Shopify vs Teespring: Which Platform Suits You Best?

Are you trying to decide between Shopify and Teespring for your print-on-demand business? 

Shopify and Teespring are both popular options, but they offer very different features and experiences. This article will guide you through the pros and cons of each platform, helping you find the best fit for your business goals.

Keep reading to discover which platform—Shopify or Teespring—is the perfect match for your print-on-demand journey.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify is the preferred option for entrepreneurs who desire a customizable and scalable platform for their print-on-demand business and think about the longer term.
• Teespring is well-suited for beginners who prioritize a user-friendly interface and integrated services to embark on their print-on-demand journey.

Shopify vs Teespring: The key difference

The key difference between Shopify and Teespring lies in the level of control and customization versus simplicity and ease of use.

Shopify gives you full control over your online store, including design, pricing, and customer experience. It’s a platform built for flexibility and growth, making it ideal for those who want to build and scale a fully customized e-commerce business.

Teespring, on the other hand, is focused on simplicity. It handles everything from production to shipping, allowing you to start selling quickly without worrying about the technical aspects of running a store. This makes it perfect for creators who want an easy, low-risk way to sell custom products without needing to manage the details.

Shopify vs Teespring: Table Comparison

Shopify vs Teespring: In-depth Comparison

Pricing

Shopify

Shopify charges a monthly fee, starting at $39 and going up to $399 for more advanced plans. 

NOTE: Shopify offers a hot deal for new users, including a 3-day free trial and the opportunity to pay only $1 for the first month. You can click here to get the deal.

However, beyond the monthly fee, there are additional costs to consider. If you use payment methods other than Shopify Payments, you’ll face extra transaction fees, typically ranging from 0-2%. 

Moreover, many users opt to purchase premium apps and themes to customize their stores, which can add to the overall cost. 

While Shopify requires a higher upfront investment, it provides you with extensive control over your store’s design, functionality, and customer experience, which can lead to higher profits in the long run.

Read more: Shopify Pricing Plans: How To Choose The Right Plans For Your Store

Teespring

There are no monthly fees with Teespring. Instead, the platform takes a portion of each sale as its service fee. That includes:

• Pricing for Fulfillment Service: Typically around 15% of the selling price of each product.
• Pricing for Sourcing and Fulfillment Service: The service fee for sourcing and fulfillment is generally around $2 or 15% of the selling price, whichever is higher.

This fee covers the costs of making and shipping the products, meaning you don’t have to worry about any upfront expenses. 

This model is low-risk, especially for those who are just starting out or want a hassle-free way to sell custom products. However, because Teespring handles production, fulfillment, and customer service, your profit margins are generally lower compared to what you might achieve with Shopify.

Table comparison in terms of overall pricing

For example, let’s compare selling a t-shirt on Shopify vs. Teespring:

Selling on Shopify:

1. Costs: You choose a plan, say the Basic Shopify plan, which costs $39 per month. You also use a print-on-demand service like Printful, which charges $10 to produce each t-shirt.
2. Setting Price: You set the selling price of your t-shirt at $25.
3. Profit Calculation: After a customer buys a t-shirt, you earn $25. From this, you subtract the $10 production cost, leaving you with $15 profit. You also pay a small transaction fee to Shopify, but you keep most of the profit.
4. Custom Control: You fully control the store’s design, branding, and customer experience.

Selling on Teespring:

1. Costs: There’s no monthly fee. Teespring charges a base cost of $10 to produce the t-shirt.
2. Setting Price: You set the selling price at $25.
3. Profit Calculation: When someone buys your t-shirt, you earn $25. Teespring takes their base cost of $10 and a service fee, let’s say $3. This leaves you with $12 profit.
4. Simple Setup: You don’t have to worry about designing the store or managing inventory; Teespring handles production, shipping, and customer service for you.

Winner: Shopify 

Shopify offers better profit margins if you are willing to invest in its monthly subscription.

Sales Features of Shopify vs Teespring

Product Variety and Customization:

When comparing Shopify’s print-on-demand tools with Teespring’s, the first thing that stands out is product variety. 

