A comprehensive comparison of every major wine e-label provider in Europe. Bottlebooks, U-Label, IMERO, Glasswise, APyS, LITTLEWINE, and more. Pricing models, features, and what matters.
David Wippel
Founder of Glasswise
Choosing an e-label provider is a long-term decision. Your QR codes will be printed on labels for years. Switching later is possible, and this guide shows you how, but it is easier to get the foundation right the first time. Here is how every major provider compares so you can make an informed choice.
Disclosure: This guide is written by the Glasswise team. We have tried to be fair and factual. We include our own strengths and limitations alongside every competitor, and we encourage you to evaluate several platforms before deciding.
Before comparing extra features, every e-label provider has to deliver the compliance basics mandated by EU Regulation 2021/2117:
Every provider listed below meets these requirements. The differences start with everything else: design, pricing model, data ownership, and how long your codes keep working.
| Provider | Pricing model | Brand design | Data hub | Marketing QR | Longevity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottlebooks | Per new label/year | Logo only | Yes (PIM) | Non-EU redirect | Min. 10 years | Large operations, PIM needs |
| U-Label (Scantrust) | Tiered by label count | Template branding | No | Non-EU redirect | Enterprise SLA only | Enterprise, serialized QR |
| IMERO (e-label.eu) | Per new label, volume-based | Logo only | Import only | Non-EU redirect | Min. 10 years, insured | Done-for-you compliance |
| Glasswise | Flat annual rate, unlimited | Yes (full) | Yes (wine data) | Yes (full) | Wine-long, redirect if you leave | Brand-focused wineries |
| APyS | Bundled with ERP | No | Via ERP | No | Tied to ERP | Existing APyS users |
| LITTLEWINE | Free | No | No | No | Not guaranteed | Budget, privacy-focused |
| ScanThisWine | Free | No | No | No | Not guaranteed | Smallest producers |
Bottlebooks is a product information management (PIM) platform for the wine trade, and e-labels are one module inside a broader system that syndicates a single product dataset across producers, importers, retailers, and trade events. It charges per year, banded by how many new labels you publish, with the first three free and no ongoing charge for your back catalogue.
The platform has been reviewed by Austrian, German, and Polish authorities, associations, and importers, and its data validation runs more than 50 checks. It is genuinely capable when one dataset has to feed many trade partners at once, it supports GS1 Digital Link, and you can export your data and switch away. The trade-offs are that branding is limited to a logo rather than full custom design, the QR redirect is scoped to non-EU compliance rather than marketing, and there are no serialized or anti-counterfeit codes. It suits larger operations that need a full PIM.
Detailed comparison: Glasswise vs. Bottlebooks
U-Label began as an industry initiative from the European wine and spirits associations (CEEV and spiritsEUROPE) and runs on Scantrust's QR platform. It starts with a free trial, then moves to tiers priced by how many labels you publish per year, with an unlimited premium tier and a custom enterprise tier above that.
It is association-endorsed and compliance-first, with serialized (unique) QR codes, GS1 Digital Link support, and bulk creation by CSV or API. Scantrust's wider platform adds anti-counterfeiting for producers who need it. Branding stays at the template level of logo, colour, and custom domain, bulk import and smart redirection live on the higher tiers, and there is no central data hub or longevity guarantee outside an enterprise SLA. It fits larger producers and spirits companies that want serialized codes on an association-backed platform.
Detailed comparison: Glasswise vs. U-Label
IMERO is an established e-label platform that says thousands of wineries and partners already use it, built for fast, correct compliance with very little effort. It charges per new label and scales by volume, with three labels free to start and no ongoing cost for labels from past years.
Its standout is collective QR codes for price lists, a single code that opens a whole list rather than one wine. It translates automatically into all 27 EU languages, handles geolocation for scans outside the EU, and offers a done-for-you service where IMERO builds the label from your data. Labels stay online for at least 10 years, insured, and remain reachable after you cancel. Branding is limited to a logo, there is no central data management beyond import tools, and no GS1 Digital Link is stated on their own pages, so the identity behind the code is less portable. It fits wineries that want a hands-off compliance service and price-list QR codes.
Detailed comparison: Glasswise vs. IMERO
Glasswise is a wine e-label and product-data platform built around brand design, data ownership, and QR codes that stay under your control. It runs on one flat annual rate for unlimited e-labels, users, and updates, with a premium "Done For You" tier that adds a full concierge service.
