I Tested and Reviewd Threadless vs Printful: My Verdict for 2025

Printful gives you higher profit margins, full pricing control, and branding options, making it the better choice for serious sellers. Meanwhile,

Threadless is easier for beginners, but you’ll earn less per sale since Threadless controls the pricing and profit margins.

If you want passive income with no setup hassle, go with Threadless. If you want to build a brand and maximize profits, go with Printful.

Threadless vs Printful: Pricing Comparison Table FeatureThreadlessPrintfulUpfront Costs$0 (No monthly fees)$0 (Free Plan) or $24.99/month (Growth Plan)Profit Margins10-20% per sale (Threadless sets prices)You set your own prices (Can make 30-50% profit)CustomizationNo branding optionsCustom labels, packaging, brandingProduct Base CostsLower, but limited quality & optionsHigher, but more premium productsShipping CostsHigher in some cases ($5.99+ per item)Lower in some cases ($4.69 for a T-shirt)Best ForArtists who want passive incomeEntrepreneurs who want higher profits & brand control What is Threadless?

Threadless is a marketplace-based print-on-demand (POD) platform. Artists upload designs, and customers buy them on T-shirts, hoodies, accessories and more.

Unlike other POD services, Threadless operates more like Redbubble or TeePublic, where the platform itself manages printing, fulfillment and customer service. This means sellers don’t have to worry about logistics or customer issues, making it an easy way to sell designs online.

One of the biggest draw of Threadless is its built-in audience. Since it’s a marketplace, people visit Threadless looking for unique designs.

This means you can generate sales without paid ads or personal marketing efforts. But the downside is your designs are competing against thousands of others, so you need to create something truly unique or go viral.

Another important thing is the pricing structure.

Threadless sets retail prices for products, so you don’t have full control over your profit margins. While this makes it easy to start selling right away, it also limits how much you can make per sale compared to a fully independent store.

Pros of Threadless:

✅ No upfront costs – You don’t pay for inventory.
✅ Built-in marketplace – Customers can find your designs.
✅ Easy setup – Just upload designs and start selling.

Cons of Threadless:

❌ Lower profit margins – You don’t set the price. Threadless decides how much you earn.
❌ Limited store customization – You can’t brand your own store.
❌ Marketplace competition – You’re competing with thousands of other artists.

If you want hands-off approach and don’t care about setting your own prices, Threadless is okay. But if you want more control, keep reading.

Go to the top What is Printful?

Printful is a print-on-demand dropshipping service that integrates with Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce and other e-commerce platforms.

Unlike Threadless, you control your store, pricing and branding—Printful just prints and ships your products. This makes it a better option for business owners who want to build a unique brand rather than just selling on a shared marketplace.

One of Printful’s biggest advantages is flexibility. You’re not limited to a single marketplace—you can sell through your own website, on Etsy, Amazon, eBay or anywhere else you choose.

This means more opportunities to scale, but it also requires more work since you need to drive your own traffic through SEO, social media or paid ads.

Another major plus is branding control. Printful lets you customize your store, add custom labels, include branded packaging and even print custom packing slips.

This makes it feel more like your own business rather than selling through a third-party platform. If you’re serious about branding, this is a huge advantage over Threadless.

How it works: You create a store (Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce etc.) Upload designs and add them to your store Printful prints and ships orders as they come in Pros of Printful: Higher profit margins – You set your own prices. Full brand control – Your own store, not a marketplace. More products – Printful offers a wider variety of custom items. Cons of Printful: Requires a store – You need Shopify, Etsy or another platform. Marketing is on you – No built-in audience like Threadless. Upfront costs – Some products can be expensive to produce.

If you want control over pricing, branding and marketing, Printful is the better option. But it requires more work.

Go to the top Product Quality: Threadless vs Printful Threadless Product Quality

Threadless uses direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, a method that sprays ink directly onto fabric like an inkjet printer.

This means detailed and colorful designs, but the print may not be as durable as screen printing. Since Threadless prints all products in-house, the quality is generally consistent but not always the best compared to high-end POD services.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Threadless is limited customization options.

You’re limited to their default printing methods and can’t choose premium brands like Bella+Canvas or Next Level Apparel. This means your products won’t have the same premium feel that Printful can offer.

