CustomCat vs ShineOn (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CustomCat grades higher than ShineOn: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CustomCat grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
Which one is for you
Pick CustomCat if
- Fits if you sell lots of T-shirts and want PRO's 20% to 40% off wholesale prices
- Works for Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce and BigCommerce stores shipping mostly to US customers
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if most of your buyers are abroad, as printing happens only in the US and orders ship from there
- Skip it if you sell on TikTok Shop or Amazon, as neither is on its integration list
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $30 for PRO against $300 a year
- Watch out: the 60-day PRO trial is for first-time subscribers only
- Watch out: Enterprise pricing depends on steady daily orders or monthly revenue, reviewed every quarter
Pick ShineOn if
- Fits if you want to sell personalized jewelry without holding stock
- Works for new Shopify sellers who want templates and onboarding help
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need published costs, since per-item and shipping prices are hidden until sign-up
- Not for you if you sell apparel, as the range centers on jewelry and gifts
- Watch out: Shopify is the only store integration shown on the site
- Tight if you need help outside US Eastern business hours, as live support runs then, with email otherwise
How we grade them
| 3.0GPACustomCatVery good | 2.2GPAShineOnFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo sign-up cost, but per-item and shipping prices are not published, so there is nothing to compare. |
| 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. | BGetting started is free with no contract; the invoice comes after a sale. You pay product and fulfillment costs on every order. |
| 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. | CCatalog, storefront templates, fulfillment, white-labeling and a design library. The range centers on personalized jewelry and gifts. |
| 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 set up a store and products first. |
| 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. | CWeb only. Shopify is the one store connection shown, plus EverBee or your own domain. |
| Best for | US-made print on demand at wholesale prices | personalized jewelry and gift stores on Shopify |
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 ShineOn. 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. ShineOn has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
CustomCat scores higher, and starts $25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services on the chart, 11 score higher than CustomCat for less, and none scores higher than ShineOn 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
- ShineOn also covers templates and dropshipping.
At a glance
| CustomCat | ShineOn | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Getting started is free; ShineOn says it sends its invoice only after a sale, with no long-term commitment. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CustomCat | ShineOn |
| Price read from | help.customcat.com | shineon.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
ShineOn
- Per-product and shipping costs are not published on the public pages, so margins cannot be checked before sign-up.
- The one store integration shown on the site is Shopify, with the alternative of a seller's own domain.
- Its range centers on personalized jewelry and gifts, not general apparel catalogs.
- Live support runs during business hours in Eastern time, with email support otherwise.
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.
ShineOn
- Product catalog
- The site cites a catalog of 150+ products, with personalized jewelry as its core.
- Storefront templates
- Ready-made product page templates and publishing in one click, to a Shopify store or the seller's own domain.
- Fulfillment by ShineOn
- Orders are produced, packed and shipped by ShineOn teams, with status shown in the dashboard; it lists 2-5 day fulfillment.
- White-labeling
- White-labeling is listed as available for sellers who want their own branding.
- Design library and onboarding help
- Sellers can publish their own designs or use hundreds of ShineOn designs for free, with webinars and a merchant community for training.
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.
ShineOn
Free$0
No sign-up cost or contract; product and fulfillment costs are billed after each sale. Per-item prices are not on the public site.
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.
ShineOn
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CustomCat or ShineOn?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ShineOn is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $25 a month for CustomCat. CustomCat starts at $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly), and ShineOn is free.
Which has a free plan, CustomCat or ShineOn?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CustomCat and ShineOn 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.