CustomCat vs Printful
We give CustomCat a 3.0 GPA and Printful a 3.2, out of 4.0. Printful grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
Printful
Print-on-demand company that makes and ships orders in-house
How we grade them
| 3.0GPACustomCatVery good | 3.2GPAPrintfulVery 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: the free plan has all 584 products, unlimited stores and the design and mockup tools, which is enough to sell. Growth is $24.99 a month for up to 33% off products, and turns free once sales reach $12K a year. Its rival printers 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 forever with every product, unlimited store connections, the Design Maker, the Mockup Generator and 24/7 support. The cap you might notice is samples: 1 order a month with up to 3 items, at 20% off. |
| 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. | BThe whole job, made in-house: DTG, DTF, all-over print and embroidery including 3D puff, 20+ sales channels from Shopify and Etsy to TikTok Shop and Amazon, free design tools, and branded labels and packaging. Quick Stores are US-only, but nothing core is missing. |
| 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 connect a store or open a Quick Store, design in the Design Maker and publish, so there's setup before your first sale. |
| 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, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop, Amazon, Wix, Squarespace and BigCommerce among 20+ channels. No phone or desktop app on record, so B is as high as it goes. |
| Best for | US-made print on demand at wholesale prices | print on demand made and shipped in-house |
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 Printful. 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. Printful starts at $1 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Printful scores higher and starts $24 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 Printful 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). Printful starts at $24.99 per month (Growth), free once sales reach $12K a year.
- Printful also covers online store.
At a glance
| CustomCat | Printful | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | $24.99 per month (Growth), free once sales reach $12K a year |
| 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. | All 584 products, unlimited store connections, the Design Maker and Mockup Generator, 24/7 support and 20% off sample orders. You pay for each product and its shipping when an order comes in. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers | 14-day free trial of Printful Growth |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CustomCat | Printful Inc. |
| Price read from | help.customcat.com | printful.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
Printful
- Brands that want one company to print, check and ship every order
- Etsy and Shopify sellers adding embroidered or all-over-print apparel
- US beginners who want a free storefront without a store platform
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.
Printful
- Products are paid per order plus shipping and taxes: the Bella + Canvas 3001 unisex T-shirt page lists $11.92, which includes one print.
- Extra print placements, labels, premium images and embroidery digitization ($2.95 to $6.50 per design, once) all cost extra.
- Free plan sample orders are limited to 1 a month with up to 3 items, at 20% off.
- Quick Stores work only for sellers with US tax residency and buyers with US shipping addresses.
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.
Printful
- In-house production
- Printful makes every order in its own facilities with a 3-step quality check, and covers a free reprint or refund for manufacturing errors.
- Printing methods
- Direct-to-garment, direct-to-film, all-over print and embroidery, including 3D puff and unlimited-color embroidery.
- Store integrations
- Connect Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop, Amazon, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Square or Big Cartel, among 20+ channels.
- Quick Stores
- A free Printful storefront you can launch in minutes, with your store name and logo; available only to US sellers shipping to US buyers.
- Design Maker and mockups
- Free design and mockup tools, with paid Getty premium images at $1 per image, placement and item sold.
- Branding options
- Printed inside labels ($0.99 each), outside labels ($2.49 each), and branded packaging and inserts, at extra cost per order.
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.
Printful
Free$0
584 products, unlimited stores, free design and mockup tools, 20+ sales channels and 24/7 support.
Printful Growth$24.99
per month
Up to 33% off products, 9% off branding, 25% off samples and a large front print on some items. Free once your sales reach $12K a year.
EnterpriseCustom
For high-volume brands: a store built and run by Printful's team, custom solutions, a dedicated success manager and market data.
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.
Printful
- Other savings
Growth plan free at $12K a year in sales
Printful's pricing page says the $24.99-a-month Growth plan becomes free once a store reaches $12,000 a year in sales.
