Printful Vs Printify For Etsy · Reviewed September 26, 2026
Printful vs Printify for Etsy sellers: cost, branding and who should pick which
You have probably already connected one of them to your Etsy shop and watched a first order go through. That part is easy. The money decision comes later — what a paid tier does to your product cost, what a sample really costs, and which extras (labels, inside prints, digitising a logo) get billed per item. Every figure below comes from the two vendors' own pricing and integration pages, read on 26 September 2026. Where they do not publish a number, this comparison says so and stops.
At a glance
- Printful — You sell apparel and want the label inside the collar to carry your name
- Printify — You want the widest catalogue and the lowest product cost, and you do not mind p
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Printful | You sell apparel and want the label inside the collar to carry your name |
| Printify | You want the widest catalogue and the lowest product cost, and you do not mind picking a print provider yourself |
Pricing at a glance
Prices checked 26 September 2026. Every subscription price, product discount, sample discount and extra fee here is quoted from the vendors' own pricing and integration pages on 26 September 2026. Etsy charges its own listing and transaction fees on top of all of it. Those are Etsy's, not the print partner's, and this table leaves them out on purpose.
| Tool | Free tier | Entry price | Next step up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printful | Free plan $0/month: 563 custom products, in-house production, unlimited stores plus 10 Quick Stores, free Design Maker and Mockup Generator, selling on 20+ platforms, 24/7 support, 20% off sample orders | Growth $24.99/month — 14-day trial, and free once you reach $12,000/year in sales; up to 33% off product pricing, 25% off samples | Extra fees per item: inside apparel label $0.99, outside apparel label $2.49, premium images $1 per image/placement/item sold, embroidery digitisation $2.95–$6.50 per design (one-time) | vendor page |
| Printifycheapest entry | Free $0/month: 5 stores per account, unlimited product designs, a catalogue of 1,300+ products, and no platform fees or listing fees | Premium: from $39/month, or from $24.99/month billed yearly (save 36%) — up to 33% discount on new products | Enterprise: custom pricing for high-volume sellers, with production running through a network of 140+ facilities across 209 countries and territories | vendor page |
What a paid tier really costs across twelve months
Twelve months of the paid platform fee (Printful Growth at $24.99/month; Printify Premium both ways of paying), checked 26 September 2026. Printful states Growth is free once you reach $12,000/year in sales, so this line can be $0 for established shops. Printify's yearly price is $24.99/month billed yearly, and monthly billing is $39/month.
The price ladder, step by step
Where you start, what each next rung costs, and the extras billed per item. Every figure comes from the vendors' own pages, checked 26 September 2026.
Printful
Printify
The comparison matrix: production, catalogue and the extras billed
Cells come from the vendors' pricing and integration pages, read on 26 September 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, the cell says so — nothing here is filled in by guesswork.
| Printful | Printify | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0/month, 563+ products, 20% off samples | $0/month, 5 stores, unlimited designs |
| Paid plan | Growth $24.99/month, free at $12K/year in sales | Premium from $39/month or from $24.99/month billed yearly |
| Product discount on paid plan | Up to 33% off product pricing | Up to 33% discount on new products |
| Production model | In-house fulfilment centres (vendor describes them as global) | Network of 140+ facilities across 209 countries and territories |
| Catalogue size | 563+ custom products (pricing page) | 1,300+ products (Etsy integration page) |
| Branding extras | Inside label $0.99, outside label $2.49, premium images $1, embroidery digitisation $2.95–$6.50 | Custom branding options offered; per-item label fees not published on the pricing page (checked 26 Sep 2026) |
| Sample discount | 20% on Free, 25% on Growth | Not published on the pricing page (checked 26 Sep 2026) |
Our picks
Pick 01
Printful
Best for You sell apparel and want the label inside the collar to carry your name
Cost reality: Free $0/month (563+ products, 20% off samples) · Growth $24.99/month, free once you reach $12,000/year in sales (up to 33% off product pricing, 25% off samples)
Check Printful →Link goes to Printful's own pricing page — we do not have an affiliate link for this one.
Pick 02
Printify
Best for You want the widest catalogue and the lowest product cost, and you do not mind picking a print provider yourself
Cost reality: Free $0/month (5 stores, unlimited product designs) · Premium from $39/month, or from $24.99/month billed yearly (save 36%) · Enterprise custom pricing
Check Printify →Link goes to Printify's own pricing page — we do not have an affiliate link for this one.
Two production models, two kinds of risk
Printful prints in its own fulfilment centres. One company answers for the print, one support queue handles problems, and the quality standard does not shift when you change products. The trade: you buy from a single catalogue at that company's prices.
Printify routes the same order to one of 140+ facilities. That buys a much wider catalogue and, often, a lower base price — and it hands you a decision Printful makes for you: which provider prints this item. Treat that as a setting to manage and you do fine. Ignore it and you meet the variable later, in reviews. Test one order with the provider you pick before you list it.
The subscription is rarely the expensive part
Both platforms are free to start, and their paid tiers run $24.99–$39 a month. On a $25 shirt, a one-dollar difference in base product cost beats the whole subscription at 25 units a month.
So the useful question is not which platform costs less — it is which product cost and extras fit the item you sell most. Build the maths from one product: base cost, shipping, Etsy's own fees, your price, then the platform fee last. Do that sum on your own best seller.
