Web reporting tool FAQ
FreeReport is a web reporting tool that runs in the browser with nothing to install. It is free for personal use; companies pay KRW 500,000 per domain per year (KRW 900,000 perpetual). The latest version is v0.1.0. These are the questions people ask when choosing or adopting a reporting tool.
Reporting tool basics
What is a web reporting tool?
A web reporting tool lets people view business documents such as quotations, certificates and sales reports in a web page, print them, and save them as PDF or Excel. The layout (report definition) and the data are kept apart, and an engine merges them into pages. FreeReport is a web reporting tool whose designer, viewer, printing and PDF, Excel and HWPX exports all run in the browser.
Is there a free reporting tool?
FreeReport is free, with every feature, for personal, educational, research and non-commercial use. It is the same package companies use, not a limited edition, and it installs with npm i @freereportjs/core. Companies may evaluate it for 30 days and then pay KRW 500,000 per domain per year, or KRW 900,000 per domain once.
Who makes FreeReport and what is the latest version?
FreeReport is made in Korea by 2nd Korea Co., Ltd. ((주)세컨드코리아), the maker of the FreeGrid data grid. The latest version is v0.1.0, published on npm as @freereportjs/core, with packages for React, Vue, Svelte and Angular.
Is there a reporting tool that needs no install?
Yes. FreeReport runs on web standards with no plugin, ActiveX, print module or report server. The designer also runs in the browser, so form authors install nothing. It works in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
Can FreeReport replace OZ Report?
For banded business forms such as quotations, statements, certificates and sales reports, yes. It has a web designer, Korean PDF, Excel as printed, HWPX, 2D barcodes, watermarks and embossing. It has no GS certification yet and no e-Form data entry, so if either is required, the incumbent product is the better fit.
Can it replace ClipReport or UbiReport?
Yes, when the goal is web output without installs and a lower license cost. The server only returns data as JSON, and reports are JSON files that are easy to version. There is no automatic converter for existing forms yet, so forms are rebuilt in the designer.
Is it an alternative to Crystal Reports?
Yes. It builds banded reports with groups, subtotals, page headers and footers and crosstabs like Crystal Reports, and the designer runs in the browser instead of on Windows. It cannot read .rpt files, so reports are rebuilt. Korean PDF and Korean formats are built in.
Development and integration
How do I print reports in an eGovFrame project?
The controller returns the report definition and the data as JSON, and the JSP page creates a FreeReport viewer. Printing, PDF and Excel are made in the browser, so no report server is needed. The eGovFrame 4.3 sample (Spring 5.3, MyBatis) includes the viewer, the designer and an output log.
How do I make a PDF from JSP or Spring?
Spring returns the data as JSON and FreeReport in the browser calls report.toPdf(). The Korean font is embedded, so the server needs no fonts or PDF library. To create files on a server, call renderPdf from a Node.js job.
Can I build reports in React or Vue?
Yes. @freereportjs/react, @freereportjs/vue, @freereportjs/svelte and @freereportjs/angular provide viewer and designer components. The core package @freereportjs/core has no dependencies and works in any framework with one createViewer call.
Can a server generate PDFs in bulk?
Yes. renderPdf and renderXlsx create the same PDF and Excel files without a browser, in Node.js, Deno or Bun. Text is measured with the TrueType font, so line breaks match the screen. Use it for nightly batches of thousands of statements.
What format are report definitions?
A report is a plain JSON file with the page setup, fonts, parameters, styles and bands of elements positioned in millimetres. You can keep it in Git, generate it in code and store it in a database. With no binary format, an AI assistant can write definitions too.
How is report data passed in?
Data is a JSON object: the rows the detail band repeats plus any values for headers, such as the company name or period. Existing systems only need to return JSON from a REST API or JSP, without changing the database.
Does it work on an intranet or air-gapped network?
Yes. Host the package on your own server; private addresses and intranet hosts send nothing to freereport.app. On a network without internet access, host the PDF fonts (TTF) too and register them with registerFont. One intranet installation site counts as one domain for licensing.
Output and formats
Why does Korean text break in PDFs, and how do I fix it?
Korean text breaks or shows boxes when the PDF does not contain a Korean font. FreeReport embeds a subset of the TrueType font with only the characters used, so the text looks the same everywhere and can be searched and copied. The default font is Nanum Gothic; your own TTF fonts can be registered.
