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Printful vs Printify vs Teespring: Which Print-on-Demand Platform Should You Choose?

  • By Brenda Barron
  • •  September 17, 2025
  • •  Be the first to share


printful vs printify vs teespring

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When I first started looking into print-on-demand, I assumed all platforms were pretty much the same. I was wrong.

After testing Printful, Printify, and Teespring for my own ecommerce business—and spending weeks digging through pricing, fulfillment, and integrations—I can confidently say your choice of provider will impact your brand, profit margins, and customer experience.

So, which one comes out on top?

Quick Verdict: Printful vs Printify vs Teespring

PlatformBest ForVerdict
PrintfulBranding, premium quality, fast global shippingBest for building a long-term brand
PrintifyLower costs, high profit margins, product varietyBest for maximizing profit
TeespringBeginners, social media creators, no website neededBest for creators who want simplicity

In this guide, I’ll compare Printful vs Printify vs Teespring across pricing, product range, integrations, ease of use, shipping, support, and more—so you can decide which one fits your goals.

Print-on-Demand: Quick Comparison Table

Here’s how Printful, Printify, and Teespring compare at a glance:

FeaturePrintfulPrintifyTeespring
Fulfillment ModelIn-housePrint partner networkIn-house (Spring platform)
Product Catalog330+ products800+ products50+ products
Average Base PricesHigherLower (esp. with Premium)Moderate
IntegrationsShopify, Etsy, Amazon, moreShopify, Etsy, WooCommerceBuilt-in platform only
Custom BrandingYesDepends on supplierNo
Global ShippingYes (10+ fulfillment hubs)Yes (varies by partner)Limited
Customer Support24/7 Live ChatEmail, chat (limited hours)Ticket-based
Best ForBrands with high standardsProfit-focused sellersSocial creators

Pricing and Profit Margins – Winner: Printify

Printify Homepage

Let’s be real—profit matters. A lot.

Your platform’s pricing structure will determine how much money you keep from each sale, so it’s worth understanding the numbers before choosing a provider.

Printful Pricing

Printful doesn’t charge any monthly fees—you only pay when a customer places an order. But the trade-off is higher base prices, especially for apparel.

Here’s an example using a Gildan 64000 t-shirt:

  • Base price: $12.95
  • Recommended retail: $21.99
  • Estimated profit: $9.04

That’s before factoring in shipping, platform fees, or taxes. If you’re aiming to build a premium brand, this cost may be worth it. But your profit margin will be thinner.

Printify Pricing

Printify offers two plans:

  • Free plan: Base prices vary by print provider
  • Premium plan ($29/month): Up to 23% discount on all product costs

Same Gildan 64000 t-shirt example:

  • Base price (with Premium): $7.25
  • Retail price: $21.99
  • Estimated profit: $14.74

Printify gives you a lot more room to price competitively or keep more profit. But quality control depends on the print partner you choose.

Teespring (Spring) Pricing

Teespring is a bit different. It’s free to use, and they let you set your own prices. They determine the base price and you keep the difference.

  • Base price for t-shirt: $10.00
  • Retail price: $21.99
  • Profit: $11.99

You don’t get detailed control over branding or shipping, but it’s a great beginner platform if you want something low-effort.

Product Range – Winner: Printify

What you can sell matters—especially if you want to scale or offer niche items. Here’s what each platform delivers in terms of product variety:

PlatformProduct CountUnique Categories
Printful330+Apparel, drinkware, accessories, tech cases, home decor
Printify800+Everything above + niche items like pet bowls, yoga mats, shoes
Teespring50+T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, tote bags, stickers

Printful

I’ve always been impressed with Printful’s product quality and consistency. Their catalog isn’t the largest, but it covers most essentials for apparel and lifestyle brands.

They also let you add branding features like:

  • Inside/outside labels
  • Custom packing slips
  • Branded packaging

If you’re trying to build a high-end store, this matters.

Printify

Printify absolutely dominates in variety. With 800+ products from global print partners, you can find some unusual items (think bean bag chairs and luggage tags). But since you’re choosing from third-party providers, you’ll want to:

  • Order test samples
  • Compare print quality
  • Check shipping times

I found a couple of great suppliers in the US and UK, but not all are consistent.

Teespring

Teespring keeps things basic. You can sell shirts, hoodies, mugs, and a few other merch staples.

