Printify vs Printful – Differences That Matter In 2023

In this comparison between Printful and Printify, we are going to look at their features and find out the differences between the two print-on-demand platforms.

Printify vs Printful

• What is Print On Demand?
• Onboarding
• Product Catalog
• Pricing
• Integrations
• Shipping and Fulfillment
• Customer Support
• Value added services
• Product Quality
• Key Differences
• Summary

What is Print on Demand?

Print-on-demand is a popular fulfillment method where the seller manufactures and ships an item after an order is placed.

Print-on-demand platforms like Printful or Printify provides this necessary platform to manufacture or print on demand. They also maintain a warehouse and ship white-label custom goods.  

Similar to dropshipping platforms like Spocket, print-on-demand lets you run your business without maintaining an inventory. The zero upfront expense and huge profit potential in a print-on-demand business is the reason why you should start your own branded business using POD.

Printify and Printful are two excellent print-on-demand platforms that let you start an online shop fast and free. 

This comparison will tell you the relative strengths and weaknesses of Printful and Printify. This will help you to decide which POD platform is the right fit for your online business. 

Printify vs Printful – Differences in Onboarding

How Printful works

Printful is a print-on-demand platform that helps you to sell white-label custom goods. With its fulfillment centers in Europe and North America, Printful can ship your custom items worldwide.

Getting started with Printful is easy, free, and fast.

1. Head over to Printful.
2. Click on Sign Up.
3. You can sign up with your Facebook, Google, or Apple account. You can sign up with an email and password as well.
4. After you sign up, you can integrate Printful with your online store.

How Printify works

Starting with Printify is also swift.

• Head over to Printify.
• Click on Sign Up.
• You can sign up with your Google account or email.
• After you sign up, you can integrate Printify with your online shop.

Printify works with different on-demand printers to manufacture your custom product when an order is placed. You can also choose the printing partner based on their ratings, review, and etc.

You can order samples to check the product quality before you list it in your store. Moreover, both Printful and Printify gives you access to free mockup generators. You can create high-resolution mockups with these free tools.

Both Printify and Printful take care of the fulfillment process. You get trackable shipment details as well.

Verdict: Both Printify and Printful are easy to use and powerful platforms. Whether you a newbie or a veteran seller, you will not face any hiccups anywhere. Moreover, there are no major differences in the way you can start using these two platforms. It’s a tie. 

Printify vs Printful – Differences in Product Catalog

One of the key considerations before you choose any POD platform is the supported catalog. This is because unless your preferred platform can manufacture the item you want to sell, it is practically useless for your shop.

Printful Catalog

Printful lists several products on its catalog. With Printful, you can sell:

• Clothing: T-shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Leggings, Shorts, Tank tops, Polo shirts, Long sleeve shirts.
• Accessories: stickers, Phone cases, Bracelets, Necklaces.
• Bags: Tote bags, Laptop cases, Drawstring bags, Backpacks, Fanny packs.
• Home & Living: Coffee mugs, Blankets, Pillows, Posters, Canvas prints, Bean bags, Beach towels, Embroidered aprons.
• Collections: Sportswear, Streetwear, Workwear, Beachwear.

Recently, Printful has also introduced face masks in its catalog. 

You can design mockups based on your custom design with the Printful mockup generator. You can use these high-resolution mockups on your online store for product photography.

When your customer places an order, Printful manufactures the item and ships it to your customer. In the next section, we will see the fees you need to pay for this. 

Printify Catalog

Printify has a comparatively longer catalog than Printful. It lets you sell print-on-demand products from the following categories:

Men’s Clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Long Sleeves, Tank Tops, Sportswear, Shoes, Flip-flops, 

Women’s clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Long Sleeves, Tank Tops, Skirt, Sportswear, Pants, Swimsuits, Shoes, Flip-flops, and High-heels.

Kid’s clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts

Baby – Bibs, bodysuits

Accessories – Face mask, phone case, socks, underwear, hats

Bags – Tote bags, Fanny packs, backpack, laptop sleeves, duffel bag, drawstring bags, school backpack, accessory pouch, weekender bag.

Other – Custom Pin Buttons, Watch Band, Apron, Bag Tag, Poly Scarf, Dog Tag

Home and Living – Posters, Calendars, Ceramic ornaments, Wood Canvas, Art Print, Wall Clocks, Tapestries, Gallery Wraps, Beach Towel, Bath Mat, Polycotton towel, Shower curtains, Blankets, Comforters, Pillow covers, pet beds, coffee mugs, can holder, tumbler, waterbottles, lamps, bowls.

