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In this blog post, I’ll compare two cutting-edge online platforms, Printify vs Shopify, to help you decide which is best for your eCommerce business.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or an ambitious newbie, I have you covered!
I’ll assess both platforms’ strengths and weaknesses while providing valuable tips and tricks along the way so you can make the best choice for you.
Join me as I explore the differences between Printify vs Shopify and discover which will help your business succeed in the competitive world of eCommerce!
Read my comprehensive Top 10 Website builder for Small Business article here.
Quick Summary
- Printify and Shopify both cater to eCommerce businesses. However, they serve very different purposes.
- If your business is looking for a premium and scalable online store builder platform with extensive sales and marketing tools, Shopify is your best choice.
- With one of the largest product catalogs, automated order fulfillment, and high-quality control through reliable printing partners, Printify is perfect for teams looking to dip their toes into Print on Demand.
- You can combine Shopify and Printify to create a comprehensive and fully functional online store – all without the hassle of inventory management or shipping issues!
Printify vs Shopify 2024
With 33% of the world now shopping online (2024), investing in an online store for your brand is imperative.
However, with multiple eCommerce store options available, deciding which platform to choose for your business can often feel overwhelming.
Printify and Shopify are two leading eCommerce platforms that can help you sell more products online.
Both tools offer very different approaches. So, which is best for you?
Get ready for this exciting face-off between two heavyweight eCommerce platforms: Printify vs Shopify!
What Are They? Printify vs Shopify
Printify is a Print on Demand service that essentially works similarly to dropshipping (without the added stress of inventory management!)
With Printify, simply design and upload your custom designs (onto the blank product you want to sell), then connect it to your existing online store or marketplace.
Once someone buys your product on your online store, the details automatically get sent to Printify, and they take care of the rest!
Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce platform that provides everything you need to run an online store, including hosting, payment processing, and website customization.
With millions of Shopify stores globally, Shopify is a leading content management system (CMS) that can help you streamline your operations, reach more customers, and grow online!
Let’s dive into the key differences between both Printify vs Shopify now.
What Are The Differences Between Printify vs Shopify?
While Printify and Shopify both serve the eCommerce industry, their approaches to eCommerce are very different.
● Printify is not an online store but a Print on Demand service that you can integrate with your existing online store.
● Shopify is a fully functional, diverse, scalable online store builder.
With Printify, you can easily create, sell, and deliver custom-designed products to your customers without managing any production, inventory, printing, or shipping.
Focusing on simplifying product creation and top-notch printing quality, Printify is perfect for brands looking to incorporate custom products into their existing online store.
On the other hand, Shopify is a robust eCommerce platform that excels in helping users create and manage their online stores effortlessly.
With a total suite of features like inventory management and an integrated shopping cart, Shopify is a complete online store solution for teams looking to run their store from scratch.
Ease Of Use
Shopify is renowned for its user-friendly interface and intuitive dashboard, and it doesn’t disappoint!
With Shopify, anyone can easily make their way around their dashboard to effortlessly add products, customize their store, and manage their orders – all within a few clicks!
And thanks to the easy-to-use theme editor, you can simply personalize your Shopify online store to match your business and brand.
In saying this, Shopify’s advanced features like sales and performance tracking and customer and store management tools can result in a higher learning curve for some users.
Printify is easy to set up and use and also has a simple, intuitive interface.
With Printify’s integrated design tools and streamlined order production, packaging, and fulfillment services, it’s easy to connect your Printify products to your eCommerce store (or marketplace).
This is a close one! Don’t get me wrong, Shopify is VERY easy to use.
However, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to launch a company without worrying about inventory, Printify is your go-to solution!
Winner = Printify.
Read more: Is Print On Demand Worth It?
Pricing
Printify:
● Free: $0
● Premium: $24.99 per month
● Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Note: There are no monthly subscription fees for the Printify free plan, but you still will need to pay for the product when you sell it.
So, remember to add your profit margins on top of shipping and printing fees for all products.
Shopify:
● Starter: $5 per month (Includes unlimited product listings but no website)
● Basic: $39 per month (Includes an online store, unlimited products, and a fully functional online store).
● Shopify: $105 per month (Includes advanced marketing and automation tools and lower transaction fees)
● Advanced: $399 per month (Includes real-time shipping rates and international sales tools).
● Shopify Plus: From $2000 (Best for high-volume businesses).
Note: There are additional costs with Shopify, such as payment processing fees, extra transaction fees (for external payment processing platforms), premium themes, or Shopify fulfillment services.
Winner = Printify.
Read more: Shopify vs Etsy For Selling Online.
What Can You Do With Printify?
Some key tools and features include:
● Over 850 fully customizable products.
● Customizable branding options like custom invoices, pack-ins, and labels.
● A built-in global fulfillment service.
● Integrations with marketplaces and eCommerce tools.
You may be thinking……this list is quite….limited? Well, you’re not wrong.
However, this is the whole point! Printify aims to simplify the entire selling process for you so you can get on with the good stuff.
Read more: Print On Demand Stickers.
What Can You Do With Shopify?
Shopify provides limitless possibilities for building a unique online store tailored to your business and brand.
Some key Shopify features include:
● Website hosting.
● Shopify payments (built-in payment processing solution).
● Built-in email marketing tools.
● A wide variety of themes and templates.
● Multiple currencies.
● Transaction tracking and tax reports.
● A built-in fulfillment network.
● Integrated SEO tools.
● Automation for email campaigns and workflows.
● Easy to use mobile app.
