Print-on-demand (POD) services allow e-commerce businesses to customize items only when customers order them. That means you can customize and sell several designs under your brand without the stress of inventory or warehousing. But how do you know which POD service to choose, since there are so many of them? This comparison guide will show you how Printify and Printful, two popular POD services, compare so you can decide which one is more suitable for your business.
Printify vs. Printful at a Glance
Printify and Printful let you sell custom merchandise through your store or an e-commerce marketplace, such as Amazon, eBay or Etsy. On the platforms, choose from the extensive collection of products and either add your own design or use the available designs, graphics and fonts to customize the product. While you can package and ship the products yourself, the benefit of a print on demand company is that it can print and ship directly to your customer, eliminating the need for storage, packinging and shipping.
Printify works with several printing companies, allowing you to choose from various pricing, design and shipping options. Printful provides uniform printing services, which could lead to better standardization.
How Printify vs. Printful Stack Up
The table below gives a comparison overview of Printify and Printful.
Feature | Printify | Printful |
---|---|---|
Monthly Subscription Plan Pricing | Free; $29 | Free; $24.99 |
Product Range | 950-plus | 341 |
E-Commerce Services | 10 | 22 |
Customization | Available | Available |
Product Mockups | At least four mockups provided for each product | Available for 330-plus items |
Branding | Neck labels, sleeve labels, package inserts | Inside and outside neck labels, sleeve labels, package inserts, order tracking page customization, package slip customization, side and back embroidery for hats, etc. |
Order Fulfillment | Two to seven business days, with two to three day express options available | Two to seven business days for clothing products; two to five business days for non-clothing items |
Integrations | 10, including Walmart | 22, including Amazon |
Customer Support | Email, live chat, knowledge base; free courses and webinars; available only in English | Email, live chat, knowledge base, free courses and webinars; available in seven languages |
Read Printify Review | Read Printful Review |
Product Range and Mockups
Both POD companies offer products across several categories, including men’s clothing, women’s clothing, kids’ clothing, accessories and home and living items. However, Printify beats Printful with 950-plus products, compared to Printful’s 341. Printify and Printful both offer eco-friendly products, but Printify boasts 62 items while Printful has 29.
These companies allow you to edit the products’ descriptions and provide mockup creation tools for creating images that display your products close-up and from different angles. Printful offers as many as 2,550 templates. You can also customize mockups across its 330-plus catalog. With Printify, all of the 950-plus products come with at least four automatically generated mockup images. It also has integration with Placeit for additional mockup options.
Designs and Customization
These POD solutions make it easy for users to create custom product designs using their user-friendly tools. You can add text and edit photos; they both accept JPEG and PNG files. Printify further allows SVG file uploads, accommodating vector graphics. It also has free royalty-free T-shirt designs you can use.
Both platforms allow you to add stock photos for a fee, with Printful integrating with the Getty Image library of over 80 million images and Printify integrating with Shutterstock, which has 3.5 million-plus images. However, Printful accepts large files of 200MB, compared to Printify’s 100. You’ll also access 790-plus fonts, whereas Printify offers around 300.
Printful and Printify also have free clip art, which enables customization. Printify also offers an AI image generator, which will create image options based on a text prompt.
Branding
Printify and Printful will help promote your brand through their branding options. Printify allows businesses to add a branded inside neck label to clothing products or add branding inserts with certain products, such as a thank you note. Printful does that too, but lets you add an outside label to clothing items and hats. And that’s available across its entire catalog.
Integrations
Both POD platforms directly integrate with several e-commerce services, including Shopify, Etsy, eBay, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce and TikTok. However, Printful integrates with more—19 e-commerce platforms and three marketplaces, including Amazon, Webflow, Ecwid and Square. Printify works with only 10 and won’t allow a direct integration with Amazon. Plus, it only integrates with TikTok within the United States.
However, Printify has an edge over Printful by providing a direct integration with Walmart, and that’s something Printful lacks. Also, its free “Pop-Up Store” feature lets you create an online store. It takes little time to build, and there are no transaction fees, making it suitable for those on a low budget, or who rely on social media traffic for generating their sales.
Cost of Printify vs. Printful
Both POD companies allow you to customize items via different pricing tiers. They offer free plans, with Printify enabling you to create unlimited product designs and five stores for free. Printful allows you to set up a free forever plan with access to several design tools. You’ll only need to pay for on-demand branding and other specific services, such as product photography and custom packaging.
You can also join Printful’s membership program to enjoy more support and discounts—up to 33%. You’ll earn a year’s membership free if you sell products worth $12,000-plus as a Printful Growth member paying $24.99 monthly. For Printful Business users, selling items worth $60,000 or more means a year of free membership with more discounts. There’s also a 14-day trial available if you’re considering the Printful membership.
Printify’s premium plan costs $24.99 per month on annual billing, and it lets you sell in 10 stores and gives you a 20% discount on products and access to Printify Connect for handling customer queries. It also has an Enterprise plan that allows you to customize your package. All plans have unlimited store creations, product designs and custom API integration.
Product prices vary on both platforms, and their shipping fees depend on your location, with Printify offering more options since there are several print providers to work with.
Customer Reviews and Reputation
Out of 2,220-plus reviews on Trustpilot, Printify earned a 4.8-star rating, while Printful scored 4.6 stars from 3,950-plus users. Many users commended Printify’s helpful support and resources to use its platform and run their businesses. Printful users agree that Printful stands out for its easy integration with e-commerce services and how easy it is to navigate its interface and the design tool. Meanwhile, they complained of occasional downtime and disconnections that affected their designs and wished there were more customization options.
However, there are fewer quality-related complaints from Printful users, though Printify does have a quality control process and regularly reviews and ranks its print providers. Printful’s return rate from quality issues is 0.24%.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a print-on-demand platform with a myriad of product categories and items, you’ll love Printify. If you also want to compare the services of various printing companies, Printify is a better-suited option since you’ll have access to multiple options. However, if you seek enhanced customization and an opportunity to sell your products on as many e-commerce sites as you want, Printful is the way to go.
Printful is best for:
- Businesses seeking to sell on popular e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon
- Those looking for enhanced customization and multiple branding
- Businesses that don’t want to commit to monthly subscription fees
Printify is best for:
- Businesses that want their customers to have a broader range of products to choose from
- E-commerce businesses that seek control over their printing services
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I really make money with Printify and Printful?
Yes. Printify and Printful allow you to run an e-commerce business with minimal risks and costs. You can sell several customizable products and keep the profit margins for yourself without worrying about the cost of warehousing, shipping or customers neglecting certain products or designs. However, prepare to invest in digital marketing techniques such as online advertising, blogging and search engine marketing.
Is signing up for Printful free?
Yes, it’s free to sign up on Printful: no setup costs or monthly subscriptions. However, Printful will charge you for manufacturing and shipping whenever you order.
Is Printify better than Printful?
Printful is more feature-rich, and it gives you an improved design tool and more branding and fulfillment options than Printify. However, if you’re looking to control your orders with an opportunity to choose from a larger catalog or multiple quality and shipping options, you will find Printify to be better than Printful.
Do I need to hold inventory with print-on-demand services?
One of the major advantages of using print-on-demand is that you don’t need to maintain an inventory. Products are created only after an order is placed, reducing the risks associated with overproduction and storage. This allows you to test multiple products or designs without significant upfront investment.