CustomCat vs Spreadconnect
We give CustomCat and Spreadconnect 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 | 3.0GPASpreadconnectVery 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: no setup, subscription or running fees, and you pay the base price, shipping and tax per order. Each extra print area adds $5, and flex or flock prints add a one-time $2.50 per order. 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 outright. No upfront costs, no subscription and no fees, with an unlimited number of products per store. |
| 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. | CFast and complete for apparel, mugs and caps: 250+ products, DTG, sublimation, DTF and flex prints, a design tool with a design library, and an API. The gap: Etsy isn't among its integrations, and it can't ship to some countries. |
| 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 such as Shopify or WooCommerce, design in the drag-and-drop tool 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, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Magento and Shopware, Amazon and eBay through Order Desk, and an API. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | US-made print on demand at wholesale prices | fast print on demand from US and EU plants |
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 Spreadconnect. 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. Spreadconnect has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Spreadconnect 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 Spreadconnect 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). Spreadconnect is free.
At a glance
| CustomCat | Spreadconnect | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | No upfront costs, subscription or fees. Each order is invoiced at the product's base price plus any extra print areas, shipping and tax. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CustomCat | Spreadshirt Print On Demand GmbH |
| Price read from | help.customcat.com | spreadshop.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
Spreadconnect
- Shopify and TikTok Shop sellers who want fast US or EU production
- Brands that already know Spreadshirt or Spreadshop
- Sellers who want no monthly fee at all
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.
Spreadconnect
- Orders cost the base product price plus shipping and tax: the site's earnings calculator starts from a $9.00 base price, and each extra print area adds $5.
- Flex, special flex and flock prints add a one-time $2.50 per order.
- Etsy is not among the listed integrations; Amazon and eBay work only through Order Desk.
- Spreadconnect cannot ship to some countries, which its help center lists separately for its US and European facilities.
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.
Spreadconnect
- 48-hour production
- Spreadconnect says it produces and ships 95% of orders within 48 hours from its facilities in the US and Europe.
- Store integrations
- Connect Shopify, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Magento or Shopware, or route Amazon and eBay orders through Order Desk.
- API
- A customizable API for selling Spreadconnect products from your own website or software.
- Printing methods
- Digital direct-to-garment printing, sublimation for mugs and phone cases, DTF transfers, and flex, flock and special flex prints for designs of up to three colors.
- Design tool and library
- A drag-and-drop designer for your own artwork, with a library of ready-made designs to choose from.
- 250+ products
- T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, caps and hats and other accessories, with an unlimited number of products per store.
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.
Spreadconnect
Free$0
No setup or running fees. You pay the base product price, which includes one print area, plus shipping and tax on each order.
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.
Spreadconnect
No public discounts listed.