With Shopify, you can connect with a bunch of POD providers like Printful and Printify. This gives you access to a wide range of products—think t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, home decor, and more. 

But with Teespring, your options are more limited. They mainly stick to apparel and a few other items like apparel, mugs, and stickers.

Control Over Branding and Storefront:

If you’re big on creating a unique brand identity, Shopify is the way to go. You get nearly complete control over your store’s look and feel, from the design and layout to the URL. 

For instance, you can customize your store to match your brand’s colors, use your own domain, and create a professional online shopping experience.

On the other hand, Teespring provides a more standardized storefront within its platform. It’s easier to set up, but it doesn’t give you the same level of customization, so your store might look similar to others on Teespring.

Pricing and Profit Margins:

When it comes to pricing and profit margins, Shopify lets you set your own prices. After covering the base product cost and any POD fees, the rest is your profit. 

For example, if it costs $10 to produce a product and you sell it for $30, you get to keep $20 (minus any additional fees). 

However, Teespring operates differently. They charge a service fee, usually around $2 or 15% of the sale price, which is deducted from your earnings. 

This often means lower profit margins, but on the flip side, there are no upfront costs, making it easier to start selling.

Marketing and Sales Tools:

Shopify offers a robust suite of marketing tools, including SEO, social media integration, email marketing, and access to a vast library of apps. This makes it ideal for businesses that want to scale and need advanced tools to drive traffic and sales. 

For example, you can use Shopify’s integration with apps like Klaviyo to run personalized email campaigns and boost your sales.

On the flip side, Teespring focuses more on easy social media sharing and tapping into its built-in marketplace. This can help you get your first sales, but it doesn’t offer the same depth of marketing options that Shopify does.

Reporting and Analytics

Precise reporting and analytics are indispensable for effectively monitoring and comprehending the performance of an e-commerce business. 

Shopify takes the lead by offering a comprehensive set of reporting and analytics tools that equip sellers with valuable insights into sales, traffic, and customer behavior. In particular, the metrics are:

• Sales conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who make a purchase. An average ecommerce conversion rate is around 5.2%.
• Average order value: The average amount customers spend in a single transaction.
• Customer lifetime value: The total revenue expected from a customer throughout their relationship with your business.
• Customer acquisition costs: The cost of acquiring a new customer, calculated by dividing marketing expenses by the number of new customers.
• Shopping cart abandonment rate: The percentage of shoppers who add items to their cart but do not complete the purchase.
• Returning customer rate: The percentage of customers who have made more than one purchase.
• Bounce rate: The percentage of visitors who leave the website without taking any action.
• Net promoter score: Measures overall customer loyalty and satisfaction, calculated based on customers’ likelihood to recommend the business.
• Click-through rate: The rate at which people click on an ad, email, or post and land on your website.
• Store sessions by traffic source: Tracks the number of visitors and how they accessed your website (e.g., search, social, direct, email).
• Store sessions by device: Shows the number of visitors based on the device they used to access your online store.

Teespring also recognizes the significance of reporting and analytics, providing sellers with features to monitor sales and track essential metrics, including:

• Listings Analytics: Access individual listing analytics to see metrics such as orders made, units sold, and total profit for each listing.
• Source of Units: Understand where your sales come from, either through Teespring’s Boosted Network or Direct sales from your promotions.
• URL Parameters: Utilize URL parameters to track traffic and views from specific sources, providing valuable data on audience responsiveness.
• Traffic Sources: Get a breakdown of your page traffic sources, including social media channels and websites.
• Orders: Identify your most popular products and colors to optimize your promotional strategies and increase sales.
• Google Analytics: Integrate Teespring with Google Analytics to gain comprehensive data on website visitors, traffic sources, and buyer demographics.

