CustomCat vs Tapstitch
We give CustomCat and Tapstitch 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 | 3.0GPATapstitchVery 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: there's no subscription, upfront cost or minimum order, and connecting a store costs nothing. You pay the garment's catalog price and shipping per order, from $5.99 for the Essential Cotton T-Shirt. 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 upfront cost and a minimum order of one item, so you can buy a single piece to check quality at the normal price. |
| 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. | CIt does its job fully: its own garments, DTG, DTF, sublimation and embroidery, custom labels and hang tags, and US fulfillment from Los Angeles. But it's a smaller job, as the catalog is clothing only, and there are no sample orders as such. |
| 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 design on its blanks in the design tool and connect a store before the first order. Being able to order one item without a store helps you check quality 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. | BWeb, with Shopify, TikTok Shop, Etsy, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce and Shoplazza. No phone or desktop app on record, and no public API listed. |
| Best for | US-made print on demand at wholesale prices | print-on-demand clothing brands |
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 Tapstitch. 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. Tapstitch has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Tapstitch 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 Tapstitch 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). Tapstitch is free.
- Tapstitch also covers dropshipping.
At a glance
| CustomCat | Tapstitch | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 subscription, upfront cost or minimum order. You pay for each garment and its shipping when an order comes in, from $5.99 for the Essential Cotton T-Shirt. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CustomCat | Tapstitch |
| Price read from | help.customcat.com | tapstitch.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
Tapstitch
- Clothing brands that want heavier, fashion-cut blanks than standard POD tees
- TikTok Shop and Shopify sellers launching apparel with no stock
- Creators who want custom labels and hang tags on every order
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.
Tapstitch
- Products are charged per order, plus shipping: the catalog lists the Essential Cotton T-Shirt from $5.99 and heavyweight hoodies from $22.99.
- The catalog is clothing only, from T-shirts and denim to jackets and knits, with no mugs, wall art or other non-apparel products.
- Tapstitch does not offer sample orders as such; you order a single item at the normal price.
- It takes returns only for manufacturing defects or order errors, so returns from your own customers follow your store's policy.
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.
Tapstitch
- Own garment range
- Tapstitch makes its own blanks, listed by weight and fit, such as a 260 gsm Essential Cotton T-Shirt and heavyweight or oversized hoodies, with large print areas.
- Printing methods
- Direct-to-garment printing on Brother and Kornit machines, direct-to-film transfers, sublimation for all-over designs, and embroidery.
- Store integrations
- Connect Shopify, TikTok Shop, Etsy, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce or Shoplazza, publish products from the design tool, and orders sync back to be made.
- Custom branding
- Add custom neck labels, hang tags and insert cards; parcels carry your brand with no mention of Tapstitch. Branded bags are still in development.
- US and international fulfillment
- Bestselling items ship from Los Angeles for faster US delivery, and the full range is made in Tapstitch's international facilities.
- Single-item orders
- The minimum order is one item, so you can buy a single piece to check quality, or place orders without connecting a 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.
Tapstitch
Free account$0
No monthly fee or minimum order quantity. Each order is charged at the garment's catalog price plus shipping.
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.
Tapstitch
No public discounts listed.
