Wondering which print on demand company is right for you: Printful or Printify?
If you’re looking for an in-depth comparison of these two popular POD companies, you’ve come to the right place.
In this Printful vs. Printify analysis, I’ll compare them in terms of:
- Pricing
- Quality
- Products
- Production time
- Mockups
- Branding
- Design tools
- Integrations
- Ease of use
- Customer support
Let’s get started.
Why trust me?
I’m an experienced print on demand business owner with a background in customer experience management. 4 years ago, I started a small POD business as a side hustle and faced the exact same question you’re asking: should I go for Printful or Printify? These days, I run multiple POD stores and help others set up their own.
It took me a year of trial and error, countless samples, good and not so good customer feedback, to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of these print on demand companies.
My ultimate conclusion after working with both Printful and Printify for my business?
You don’t have to choose just one.
In fact, I’ve sold over $55000 in inventory in the past couple of years by partnering up with both Printful and Printify.
In this post, I’ll explain the key differences between these companies, how exactly I work with both of them and why you should, too.
The verdict
- Choose Printful if you’re looking for a seamless customer experience and reliable product quality. Printful has lots of resources for beginners, and I’ve barely ever had any quality issues. Be ready to pay extra.
- Choose Printify if you’re looking for the cheapest products and the broadest range. Be ready to invest in lots of samples to find reliable print providers from Printify’s range.
- Choose both if you’re serious about your business and don’t want to be stuck with just one company. Both are free and there’s no reason to limit your business to just one.
What’s the difference between Printful and Printify?
The main difference is that Printful has its own printing facilities but Printify connects you to a network of third-party printing facilities.
Since Printful owns its facilities, it is in complete control of production process and quality. Printful prints exclusively on industry-leading printers that produce the most saturated colors, which are as close to the colors on your screen as possible. Because of that, Printful has a reputation for having the best print quality on the market.
Printify, on the other hand, is an app that connects you to huge printing facilities that small businesses normally wouldn’t be able to access. That’s why Printify can introduce new products much faster than Printful, and the prices are considerably lower.
What I like about Printful
- Consistent print quality
- Unique customization options (large embroidery, unlimited color embroidery)
- Variety of branding options (neck labels, sleeve prints, custom packing slips, branded pack-ins)
- Fulfilment within 2-5 business days
What I like about Printify
- Low production costs
- Growing number of production facilities and locations around the globe
- Excellent variety of apparel and home decor (800+ items)
- Fulfilment within 2-7 business days
Printful vs. Printify: in-depth analysis
1. An overview
Printful and Printify are both popular print on demand (POD) platforms that enable individuals and businesses to create and sell custom products online.
Introduction to Printful
Printful is a well-established company founded in 2013, offering a wide range of products and integration with various e-commerce platforms. They handle the entire fulfillment process, including printing, packaging, and shipping.
Introduction to Printify
Printify, on the other hand, is a newer platform that was launched in 2015. It provides a similar service, connecting users with a network of printing partners worldwide. Printify allows users to choose from a vast catalog of products and offers competitive pricing options.
Which print on demand service is more popular?
Historically, Printful used to always lead the POD game, being the biggest print on demand company. In 2023, however, Printify caught up. These days, Printify is leading in terms of global search interest.
As a POD business owner, the competitiveness between Printful and Printify works in your favor. It means that both platforms are constantly striving to improve their services and offerings, which ultimately benefits you as a customer.
The adjustments in prices, extended product catalogs, and improved print quality provide you with more options to create and sell custom products that align with your brand and target audience.
2. Printful vs. Printify: Pricing
Takeaway: Printify’s products are generally cheaper but its shipping costs are higher than Printful’s.
Monthly fees
You don’t have to pay any monthly fees to use Printful or Printify. Both platforms make a profit through their product prices, so there are no subscription costs.
Printify does, however, offer a Premium plan that gives you up to 20% off each product if you subscribe. At $24.99, the plan is a good investment if you’re selling more than 10 items a month.
Product pricing
Let’s compare the pricing both companies offer on some of the most popular DTG, sublimation, and embroidery products.