Sales Features only Shopify has

Here are the key sales features that Shopify has but Teespring doesn’t:

1. Abandoned Cart Recovery: Shopify automatically emails customers who leave items in their carts, helping recover lost sales.
2. Discount Codes and Gift Cards: You can create custom discounts and gift cards to boost sales and attract customers.
3. Multi-Channel Selling: Shopify lets you sell on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and more from one dashboard.
4. Advanced Reporting: Detailed sales reports and analytics help you track performance and make data-driven decisions.
5. Custom Checkout: Shopify offers a customizable checkout process with multiple payment gateways and one-click options.
6. Subscription Services: Sell subscription products for recurring revenue through Shopify’s integrations.
7. POS Integration: Sync online and offline sales with Shopify’s Point of Sale system.
8. Shipping Options: Access various shipping solutions, print labels, and set up dropshipping.
9. Email Marketing: Built-in tools for creating and sending promotional emails and automated campaigns.

These features make Shopify a more powerful platform for managing and scaling your business.

Winner: Shopify

Shopify offers a wider range of products, more customization options, and greater control over pricing and branding, leading to potentially higher profit margins.

Pro Tips: 

Go with Shopify if you want full control over your store’s branding, a wide product range, and advanced marketing tools. But, if you prefer something simpler and quicker to set up, Teespring is a great choice for selling custom merchandise without the hassle of managing inventory or fulfillment. 

Apps and Integrations

Shopify 

• API Access: Shopify allows advanced users to connect and integrate deep custom solutions through its API, but this is more for tech-savvy users.
• Lots of Apps: Shopify has over 8,000 apps in the Shopify App Store. You can find tools for marketing, sales, inventory, customer service, and more. This means you can customize your store to do exactly what you need.
• Many Integrations: Shopify works with a wide range of other services, like payment processors, shipping companies, and social media platforms. This makes it easier to manage everything from one place.
• Custom Apps: If you need something special, you can even have a developer create a custom app just for your store.

Teespring

• Limited Integrations: Teespring mainly connects with social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, helping you promote and sell your products to your audience.
• No App Store: Teespring doesn’t have an app store or many third-party tools to choose from. It’s more basic and straightforward.
• Easy to Use: Because there are fewer options, Teespring is easier to set up and use, but you have less control over how your store works.

The Verdict

Shopify has over 8,000 apps and integrates with a wide range of services, offering greater customization and flexibility.

Ease of Use

Shopify 

• More Complex Setup: Shopify offers a lot of features and customization options, which means it can take more time to set up. You’ll need to choose a theme, add products, set up payment options, and possibly install apps. It’s powerful but might feel overwhelming at first, especially for beginners.
• Learning Curve: Because Shopify has so many features, there’s a bit of a learning curve. It’s great for those who want full control over their store, but it might take some time to get comfortable with all the options.
• Customizability: Shopify lets you customize almost every aspect of your store, which is fantastic for creating a unique shopping experience. However, this also adds to the complexity.

Teespring

• Simple and Quick Setup: Teespring is designed to be as easy as possible. You can quickly create products, set up a storefront, and start selling with just a few clicks. It’s straightforward and user-friendly, making it ideal for beginners.
• No Technical Skills Needed: Since Teespring handles most of the heavy lifting, like production and shipping, you don’t need any technical skills to get started. It’s a plug-and-play experience.
• Limited Customization: Teespring’s simplicity means fewer options for customization. You can get your store up and running fast, but you won’t have as much control over the design and features compared to Shopify.

The Verdict

Teespring is easier and quicker to set up, with a simple, user-friendly interface that doesn’t require technical skills, making it ideal for beginners.

Scalability

Shopify 

When it comes to scalability, Shopify is built to grow with your business. It offers flexible plans, advanced features like Shopify Plus for large enterprises, and the ability to integrate custom solutions and handle complex operations as you expand. You can start small and easily scale up as your business grows, making it ideal for long-term growth.

Teespring

Teespring, on the other hand, is more suited for small-scale ventures, like creators or influencers selling custom merchandise. While it’s easy to use and handles everything from production to shipping, it lacks the advanced features and flexibility needed for significant business growth. This makes it great for smaller operations but limiting if you plan to scale beyond a certain point.

The Verdict

Shopify is designed to grow your business, offering flexible plans, advanced features, and the ability to handle complex operations as you scale.

