Print on Demand Comparisons

  Quality / Service / Pricing / Speed Comparison

Company

  Quality Artist Support Pricing Delivery Speed Notes

Printful

            High     Excellent       Medium-High       Fast      Best all-around

Printify

         Variable          Good           Low            Variable          Best variety/price

Gooten

         Good             Good        Medium             Good    Great home goods

Gelato

            Good           Good     Medium      Fast worldwide      Best global

Fine Art America

  Very High     Strong           High           Medium  Fine-art prints

Society6

      Mixed    Low control   Low artist margin   Medium  Marketplace

Redbubble

          Mixed    Low control     Low margin      Medium    Marketplace

Zazzle

            Variable    Medium        Variable       Medium        Huge catalog

Bonfire

  High (Apparel)   Good     Medium-Low      Fast          Best for artist apparel

CustomCat

               Good         Decent           Low              Fast          Budget apparel

SPOD/Spreadshirt

               Medium        Medium       Low       Very Fast  48-hour production

Apliiq

  Premium         High         High         Medium        Best branding

CafePress

                Mixed         Minimal     Variable       Medium      Older model

Which to Choose (Quick Recommendations)

If you want to sell high-quality apparel (T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts):

→ Bonfire, Printful, Apliiq

• Bonfire = easiest and arguably best print quality for artists
• Printful = most consistent overall + branding options
• Apliiq = premium branded apparel line

If you want to sell fine-art prints & canvas:

→ Fine Art America / Pixels
→ Or Printful (for merch + decent quality prints)

If you want the largest product catalog & lowest cost:

→ Printify

If you want one-stop merch + great reliability:

→ Printful

If you want exposure from a marketplace:

→ Society6 or Redbubble (with margin trade-offs)

Overall Ranking

Top Tier (Best for Artists Overall)

1. Printful — overall quality + consistency + product range
2. Fine Art America / Pixels — best for true fine-art reproduction
3. Bonfire — top pick for premium apparel-only artists (especially if not selling prints)

Second Tier (Great but with Trade-offs)

1. Printify — unbeatable variety & pricing, but QC varies
2. Gooten — strong for home goods & specialty items
3. Gelato — great for global shipping

Marketplace Tier (Exposure but low margins)

1. Society6
2. Redbubble
3. Zazzle

Specialization Tier

1. Apliiq — best for premium apparel branding
2. SPOD / Spreadshirt — fastest apparel fulfillment
3. CustomCat — cheapest apparel production
4. Print Aura / Teelaunch / CafePress — situational, not top-tier

What Each Platform Is Best At (Short Summary)

• Printful — Most consistent, all-around POD vendor; great quality + branding.
• Printify — Largest product selection, lowest prices, but quality varies.
• Gooten — Good for home goods, specialty items, and fragile products.
• Gelato — Excellent for global fulfillment / international buyers.
• Fine Art America (FAA)/Pixels — Best for archival fine-art prints, framing & canvas.
• Society6 — Marketplace exposure; good for decor; low margins.
• Redbubble — Easy entry marketplace; variable quality.
• Zazzle — Huge catalog; great customization; mixed quality.
• Bonfire — Top-tier apparel quality, excellent for artist apparel drops, limited catalog outside apparel.
• CustomCat — Fast, low-cost apparel.
• SPOD/Spreadshirt — Fastest apparel fulfillment.
• CafePress — Older marketplace; broad catalog.
• Apliiq — Premium branded apparel; custom labels & fabric options.
• Print Aura — Small but used for Etsy/Shopify apparel.
• Teelaunch/Merchize — Mid-tier, strong in certain product categories.

Detailed Pros & Cons

1) Printful

Pros

• High print quality and color consistency
• Strong integrations (Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce)
• Great branding & packaging options
• Good shipping reliability

Cons

• Higher base prices
• Best products can be expensive for start-ups

2) Printify

Pros

• Huge catalog (because it uses many print partners)
• Lowest-cost options available
• Easy price comparison across vendors

Cons

• Quality varies widely
• Shipping speed depends on partner
• Customer experience less consistent than Printful

3) Gooten

Pros

• Good mid-tier POD provider
• Strong on home goods, wall art, and fragile items
• Reliable fulfillment

Cons

• Fewer branding tools
• Less polished interface

4) Gelato

Pros

• Great international network
• Good quality on standard apparel & prints
• Fast shipping to global buyers

Cons

• US product availability smaller than Printify/Printful
• Fewer specialized items

5) Fine Art America / Pixels

Pros

• Museum-quality giclée prints, archival papers, premium canvas
• Custom framing, matting, and sizing options
• Built for artists & collectors (not just merch)

Cons

• Higher prices
• Processing times can be slower
• Requires test proofs for accurate color reproduction

6) Society6

Pros

• Strong marketplace exposure for home décor
• Unique products (tapestries, wall murals, furniture)
• Easy for artists to upload and sell

Cons

• Artist margins are low
• Print quality inconsistent across product types
• Little control over customer experience

7) Redbubble

Pros

• Big marketplace, easy to get started
• Wide product variety
• No need to handle customer service

Cons

• Variable print quality
• Highly saturated marketplace
• Lower artist earnings

8) Zazzle

Pros

• Largest customization catalog in POD
• Very flexible product personalization
• Decent for novelty items & gifts

Cons

• Harder to build a brand on the platform
• Quality ranges from excellent to mediocre
• Pricing/royalty structure can be confusing

9) Bonfire

Best for artists selling premium apparel (T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, long-sleeves).

Pros

• Excellent apparel print quality (screen print, DTG, and premium inks)
• No upfront cost — you can run campaigns or one-off store listings
• Strong, modern storefront design
• Easy-to-use interface and mockups
• Very supportive customer service
• Good for limited-edition apparel drops or “artist merch”
• Good profit margins when priced correctly

Cons

• Apparel-focused only — limited catalog (no mugs, canvases, prints)
• Campaign model was originally time-limited (they now allow on-demand, but UI still campaign-focused)
• Less suited for artists wanting a full product ecosystem (prints + decor + accessories)
• No custom branding inserts like Printful or Apliiq

Ideal for: Artists who mainly want to sell high-quality apparel drops without worrying about upfront costs or complicated store setups.

10) CustomCat

Pros

• Very fast apparel turnaround
• Very low base pricing
• Decent color reproduction

Cons

• Less premium than Printful or Bonfire
• Limited premium branding options

11) SPOD / Spreadshirt

Pros

• One of the fastest producers in the POD industry
• Good for simple apparel lines
• Low base prices

Cons

• Limited product selection
• Basic quality (not premium)

12) CafePress

Pros

• Long-standing provider
• Very wide product catalog

Cons

• Outdated platform
• Weaker print quality compared to modern vendors
• Not ideal for brand-building

13) Apliiq

Pros

• Best in class for premium branded apparel
• Custom sewn labels, patches, fabric choices
• Good for artists building a fashion-brand identity

Cons

• Expensive
• Apparel-only focus
• Some items require minimums

14) Print Aura

Pros

• Good for Etsy/Shopify sellers needing basic apparel
• Smaller provider with personal support

Cons

• Product catalog limited
• Not as consistent as Printful

15) Teelaunch / Merchize

Pros

• Competitively priced
• Strong in some specialty items

Cons

• Variable print quality
• Less predictable than larger vendors