The CustomCat Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about CustomCat in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
CustomCat
The Insider’s Guide
US print-on-demand printer with wholesale prices and a PRO plan
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among print-on-demand and dropshipping services, read from CustomCat’s own pages.
Made by CustomCat · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from CustomCat’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on CustomCat’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.0
GPA, above 5 of the 14 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade
CustomCat, a Detroit-based company, prints products on demand in the US and sells them to you at wholesale prices, with printing it puts at 48 hours. Its catalog covers T-shirts and other apparel, mugs, blankets and all-over-print items. It connects to stores on Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, takes orders by API or CSV upload, and works with Order Desk. The free Lite plan charges standard wholesale prices; PRO lowers them by 20% to 40%.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about CustomCat, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Just know production is US-only, and TikTok Shop and Amazon aren't on its integration list.
- 1
Best for US-made print on demand at wholesale prices
CustomCat prints everything itself in the US at wholesale prices, and the free Lite plan is enough to start.
- 2
Paid plans start at $25 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
US production
Orders are printed and shipped from the USA by CustomCat itself, with no third parties in between; it advertises 48-hour printing.
- 6
Wholesale pricing tiers
Lite charges standard wholesale prices; PRO cuts them by 20% to 40%, and Enterprise adds volume discounts for high-volume sellers.
- 7
Store integrations
Connect Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce or BigCommerce, or send orders by CSV upload, through Order Desk or with the CustomCat API.
- 8
A 3.0 GPA, above 5 of 14
That is against the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace CustomCat you would be making printers that make and ship each order. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
CustomCat at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- CustomCat
- Category
- Print on Demand & Dropshipping
- Our grade
- 3.0 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for US-made print on demand at wholesale prices
CustomCat prints everything itself in the US at wholesale prices, and the free Lite plan is enough to start. PRO is $25 a month on yearly billing and cuts those prices by 20% to 40%, with a 60-day free trial first. Just know production is US-only, and TikTok Shop and Amazon aren't on its integration list.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | The 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Free 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. |
| Features | C | Printing 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who CustomCat is for
- Great if you sell lots of T-shirts and want lower wholesale prices
- Good for Shopify and Etsy stores shipping mostly to US customers
- Handy when you want a long free trial of the discount plan before paying
Who it is not for
- Not for you if most of your buyers are abroad, as everything ships from the US
- Skip it if you sell on TikTok Shop or Amazon, as neither is on its list
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$25
A month to start. There is a free plan too
CustomCat has a free plan. Paid plans start at $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
The printers it's listed with are free to sell on too.
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.
Enterprise
Custom
For stores with hundreds of orders a day: volume pricing, a dedicated account specialist, SLAs and API technical support.
The 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.
Trying it first
60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers
Read from help.customcat.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on help.customcat.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
US print-on-demand printer with wholesale prices and a PRO plan. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, print on demand.
Printing and shipping done by CustomCat itself, DIGISOFT and all-over print, personalization apps, bulk publishing, an API and CSV upload.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Shopify
- Etsy
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- Order Desk
- Customily
- Teeinblue
- Zakeke
CustomCat is made by CustomCat.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/14
Other print-on-demand and dropshipping services it is graded above
CustomCat's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 5 of the 14 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 7 of 14) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $24 for the category: 7 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, cut by the letter each got. CustomCat’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 5 of 14
- AFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 14
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 15 print-on-demand and dropshipping services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. CustomCat is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace CustomCat you would be making printers that make and ship each order. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $300 a year.
What you could not
- Printers that make and ship each order.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, Etsy and WooCommerce among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. CustomCat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Printful, Printify, Gooten, Tapstitch and Spreadconnect
The 5 tools CustomCat is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.2GPA
Printful
Free plan · from $24.99/mo
Print-on-demand company that makes and ships orders in-house.
- Printful also covers online store.
- 3.4GPA
Printify
Free plan · from $24.99/mo
Print-on-demand marketplace with 2,000+ products and 70+ printers.
- Only Printify lists iOS and Android apps.
- Printify also covers online store.
- 3.0GPA
Gooten
Free
- 3.0GPA
Tapstitch
Free
Print-on-demand clothing maker with its own blank garments.
- Tapstitch also covers dropshipping.
- 3.0GPA
Spreadconnect
Free
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is CustomCat free?
CustomCat has a free plan. CustomCat Lite: the full catalog at standard wholesale prices, unlimited product creation and direct fulfillment, with no subscription.
How much does CustomCat cost?
CustomCat lists 3 plans. CustomCat Lite: $0.
What platforms does CustomCat work on?
CustomCat is available on Web.
Does CustomCat offer any discounts?
CustomCat publicly lists the following: PRO for $300 a year, save 17%.
Does CustomCat have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. CustomCat is listed for Web.
Does CustomCat have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. CustomCat is listed for Web.
Is CustomCat open source?
CustomCat is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does CustomCat have an API?
Yes. CustomCat offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does CustomCat integrate with?
CustomCat's listing names Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Order Desk, Customily, Teeinblue and Zakeke.
Does CustomCat have a free trial?
Yes. 60-day free trial of CustomCat PRO for first-time subscribers.
Who makes CustomCat?
CustomCat is made by CustomCat.
What are the alternatives to CustomCat?
The closest alternatives to CustomCat in our directory are Printful, Printify, Gooten, Tapstitch and Spreadconnect.
How does CustomCat compare with other print-on-demand and dropshipping services?
CustomCat's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 5 of the 14 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 5.
Is CustomCat good value for money?
ToolGPA grades CustomCat A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $24 for the category: 7 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of CustomCat?
To replace CustomCat you would be making printers that make and ship each order.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from CustomCat’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CustomCat's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by CustomCat. Prices change, so check customcat.com before you buy.
- help.customcat.com/customcat-plan-comparison-overview
- help.customcat.com/what-is-customcat-pro
- help.customcat.com/will-there-always-be-a-free-60-day-trial
- help.customcat.com/what-are-the-qualifications-for-customcat-enterprise-pricing
- help.customcat.com/integrations
- apps.shopify.com/customcat-fulfillment
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- CustomCat, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/customcat
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "CustomCat: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/customcat
Know someone choosing between print-on-demand and dropshipping services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/customcat/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded print-on-demand and dropshipping services after CustomCat, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Print on Demand & Dropshipping Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, compared
- Printify Insider's GuidePrint-on-demand marketplace with 2,000+ products and 70+ printers3.4 GPA
- CJdropshipping Insider's GuideDropshipping supplier and sourcing agent with factory-price products3.2 GPA
- Printful Insider's GuidePrint-on-demand company that makes and ships orders in-house3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what CustomCat’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. CustomCat is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by CustomCat. Prices and plans change: check customcat.com before you buy.