
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