Threadless is great if you’re targeting casual buyers who want unique designs. But if you’re building a premium brand, the product quality might not be high enough.

Printful Product Quality

Printful offers multiple printing methods – DTG, embroidery and sublimation printing. This means you can sell higher-end apparel, embroidered hats and all-over print designs – features Threadless doesn’t offer.

Another big plus of Printful is you can choose your own blank products. You’re not stuck with generic T-shirts – you can offer premium brands like Bella+Canvas, American Apparel or Champion. This gives you more control over product quality and allows you to position your brand as high-end.

Winner: Printful (more options, better control over quality).

Go to the top Pricing & Profit Margins: Threadless vs Printful

Pricing is a huge factor when choosing between Threadless vs Printful. At the end of the day, your profit margins determine how much money you actually take home.

Threadless follows a fixed pricing model, meaning they set the prices, and you earn a small percentage per sale. Printful, on the other hand, lets you set your own prices, giving you full control over your profit margins.

With Printful’s updated 2025 pricing structure, there are even more ways to cut costs and increase profits—especially with their new Growth Plan discounts.

Let’s break it all down.

Threadless Pricing & Earnings

How does Threadless pricing work?

Threadless is a low-risk, low-reward model. They handle production, shipping, and customer service, but they also control the pricing—meaning you don’t get to decide how much you charge.

Your earnings per sale are usually 10-20% of the retail price, depending on the product. This might sound okay at first, but when you compare it to Printful’s margins, it becomes clear that Threadless sellers make a lot less per item.

Example: How Much Can You Make on Threadless?

Let’s say you sell a T-shirt for $25 on Threadless. You might only make $3 to $5 per sale.

Now, let’s compare that to Printful:

With Printful, you can price the same shirt at $30-$35. After production and shipping costs, you could easily make $10-$20 per sale.

That’s double or triple what you’d earn on Threadless. Multiply that over 100+ sales, and you see the difference.

This is the trade-off: Threadless requires less effort, but Printful gives you way more control over profits.

Printful Pricing & Earnings (2025 Update)

Printful recently revamped its pricing model, and it’s now more competitive than ever. Unlike Threadless, Printful lets you set your own retail prices, giving you complete control over your earnings per sale.

Printful’s 2025 Pricing Plans: Free vs Growth Membership

Printful now has two main pricing plans:

1️⃣ Free Plan – No monthly fee. You just pay for products and shipping when customers order.
2️⃣ Growth Plan ($24.99/month) – Includes product discounts, branding perks, and sample order savings.

Bonus: If your store earns $12,000 per year ($1K/month), the Growth Plan is free.

This is a huge advantage because Printful is the only POD company that makes its premium plan free when you hit a certain revenue level.

How Printful’s Product Pricing Works

Unlike Threadless, Printful follows a pay-as-you-go model. You don’t pay anything upfront—costs are only deducted when a customer places an order.

Your total cost per product includes:

✅ Base Product Cost (T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, etc.)
✅ Printing Fee (depends on design placement & printing method)
✅ Shipping Fees (varies by location & product)
✅ Optional Branding Costs (custom labels, packaging, inserts)

Here’s an example of how pricing works for different products:

ProductBase CostPrinting FeeTotal Cost (Before Shipping)Recommended Selling PriceProfit MarginGildan 64000 T-Shirt$6.95$2.50 (Printing)$9.45$25-$30$15-$20Bella + Canvas 3001 T-Shirt$10.50Included$10.50$30+$19.50+Gildan 18500 Hoodie$22.25Included$22.25$50-$60$27-$3711oz White Mug$6.50Included$6.50$18-$20$11-$13

Key Takeaway: Printful lets you make $10-$30 per sale instead of the $3-$5 you’d get on Threadless.

Printful’s Shipping Costs vs Threadless

Shipping is not included in Printful’s base product cost, but you can either:

✅ Charge customers for shipping (most sellers do this)
✅ Offer “free” shipping by adding the cost into the product price

Here’s how Printful’s shipping compares to Threadless:

Product TypePrintful Shipping (US)Threadless Shipping (US)T-Shirts$4.69$5.99Hoodies$8.49$10.99Mugs$6.49$8.99