Society6 and Etsy are two of the biggest names in the print-on-demand world — but which one actually works better for your business?

After 10+ years of testing both, selling artwork on each, and watching hundreds of artists succeed (or fail) on these platforms, I’ve put together a no-fluff comparison based on real results.

Quick Verdict: Society6 vs Etsy

Society6 – Best for passive selling with no setup

Etsy – Best for building a brand and scaling sales long-term

In this review, I’ll walk you through how these platforms compare across setup, branding, traffic, profit margins, and more — and share which one I use (and why).

Society6 is best for:

• Total beginners with no experience
• Artists who want a hands-off way to sell prints
• Passive side income from existing designs

Etsy is best for:

• Sellers who want full branding and pricing control
• People building a long-term ecommerce business
• Those willing to market and grow traffic

Quick Comparison: Society6 vs Etsy

Feature	Society6	Etsy (with POD Integration)
Built-in POD Fulfilment	Yes	No (requires Printful, etc.)
Storefront Customisation	No	Full control
Branding & Email	Not available	Full branding, email, social links
Product Range	80+ fixed SKUs	Unlimited via POD partners
Profit Margins	Low (fixed royalty)	High (you set the price)
Marketing Tools	None	Coupons, email, ads, SEO
Traffic & SEO Control	Algorithm-based	Full SEO access, Etsy Ads
Fulfilment	Fully automated	Managed by Printful/Printify
Customer Support	Handled by Society6	You coordinate or automate

Best for Getting Started: Society6

If you’re brand new to selling art or designs online, Society6 is by far the simplest way to get going.

There’s no need to learn ecommerce platforms, hook up fulfilment partners, or figure out tax settings. You just upload your work and go.

The process looks like this:

• Upload your artwork
• Choose which products to apply it to (posters, mugs, tapestries, etc.)
• Add titles, descriptions, and tags
• Hit publish

It’s that fast. No need to create a storefront or worry about payment processors. Society6 handles it all. It’s great for artists who want to test the waters without the pressure of learning ecommerce.

Etsy, by contrast, is more of a commitment upfront — but it’s also where the real growth potential lies. It takes longer to get set up, especially if you’re planning to run it through a POD integration like Printful or Printify.

To get started on Etsy, you’ll need to:

• Set up a seller account and verify banking details
• Brand your shop with a logo, banner, and description
• Connect to your POD partner (e.g. Printful)
• Sync products and create mockups
• Set prices, shipping rates, and return policies

The setup can take a few hours, especially if you’re doing it for the first time — but that extra work gives you full control over your store’s look, feel, and pricing strategy.

The Winner:
Society6 wins on ease of setup. It’s ideal if you want to get started without dealing with tech. But Etsy is the smarter choice if you’re planning to scale and build something with staying power.

Best for Branding & Store Design: Etsy

When it comes to building a recognisable brand, Etsy is in a completely different league than Society6.

Society6 is a closed marketplace. You don’t have a storefront. You don’t get to design your page. You’re simply one listing in a massive online catalogue. Customers buy from Society6, not from you.

Limitations include:

• No ability to upload your own logo or visuals
• No branding or colours to make your page unique
• No way to capture emails or drive repeat traffic directly
• No product bundle features, upsells, or cross-sells

With Etsy, the branding potential is completely different. You have your own store — your own name, visuals, and even your own tone of voice.

Here’s what you can do:

• Upload a logo, banner, and design elements that reflect your brand
• Optimise product titles and descriptions to match your tone
• Add product photography and lifestyle mockups
• Link to your Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok
• Collect emails with integrations (e.g. Mailchimp, Klaviyo)

You’re not just another listing. You’re a business.

The Winner:
Etsy dominates on branding and design. If you want to be remembered, build a fanbase, or get repeat buyers, Society6 just won’t cut it.

Best for Profit Margins: Etsy

Let’s talk numbers — because this is where many artists leave money on the table.

Society6 runs on a fixed royalty system. You get a set payout for most products, and only for art prints can you set your own markup. That means for a $25 product, you might earn as little as $1–$4, depending on the item.

• Fixed royalties on most SKUs (e.g. mugs, clocks, pillows)
• Custom markup only for art prints
• No visibility into base product costs

Etsy with Printful or Printify flips that model completely. You’re in charge of the pricing, which means you set your profit margin after accounting for base costs and Etsy’s fees.

