Quick answer
- Lower unit cost with a choice of print providers: Printify: $11.75 for the same shirt via SwiftPOD, or $9.40 with Premium.
- Cheapest multi-item orders: Gelato: $10.69 base and +$0.99 for each extra shirt to the US (Economy shipping).
- Fashion-style apparel on Shopify: Tapstitch, free to install, products from $4.50.
- A creator store with POD built in, no Shopify needed: Sellfy, from $22/month billed yearly.
- Stay on Printful if one quality-controlled production network matters more than a dollar or two per unit.
Worked example
Same shirt, four providers
Bella+Canvas 3001, size M, front print only, shipped to the US. What's left from a $28 sale is before card fees, subscriptions, taxes and ads.
| Provider (plan) | Base cost | US shipping, 1st / each extra | 1 shirt: left from $28 | 3-shirt order: left from $84 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printful (Free) | $11.92 | $4.95 / +$2.20 | $11.13 | $38.89 |
| Printify via SwiftPOD (Free) | $11.75 | $4.95 / +$2.40 | $11.30 | $39.00 |
| Printify via SwiftPOD (Premium) | $9.40 | $4.95 / +$2.40 | $13.65 | $46.05 |
| Gelato (Free) | $10.69 | $4.99 / +$0.99 (Economy) | $12.32 | $44.96 |
| Gelato (Gelato+) | $8.55 | $4.99 / +$0.99 (Economy) | $14.46 | $51.38 |
Editorial calculation from list prices on each provider's public catalog, Oct 7, 2026. Gelato's only listed US method was Economy; Printful's and Printify's are Standard. Printful Growth's member price for this shirt isn't shown publicly.
On one shirt the free plans land within about $1.20 of each other; on multi-item orders Gelato's cheaper extra-item shipping matters more. See the full breakdown on the print-on-demand desk.
Baseline
Printful baseline (for comparison)
Printful is free to use; Growth is $24.99/month (14-day trial), offers up to 33% off product pricing, and is free for a year once you reach $12,000 in annual sales. Growth is now its only paid plan. The Bella+Canvas 3001 in size M listed at $11.92 with $4.95 US shipping for the first shirt and $2.20 for each extra. Inside labels ($0.99), outside labels ($2.49) and premium images are extra. Full overview: Printful review.
Not ranked
The 4 alternatives
Not ranked. All four have full BestStorefront overviews.
Printify — a marketplace of print providers
- Best for
- Sellers who want the lowest unit cost and are willing to choose and monitor print providers.
- Pricing (verified Oct 7, 2026)
- Free (5 stores); Premium from $39/month or $24.99/month billed yearly (10 stores), with up to 20% off all products and up to 33% off new products. Enterprise custom.
- Watch out for
- Price, stock and shipping times vary by provider: the lowest-priced US provider we found had white and black discontinued in size M and a 10–30 business-day estimate.
- Compare
- Printful vs Printify
Gelato — orders routed to local partners
- Best for
- Sellers with international customers or frequent multi-item orders.
- Pricing (verified Oct 7, 2026)
- Free; Gelato+ $29.99/month or $19.99/month billed yearly ($239.88), with up to 33% product discounts; Platinum custom.
- Watch out for
- Gelato's own pages disagree on Gelato+ store and user limits, and its listed US method is Economy shipping.
- Compare
- Printful vs Gelato
Tapstitch — fashion-style apparel for Shopify
- Best for
- New apparel brands on Shopify testing clothing styles without inventory.
- Pricing (verified Oct 7, 2026)
- Free to install; pay per product, listed from $4.50 to $37.60. Shopify App Store rating 4.9 from 128 reviews.
- Watch out for
- Apparel-focused, and sourcing locations include China as well as the US, so check delivery times.
- Read more
- Tapstitch overview
Sellfy — store plus POD, no Shopify needed
- Best for
- Creators who want one hosted store for digital products, subscriptions and print-on-demand merch.
- Pricing (verified Oct 7, 2026)
- Starter $29/month ($22 billed yearly), Business $79 ($59), Premium $159 ($119); annual sales caps of $10K, $50K and $200K; POD included on every plan; 0% Sellfy transaction fee.
- Watch out for
- Sales caps, and a smaller catalog and app ecosystem than a full ecommerce platform.
- Read more
- Sellfy overview
Switching costs
When to stay on Printful
- Consistent quality from one managed production network matters more than a small unit saving.
- You use Printful's branding extras, embroidery or warehousing.
- You'll reach $12,000 a year in sales, which makes Growth free for a year.
Before switching, order samples from the new provider to your own address and check print quality, sizing and delivery time.
Decision support
Frequently asked questions
Is Printify cheaper than Printful?
For the shirt we priced, slightly: $11.75 via Printify's SwiftPOD provider against $11.92 at Printful, with the same $4.95 first-shirt shipping. With Premium, Printify's price fell to $9.40.
Which POD company has the cheapest multi-item shipping?
In our comparison, Gelato charged +$0.99 for each extra shirt to the US, against +$2.20 at Printful and +$2.40 at Printify's SwiftPOD, but Gelato's listed method was Economy.
Are Printful and Printify the same company?
We didn't find this confirmed on either company's own pages, so we don't state it. Both run as separate platforms with separate pricing.
Has BestStorefront tested these providers?
No. This page is based on public catalog and pricing pages; sample orders and quality checks are pending.
Documentation