The label carries full custom brand design, so it looks like your winery rather than a generic template, and a central wine-data hub feeds your e-labels, data sheets, and QR destinations from one source. "Scan with Glasswise" turns the mandatory QR into a marketing and loyalty channel that points wherever you choose. Because it runs on GS1 open rails, the identity behind the code stays portable and yours, and a redirect guarantee holds even if you leave: we forward your printed codes to your new destination instead of letting them go dark. Add producer-verified data, open APIs for ERP integration, and German-native support. The trade-offs are a smaller market presence than Bottlebooks or IMERO and no serialized or anti-counterfeit codes. It fits independent wineries that value brand design, want one predictable annual price, and want to own their data and their QR identity.
APyS is a wine-management ERP with nearly 40 years of history, and its e-label is an add-on webservice ("SUP e-Label Webservice") wired into the APyS cellar book rather than a standalone product. It comes bundled with the ERP, so there is no e-label you can buy on its own.
For an existing APyS winery, compliance is close to automatic. Nutrition and ingredient data flow from the regulated cellar book through blending and bottling into a multilingual label that supports around twenty languages, with no separate data entry. The catch is the QR: it points at a proprietary address on elabel.apys.de, keyed to an internal ID, so the identity is neither yours nor a GS1 Digital Link, and leaving APyS means losing the destination behind your printed codes. There is no custom design, no standalone data hub, and no marketing redirect. It fits existing APyS customers who want the simplest path and accept the lock-in.
Detailed comparison: Glasswise vs. APyS
LITTLEWINE offers a free e-label tool as part of a wider wine-knowledge platform, with no commercial motive and no tracking. It costs nothing, allows unlimited labels, translates automatically into the EU languages, and adds optional fields for details like elevation or farming. What it lacks is a business model that guarantees the labels stay online, along with custom design, a data hub, and any marketing features. If the platform stops, the labels behind your printed codes go dark. It fits very small producers who want a free, privacy-minded tool and accept the continuity risk.
ScanThisWine is a free e-label generator: one short form per wine, no barrier to entry. It produces compliant labels with an auto-calculated nutrition table, recycling information, EU-language translation, and no tracking. It carries the same risk as any free tool, with no longevity or uptime guarantee, no design options, and no data management, so a code that later fails is the real exposure. It fits a small producer who needs a valid compliance page quickly and accepts that risk.
Start with your priorities. If cost is the main concern, a free tool like LITTLEWINE or ScanThisWine gets you compliant, as long as you go in aware of the long-term risks, which we lay out in why free e-labels may cost more in the long run. If you need a full PIM, Bottlebooks is the established choice for large-scale product data, while Glasswise is a lighter alternative with a central wine-data hub that is simpler to run and puts design first. If you need enterprise features, U-Label by Scantrust offers serialized QR codes and GS1 Digital Link with Scantrust's anti-counterfeiting platform behind it. If you want brand design and simplicity, Glasswise is the one that offers fully custom-designed e-labels on a single flat annual rate. And if you already use an ERP, check whether it offers e-labels the way APyS does, then weigh the convenience against the vendor lock-in.
In most cases you keep the QR codes already on your bottles. A printed e-label QR points at a web address, and that address can be repointed. You keep your GS1 Digital Link or QR identity, we migrate your existing data in any format, you repoint the code to Glasswise, and nothing gets reprinted.
The move runs in a few short steps, and we do most of the work. You start a test account, send us your current e-label data in whatever format you have it, we set everything up, and you switch the redirect for your QR codes to the new destination. At the end you scan a few real bottles to confirm. Three things are in writing: you do not pay twice if you switch mid-period, the data migration is included at no extra cost, and the redirect guarantee holds even if you later leave Glasswise. The full walkthrough is in how to switch your e-label provider without reprinting QR codes, and the step-by-step is on our switch page.
Before committing to a provider, ask these:
We cover these in detail in our 5 factors guide for choosing the right e-label tool.
The right choice depends on your winery's size, priorities, and budget. What matters most is picking a solution that will serve you for years, because those QR codes on your bottles will be in circulation for a long time. Whatever you decide, make sure the compliance is solid, your data is portable, and the identity behind your QR codes stays yours.
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