First, DTG, or direct-to-garment, which is the most common printing option you’ll come across. It’s used for printing directly on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other blank products. Here’s a pricing comparison for 3 DTG products: Bella + Canvas t-shirt, Gildan hoodie and sweatshirt.
| Printful vs. Printify DTG printing pricing (excluding tax and shipping) | |||
| Product | Printful | Printify | Printify Premium |
| Bella + Canvas 3001 t-shirt | $11.50 | $11.19 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) | $9.34 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) |
| Gildan 18500 hoodie | $20.95 | $21.87 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) | $16.84 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) |
| Gildan 18000 sweatshirt | $16.25 | $18.06 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) | $13.91 (fulfilled by Monster Digital) |
Printify Premium is the cheapest plan for t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts. If you don’t want to pay for a monthly plan, the pricing difference between Printful and Printify isn’t substantial. T-shirts are slightly cheaper with Printify, while hoodies and sweatshirts with Printful.
Next up, let’s compare 3 popular sublimation products.
Sublimation is a printing method used on mugs and other drinkware, as well as all-over print clothing. Check out the pricing comparison below.
| Printful vs. Printify sublimation printing pricing (excluding tax and shipping) | |||
| Product | Printful | Printify | Printify Premium |
| 11oz mug | $7.75 | $4.40 (fulfilled by District Photo) | $3.39 (fulfilled by District Photo) |
| All-over print hoodie | $43.75 | $49.96 (fulfilled by MWW) | $38.47 (fulfilled by MWW) |
| All-over print t-shirt | $28.75 | $20.81 (fulfilled by MWW) | $16.02 (fulfilled by MWW) |
When it comes to mugs, Printify is a clear winner.
As for AOP hoodies and t-shirts, I’d recommend ordering samples before making a decision. I’ve had lots of positive experience with Printful’s all-over print clothing despite the higher prices.
Finally, let’s look at embroidered product pricing.
| Printful vs. Printify embroidery pricing (excluding tax and shipping) | |||
| Printful | Printify | Printify Premium | |
| Knit beanie | $13.75 | $14.67 (fulfilled by MyLocker) | $11.30 (fulfilled by MyLocker) |
| Twill hat | $15.50 | $15.73 (fulfilled by MyLocker) | $12.11 (fulfilled by MyLocker) |
| Bella + Canvas 3001 t-shirt | $14.50 | Not available | Not available |
| Gildan 18500 hoodie | $23.95 | Not available | Not available |
Printful is undeniably the best company for embroidered products. It’s not just the prices but also the variety and thread color options. Printify only offers hats, while Printful sells embroidered hats, shirts, hoodies, jackets, patches, and lots more.
Shipping pricing
Shipping fees are tricky to figure out with both Printful and Printify. In both cases, they depend on where your customer is located and the distance to the printing facility, plus the size of the product.
Printful’s shipping costs are a bit more straight-forward. You can check them on this Printful shipping page. Printful’s shipping prices are generally lower than Printify’s, and you don’t have to worry about choosing the right printing facility.
Printify’s shipping costs vary depending on the printing facility. In the US, for example, Printify has lots of printing facilities with shipping prices almost as good as Printful’s.
| Printful vs. Printify shipping costs to the US | ||||
| Printful | Printify (Monster Digital) | Printify (Underground Threads) | Printify (JAMS Designs) | |
| T-shirt | $4.69 | $4.75 | $5.19 | $5.19 |
| Hoodie | $8.49 | $8.49 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
If your customer is in Canada, things get a bit more complicated. Printful will produce the order at its Canadian facility, but with Printify you’ll have to switch to a Canadian print provider (Duplium, Print Geek), or switch on automatic order routing function.
| Printful vs. Printify shipping costs to Canada | ||||
| Printful | Printify (Monster Digital) | Printify (Duplium) | Printify (Print Geek) | |
| T-shirt | $8.29 | $9.39 | $9.99 | $6.79 |
| Hoodie | $10.19 | $12.69 | $10.09 | $7.99 |
Same goes for Europe. Printful has facilities in Spain and Latvia, so the shipping costs are low. Printify’s US-based Monster Digital has steep costs for overseas shipping. Alternatively, there are several Europe-based print providers like OPT on demand that have more competitive shipping costs. Again, you’ll have to make sure you’ve chosen a Europe-based print provider or switch on the automatic order routing function.