Fulfillment and Shipping

Shopify:

• Flexible Options: Shopify lets you choose how to handle your products. You can ship items yourself, use a service like Shopify’s Fulfillment Network, or work with other companies to store and ship your products.
• Shipping Choices: Shopify connects with big shipping companies like USPS, UPS, and FedEx. This means you can offer real-time shipping rates, print labels, and track packages directly from your Shopify account.
• Dropshipping Support: Shopify makes it easy to sell products without holding inventory through dropshipping apps like Oberlo and Printful.

Teespring:

• All-in-One Fulfillment: Teespring takes care of everything after a customer orders. They produce, pack, and ship the product for you.
• Automatic Shipping: Teespring calculates shipping costs and handles delivery automatically, so you don’t have to do anything.
• No Inventory Worries: With Teespring, you don’t need to keep or manage any stock; they handle it all.

Winner: Shopify

Shopify provides more flexibility and control over how products are fulfilled and shipped, including dropshipping support and integration with major shipping carriers.

Help and Support 

Shopify 

• 24/7 Support: Shopify offers 24/7 customer support via chat, email, and phone. This means you can get help whenever you need it, regardless of your time zone.
• Extensive Resources: Shopify has a comprehensive help center, including tutorials, guides, and a community forum where you can find answers to common questions and connect with other users.
• Dedicated Support for Higher Plans: For those on higher-tier plans like Shopify Plus, you get access to a dedicated support team, offers more personalized assistance for complex issues.

Teespring

Teespring also offers support channels for sellers to seek assistance. They provide support through email and a comprehensive Help Center with resources and articles to guide sellers through various aspects of using the platform. 

However, live chat assistance is available Monday to Friday 9 AM-5 PM (EST), and buyer support emails are responded to within 24-48 business hours. This means you’ll have to wait for so long to get your queries answered.

The Verdict

Shopify offers 24/7 customer support across multiple channels, along with extensive resources and personalized assistance for higher-tier users.

Store Design

Shopify:

• Highly Customizable: Shopify offers a wide range of themes (both free and paid) that you can customize to fit your brand. You can change colors, fonts, layouts, and more, giving you full control over the look and feel of your store.
• Drag-and-Drop Builder: Shopify has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder that lets you design your store without needing to know how to code. You can add or rearrange elements like images, text, and products to create a unique design.
• Third-Party Themes and Apps: If you want even more customization, you can use third-party themes and apps from Shopify’s marketplace. This allows you to create a highly personalized shopping experience.

Teespring:

• Simple and Limited Design Options: Teespring offers basic templates for your store, but there are fewer options to customize compared to Shopify. You can upload your designs and choose from a few layout options, but you don’t have as much control over the overall look.
• No Drag-and-Drop Builder: Teespring doesn’t have a drag-and-drop builder like Shopify. The design process is more straightforward, which makes it easy to use, but limits your ability to create a unique store.
• Pre-Designed Layouts: Teespring provides a few pre-designed layouts that are simple and functional. However, these layouts don’t offer the same level of customization as Shopify’s themes.

Winner: Shopify

Shopify offers a high level of customization with a wide range of themes, a drag-and-drop builder, and third-party themes and apps, allowing for a unique and branded shopping experience.

Who should use Shopify? And who should use Teespring?

Who should use Shopify? 

Shopify caters to a wide range of audiences, making it an ideal choice for:

• E-commerce entrepreneurs: Individuals who want to enter the online business world and sell products, whether physical or digital, can benefit from Shopify’s extensive features and tools specifically designed for e-commerce.
• Retail businesses: Brick-and-mortar stores or existing retail businesses seeking to expand their operations online can leverage Shopify’s platform to establish a strong online presence and reach a global customer base.
• Boutiques and independent sellers: Shopify provides a user-friendly interface and customizable themes that empower boutiques and independent sellers to create visually appealing online stores and showcase their unique products and brand identity.
• Artisans and craftspeople: Artists, artisans, and creators who produce handmade products or artwork can utilize Shopify’s platform to exhibit their creations, connect with a broader audience, and effectively manage their inventory.
• Professional service providers: Consultants, coaches, and professionals offering services can use Shopify to sell digital products, courses, or memberships, diversifying their revenue streams and expanding their market reach.