On a $25 product:

• Printful’s base cost might be $11
• Etsy takes ~10% in combined fees
• You walk away with $10–$13 profit per sale

Platform	Sale Price	Estimated Profit
Society6	$25	~$3–$5
Etsy + Printful	$25	~$10–$13

The Winner:
Etsy wins on profits. It takes a little more setup and fee management, but you keep more of what you earn. With Society6, you’re basically earning a commission — not building a real income stream.

Best for Traffic & Discovery: Etsy

Society6 has one advantage — it brings in traffic for you. But it’s very algorithm-driven. If your listing gets featured or hits the right tag, you might get consistent views. If not, it’ll sink to the bottom of the feed. You don’t get much control.

You also can’t:

• Run ads
• Optimise for SEO
• Track user behaviour
• Build custom funnels or retargeting flows

With Etsy, you get access to a platform with over 90 million buyers and real tools to grow visibility.

What Etsy offers:

• Etsy Ads to boost listings in search
• SEO controls like custom titles, tags, categories, and URLs
• Social media integrations to drive external traffic
• Email remarketing tools (via integrations)

You don’t have to just hope for discovery — you can actually drive it.

The Winner:
Etsy wins on traffic and growth potential. Society6 is passive and unpredictable. Etsy lets you actively build traffic and scale it with the right strategy.

Best for Product Variety & Print Quality: Etsy

Society6 has a cool catalogue of 80+ pre-defined products — from furniture to yoga mats. They focus heavily on home decor, and many of their SKUs aren’t available through most POD platforms.

That’s great if you want to sell:

• Wall tapestries
• Credenzas
• Bar stools
• Bath mats

But you’re limited to their selection. You can’t request new SKUs or switch manufacturers. And print quality? It’s mixed — some products are great, others inconsistent.

Etsy with POD integrations like Printful, Printify, or Gelato gives you a much wider range. Your options include:

• Apparel (tees, hoodies, hats)
• Stickers, phone cases, journals
• Wall art, posters, canvases
• Embroidered goods and laser-engraved items

Print quality also depends on the provider — which you control. If you don’t like one, switch. I’ve had excellent results with Printful and decent results with Printify (as long as you pick top-rated suppliers).

The Winner:
Etsy takes the win on flexibility and variety. Society6 is strong on unique items, but Etsy gives you the freedom to test products, scale SKUs, and control your suppliers.

Best for Marketing Tools: Etsy

Society6 offers no marketing tools at all. You can’t capture emails, run ads, retarget users, or create a brand funnel. There’s no dashboard for tracking visitor behaviour or setting up sales campaigns.

What you miss out on:

• No discount codes
• No customer re-engagement
• No analytics beyond basic sales data
• No ability to upsell or bundle

Etsy gives you the full ecommerce toolkit — or at least the basics you need to scale.

Included features:

• Discount codes and promo tools
• Abandoned cart emails
• SEO optimisation for listings
• Etsy Ads to boost traffic
• Email marketing through integrations

Advanced marketers can also plug in:

• Google Analytics for behaviour tracking
• Klaviyo for flows and newsletters
• Pinterest Ads for visual campaigns

The Winner:
Etsy, no contest. If marketing is part of your growth plan, Society6 won’t even get you to the starting line.

Best for Fulfilment & Support: Society6

This is the one category where Society6 is better — if you want to be totally hands off.

They handle:

• Printing and shipping
• Tracking numbers
• Returns and customer service

You don’t talk to the customer, deal with suppliers, or manage any post-sale experience. It’s truly passive.

With Etsy, things are more involved:

• Printful or Printify handles production and fulfilment
• You manage communication with customers
• You need clear return, shipping, and support policies

That said, Etsy lets you customise how you handle support — and you can outsource parts of it later on. You’re also the one building relationships, which has its long-term advantages.

The Winner:
Society6 wins for low-maintenance fulfilment. But Etsy wins if you’re focused on control and customer experience.

Society6 vs Etsy: Our Winner

Both platforms serve a purpose — and in some cases, it makes sense to use both.

But if your goal is to build a business, scale your product line, increase margins, and own your brand, the answer is clear: Etsy wins.

Society6 is great if you want a low-effort side hustle. No setup headaches. No customer service. Just upload and forget.

But Etsy is where serious sellers grow.

Use Case	My Pick
Total beginner, passive income	Society6
Long-term POD business	Etsy
Testing designs before scaling	Both