| Printful vs. Printify shipping costs to Europe | |||
| Printful | Printify (Monster Digital) | Printify (OPT on demand) | |
| T-shirt | $4.79 | $10 | $5.69 |
| Hoodie | $6.99 | $15 | $6.99 |
Finally, Printify’s Australia-based print provider Print Bar offers the best shipping pricing on your Australian orders. However, Printful is not far behind.
| Printful vs. Printify shipping costs to Australia | |||
| Printful | Printify (Monster Digital) | Printify (Print Bar) | |
| T-shirt | $7.19 | $12.49 | $6.09 |
| Hoodie | $11.29 | $21.99 | $9.59 |
3. Printful vs. Printify: Quality
Takeaway: Printful maintains consistent quality levels in all of its facilities. Printify quality depends on the specific printing partner you’ve chosen.
Printful quality
Printful is well-known for maintaining a high level of product quality. They have a reputation for using reliable printing techniques and high-quality materials.
Printful offers various customization options such as direct-to-garment printing, embroidery, sublimation, and DTF printing, ensuring that the designs on their products are vibrant, durable, and well-executed.
Additionally, they have a strict quality control process in place to maintain consistency across their product offerings.
Printify quality
Printify, being a platform that connects users with different printing partners, may have some variations in product quality depending on the specific printing partner chosen.
While Printify has guidelines and standards in place for their printing partners, it’s important to research and select a reputable printing partner with positive reviews to ensure better quality.
Printify does offer user ratings and reviews for their printing partners, which can help in making an informed decision.
4. Products
Takeaway: Printify has 800+ products, while Printful only has 300+. However, Printful has a better range of embroidery and all-over print items than Printify.
Printful products
Printful offers a diverse range of products across various categories, including apparel, accessories, home and living, kids clothing, pet products, tech accessories.
Printful doesn’t experiment much with novelty products. It’s understandable, because all product blanks are stored at Printful’s own facilities. This is also the reason why it doesn’t introduce new products as often as its competitor Printify.
As of 2023, there’s a total of 330+ products in Printful’s catalog.
Standout Printful products:
- All-over print clothing: I’ve had great experience with Printful’s leggings, yoga leggings, sports bras. The materials are great for exercising and casual wear, and the fit is true to size. These are premium products that allow for good profit margins.
- Embroidered hats and clothing: I’ve worked with Printful a lot on embroidered apparel and have received outstanding feedback from customers. The stitching is great every single time, and now they’re also offering unlimited color embroidery, meaning your designs aren’t limited to the available stitch colors.
Printify products
Printify, thanks to its huge network of partner facilities around the globe, has over 800 products in its catalog.
From t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and mugs to golf balls, license plate frames, and car seat covers, this company has literally every product you can think of.
Standout Printify products:
- T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts: Printify is my go to partner for basics like t-shirts and hoodies. These are the most popular but also most competitive POD products, so good margins are essential. Printify’s prices on basics win every time over Printful’s.
- Car products: Although not suitable for every niche, car products like seat covers, mats, license plate covers, and stickers are some of my favorite high-margin products.
- Mugs: Mugs are a perfect addition to any POD store. You can sell lots of them to almost any niche, and Printify’s prices are unbeatable.
- Pet products: Pet products like bandanas, hoodies, and pet beds are proving to be a hit lately, and fulfillment with Printify has been smooth so far.
5. Production time
Takeaway: It’s a tie. Both companies fulfill orders in about 2-3 business days outside of peak season and are likely to have some delays during Q4.
Printful production time
Printful typically has a production time ranging from 2 to 5 business days.
In fact, my Printful orders are usually fulfilled in about 2-3 days.
This includes the time it takes for printing, quality control, and packaging of the products before they are ready to be shipped.
However, it’s important to note that the production time can vary depending on factors such as the specific product, order volume, and any additional customization options chosen.
