Customcat vs. Printify: Which Is Better?

When you want to start a new business in the custom products industry, you need to find a print on demand platform that can help you succeed and take a lot of the responsibility themselves, as you might not have the time to run everything yourself.

Customcat and Printify are great platforms for this, but how do they differ?

Customcat is a platform that offers 200+ items for you to brand, and they utilize in-house printers to create your products. Printify is a platform that offers 300+ items for you to customize how you please, and they outsource the printing, giving you different pricing based on your budget.

How do both these print-on-demand platforms work? What are the advantages and drawbacks of both these platforms, and how will these possibly affect your profits? Let’s find out!

Hint: If you want to know which platform I personally use (since May 2020) I will reveal this in the article.

Comparing Customcat Vs. Printify

Starting a new business can fill you with anxiety, as you already have a lot to do daily. So, you need to find a business venture that won’t take up a lot of your time daily and that is easy to start up and keep running.

This is where print-on-demand sites are useful, as they allow you to set up a small business where most of the work is already taken care of. Sites like Customcat and Printify are two great print-on-demand websites that you will come across on your search.

These online platforms are great and allow people to create a small business easily. However, to ensure your business becomes and stays successful, you need to choose the platform that will work best for you.

It can be challenging to determine which online platforms will work better for you, so let’s look through all the relevant information about these two print-on-demand platforms to help you decide.

Information And History Of Customcat

Before we go into the fundamentals of how these two print-on-demand companies work and what they offer you, we need to go over some information about the companies so you understand their backgrounds and where they come from.

Customcat is a great digital printing company based in Detroit, USA. This company uses advanced printing technology, meaning you can have as few or as many orders printed as you wish; there are no minimum order requirements.

Customcat has an excellent shipping department that ships your orders fast, usually within 2 to 3 days of the order going through. They will ship the orders right to your customers to ensure the production turnaround is as fast and efficient as possible.

Customcat also offers great integration with WooCommerce and Shopify, allowing you to sell and market your custom products easily.

Information And History Of Printify

Printify is also a great print-on-demand company that prides itself on making the printing of merchandise and custom designs as easy and simple as possible.

Printify has many printing providers situated across the world, so even if you are someone who lives outside the USA, you can use this platform to create your small business for some extra income.

So, Printify acts as the middleman between you and the printers, and you and your customers, making the process as streamlined as possible to ensure your customers receive good quality products quickly.

Printify has recently updated its platform to allow you to choose which of its printers you use to have your custom products made. So, if you prefer a specific printer, you will not be disappointed.

Once the products are made, Printify will facilitate shipping the items to the customers on your behalf, so there is less pressure on you. This platform also offers a wide range of integrations to ensure you sell as many of your products as possible.

How Do These Two Companies Work?

Customcat and Printify seem like very similar companies when you look at them on the surface. These companies offer basically the same service to people looking to start a small business in the custom-designed products field.

However, these two print-on-demand platforms differ when you begin to look into how they work and what they really offer you as a client. Let’s go through what Customcat and Printify will offer you and how they differ from each other in this regard.

How Customcat Works

Customcat is easy to set up and start using. If you want to run your business from your phone, you can go to the Shopify app store, search for the Customcat app, then click install. The app will download onto your phone, so you can manage your business wherever you are.

If you wish to integrate Customcat into your WooCommerce website, you will need to look for the Customcat plugin on the backend of your website and install it.

Once you have either the app open or the plugin, you will need to choose from a list of plans; ensure you read through their offerings to find the one that best suits your needs. Then you will need to complete the registration process to activate your account.

Once your account has been activated, you can create your custom designs. You will first need to pick a product you want your design on, and then you can upload your design and place it onto the product you have chosen. With Customcat, you can choose from 200+ items to sell.

You can then export the final custom-designed product to your Shopify or WooCommerce store for your customers to start buying. Once a customer has bought the product, Customcat will process the order, print it, and ship it to the customer. You need to collect your profits when the product has been shipped.

How Printify Works

Printify works in a somewhat similar manner to Customcat, but there are some differences that we should go through. So, how Printify works is that you need to create an account with them.

Then you will be asked to choose a plan, of which many options will suit many different budgets, so many people can afford to start their own custom products business venture.

Once you have registered and chosen your plant, you can design your products. You can choose an item you want to sell, then customize the item in many different ways, and then publish your product and sell, sell, sell. With Printify, you have a choice between 300+ items to sell.  

Printify can integrate with many different platforms, including Shopify, eBay, WooCommerce, Wix, Etsy, PrestaShop, and more. This allows you to maximize your possible sales as you can sell your product through multiple platforms.