Can I export to Excel exactly as printed?
Yes. toXlsx('form') keeps the printed layout with merged cells and borders, and toXlsx('data') writes one row per record. Use the form for submissions and the data mode for further analysis. CSV is supported too.
Can I export to Hangul (HWP) files?
Yes. toHwpx() creates an HWPX document (KS X 6101) that opens in Hangul, laid out like the printed pages. It is HWPX, not the older binary .hwp format.
Can it print barcodes and QR codes?
Yes: Code128, EAN-13, QR, DataMatrix and PDF417. Barcodes are drawn as vectors, not images, so they scan sharp at any zoom, in print and in PDF. QR error correction (L/M/Q/H) is selectable.
Can it print barcode label sheets?
Yes. A multi-column detail band (columns: 3, for example) turns each data row into one label. Label size and gaps are set in millimetres. See the barcode label demo for a 3-across sheet.
Can it print silently, without the print dialog?
Browsers cannot skip the print dialog, so FreeReport offers an optional Windows print program. The signed program prints to a chosen printer without a dialog, sets copies, duplex and tray, keeps a print log and updates itself. It runs on Windows 10/11 and installs without administrator rights.
Does the printout match the screen?
Yes. The viewer, printing, PDF and Excel all draw the same pages from the layout engine, so line and page breaks match. Printing uses the exact paper size; a three-page report on screen is three pages in the PDF.
Does it support charts and crosstabs?
Yes. Bar, horizontal bar, line, area, pie and doughnut charts bind to the report data. Crosstabs aggregate rows by columns, such as region × product or region × month, with totals. Groups, subtotals, page subtotals and running totals are supported.
Security, anti-forgery and privacy
Can seals and watermarks prevent forgery?
Yes. Add a security watermark that repeats the user and print time over the page, a raised web emboss seal, a seal image and a QR code for checking the original. Watermarks appear on screen, in print and in PDF, so photos and copies keep them. The verification page itself is built by each system.
Can I password-protect PDFs or block copying?
Yes. Set an open password and print, copy and modify permissions with AES-256, per report or per user. See the output control demo.
Can I keep an output log for documents with personal data?
Yes. The onOutput event fires before every print or export, so you can record who printed which document, when and in which format. Returning false cancels the output. This supports output records required by Korean personal information protection rules.
Is report data sent to an outside server?
No. Report data and generated files stay in the browser. On public domains the library sends, once a day, only the domain, the page address without query string, the version and whether a key is set; intranet addresses send nothing.
Does FreeReport have GS or security certification?
Not yet. FreeReport was released in 2026 and has no GS certification or security function confirmation (SA). If a public project requires a certified product, consider a certified incumbent.
Performance
Is it fast with large reports?
Yes. A list of 100,000 rows is laid out into thousands of pages, and the viewer draws only the pages in view, so you can page through at once. Try the 100,000 rows demo. Large PDFs can also be made on a server with renderPdf.
Pricing and license
How much does FreeReport cost?
Free for personal use. Companies pay KRW 500,000 per domain per year, or KRW 900,000 per domain once (perpetual). With the Windows print program the price doubles: KRW 1,000,000 per year or 1,800,000 perpetual. VAT separate; every plan has every feature.
Is there a perpetual license?
Yes. KRW 900,000 per domain, paid once, never expires and includes one year of updates. After that, reports keep working; renew updates to use newer versions.
Are developers, users or outputs limited?
No. Licenses are per domain (or intranet installation site) and do not count developers, users, servers or outputs. The www address counts as the same domain.
Can a company try it before buying?
Yes. Companies may evaluate every feature for 30 days with no sign-up or key. When you go live, apply for a company license on the pricing page; the domain key is issued once the payment arrives.
Can I convert forms from another reporting tool?
Not automatically yet. Rebuild the form in the designer with the old one beside it, or write the JSON. Common forms such as quotations, statements and certificates take a few hours each.
Learn more
- Compare reporting tools: OZ Report, ClipReport, UbiReport, Crystal Reports
- Use cases by business document
- Docs and API reference
- Live demos
- Pricing and license
Send other questions to [email protected].