During Q4, Printful also tends to lag behind due to overwhelming order volumes. This is particularly true in November and December, when orders can stand in queues for 6-7 days.
Printify production time
Printify’s production time ranges from 2 to 7 business days. This includes printing, quality control, and packaging of the products.
What’s convenient about Printify is that you can see the average production time of each print provider before you commit to working with them.
Here, for example, we have Awkward Styles which had an average production time of 2.9 days in the past 30 days.
Similar to Printful, Printify experiences increased order volumes during peak seasons, especially around Black Friday. This often leads to longer production times, as the print providers have a higher number of orders to process.
6. Mockups
Takeaway: Both companies offer a variety of product mockups that you can import to your store. Personally, Printful’s mockups seem more effortless and modern than Printify’s.
Printful mockups
Printful has less products than Printify, but invests more in professional-looking product images for your store. The mockups look neat and appealing, they feature diverse models and settings, and are completely free to use.
It’s up to you whether you want to import Printful’s free mockups or use your own photos. Personally, the mockups are good enough to start a business, and later on you can take your own images.
Here are a couple of Printful mockup examples. Notice how Printful uses different models and switches settings from indoors to outdoors. Some mockups are also available on transparent backgrounds, providing even more opportunities to customize them with your own backgrounds.
Men’s premium t-shirts are shot on a dark and moody background, providing that sophisticated look.
Printify mockups
In comparison to Printful, Printify’s mockups tend to be simpler and fewer in variety. They often feature a clean and minimalistic design aesthetic, with a focus on showcasing the product itself.
The majority of Printify’s mockups use a white background, so you can adjust the background if you like. Check out this example.
Here’s another example of Printify’s all-over print biker short mockups from different angles.
Overall, Printify’s mockups provide a good start for an online store, but you really need more photos to make your store appear professional.
You can order samples and arrange photoshoots at your own expense. Alternatively, there are paid third-party mockup generators like Placeit.
7. Branding
Takeaway: Printful is a clear winner. It can showcase your brand logo on neck labels, sleeve print, as well as add branded pack ins to your orders, all for an extra fee.
Printful branding
If you are willing to pay extra, Printful can print inner and outer labels on your garments, embroider your logo, print logo on the sleeves.
This is not something every store owner wants to invest in, but it’s worth considering if you’re building a premium clothing brand.
Here’s a list of all Printful branding options:
- Inside labels on most apparel products ($2.49 per label)
- Outside labels on tees, hoodies, sweatshirts ($2.49 per label)
- Short sleeve prints on T-shirts ($2.49 per sleeve)
- Long sleeve prints on sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets ($5.95 per sleeve)
- Embroidered logos on hats, aprons, hoodies, tees ($2.95 per placement)
You can also add packaging inserts like cards or stickers to every order for $0.50 per pack in, as well as stock up your own branded packaging.
Printify branding
Printify lets you print your logo only on the inner and outer neck label areas, as well as on the sleeves of T-shirts. Embroidery and long sleeve prints are not available.
It’s important to note that not all print providers do this. You can check whether a print provider offers branding areas in the Product Catalog. Just like with Printful, each additional branding area costs extra.
8. Design tools
Takeaway: Printful has tons of design tools to help you create product designs from scratch, as well as product ads and even logos. Printify offers a very minimalistic design tool for experienced designers.
Printful design tools
The main Printful design tool is the Design maker. Here you can place your pre-made design files on products or design something from scratch.
I normally use the upload function to insert files I design in Photoshop. If you don’t use Photoshop, Illustrator, or Canva, Printful provides basic text and clipart editing functions. There are also free ready-made designs available.
One feature I really enjoy is the Promo maker. It’s a free tool that lets you create awesome visuals (even animated) and ads for social media. The designs follow the latest social media trends and are available in all the popular aspect ratios (square, portrait, Instagram story, Facebook ad sizes, etc.).
There are also some unexpected features Printful offers, for example, a free Logo maker. Printful isn’t your go-to place for logo design, but perhaps it’s a feature some beginners will find useful.
Printify design tools
Looking at all the design features offered by Printful, I’m left wondering how many are actually necessary for me as a business owner. Does a print on demand company really need to provide ready-made designs, promo and logo makers?