And that’s not all! Shopify offers so many incredible tools and features that can help you skyrocket your sales!
Read more: Do You Need an LLC For Shopify?
Printify vs Shopify Key Features
Sales and Marketing Features
Both tools allow the creation of ‘pop-up stores’ with shareable product links for messenger apps and social media promotion.
Additionally, Printify and Shopify offer worldwide shipping capabilities, product catalogs, and the ability to track created items.
Integration with various sales tools and online marketplaces is seamless on both tools (more on this soon), and both handle order fulfillment for you.
However, there are some differences.
For example, Shopify requires you to use a third-party service (or the Shopify Fulfillment Network) for this, whereas Printify utilizes a dynamic global network of fulfillment partners.
In saying this, Shopify offers a wider range of sales, marketing, and inventory management tools than Printify.
Shopify has comprehensive inventory management features for:
● Monitoring stock levels.
● Receiving low-stock alerts.
● Assigning product SKUs and barcodes, and more.
Marketing-wise, Shopify integrates with various tools for different campaigns, offers built-in SEO tools, enables blog creation, and provides a handy ‘abandoned cart recovery’ function.
And finally, Shopify offers additional sales channels, including a point-of-sale (POS) solution for effortless in-person selling.
As you can see, Shopify’s diverse sales and marketing features outshine Printify’s, offering a broader scope of tools for marketing campaigns and expansion opportunities.
Winner = Shopify.
Read more: Print on Demand Jewelry.
Design and Customization
Shopify and Printify have distinct differences in terms of web design and themes.
Because Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce website builder, naturally, it comes with a massive theme store featuring customizable premium and free designs.
With Shopify, you can create entirely new and unique web pages that align with your brand!
On the other hand, Printify isn’t a website builder and only allows you to create pop-up stores (with limited design options).
For optimum results, I recommend integrating Printify with an existing website builder (like Shopify!)
In saying that, in terms of actual customization regarding your designs, the Printify Mockup Generator is pretty good.
You can easily see what your designs look best on different products, and you can build custom designs with templates.
Winner = Shopify.
Read more: Ecwid vs Shopify.
Integrations
Printify offers seamless integrations with various eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Wix, Etsy, and PrestaShop.
This means you can easily manage your products directly from your Printify store within these website builders!
Plus, API custom integrations are also possible with Prinitfy.
However, Printify’s app and third-party integration capabilities are more limited than Shopify’s.
In fact, Shopify is renowned for its 8000+ selection of apps and integrations (which is why so many people love it!)
Its extensive app marketplace covers anything from:
● Marketing.
● Sales.
● Analytics.
● Customer support and more.
Some popular integrations include Google Analytics, Instagram, Facebook, and MailChimp.
Winner = Shopify.
Read more: Google Analytics Shopify Integration.
Printify vs Shopify Integration
Shopify integrates with many Print on Demand services, including Printify!
That’s right, you can connect your existing Shopify online store with your Printify account to start selling your unique designs.
So, how does it work?
To use Shopify Print on Demand with Printify, follow these simple steps:
● Set up your Shopify online store and create a Printify account.
● When setting up your Printify account, you’ll be prompted to sync your online store.
● Select ‘Shopify’ and enter your Shopify domain name.
● Install the Shopify app.
And that’s it! Your Shopify store will now automatically connect to Printify.
Once you’ve done that:
● Choose the products you want to sell and customize them as desired.
● Upload your chosen products to your Shopify store (through Printify).
● Add relevant details like the product title, description, tags, and pricing.
● Publish your product!
You’ll find your products have been automatically displayed on your Shopify store.
And that’s how easy it is to use Printify with Shopify!
By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate Printify with your Shopify store to start selling your products!
Read more: What is Print on Demand Etsy?
Printify vs Shopify Customer Support
Shopify boasts a comprehensive help center with thorough documentation, tutorials, guides, videos, FAQs, and more.
Printify also offers an exceptional help center with insightful blogs, articles, and troubleshooting tips.
Both platforms provide the option to pay for ‘expert assistance,’ but Shopify has the cutting edge regarding direct customer support, with phone support (in some countries).
Shopify also commits to providing 24/7 support, ensuring around-the-clock assistance!
On the other hand, Printify may take a bit longer to respond to queries outside of standard business hours.
Winner = Shopify.
Read more: Magneto vs Shopify.
Printify vs Shopify Who Are They Best For?
Okay, so which is best for your eCommerce brand?
If you don’t already have an online store and want an easy-to-use, scalable online store website builder, I can’t recommend Shopify enough!
Shopify suits all online stores – regardless of size or business type.
And with Shopify’s premium built-in features, incredible integrations, and omnichannel selling capabilities, Shopify really is a one-stop-shop for all your eCommerce needs.
If you’re a growing brand and want to diversify your product range (with minimal risk involved) or want to dip your toes into Print on Demand, you can’t go past Printify’s free plan.
Plus, Printify is perfect for artists or designers who want to monetize their skill sets and bring their visions to life!
Printify is the perfect Print on Demand service because of its wide product catalog, extensive global print network, high-quality products, and low costs.
Stews Final Thoughts
And that wraps up this Printify vs Shopify guide! I hope you can now identify which online eCommerce tool best suits you.
In saying that, who says you have to choose?
Printify and Shopify serve different purposes, but they certainly complement each other.
With the Printify Shopify integration, you can combine the best of both worlds and sell your customizable products directly on your Shopify store!
So, are you ready to start selling? Let’s go!
