Print-on-demand (POD) platforms have become a game-changer for anyone looking to sell custom products without the headache of managing inventory or dealing with logistics. Whether you’re an artist wanting to turn your designs into real-world items or a small business aiming to expand your product line, POD services make it easier than ever to get started.
Two of the big names in the game right now are Gelato and Printify. Gelato stands out with its global network of local print partners, ensuring faster delivery times and consistent quality no matter where your customers are. Printify, on the other hand, offers a wide range of products and flexible pricing, which appeals to those who want variety and control over their margins.
Below, we’ll dive into a comparison of Gelato and Printify, highlighting why Gelato might just be the smarter choice for your business in 2024.
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Gelato vs Printify Comparison Chart
Company Overview
With Gelato, merchants benefit from global reach and a focus on sustainability. Meanwhile, Printify offers flexibility and competitive pricing.
When it comes to print-on-demand (POD) platforms, Gelato and Printify are two big names that have made their mark.
Gelato, founded in 2007, is the world’s largest network of production and logistics partners. With operations in 32 countries and a reach of over 5 billion people, Gelato makes it easy for businesses to scale globally. The platform integrates smoothly with major e-commerce sites like Etsy, Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce. Known for its focus on sustainability and ease of use, Gelato is a top pick for those who want to grow without the hassle of managing inventory.
Meanwhile, Printify has been around since 2015 and is a favorite for over 6 million merchants. It lets sellers create, sell, and fulfill custom products through their online stores or marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, and Walmart. Printify’s standout features include a wide product selection, the option to choose your print provider, and competitive pricing, making it a solid choice for businesses that want control over their products and profits.
Both platforms bring a lot to the table, but Gelato’s global reach and sustainability focus give it an edge in the POD world.
Product Selection and Integrations
While Printify offers a larger catalog and strong integration options, Gelato stands out for its extensive seamless integrations and extensive wall art portfolio.
With Gelato, merchants have access to diverse range of customizable products across 90+ categories, including hundreds of items like apparel for men, women, and kids, as well as home decor, accessories, and stationery. Plus, Gelato offers the most extensive and comprehensive portfolio in the print-on-demand industry, especially when it comes to wall art.
Integrations are where Gelato really shines—it connects seamlessly with leading e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Wix, Squarespace, and BigCommerce. For those who need more advanced options, Gelato also offers connections via Order Desk for automated order management or a direct API.
Printify, on the other hand, offers larger product catalog, boasting over 850 customizable items. Their lineup covers categories like clothing for all ages, drinkware, posters, phone cases, and bags, giving sellers an impressive range of options to choose from.
Meanwhile, Printify’s integration capabilities are just as strong, with support for Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, eBay, Walmart, Squarespace, Wix, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, TikTok, and custom API solutions for more advanced users.
Both platforms have access to millions of images and premium artwork courtesy of an integration with Shutterstock. They also offer powerful tools to help you turn your designs into real products. However, Gelato’s ease of integration and streamlined user experience make it a strong contender for those who value simplicity and efficiency in scaling their business.
Quality and Personalization
Gelato excels with premium quality, extensive personalization, and strong branding features, while Printify provides solid quality control and a broad network, but with some variability in product consistency.
Gelato is regarded for partnering with modern equipment providers to ensure consistent print, product, and packing quality. The platform also excels in quality control, with thorough checks and hands-on inspections to ensure products always feel premium. Plus, their custom packaging inserts and branded labels help boost your brand’s visibility without minimum order requirements.
However, Gelato’s Personalization Studio is what stands out as a major highlight of the platform. It allows business owners to offer products that customers can personalize directly on sites like Etsy or Shopify—think custom posters with photo collages or hoodies featuring initials or names.
Once a customer customizes an item, the order is automatically processed and sent straight to production. Notably, Gelato is the only POD platform offering this seamless, automated personalization service.
Meanwhile, Printify is known for its extensive product catalog and strong quality control with three rigorous checks: inspecting blank products, monitoring prints, and benchmarking against competitors. Despite these measures, some users report more frequent quality issues, which can be attributed to Printify’s extensive network of print providers. The platform does offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee with free reprints if products don’t meet their standards.
Lastly, while Printify provides neck labels and inserts for branding, it lacks the extensive personalization options that Gelato offers, which allows merchants to customize even their packaging. Gelato offers more print areas for products, such as apparel, allowing customization on the front, back, inner and outer neck, as well as both sleeves, whereas Printify limits printing to just the front and back. Moreover, Gelato’s pricing for items like the Gildan 5000 t-shirt is more competitive
Tools and Print Network
Gelato offers a comprehensive set of tools and provides faster, more eco-friendly shipping, while Printify excels in e-commerce integrations with fewer tools and a smaller network.
Both Gelato and Printify offer a suite of tools to enhance the print-on-demand experience, but they differ in scope and functionality.
Gelato stands out with its comprehensive suite of tools. Beyond robust e-commerce integrations and the unique Personalization Studio, Gelato provides a Mockup Studio for product visualization, a Price Navigator to help manage pricing, and built-in analytics for performance insights. Merchants also get access to a Design Maker for easy artwork creation and a mobile app for on-the-go store management.
Printify, while also strong in e-commerce integrations, offers fewer tools. It includes a free pop-up store for quickly setting up standalone shops and features over 900 mockup designs and an AI Image Generator for product visualization.
In terms of print networks, Gelato leads with the world’s largest print-on-demand network. With over 140 local partners in 32 countries, Gelato minimizes shipping times, costs, and carbon emissions, ensuring faster and more eco-friendly delivery. A major advantage of Gelato is its hyper-localized production model, with around 90% of orders being fulfilled in the destination country.
Printify has a smaller network with 100+ production partners and fewer logistics options. Although it maintains consistent quality, it doesn’t match Gelato’s scale and speed. Gelato’s network ensures that if an item is out of stock, it can be rerouted to the nearest production hub, offering quicker turnaround times.
Pricing
Pricing-wise, Gelato offers a range of subscription plans with diverse features and discounts, giving it an edge over Printify’s single premium plan.
Gelato is free to use and merchants only pay for what they sell. For those seeking more features, Gelato offers three subscription tiers: Gelato+ at $24 per month with up to 10% discounts, Gelato+ Gold at $119 with additional discounts and smart pricing, and Gelato+ Platinum with custom pricing, tailored discounts, and a customer success manager. This tiered approach allows businesses to scale their services according to their needs.
Printify also has a free plan that includes 5 stores and unlimited product designs. Its paid option, Printify Premium, costs $24.99 per month (billed annually) and offers up to 20% discounts and 10 stores. For larger operations, Printify’s Enterprise plan provides unlimited designs and stores with additional discounts.
While both platforms offer a free entry point, Gelato’s tiered subscription plans provide more tailored options and added benefits, giving it an edge in flexibility and feature range for different business needs.
Verdict
Overall, Gelato is the better choice over Printify thanks to its top-notch global network, unique personalization features, and flexible plans
When it comes down to it, Gelato takes the lead over Printify in several key areas. Its massive global network means you get top-notch quality and quicker shipping, plus the unique Personalization Studio makes it a standout choice for businesses wanting to offer custom products directly to their customers.
Gelato’s range of subscription plans is another win, providing flexibility and features that cater to businesses of all sizes—from startups to big players. With tools like advanced mockups and branding options, Gelato really supports a merchant’s growth and makes managing a store a breeze.
While Printify has some solid features and competitive pricing, Gelato’s consistent print quality, innovative personalization, and comprehensive tools make it the better pick for those who want to make their mark with standout products and an easy, efficient process. If you’re looking for the best in print-on-demand, Gelato’s got you covered.