Pixels vs Society6 (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pixels grades higher than Society6: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Pixels grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Pixels
Art marketplace where artists sell prints and products made on demand
Society6
Artist marketplace for wall art and home decor, with a curated shop
Which one is for you
Pick Pixels if
- Fits if you want to sell photos or paintings with no fee to open an account
- Makes sense if you want your own white-label shop for $30 a year
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: you earn only the markup over a base price, and a $50 base price for a 24 x 36 canvas leaves less room than it sounds
- Tight if you stay on the free account, as the white-label site and extra exposure need Premium
- Skip it if you hope to reach new buyers by listing on both, since Fine Art America runs on the same technology and plans
- Not for you if you want a trial: there isn't one on the page
Pick Society6 if
- Fits if you make art for walls and homes and want printing, shipping and support handled
- Makes sense if you want a curated artist community for your work
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: entry is by hand-reviewed application and isn't guaranteed
- Tight on earnings: markup is 5% or 10% of base price, and sitewide sales lower it
- Skip it if you want to set your own price, since the markup is fixed
- Watch out: an earning can be cancelled before payout if the customer gets a full refund
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPixelsGood | 2.2GPASociety6Fair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $30 a year, about $2.50 a month, against $19.90 a month for the cheaper quarter of print-on-demand tools. The standard account costs nothing. | CNo fee, but a 5% or 10% markup is fixed by product, and sales cut it: a 10% markup on a $35 item with 20% off earns $2.80. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free standard account lets you upload, set markups and sell. Extra exposure and the white-label website are paid, and there is no trial. | BOpening a shop costs nothing on the pages read, and there is no trial to need. The catch is the application. |
| Features | CMany products from one upload, digital downloads, global fulfilment, Shopify, BigCommerce and an API. Your profit depends on the base price, and the site's own example is a $50 canvas. | CArtist Studio, monthly payouts, fulfilment and third-party marketplace sales. The gap: you can't set your own markup. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you still upload, price and describe each image yourself. | CNo store rating on record. You apply, wait for review, then upload and tag work. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, with Shopify, BigCommerce and an API. No desktop app. | CWeb only, with no API or store links listed. |
| Best for | selling art prints from a free account | artists selling wall art and home decor on a curated site |
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: Pixels and Society6. How we grade
Price against what you get
Pixels starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Society6 has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Pixels scores higher, and starts $2.50 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, 4 score higher than Pixels for less, and none scores higher than Society6 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
- Pixels also covers digital downloads.
At a glance
| Pixels | Society6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $30 per year | Free |
| Free plan | Standard account is free: upload images, set your own markup on each product's base price, and sell through the marketplace. | Opening an artist shop costs nothing on the pages read; artists earn a 5-10% markup on each product's base price. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Pixels.com | Society6 |
| Price read from | pixels.com | help.society6.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Pixels
- Earnings depend on the markup over each product's base price; the site's own example uses a $50 base price for a 24 x 36 inch canvas print.
- The premium account costs $30 per year and is where features such as a white-label website sit.
- Fine Art America runs on the same technology and carries the same membership plans, so the two sites overlap.
Society6
- Entry is by application and not guaranteed; the vendor says even talented artists may not be a fit at a given time.
- Earnings are calculated on the price after customer discounts and sales, so a sitewide sale lowers an artist's cut.
- An earning can be cancelled before payout if the customer gets a full refund.
- The artist markup is fixed at 5% or 10% of the base price, depending on the product.
Key features
Pixels
- Many products from one upload
- One image upload creates listings across wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, apparel and more, and the site can draft keywords and descriptions with AI if you want.
- You set the markup
- Pixels sets a base price for each product and the artist adds a markup. In its example, a $50 canvas print with a $25 markup sells for $75 and the artist earns $25.
- Digital downloads
- Images can be sold as royalty-free or rights-managed downloads. The artist keeps 100% of the asking price and the site adds a 30% markup on top.
- Originals without commission
- Originals are sold directly by the artist; the site says it takes no commission, and the artist handles payment and shipping.
- Global fulfillment
- The site says orders are made at one of 16 production facilities in 5 countries and routed to the nearest one.
- Shopify, BigCommerce and API
- Artists can add their products to a Shopify or BigCommerce store, embed a cart widget on their own site, or use a REST API to render images onto products.
Society6
- Base price plus markup
- Society6 sets a base price that includes manufacturing, shipping and customer service; the artist earns a markup of 5% to 10% depending on the product.
- Curated artist community
- Every application is reviewed by a person; the help page asks for original work and a portfolio link, and says no AI-generated art or stock photos.
- Fulfilment handled
- Society6 manufactures, ships and supports orders, so artists do not hold stock or answer customers.
- Artist Studio
- Artists manage their shop and see pending and paid earnings in an Artist Studio dashboard.
- Monthly payouts
- Earnings are paid between the first and third business day of each month, after a 30 to 60 day pending period; payments go through Trolley.
- Third-party marketplace sales
- For products sold on outside marketplaces such as Amazon, artists earn a 5% net sale commission.
Plans
Pixels
Standard$0
Free. Sell prints, home decor, apparel and digital downloads; you earn the markup you add to each product's base price.
Premium$30
per year
Optional paid account with extra exposure and selling features, including a white-label website.
Society6
Artist shop$0
Apply to open a shop; earn a 5-10% markup over the base price on each sale, which covers manufacturing, shipping and support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Pixels or Society6?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Society6 is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.50 a month when paid by the year for Pixels. Pixels starts at $30 per year, and Society6 is free.
Which has a free plan, Pixels or Society6?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Pixels and Society6 have a free plan.
Which platforms do Pixels and Society6 run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pixels lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.