Merchize vs Printify Comparison 2026
Merchize prints and ships for free beyond the product cost, and will also host the storefront it was bought from for $79 a month per store past 5,000 products. Printify is a broker across ninety-plus print providers rather than a single printer, so the same shirt can come from several suppliers at different prices, free for five stores and unlimited designs, then $39 a month, or $24.99 billed yearly, for a broader discount and ten stores. Merchize's own comparison names Printify directly: it carries the larger catalogue, and Merchize is the one that also hosts the shop. Printify demands more diligence, since picking the wrong provider means ordering samples to find out.
Print on demand with a storefront attached
Print on demand across ninety print shops
At a glance
- Printify starts cheaper, at $39.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Merchize | Printify | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $79 | From $39 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 7 days | None |
| API |
Merchize
Print on demand with a storefront attached
Merchize prints and ships the order, and will also host the shop it was bought from. Those are sold separately: fulfilment costs nothing beyond the product, and the storefront is the part with a monthly fee. That split suits somebody who already sells somewhere and only needs the printing, and somebody who wants both without wiring two services together.
Our note
Take the free fulfilment plan and keep selling where you already sell, unless you specifically want Merchize hosting the shop. Printful and Printify have larger catalogs; Merchize is the one that will also be your storefront.
Printify
Print on demand across ninety print shops
Printify is a broker rather than a printer: the same shirt is offered by several suppliers at different prices and print quality, and picking between them is the work. That is the argument over Printful, which prints everything itself and charges accordingly. Ordering samples before a launch is not optional here.
Our note
The provider choice is the whole product and also the risk: two suppliers printing the same shirt do not print it the same. Order samples from the one you pick before a launch, not after the first complaint.
Why people weigh these two
- Printify instead of Merchize
- Printify spreads orders across ninety different print shops, a wider supplier network for finding the cheapest or fastest option per product.
- Merchize instead of Printify
- Merchize bundles a storefront together with the print-on-demand catalogue rather than leaving the selling side to be set up separately.
Which one should you pick
Pick Merchize if a hosted storefront alongside the printing is genuinely useful, or you already sell elsewhere and only want free fulfilment with API access. The storefront fee is $79 a month per store once you pass 5,000 products, charged per store rather than per account.
Pick Printify if provider choice and catalogue size matter more than a bundled shop: ninety-plus suppliers means the same product can be sourced cheaper or better depending which one you pick, though that also means ordering samples before a launch rather than trusting one printer blind. Free covers five stores with no upfront cost, and Premium at $39 a month, or $24.99 billed yearly, adds up to a third off product costs once volume justifies it.
Common questions
- Which has the bigger catalogue, Merchize or Printify?
- Printify, by Merchize's own comparison, which states that Printful and Printify both carry larger catalogues and that Merchize's distinct feature is hosting the storefront as well as printing.
- Does Printify host a shop like Merchize's storefront plan?
- No, Printify connects to stores you already run, such as Shopify, Etsy or eBay, rather than hosting one. Merchize offers that as a separate paid option, $79 a month per store past 5,000 products.
- Why would picking a provider on Printify take extra work?
- Because it is a broker, not a single printer: the same shirt is offered by multiple suppliers at different prices and print quality. Printify's own advice is to order samples from whichever one you pick before a launch, which Merchize's single-fulfiller model does not require.
- Is there a free way to try either one?
- Yes, both. Merchize's fulfilment plan is free indefinitely with unlimited users and API access; you only pay the product cost per order. Printify's free plan covers five stores and unlimited designs with no upfront cost either.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.