Performance | Best for creators and brands seeking high-quality products with consistent fulfillment. | Ideal for sellers looking for low prices, wide product selection, and supplier flexibility. |
Features | In-house printing, branding options, warehousing, and global fulfillment centers. | Uses third-party print providers, offering competitive pricing and wide supplier choice. |
Pricing | No monthly fees, pay per order; higher base product cost. | |
Templates | Built-in mockup generator with high-resolution product previews. | Offers a flexible mockup generator and multiple supplier product options. |
Support | 24/7 support, live chat, and detailed help center. | Email support and help articles; no live chat on free plan. |
If you’re planning to start a print-on-demand business, two names you’ll often hear are Printful and Printify.
Both platforms let you design and sell custom products—like t-shirts, mugs, posters, and more—without storing inventory or worrying about shipping.
They handle printing, packaging, and delivery, so you can focus on running your store and building your brand. While Printful and Printify seem similar, they offer different advantages.
Printful is known for higher-quality products and in-house fulfillment, while Printify connects you with multiple print providers, often at lower prices.
They also integrate with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce, making it easier to set up your store.
In this comparison, we’ll explore features, pricing, shipping, and ease of use to help you decide which platform fits your needs best and supports your long-term business growth.
Printful and Printify are two market leaders and tough competitors, so deciding between two high-quality POD solutions might be difficult.
Even though they are both well-known names in the print-on-demand market, it is crucial to note that they are significantly different in many ways.
They’ll be in charge of production, fulfillment, and shipping.
Printify works with a global network of third-party print providers, meaning it doesn’t print products itself. Instead, your customer’s order is fulfilled by one of these independent suppliers.
The benefit of this model is flexibility — if you’re not happy with one supplier’s quality, you can easily switch to another for the same product.
However, because suppliers vary in quality and speed, you may run into issues like inconsistent print quality or longer fulfillment times.
That’s why it’s highly recommended to order samples before listing a product. Testing items yourself helps ensure quality and prevents unhappy customers.
Printful, on the other hand, fulfills all orders in-house at its production facilities. This centralized model means Printful has better control over quality, print accuracy, and packaging.
If something goes wrong — like color mismatches or alignment issues — it’s easier to get support and a resolution directly from Printful.
The downside? If you’re not satisfied with their quality or materials, you can’t switch to another supplier because there isn’t one. Still, Printful is widely praised for consistently high-quality products.
Lead time refers to the duration between when a customer places an order and when it’s shipped.
With Printify, delivery speed depends entirely on the print provider you choose. Some fulfill orders in just 2 days, while others may take up to a week.
This variation can lead to customer service issues if expectations are not managed clearly.
Printful generally ships orders within 2 to 7 business days. While that may not beat Printify’s fastest vendors, Printful’s lead times are more consistent and predictable.
This makes it easier to provide your customers with accurate shipping timelines — a significant benefit for building trust.
Where your order is made affects how quickly it reaches your customer. A fast production time doesn’t always mean fast delivery — location matters.
Printful fulfills orders in its own facilities located in:
This global reach helps expedite delivery and minimize customs delays, particularly for U.S. and European customers.
Printify partners with print providers across multiple regions, including:
Since Printify uses third-party vendors, the order location varies by product and supplier.
Some items might ship from the U.S., while others could come from Europe or Asia. This flexibility is useful, but it also means more variability in delivery times.
Verdict: If you’re in the U.S., both services are fairly even. For U.K. or Europe-based sellers, Printify may offer faster local options through its partners.
You can display your products on major e-commerce sites with Printify and Printful.
All you have to do now is connect your Printify or Printful account to your e-commerce store.
The specific method varies depending on whatever service you’re using, but it’s all done through the app in both cases.
After that, any design you generate on Printful or Printify will automatically appear in your online stores.
While both services have apps and are simple to use, Printful has a distinct advantage when integrating with your existing stores.
You’ll have to manually generate listings for unsupported e-commerce sites. This is simple, but it can get laborious if you have many online stores on different platforms.
It’s fantastic to see your design come to life. It’s a different story when it comes to actually selling that design.
To be truly great, a print-on-demand service must provide you all the tools you need to get your product in front of people.
Printify has a slight advantage in terms of pricing. The cheapest T-shirt on their site is $7.73, whereas Printful’s is $8.95.
Printify is free to use at first, but premium and enterprise plans are available. The Premium plan is $29 per month or $24.99 per year paid monthly, but your company’s demands determine the Enterprise plan’s price.
There are no minimum order requirements or subscription costs with Printful.
Printful’s Pro plan, on the other hand, costs $49 a month and gives you access to special features like background removal, free digitization, premium photos, and more.
The main difference lies in their operational model. Printful handles its printing and fulfillment in-house with global fulfillment centers, ensuring consistent quality control. Printify, on the other hand, acts as a middleman between the customer and a network of third-party printing companies, offering a wider range of price points and printing options.
Printful generally has a reputation for higher consistent quality due to its in-house production. Printify's quality can vary as it depends on the third-party printer you choose. However, this also means Printify can offer a wider range of quality options.
Yes, generally speaking, Printful's prices tend to be higher. This is often attributed to their in-house production and quality control measures. Printify, by leveraging a network of third-party printers, typically offers more competitive pricing.
Both platforms are suitable for small businesses. Printful, with its higher quality and custom branding options, might be preferable for businesses emphasizing brand image. Printify, with its competitive pricing and extensive product range, is ideal for those looking to maximize profit margins and explore a diverse product lineup.
Printful is generally better for businesses looking for more customized branding options, such as branded labels and packaging. Printify offers some customization, but it's more limited compared to Printful.
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Both Printful and Printify are excellent platforms for launching a print-on-demand business, but the right choice depends on what matters most to you.
If you’re looking for better product quality, consistent branding, and reliable in-house fulfillment, Printful may be the better option—even if it’s slightly more expensive.
On the other hand, if your focus is on adding more print partners, lowering base costs, and expanding your product range, Printify could be the smarter choice.
Each platform has its strengths and trade-offs, so take the time to explore both based on your business goals, budget, and the customer experience you want to deliver.
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