Reporting tools compared: FreeReport, OZ Report, ClipReport, UbiReport, Crystal Reports and ActiveReportsJS
Short answer: FreeReport is the only one of these whose designer, viewer and exports all run in the browser with a published price (free for personal use, KRW 500,000 per domain per year for companies). Korean incumbents add GS certification and e-Forms; Crystal Reports and ActiveReportsJS are overseas products without Hangul document export.
Feature, deployment and pricing table
| Item | FreeReport | OZ Report | ClipReport | UbiReport | Crystal Reports | ActiveReportsJS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | 2nd Korea | FORCS | Hancom Innostream | UbiDecision | SAP | MESCIUS |
| Report designer | Web browser | Desktop program | Desktop program | Desktop program | Desktop program (Windows) | Desktop + web designer |
| Install on user PCs | None (optional agent for silent printing) | Depends on setup | Depends on setup | Depends on setup | Depends on runtime and server | None |
| Report file | JSON | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | .rpt | JSON-based (.rdlx-json) |
| Main exports | PDF, Excel (form/data), CSV, HWPX | PDF, Excel and more | PDF, Excel, HWP and more | PDF, XLSX, DOCX, PPTX, HWP and more | PDF, Excel, Word, CSV and more | PDF, XLSX, HTML, CSV |
| Hangul (HWP/HWPX) | HWPX | Ask the vendor | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2D barcodes | QR, DataMatrix, PDF417 | QR, DataMatrix, PDF417 | Ask the vendor | Ask the vendor | Ask the vendor | Yes |
| Korean certifications | None (no GS or SA yet) | See vendor | GS grade 1, SA | See vendor | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Price | Free personal · company KRW 500,000/domain/yr or 900,000 perpetual | Not published (quoted per project) | Not published (quoted per project) | Not published (quoted per project) | Published price list | Published price list |
"Depends on setup" means the vendor offers both HTML5 viewers and installed components (print modules, viewers) depending on the configuration.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose FreeReport when
- you need web output with no install, a web designer, Korean PDF, Excel and HWPX, a low published price (KRW 500,000 per domain per year), and React, Vue or eGovFrame integration.
- Choose a Korean incumbent when
- GS certification or a security confirmation is a bid requirement, you need e-Form data entry and e-signatures, or hundreds of existing forms make switching costly.
- Choose Crystal Reports when
- you are tied to SAP BusinessObjects or keep .rpt reports in a .NET desktop application.
- Choose ActiveReportsJS when
- you build an English-first product alongside other MESCIUS tools or need RDL-style reports. For Hangul documents and Korean formats, FreeReport is the closer fit.
FreeReport as an OZ Report alternative
OZ Report by FORCS offers a desktop designer, crosstabs, 2D barcodes, original verification (OZX Verifier) and e-Forms. FreeReport can replace it where pages view, print and export forms, and its biggest difference is the web designer. If you need e-Form data entry or GS certification, OZ Report is the better fit.
Replacing ClipReport
ClipReport by Hancom Innostream (formerly Clipsoft) offers a desktop designer, HWP, Excel and PDF export, eGovFrame integration, GS grade 1 and a security confirmation (SA). FreeReport also has an eGovFrame 4.3 sample and HWPX export, but no certification yet. For internal systems that do not require certification, it cuts the cost a lot.
Compared with UbiReport
UbiReport by UbiDecision exports PDF, XLSX, DOCX, PPTX and HWP and supports e-Forms. FreeReport exports PDF, Excel (form and data), CSV and HWPX, without DOCX or PPTX yet. In return, the designer and viewer both run on the web and reports are JSON, which fits development workflows.
A Crystal Reports alternative
Crystal Reports by SAP uses a Windows desktop designer and .rpt files. FreeReport offers the same banded structure Crystal users know (groups, subtotals, crosstabs, page headers and footers) on the web, with Korean PDF and Korean formats built in. It cannot read .rpt files, so reports are rebuilt.
How it differs from ActiveReportsJS
ActiveReportsJS by MESCIUS (formerly GrapeCity) is a JavaScript reporting tool with desktop and web designers, PDF, XLSX, HTML and CSV export and a published price list. FreeReport is also JavaScript, and adds Korean business features such as HWPX, PDF with Korean fonts and amounts in Korean words, plus a Windows silent print program.
Migrating from OZ Report or ClipReport
- Turn the data into a JSON API. Move the queries the report server ran into a controller or REST API that returns the report data ({ rows: [...], header values }) as JSON.
- Rebuild forms as JSON definitions. With the old output beside you, place bands, tables and fields in the web designer; a quotation or certificate takes a few hours. There is no automatic converter yet.
- Keep definitions in your repository or database. They are JSON, so Git tracks changes, and the designer onSave can store them in a database.
- Replace the viewer call with createViewer(element, { definition, data }) and record outputs with the onOutput event.
- Install the Windows print program only at counters that need silent printing. Other PCs need nothing.
What FreeReport does not have yet
- GS certification and security function confirmation (SA)
- e-Form data entry and electronic signatures
- DOCX and PPTX export, and the binary .hwp format (HWPX is supported)
- Automatic conversion of forms from other tools