And who should use Teespring?

Teespring caters to a specific audience niche, particularly those interested in custom merchandise and print-on-demand products. It is ideal for:

• Graphic designers: Teespring offers a platform for graphic designers to showcase their artwork and sell custom-designed merchandise directly to their target audience.
• Content creators: YouTubers, podcasters, bloggers, and influencers can use Teespring to monetize their online presence by creating branded merchandise for their fans.
• Non-profit organizations: Teespring provides an opportunity for non-profit organizations to raise funds and create awareness by selling custom merchandise supporting their cause.
• Social media entrepreneurs: Individuals leveraging social media platforms to build their personal brand or online community can use Teespring to offer merchandise that resonates with their followers.
• Event organizers: Teespring allows event organizers to create custom merchandise for conferences, concerts, festivals, and other events, providing attendees with unique memorabilia.

Shopify vs Teespring: How to Create a POD Product

Create POD product with Teespring

Here is the step-by-step guide to help you create fantastic POD products using Teespring design:

• Step 1: Sign up for a Teespring account by filling out the necessary information

• Step 2: Choose your favorite product’s design and start the customization process.

• Step 3: Edit the design using main features like artwork, texts, and pictures. You can use the available artwork or your designs uploaded to the Teespring platform.
• Step 4: Set up the price and quantity for your product. Teespring will suggest a workable selling price for your items if you have issues with this step.

• Step 5: Write 2-3 description sentences for each product you create. You should develop a catchy description that can grab your customers’ attention. After that, click the “Continue” button and finish the rest information > choose “Launch” to finish the process.
• Step 6: Now is the time to promote your product on different channels. You can consult Teespring Training Center for ideas on promoting your product effectively.

• Step 7: Wait for someone to purchase your product; you will get paid through several gateways like Paypal or Payoneer.

Create POD products with Shopify

To create POD products on Shopify, merchants need to install a 3rd-party app specialized in creating POD items. For instance, we can use the Printful POD app on the Shopify App Store to design and add POD products to the Shopify store.

Continue reading to get the step-by-step on creating a POD product on your Shopify store using the Printful app:

Step 1: Create a Printful account for free

Step 2: Install the Printful app on your Shopify store

Log into your Shopify account > Dashboard > Add apps.

Find “Printful” and click the “Add” button to get the app into your Shopify store.

Next, press the “Add app” button (the black button) to confirm the installation.

Then, click the “Install app” button (the green button).  

Step 3: Connect your Shopify store with Printful

Follow the required steps to log into both the Shopify store and Printful.

Step 4: Add your product using Printful

At Printful dashboard > choose Stores > Add product > View Printful’s Product Catalog to see what products you want to sell or design.

Step 5: Design your Printful product

You can use plenty of features to design your product here, like text, clipart, Quick Designs, etc.

In case you want to upload an image into the design, you can click the “Choose file” button and it will appear in the mockup.

Remember to add necessary components like product name, product description, and price on every product you design. 

Once you have finished the design process, click the “View in Shopify” button to see how it appears on your Shopify store.

Step 6: Enjoy the result

You have finished creating a POD product on your Shopify store using Printful assistance. The product will appear synced if you return to (or just refresh) your store page within the Printful dashboard.

Which platform is better for designing a POD product?

It seems that Shopify has a slight edge in designing POD products since Shopify merchants can add different 3rd-party designing tools and apps to support the process, including Printful, Zendrop, Printful, and ShineOn. Thousands of previous users have experienced those POD designing apps and left positive feedback. 

Even though Teespring is a good POD designing app for household items and custom clothing products, it still can not be as diverse as Shopify’s advantages. However, the variety of design functionality that Teespring provides is still one of its key strengths to draw users’ attention.

Shopify vs Teespring: FAQs

Shopify vs Teespring: Conclusion

In conclusion, when comparing Shopify vs Teespring, it’s evident that both platforms offer unique advantages for different business needs. Choosing between the two ultimately depends on the specific goals, requirements, and business model of the seller.