Stationery – notebooks, greeting cards, postcards, mousepad, journals, stickers, and magnets.

As you can see, the Printify product catalog is long. You can find almost any type of item for your print-on-demand needs.

Like Printful, you can design mockups Printify’s mockup generator. Use these mockups on your online store as product photography.

When you integrate your shop with Printify, the POD platform will automatically manufacture the item and ship it to your customer when an order is placed. 

Verdict: There are major differences between Printify and Printful in this parameter. Printify has a better catalog than Printful. If we compare Printful with Printify in this parameter, Printify is the clear winner. 

Printify vs Printful – Differences in Pricing

When you use a print-on-demand platform, basically two transactions take place when an order is placed and processed on your online shop.

1. Your customer pays you for the order on your storefront.
2. You must pay your Print-on-demand platform for manufacturing and fulfillment. 

The difference between these two amounts is actually your profit.

Here, we will discuss the fees and charges that you need to pay to Printify or Printful. 

Printful Pricing and Fees

Printful does not have any fixed or regular subscription plan. In other words, you need not commit any upfront money to use Printful services. You pay Printful only when you place an order to create and ship an item.

Printful fees depend on product type and variants. I encourage you to visit the Printful website to find the exact amount you must pay to Printful for an item.

Printful has several paid and value-added-services that you can choose to use. 

For example, you can add a custom inside label to your apparel. This can give a definite boost to your shop. The following illustrates the indicative price of these branding options.

• Inside label – $2.49 per label
• Outside label – $2.49 per label
• Long sleeve print- $ 5.95 per sleeve
• Short sleeve print- $ 2.49 per sleeve
• Embroidered logo- $2.95 per additional placement

You can also include packaging inserts like flyers, business cards, or stickers with your shipment. This will cost you $0.75 per order. I think this is a small fee you pay to promote your brand. 

If you are looking for free tools, Printful lets you add your logo on the packing slips for free!

If you are a power seller, you can make use of Printful’s volume discount policy. This is applicable if you cross a certain amount of sales in a month.

Printify’s pricing plans

Printify, on the other hand, has three different pricing plans.

Irrespective of the Printify plan that you choose, you can use:

• A free and powerful mockup generator.
• Robust integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Etsy, and so on.
• Option to place orders manually. 
• 24×7 support.

Printify Free plan

• Perfect for the starter.
• You can have unlimited designs.
• You can connect with up to 5 stores.
• You pay $0 per month.
• You pay only for the services you use.

Printify Premium plan

• You can connect up to 10 storefronts.
• You will pay $29 per month to Printify.
• You can have unlimited designs.
• You get up to 20% discount on all items.

Printify Enterprise Plan

• This is a custom pricing model.
• You can have unlimited designs.
• You can connect with unlimited storefronts.
• You get up to 20% discount on all products.
• You get dedicated customer support.
• The Printify Enterprise plan is meant for businesses that process more than 10000 orders in a day.

To get a feel of the base price in Printify, you must visit the website. But to give you the perspective, Printify pricing is way cheaper than Printful.

For example, the unisex ultra cotton tee costs $9.70 in the free plan of Printify. Printful charges you $13.32 for Unisex Premium T-Shirt.

Verdict: If you compare Printify with Printful, the differences in pricing makes Printify the clear winner here. It has cheaper pricing. Moreover, if you are ok with a monthly subscription fee, your pricing decreases further. 

Printify vs Printful – Differences In Supported Integrations

Both Printify and Printful integrate with a large number of eCommerce platforms. For example, both can easily integrate with stores built on Shopify or WooCommerce.

Unlike Printify, Printful syncs with many more sales channels like:

• Squarespace
• BigCommerce
• Weebly
• Ecwid
• PrestaShop
• Big Cartel
• Gumroad
• Magneto
• 3rdcart
• Launch Cart.
• Wix

Moreover, it can connect with marketplaces like Amazon, Storenvy, Inktale, Wish, and Bonanza.

Printify, on the other hand, can only connect to Etsy and eBay with its premium plan.

Winner: When you compare Printful with Printify for the supported integrations, the differences are evident. Printful has more options for integration than Printify. It lets you connect your account to several eCommerce platforms as well as marketplaces for order processing. Printful wins.

Printify vs Printful – Differences In Fulfillment and Shipping

Besides the catalog and pricing, you must also compare shipping time before you choose your POD partner. Here, we will look at the shipping options available with Printful or Printify. 