Printify certainly doesn’t think so, having stripped down its interface to a bare minimum.
Take a look at Printify’s product design tool. No extras here, just the necessities: a place to add your design file, a text editing function, and a preview button.
As an experienced seller, this is literally all I need, and it’s pleasant not to be distracted by too many features.
9. Integrations
Takeaway: Printful works with 20+ platforms, Printify with 9. Both can be easily connected to the most popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Etsy, eBay.
Printful integrations
Printful has built smooth and easy to use integrations with 20+ platforms.
If you decide to work with Printful, you can literally use almost any eCommerce platform for your online store.
Here’s the full list of Printful’s integrations: Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Ecwid, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, Weebly, Bigcartel, Magento, Gumroad, Shipstation, 3dcart, Launchcart, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Wish, Storenvy, Bonanza.
Printful Integrations page is a handy resource for beginners choosing the best eCommerce platform for their business. There you can compare setup time, price and other features before making a final decision.
Printify integrations
Printify has 9 integrations, which is considerably less than Printful. However, the most popular ones are covered and functioning well.
Currently Printify works with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, SquareSpace, Walmart, eBay, Wix, PrestaShop, and BigCommerce.
10. Ease of use
Takeaway: It’s a tie, both platforms are easy to work with. Printful is more beginner-oriented while Printify has a clean look for experienced sellers.
Printful ease of use
Printful is known for its intuitive and easy-to-use platform. The dashboard is designed with beginners in mind, providing tons of resources every step you take.
There are also some video tutorials and guides to help you set up your store.
Printify ease of use
Printify also offers a user-friendly platform, though some users may find it slightly more complex compared to Printful. The platform has a lot of customization options and features, which can take some time to fully explore and use.
11. Customer Support and Help Center
Takeaway: Both companies provide 24/7 customer support and plenty of information in their help centers. Returns and exchanges are handled similarly.
Support
Both Printful and Printify have dedicated customer support teams ready to asnwer your questions 24/7.
There are also useful Help Center articles covering various topics from printing and shipping to design, eCommerce platforms, taxes and more.
Returns & Exchanges
Returns and exchanges policies are very similar for both Printful and Printify.
Since both companies produce items on demand, they do not accept returns or exchanges if your customer has ordered a wrong product, size, color, or simply doesn’t like the product.
Returns are only accepted in case of misprinted, damaged or defective item.
Printful Content Policy
Printful states that all content is subject to review, and Printful reserves the right to remove it at any time and for any reason. Printful evaluates each case individually.
You cannot print content that infringes on the intellectual property of others. It is also forbidden to print content that promotes illegal activity or expresses hatred towards any person or group.
Printify Content Policy
Printify has a quality check process, in which all new and updated products have to go through inspection before you can print them.
Quality check takes up to 12 hours. If there are any quality or copyright issues, production will be put on hold and you will be notified by e-mail.
You can print anything that doesn’t infringe on the intellectual property of others and that doesn’t contain abusive content.
Conclusion
Printful and Printify are two strong print on demand competitors, both have their strengths and weaknesses.
The choice between these companies depends on your priorities:
- Printful is expensive but well-known for the high quality of its prints. Using Printful’s branding options, you can create a strong and memorable brand, which is important in the long run.
- Printify is cheaper and has a more varied product catalog. However, it has fewer integrations with eCommerce platforms and has very limited branding options.
Choose Printful if:
- Consistency of quality is top importance to you
- You want to invest in branding and create a special experience for your customers
Choose Printify if:
- You want to maximise profit
- You want to choose from a vast variety of products
Choose both if:
- You’re willing to spend a bit of your time to find the best deals from both of these companies. There’s no reason to settle on just one if you can order mugs from one and embroidered apparel from the other. This way, you can extend your product range without compromising on quality or your profit margin.
What’s next?
I really hope you enjoyed this guide.
Has it helped you choose between Printful and Printify? It’s time to test these POD companies in action:
Still undecided? Read my in-depth Printful review and Printify review.
Looking for more information about print on demand? Check out my complete 10-step guide to starting a print on demand business.