Cotton Bureau vs Spreadshirt (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Spreadshirt grades higher than Cotton Bureau: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cotton Bureau grades higher on value for money. Spreadshirt grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cotton Bureau
Curated tee marketplace where designers sell on demand or pre-order
Spreadshirt
Free Spreadshop stores with print-on-demand apparel and gifts
Which one is for you
Pick Cotton Bureau if
- Fits if you are a designer who wants tees sold without running a store
- Works for people who can live with a monthly payout
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need every design accepted, as up to 90% are rejected
- Skip it if you want your own store, since sales go through Cotton Bureau's marketplace
- Pricey if you want a branded store, which has an upfront development cost and a 4 to 6 week build
- Watch out: payouts come once a month, and balances under $25 wait until December
Pick Spreadshirt if
- Fits if you want a free shop and no inventory to manage
- Works for shops on Shopify or WooCommerce through Spreadconnect
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: product prices aren't on the pages, so your profit is only what you can see after signing up
- Not for you if you want a mobile app, since shops run in a browser and none is listed
- Watch out: Spreadconnect is a separate service and its pricing wasn't read
- Skip it if you need a trial to compare, as free is the only plan shown
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACotton BureauGood | 2.8GPASpreadshirtGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BNo fees to list. You earn the gap between your price and the base price, paid on the 15th once you reach $25. | CNo shop cost, but product prices aren't listed, so the margin can't be compared with the category. |
| Free plan and trial | ASelling is free for on-demand and pre-order tees, with no upfront cost at all. | ASpreadshop has no costs or fees to set up or run, no card and no cap named on the page. |
| Features | CDesign review, seller-set prices, customer service handled for you and pre-order campaigns. It sells tees on its own marketplace, with branded stores only as a paid extra. | BOver 350 products, own production sites, your own margin and Spreadconnect for outside stores. Nothing on the listing is missing for the job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Designs are submitted for review and wait for an answer. | CNo store rating on record. You still build a shop and set margins. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, sold through Cotton Bureau's own marketplace, with no store integrations listed. | BWeb only, with Shopify, WooCommerce, TikTok, Squarespace and Magento links. |
| Best for | designers selling tees on demand or by pre-order | a free print-on-demand shop with 350+ 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: Cotton Bureau and Spreadshirt. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cotton Bureau has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Spreadshirt has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Spreadshirt scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services on the chart, none scores higher than Cotton Bureau for less, and none scores higher than Spreadshirt 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
- Spreadshirt also covers dropshipping.
At a glance
| Cotton Bureau | Spreadshirt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Selling on Cotton Bureau is free for on-demand and pre-order tees, with no upfront cost; sellers earn what they charge above the base price. | Spreadshop is free: the page says there are no costs or fees for setting up or operating a shop. You set your own margin. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cotton Bureau | Spreadshirt |
| Price read from | support.cottonbureau.com | spreadshirt.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cotton Bureau
- Designs are curated and the help center says up to 90% are rejected, so acceptance is not guaranteed.
- Products are sold through Cotton Bureau's own marketplace, not through a store the seller owns, unless a branded store is arranged.
- A branded store carries an upfront development cost and a typical 4-6 week build.
- Payouts run monthly, on the 15th, once earnings reach $25; smaller balances are paid in December.
Spreadshirt
- Your profit is only the margin you set above Spreadshirt's product price; product prices are not listed on the pages read.
- Spreadconnect is a separate service from Spreadshop; its pricing is not covered here.
- Shops are managed in a browser; no desktop or mobile app was listed.
Key features
Cotton Bureau
- Design review
- Submissions are reviewed before they go live; the help center says up to 90% of submissions are rejected.
- Seller-set pricing
- Sellers choose a retail price above the base number set by Cotton Bureau and keep the difference.
- Customer service handled
- Cotton Bureau deals with lost packages, returns, refunds, exchanges and wrong sizes or addresses.
- Sales methods
- Designs can be sold on demand or as pre-order campaigns; stock sales are available to larger sellers.
- Branded stores
- A fully branded store covering many product types is available with an upfront development cost, and it is aimed at creators with substantial audiences.
Spreadshirt
- Free shop, no fees
- Spreadshirt says Spreadshop is and will remain free, with no setup or operating costs; the home page adds no setup fee, card or minimum order.
- You set your margin
- The product price includes a print area; the difference between that and your customer price is your profit.
- Over 350 products
- T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, bags and other items, printed only after an order is placed.
- Own production sites
- Spreadshop's page cites four of its own production facilities in Europe and the US and a typical 48-hour print-and-ship time.
- Spreadconnect
- A separate fulfilment service connects stores on Shopify, TikTok, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Magento and others through an API.
Plans
Cotton Bureau
Seller account$0
No upfront cost. Accepted designs are sold on Cotton Bureau; payouts go out on the 15th of each month once earnings reach $25.
Spreadshirt
Spreadshop$0
Free shop with 350+ products; you set the margin over the product price, and Spreadshirt prints, ships and handles returns.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cotton Bureau or Spreadshirt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Cotton Bureau and Spreadshirt are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Cotton Bureau or Spreadshirt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Cotton Bureau and Spreadshirt 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.