Great if you’re a YouTuber or influencer, not so great if you want to run a full store with seasonal product lines.

Integrations and Store Setup – Winner: Printful

Printful homepage

If you’re already using an ecommerce platform—or planning to build a store—you’ll want seamless integration.

Here’s how they compare:

PlatformCompatible WithBuilt-in StorefrontMarketplace Exposure
PrintfulShopify, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Wix, WooCommerceYesNo
PrintifyShopify, Etsy, Wix, WooCommerceNoNo
TeespringNo integrations—platform onlyYesYes (Spring Marketplace)

Printful

Printful connects directly to most major ecommerce platforms.

I’ve personally used it with Shopify and Etsy—it syncs smoothly and updates product inventory, images, and tracking automatically.

You can also use Printful’s own storefront, which works well if you’re just getting started and don’t have a full website yet.

Printify

Printify also works with Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce.

But it doesn’t offer a storefront of its own. You’ll need a separate ecommerce platform to actually sell products. This setup is perfect if you already have a store or plan to scale.

Teespring

Teespring has no integrations—it’s a self-contained marketplace. You don’t need a domain, a website, or any ecommerce knowledge to start.

But you’re locked into their ecosystem, which limits growth long term.

Shipping, Fulfillment & Delivery – Winner: Printful

Shipping speed and cost are two things customers care about the most—and poor fulfillment will kill your reviews faster than anything else.

Here’s a breakdown:

PlatformFulfillment LocationsAverage Delivery TimeReturns/Refunds
Printful10+ global centers2–7 business daysHandled by Printful
PrintifyDepends on print provider2–10 business daysHandled by seller
TeespringUS and EU only5–10 business daysHandled by Teespring

Printful

Printful offers the fastest and most reliable shipping in my experience.

With fulfillment centers across the US, EU, UK, and Asia, they route orders to the nearest center—cutting down delivery times and shipping costs.

They also handle returns, which takes a lot of pressure off.

Printify

With Printify, shipping depends entirely on your print partner.

You can choose partners in different countries, but you’ll need to monitor their ratings and fulfillment timelines.

Some partners ship quickly, others are slow. Expect to manage more on your own—including refunds.

Teespring

Teespring offers a simple fulfillment process but limited shipping zones.

Their marketplace is mostly US and EU-focused.

I’ve had orders arrive in a week, and others take closer to two. There’s no way to customize packaging or shipping options.

Ease of Use – Winner: Teespring

TeeSpring Homepage

I tested all three platforms as a new user, and here’s how they rank in terms of setup and user experience:

  • Printful: Easiest for beginners with its visual mockup tool and product templates
  • Printify: Slightly more complex due to the print partner selection process
  • Teespring: Simplest setup overall, but very limited in features

Setting up my first product on Printful took under 10 minutes. I uploaded a design, picked a shirt, generated mockups, and pushed it to my Shopify store.

Printify was almost as quick, but I had to spend more time comparing print providers.

Teespring was the fastest to start, but the lack of branding options made it feel less like a real business tool.

Customer Support – Winner: Printful

When things go wrong, good support is a must. Here’s what I found:

PlatformSupport ChannelsAvailabilityQuality
PrintfulLive chat, email24/7Excellent
PrintifyEmail, live chatBusiness hoursDecent
TeespringHelp form onlyNo live chatAverage

Printful’s support team helped me troubleshoot Shopify sync issues in real-time, which saved a lot of hassle.

Printify’s support was slower to respond but helpful once connected.

Teespring’s support took 2 days to reply to my request—and didn’t fully resolve the issue.

Final Verdict: What Should You Choose?

Here’s my honest advice based on your goals:

  • Go with Printful if you’re building a long-term ecommerce brand and want full control over product quality, branding, and fulfillment.
  • Choose Printify if you’re aiming to maximize profit margins and don’t mind doing extra work to vet suppliers and manage quality.
  • Use Teespring if you’re a content creator or influencer and just want to launch merch quickly without managing a store.

If you’re still unsure, start small.

I tested all three by launching a couple of products on each and tracking the results. Within a month, I knew which worked best for my brand—and so will you.

Brenda Barron

About the author

Brenda Barron is writer and editor from southern California. You can learn more about her work at The Digital Inkwell.

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