CafePress vs Zazzle (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CafePress and Zazzle share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and CafePress has no paid plan to buy, against $1.66 a month when paid by the year for Zazzle.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
CafePress grades higher on platforms. Zazzle grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CafePress
Custom products for business, plus a marketplace for your designs
Zazzle
Marketplace where creators earn royalties on custom products
Which one is for you
Pick CafePress if
- Fits if you want to upload designs to a marketplace without paying to list
- Works for sellers who want their designs on Amazon, eBay or Walmart through a partner channel
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to know your cut, as the commission rate is not stated on the pages read
- Watch out: fees may apply to a private shop, and the amounts are not published
- Watch out: the site now leans toward business and personalised orders, and sellers must be 18 or older
- Watch out: sellers must keep tax and contact details current to be paid
Pick Zazzle if
- Fits if you design invitations, cards or gifts and want to set your own royalty
- Makes sense if you want Zazzle's marketplace to bring the buyers
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the royalty percentages weren't readable here, so check them before building a catalogue
- Not for you if you want your own storefront, as sales run on Zazzle's marketplace
- Watch out: Zazzle Plus is a shopper plan at $19.95 a year and has nothing to do with creator fees
- Tight if you ship outside the U.S.: the standard Plus plan covers U.S. shipping only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACafePressFair | 2.4GPAZazzleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is stated: no fee for the marketplace, but the commission rate and any private-shop fees are not published on the pages read. | COpening a store is free, but the royalty rates aren't on the pages read, so there is no cost to compare. |
| Free plan and trial | BSeller accounts and the shared marketplace carry no listed fee, but what you earn per sale is a percentage that is not stated. | AFree to open a store with no creator fee named, and you set the royalty. |
| Features | CA design marketplace, private shops, partner channels and business customisation. The commission is unknown, and designs are reviewed. | CCustomizable products, royalty control, fulfilment and support handled. The gap: the default royalty isn't stated and sales run only on Zazzle's marketplace. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You upload and manage designs, and keep tax and contact details current to be paid. | CNo store rating on record. You upload designs, set royalties and tag products. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Amazon, eBay and Walmart channels. No app is listed. | CWeb only, with no API or store links listed. |
| Best for | selling designs on a shared print marketplace | creators earning royalties on personalised products |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CafePress and Zazzle. How we grade
Price against what you get
CafePress has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zazzle starts at $1.66 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
CafePress scores higher and starts $1.66 a month lower. Of the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services on the chart, none scores higher than CafePress for less, and 15 score higher than Zazzle for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| CafePress | Zazzle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19.95 per year (Zazzle Plus, a shopper shipping plan) |
| Free plan | Seller accounts and the shared marketplace carry no listed fee; the seller terms say a private shop may carry fees. | A free Zazzle store where you set the royalty rate on your designs; Zazzle handles fulfilment and support. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | PlanetArt, LLC | Zazzle Inc. |
| Price read from | cafepress.com | zazzle.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CafePress
- The commission rate is not stated on the pages read, so the earn-per-sale percentage is unknown here.
- Terms say fees may apply to a private shop; the amounts are not published on the pages read.
- CafePress is run by PlanetArt, and the site now leans toward business and personalized orders.
- Sellers must be 18 or older and keep tax and contact details current to be paid.
Zazzle
- The Plus and Premium prices are for shoppers' shipping, not for creators; opening a store is free.
- The royalty percentages are on a help page we could not read, so the default rate is not stated here.
- Zazzle Plus free shipping covers qualifying products only and ships within the U.S. for the standard plan.
- Sales run on Zazzle's own marketplace; the sell page notes an affiliate program separately.
Key features
CafePress
- Marketplace for designs
- Sellers upload original artwork and CafePress lets others add it to products and buy it; the seller earns a percentage of each sale.
- Private shops
- Seller terms describe a private store hosted on CafePress as an option, and say fees may apply to it.
- Partner store channels
- The seller terms say products can also be offered on partner stores such as Amazon, eBay and Walmart.
- Business customization
- Most items have no minimum order, and the about page says there are no setup or artwork fees for business orders.
- Designer review
- The company says an in-house team reviews each custom order before it ships.
Zazzle
- Free creator store
- The sell page says you register an account, set up a free store and start earning from your designs on thousands of products.
- You set the royalty rate
- Creators choose the royalty rate on their designs; the exact rules sit in a help page that blocked automated reading when we checked.
- Fulfilment and support handled
- Zazzle says it handles all product fulfilment and customer service for creator products.
- Customizable products
- Shoppers can customize existing products or start from scratch, across cards, invitations, apparel, drinkware, wall art and more.
- Zazzle Plus shipping plans
- For buyers, Plus at $19.95 a year and Premium at $49.95 a year cover shipping; the free trial runs 30 days.
Plans
CafePress
Marketplace seller$0
Upload designs to the shared marketplace and earn a percentage when they sell; no fee is stated on the pages read.
Zazzle
Creator store$0
Free to open; you set a royalty rate and are paid per sale, while Zazzle handles fulfilment and customer service.
Zazzle Plus$19.95
per year
Shopper plan: unlimited standard shipping on qualifying products, with a free 30-day trial.
Zazzle Plus Premium$49.95
per year
Shopper plan: unlimited premium shipping with tracking to qualifying U.S. addresses.
Ways to pay less
CafePress
No public discounts listed.
Zazzle
- Other savings
30-day free trial of Zazzle Plus
Zazzle Plus lists a free 30-day trial; the card is needed but is not charged until the trial ends, when the annual fee starts.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CafePress or Zazzle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CafePress is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.66 a month when paid by the year for Zazzle. CafePress is free, and Zazzle starts at $19.95 per year (Zazzle Plus, a shopper shipping plan).
Which has a free plan, CafePress or Zazzle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both CafePress and Zazzle have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.