When a buyer purchases your products, Printify will handle the printing and shipping of the product and then send the profits made to your account.

Pricing Of Customcat Vs. Printify

Now that you are aware of and understand what you can expect from Customcat and Printify, and what they can offer you as a start-up company, one thing you might be speculating is how much it’s going to cost you to start with these two platforms, and which one is the most cost-effective.

This is another aspect where these two platforms differ. This is where most people make up their minds about which platform they will go for, as many people starting a small business have a budget.

Let’s go through the general costs of each print-on-demand platform, so you can choose the one that will fit your start-up budget.

General Pricing Of Customcat

First, we will have a look at the general prices of Customcat. Customcat has two pricing plans on offer for their clients to choose from. Each pricing plan comes with various perks that are unique to each plan.

The first plan is directed at beginners and people starting their new businesses. This plan is called the Customcat Lite plan. With this plan, there are no monthly fees, and it allows you to get into the swing of things as you try to understand the platform and its offerings.

With the Customcat Lite plant, you can expect to pay about $9 per T-shirt you have printed with your design. The other plan available to you is the Customcat plan. This plant has a monthly fee of $30, and it comes with a 14-day free trial.

If you choose the Customcat plan, you will pay $7 per T-shirt you design and sell. This plan is best for people who have high volume sales as you can save quite a bit.

General Pricing Of Printify

Printify is pretty similar to Customcat in the fact that it has plans you can choose from when you first start out. However, Printify is somewhat cheaper than Customcat in the long run. With Printify, you can go with the general plan, which is free, but you will pay about $8 per T-shirt you print.

You can also opt for the Printify monthly premium plan, which is about $29 per month. This will also save you some money per T-shirt you design and sell. However, Printify is different from Customcat because they don’t have one fixed price for all of their products.

As Printify uses multiple printing companies, you have access to different price ranges depending on which printing company you choose to print your products. This can lead to further savings if you pick your printers carefully.

Comparing The Pros And Cons Of Each Company

Customcat and Printify seem like they are very similar print-on-demand platforms when you look at them from the surface level.

However, when you go a little deeper into the details for each platform, you can see that they do have some substantial differences that could cost you more in the long term if you don’t select the right platform for you.

This next section will consolidate all the information you need to know about these two platforms in an easy-to-read pros and cons list. We will compare the advantages and drawbacks of both platforms to decide which one suits your needs better.

Pros And Cons Of Customcat

Let’s first look at the advantages and shortcomings of Customcat. Here are the benefits you can expect to have when you choose Customcat as your print-on-demand platform:

• Customcat allows you to run your business from your phone through an easy-to-use app that you can download.
• Customcat has fast shipping to ensure your customers receive their products on time.
• Customcat offers two payment plans that you can choose from to fit within your budget.
• Customcat takes care of all the processes needed when running a business, for example, payments, shipping, and printing for you.

Here are a few drawbacks of choosing Customcat as your print-on-demand platform:

• Customcat only offers their in-house printers to print your products, which means their prices are fixed.
• Customcat has minimal integration features, so you are limited to two integrations where you can sell your products.
• Customcat will only have fast shipping to people in the US. International shipments will take longer.

Pros And Cons Of Printify

Now, let’s look at the advantages and shortcomings of Printify. Here are the benefits you can expect to have when you choose Printify as your print-on-demand platform:

• Printify has over 300 products you can choose from to place your design on and sell, offering you many different sales opportunities.
• Printify has multiple integrations available, so you can sell your custom products on many different platforms, possibly increasing your sales and profit.
• Printify will handle all the printing, payments, and shipping of your items to customers on your behalf, limiting your stress.
• Printify has access to many different printing companies, allowing you to save money wherever you can by choosing cheaper printers.
• Printify has fast shipping, ensuring your customers receive their products on time, including for international orders.

Here are a few drawbacks of choosing Printify as your print-on-demand platform:

• Some of the cheaper printers that Printify offers may not always be available due to big orders holding up the process, leaving you with only the slightly more expensive options.
• The interface of the Printify platform can be challenging for some to use and understand in the beginning.

Conclusion

Printify and Customcat are great print-on-demand companies that offer great service and take care of your customers. Printify has a few advantages over Customcat, but both platforms have their place and are great at their services. Hopefully, this article helps you decide which platform is best for you. Good Luck with your new business venture!

Reveal: I have used Printify since May of 2020 and have been extremely happy with the service all the way around. Printify is my choice for Print on Demand, especially for brand new businesses. To check them out click here: Printify