Branding is where the two diverge in daily practice
Printful publishes its branding price list: $0.99 for a printed inside label, $2.49 outside, $1 for premium images per image, placement and item sold, and $2.95–$6.50 one-off to digitise an embroidery design. Those are the costs that turn a blank product into something that reads as your label.
Printify offers custom branding too, but per-item label fees are not published on its pricing page (checked 26 September 2026). So compare on the same order: one item, with your label, shipped to a customer. Price both versions before you choose.
How these figures were checked
Prices, discounts and extra fees come from printful.com/pricing, printful.com/integrations/etsy, printify.com/pricing and printify.com/etsy, all read on 26 September 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a number, the cell says so.
Etsy applies its own listing and transaction fees on top of any print partner. Those belong to Etsy and are left out here so the two compare like for like. Add them back in yourself.
Which one fits your shop: three honest branches
You sell apparel and want the print quality and the labelling to look like a real brand
→ Printful
$0.99 inside labels and embroidery options give you a garment that carries your name, not a blank, and in-house production keeps one standard. Accept a higher base product cost for it.
You want the widest range of products and the cheapest route to a first sale
→ Printify
1,300+ products across 140+ facilities, up to 33% off with Premium, and no platform or listing fees on the free plan — the lowest-friction way to test what your Etsy buyers want. List your candidates and let the orders choose.
Your sales are still under $12,000/year
→ Either free plan — decide by product, not by tier
Printful's Growth plan becomes free at $12K/year in sales, and Printify's Premium only pays for itself once product spend clears the $24.99–$39 fee. Below that, pick the catalogue that matches your best-selling item. Stay on the free plans for now.
How to choose
- Compare product cost, not the subscription. On a €25 shirt the base price gap moves your margin more than a $24.99 monthly fee ever will. Start with your best-selling item.
- Price one sample on each platform before you commit. Printful publishes 20% off on the free plan and 25% on Growth; Printify does not publish a sample discount on its pricing page, so the only honest test is to order one.
- Decide whether the branding inside the garment matters. Printful bills $0.99 for an inside label and $2.49 outside, per item; if your niche sells on 'handmade-feel' presentation, that line is worth the money. Add the label fee before you set your price.
- Ask who fixes a bad print. Printful's in-house centres mean one support thread; Printify's network means quality varies by provider — a real cost in time even when the price is lower. Decide which support queue you can live with.
- Only move to the paid tier at the volume where it pays for itself: Printful's Growth plan becomes free once you hit $12,000/year in sales, and Printify's Premium discount only helps if your monthly product spend exceeds $24.99–$39. Wait until your own numbers say so.
FAQ
Is Printful or Printify better for Etsy?
They solve different problems. Printful produces in its own fulfilment centres and publishes its branding prices — $0.99 inside labels, $2.49 outside, embroidery from $2.95 to $6.50 to digitise — which suits apparel shops that sell on a brand look. Printify routes orders through 140+ facilities, carries a catalogue of 1,300+ products and takes up to 33% off with Premium, which suits shops testing many products. Both connect to Etsy directly and both are free to start (vendors' own pages, read 26 September 2026). Start with the one whose catalogue matches the product you already sell.
Which one is cheaper, Printful or Printify?
Neither one is cheaper across the board. Free plans on both cost $0/month. Printful Growth is $24.99/month (free once you reach $12,000/year in sales); Printify Premium is from $39/month or from $24.99/month billed yearly. The decisive number is usually the base product price plus extras per item, not the subscription. Compare one product you actually sell, with your label if you use one, and let that number pick for you.
Can I use both Printful and Printify for the same Etsy shop?
Yes, in practice. Both are apps that connect to an Etsy shop, and sellers often split by product — one platform for the item where print quality and labelling matter, the other for the wide-catalogue items. The cost is two free plans (or two paid tiers if the discounts justify them) and two support queues to manage. Try it on your two best sellers before you move the whole shop.
Do Printful and Printify charge monthly fees?
Not on their free plans. Printful Free and Printify Free both cost $0/month and include the Etsy integration. Paid tiers are optional: Printful Growth at $24.99/month (free at $12,000/year in sales) and Printify Premium from $39/month, or from $24.99/month billed yearly. Printify's pricing page states there are no platform fees, listing fees or hidden charges. Wait until the discount beats the fee.
Which ships faster to Etsy customers?
We do not publish a speed comparison. The honest answer depends on where your customer is and which facility handles the order. Printify's network spans 140+ facilities across 209 countries and territories; Printful produces in its own centres, which it describes as global. Check the delivery estimate on a sample order to your own address before you promise a window to anyone.
Bottom line
Pick Printful when the garment is the brand: in-house production, inside labels at $0.99 and embroidery make apparel look like yours, and the $24.99 Growth fee disappears once you pass $12,000 a year in sales. Pick Printify when range and product cost matter more than the label: 1,300+ products, 140+ facilities and up to 33% off with Premium, with no platform or listing fees. Under $12K/year? Run the free plan on both, order one sample from each, and let the print decide.
How we research
This guide compares the options on paper — documentation, feature lists and public pricing tiers. We have not used every tool hands-on, and we do not accept payment for placement. Full methodology.
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