CustomCat vs Gooten
We give CustomCat and Gooten the same GPA: 3.0 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CustomCat
US print-on-demand printer with wholesale prices and a PRO plan
How we grade them
| 3.0GPACustomCatVery good | 3.0GPAGootenVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe figure is $0 a month: Lite has the full catalog at standard wholesale prices, unlimited product creation and no minimum order. PRO is $300 a year ($30 monthly) for 20% to 40% off. The printers it's listed with are free to sell on too. | AThe figure is $0 a month: it's free to install and use with no subscription, and you pay production and shipping per order. Higher VIM loyalty tiers come from yearly spend with Gooten, not a fee. The printers it's listed with are free to sell on too. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright on Lite, with the full catalog and unlimited products. First-time subscribers also get a 60-day free trial of PRO, the longest trial in this category. | AFree outright: no subscription, no monthly fee and no plan to upgrade to. Each order is billed at production cost plus shipping, separately from your Shopify invoice. |
| Features | CPrinting and shipping done by CustomCat itself, DIGISOFT and all-over print, personalization apps, bulk publishing, an API and CSV upload. The gaps: printing happens only in the US, and TikTok Shop and Amazon aren't among its integrations. | CThe basics are here: 525+ products, a global network of vetted printers, Shopify, Etsy, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, an API and private labels. The gap: its public catalog pages don't list product prices, and Wix, Squarespace and Amazon aren't on its list. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect a store or upload a CSV and create products, with bulk tools to help, so there's setup before your first sale. | CNo store rating on record. You install the app, connect your store and set up products before the first order, and the public pages don't show what products cost. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, Order Desk, CSV upload and an API, plus Customily, Teeinblue and Zakeke for personalization. No phone or desktop app on record. | BWeb, with Shopify, Etsy, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, plus Order Desk, Customily and a custom API. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | US-made print on demand at wholesale prices | print on demand through a managed printer network |
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: CustomCat and Gooten. How we grade
Price against what you get
CustomCat starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Gooten has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Gooten starts $25 a month lower. Of the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services on the chart, 6 score higher than CustomCat for less, and none scores higher than Gooten 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
- CustomCat starts at $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). Gooten is free.
At a glance
| CustomCat | Gooten | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | CustomCat Lite: the full catalog at standard wholesale prices, unlimited product creation and direct fulfillment, with no subscription. You pay the product's base cost and shipping when a sale is made. | Free to install and use, with no subscription. Each order is charged for the cost of production and shipping. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CustomCat | Gooten |
| Price read from | help.customcat.com | apps.shopify.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CustomCat
- High-volume T-shirt sellers who want lower wholesale prices
- Shopify and Etsy stores shipping mostly to US customers
- Sellers who want a long free trial before paying for discounts
Gooten
- Brands with steady order volume that want account support as they grow
- TikTok Shop and Etsy sellers who need a fulfillment network that meets those marketplaces' rules
- Developers sending orders from a custom site or app through an API
Worth knowing
CustomCat
- Products and shipping are paid per sale: CustomCat's example T-shirt costs $9.58 on Lite and $6.90 on PRO, and an 11oz mug $6.82 or $3.75.
- Printing happens only in the US, so international orders ship from there.
- TikTok Shop and Amazon are not among the listed integrations.
- Enterprise pricing needs a steady daily order volume or monthly revenue, reviewed every quarter.
Gooten
- You pay the production cost and shipping for each order, and Gooten's public catalog pages do not list product prices.
- Printing is done by partner decorators in Gooten's network rather than in Gooten's own plants.
- Gooten's Shopify app is published by OrderMesh Inc., and its charges are billed separately from the Shopify invoice.
- Higher VIM tiers depend on a yearly spend with Gooten rather than a fee.
Key features
CustomCat
- US production
- Orders are printed and shipped from the USA by CustomCat itself, with no third parties in between; it advertises 48-hour printing.
- Wholesale pricing tiers
- Lite charges standard wholesale prices; PRO cuts them by 20% to 40%, and Enterprise adds volume discounts for high-volume sellers.
- Store integrations
- Connect Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce or BigCommerce, or send orders by CSV upload, through Order Desk or with the CustomCat API.
- Personalization apps
- Works with Customily, Teeinblue and Zakeke for personalized products, and Shopify stores can add a personalization section.
- Bulk publishing
- Tools to create products in bulk and mass-publish listings, with a design library and export templates.
- Printing options
- DIGISOFT digital printing and all-over-print products, with eco-friendly items in the catalog.
Gooten
- Global fulfillment network
- Orders are routed to vetted decorators in Gooten's network, chosen by location to cut shipping costs; Gooten states a service level of under 3 days.
- Store integrations
- Apps for Shopify, Etsy, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, plus Order Desk, manual uploads and Customily for personalized products.
- Gooten API
- A custom API for sending orders from your own site, a mobile app or other software, for brands that do not use a standard store platform.
- Catalog
- 525+ products, including Bella + Canvas, Champion and C2 Sport apparel, kids' clothing, hats, stickers, canvas wall art and phone cases.
- VIM loyalty program
- Very Important Merchant tiers, from Insider to Elite, unlock consultations, custom holiday cut-off dates and performance reports as yearly spend grows.
- Private labels
- Products can carry your own labels, and the catalog supports customization for personalized orders.
Plans
CustomCat
CustomCat Lite$0
Full catalog at standard wholesale prices, unlimited product creation, DIGISOFT printing and no minimum order volume.
CustomCat PRO$25
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
20% to 40% off wholesale prices on the whole catalog, plus promotional product pricing. Sold as $300 a year or $30 a month.
EnterpriseCustom
For stores with hundreds of orders a day: volume pricing, a dedicated account specialist, SLAs and API technical support.
Gooten
Free$0
No monthly fee. Orders are charged at the product's production cost plus shipping, billed by Gooten outside your Shopify invoice.
Ways to pay less
CustomCat
- Annual discount
PRO for $300 a year, save 17%
CustomCat PRO costs $300 a year, or $25 a month, against $30 billed monthly; CustomCat's Shopify listing calls this a 17% saving.
Gooten
No public discounts listed.