Fulfillment and Shipping with Printful

Printful manufactures your custom item when an order is placed. In general, Printful needs 2–7 days for apparel and related products and 2–5 business days for non-apparel products.

After it manufactures the item, Printful ships it to your customers via fulfillment centers that can fulfill in the least time. 

The shipping time and shipping cost depend on the destination of the shipment.

The following table indicates an expected delivery time depending on the geography.

Printful ships products with delivery partners like:

• FedEx
• DHL
• USPS
• DPD. 

The shipping charges depend on the destination and item category. You can always refer to the updated shipping charges on the Printful website. 

Also, the shipping charges get reduced if you order additional products in the same order.

With Printful, you can even get a real update of the shipping rates. This feature is available if you use any of the supported platforms. 

Fulfillment and Shipping with Printify

Printify acts as a middleman between its customers and several printing partners. These printers are rated on its website. You can choose the printer based on reviews, feedback, price, and the locations it services.

Printify lists the production time as well.

The shipping charges of some of these printers are on the higher side. Moreover, since they have fewer fulfillment services than Printful, it may take longer to deliver international orders. 

The expected delivery time based on geography is given below:

If you are using the Advanced Shopify plan, you can get faster shipping from Printify.

Verdict: If you observe the differences between Printful and Printify, Printful has a more intuitive and transparent shipping and fulfillment process. If you need seamless international delivery, Printful is more optimized than Printify. In short, Printful wins for us.

Printify vs Printful – Differences In Customer support System

When your business depends on a third-party print-on-demand platform, you may need prompt support at any phase of your daily runs.

In this section, we will check the type of support you may expect from Printful or Printify.

Printful Support

Starting from onboarding, Printful engages with the seller using its platform at a granular level. The website is informative and also has excellent study materials to run a successful print-on-demand business.

For personalized support, you can reach out to Printful over phone, chat, or email.

Printify Support

Printify also has an informative website with resourceful articles on troubleshooting, designs, payments, etc. Their weblog also gives you excellent tips on print-on-demand business. 

However, Printify does not have 24-hour live support like Printful. 

Verdict: Both Printful and Printify have an equally informative website. But if you are looking for 24-hour live support, Printful has the edge. 

Printify vs Printful – Differences In Value-added services

Printful has several significant value-added services that can really enhance your online business. For example, a Printful customer can avail of value-added services like:

• Graphic Design
• eCommerce Photography
• Video Production
• Store Setup Services
• Warehousing and Fulfillment

In short, you get several necessary eCommerce services under one Printful umbrella. It even has an in-built team of designers, in case you need them.

Printful also has same-day fulfillment if you place your order before noon. 

In comparison, Printify has a much more extensive product catalog. But it lacks most of these value-added services. 

Verdict: The value-added services offered by Printful can really be an enabler for your business. Printify significantly lacks on this front. The winner is obvious.

Printify vs Printful – Differences In Product quality

The general user feedback suggests that Printful has a better product quality than Printify. One of the common complaints with Printify is the inconsistency of its print and quality. 

This may be because Printify does not have any in-house printing services like Printful. It acts as a bridge between its customers and the different printing partners.

Verdict: Printful has invested a lot in its infrastructures to produce quality print-on-demand products. Printify has a lot to do to match the quality. Printful wins for me.

Key Differences between Printify and Printful

Let us summarize the key differences between Printify and Printful.

You may choose Printful if

• You need a consistent quality for your print-on-demand products.
• You need a quick shipment.
• You ship globally.
• You are comfortable with the higher base pricing of Printful products.
• You are impressed by the value-added services offered by Printful.

You may choose Printify if

• You want to choose your printing provider.
• You need a cheaper and flexible pricing model.
• You want to sell products that you can not find on the Printful catalog.
• You are using one of the supported eCommerce platforms.
• You are comfortable with its sometimes inconsistent quality of products.

Wrapping Up Our List of Differences Between Printify and Printful

Print-on-demand companies like Printful or Printify are changing the way smart entrepreneurs run the business online.

Both Printify and Printful have several features to enhance your experience as an online seller.

You must have realized by now that Printful has a better edge over Printify. In fact, Printful has proved to be a game-changer in the POD world.

With its superior product quality, quicker shipping, and efficient value-added services – Printful is simply the better option. Printify, on the other hand, has an impressive catalog.

In short, use Printful if you are looking for a reliable POD partner with superior and consistent product quality.

Use Printify if you are more focused on the base product price or selling something exclusive to its extensive product catalog.

To make things interesting you can use both Printful and Printify together.

Printify or Printful – which platform do you think is right for you?