Free Barcode Generator for Small Businesses

It depends on where you sell. If you plan to sell in major retail stores (supermarkets, pharmacies, department stores) or on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace, you need an officially registered GS1 UPC or EAN. If you only sell at markets, through your own website, or use barcodes for internal stock tracking, you can use any numbers you choose.

Generating a barcode image is completely free with our tool. The cost comes from registering a GS1 company prefix (which gives you your own unique number range). GS1 charges an annual fee starting at around $250/year for up to 10 unique barcodes, scaling up based on how many you need. Some sellers purchase individual UPC numbers from GS1-authorized resellers for $5–$30 per barcode.

Yes. Download the barcode as an SVG from our generator and place it in your packaging design file (Canva, Illustrator, InDesign, or even Word). Make sure there is adequate white space (quiet zone) around the barcode — at least 2.5 mm on all sides — and that it is printed in black on a white or very light background.

For UPC-A, the standard size is 37.29 mm × 25.91 mm (100% magnification). It can be reduced to a minimum of about 26.9 mm × 18.7 mm (80% magnification) while still being reliably scannable. Below 80% risks scan failures at retail checkout. Our SVG output can be scaled precisely to any size in your design software.

No — each unique product (and each variant, such as size or color) must have its own unique barcode number. Reusing a barcode number across different products will cause inventory and checkout errors. Use our bulk generator to create a separate barcode for every product SKU.

Absolutely. Handmade sellers on Etsy, at craft fairs, and in consignment stores use barcodes just like any other small business. If you're selling online only and on a tight budget, you can create your own internal numbering system and generate Code 128 barcodes for free — no GS1 registration needed for that use case.