The Full Comparability for Print-on-Demand Sellers

Shopify and Gelato are two names that come up always once you’re researching promote customized merchandise on-line.

However right here’s the factor – they’re not truly opponents. After spending weeks testing each platforms for our ecommerce weblog, I can let you know they serve fully totally different functions.

Shopify is the place you construct your retailer. Gelato is how your orders get printed and shipped. Most profitable print-on-demand sellers use each.

On this comparability, I’ll break down what every platform truly does, what it prices, and the place every one earns its preserve – so you’ll be able to determine the proper setup for what you are promoting in 2026.

Shopify vs Gelato: Fast Verdict

Shopify – Finest for constructing and proudly owning your on-line retailer (3-day free trial, then $1/month for 3 months)

Gelato – Finest for printing and transport customized merchandise globally (Free plan out there, Gelato+ from $23.99/month)

These two platforms aren’t interchangeable. One is your storefront; the opposite is your manufacturing line. For those who’re beginning a print-on-demand enterprise, you’ll in all probability find yourself utilizing each.

Fast Comparability: Shopify vs Gelato

Get a fast and clear overview of the place every platform matches within the desk under:

Shopify vs Gelato Professionals and Cons

Key Takeaways

• Shopify handles all the things customer-facing: your web site, checkout, funds, and advertising
• Gelato handles all the things behind the scenes: printing, packing, and transport your orders
• You can begin with Gelato’s free plan and Shopify’s $1/month intro deal to check the total setup for nearly nothing.
• Gelato’s native achievement community is a critical benefit for EU/UK sellers.
• These platforms are complementary, not competing. Most POD sellers use each collectively.

1. Shopify: The Gross sales Engine

Shopify is a whole ecommerce ecosystem. It handles your area, web site design, fee processing, advertising instruments, and analytics. When somebody lands in your retailer, provides one thing to their cart, and checks out – that’s all Shopify.

I’ve examined Shopify extensively, and there’s a cause it powers tens of millions of shops globally. The platform has matured considerably, and in 2026 the expertise feels polished from the second you join.

The onboarding asks a couple of questions on what you are promoting after which walks you thru a setup guidelines that really helps, relatively than simply dumping you right into a clean dashboard.

Key Options

• Web site Builder: Shopify’s section-based editor is intuitive, even when it’s not drag-and-drop within the conventional sense. You stack parts like picture carousels, textual content blocks, and product grids on prime of each other. It’s restrictive in some methods, however the upside is that your retailer will at all times look clear {and professional}. There are over 190 themes to select from, although solely round 13 are free.
• Shopify Funds: The built-in fee gateway eliminates the necessity for third-party processors. Store Pay, Shopify’s accelerated checkout, constantly delivers among the highest conversion charges in ecommerce. For those who use a third-party fee gateway as an alternative, Shopify prices a further 0.6% to 2.0% per transaction relying in your plan.
• App Retailer: Over 8,000 third-party apps cowl all the things from web optimization and e mail advertising to evaluations, upsells, and automation. The catch? Shopify leans closely on this ecosystem. Some performance you’d count on built-in requires downloading an app, and most of the greatest ones carry their very own month-to-month charges.
• Multichannel Promoting: You may join your retailer to Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, and different marketplaces from one dashboard. Syncing stock throughout channels is seamless, which saves hours of handbook work.
• AI Instruments: Shopify Magic helps generate product descriptions, e mail topic traces, and different advertising copy. It’s not going to exchange an excellent copywriter, nevertheless it speeds issues up once you’re itemizing dozens of merchandise.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify’s pricing relies on whether or not you pay month-to-month or yearly. Annual billing knocks 25% off throughout the board. Right here’s the breakdown:

*Bank card charges through Shopify Funds. A further 0.6%–2.0% price applies if you happen to use a third-party fee gateway.

2. Gelato: The Manufacturing Line

Gelato is a worldwide print-on-demand achievement community.

When a buyer buys out of your Shopify retailer, Gelato robotically receives the order, routes it to the printing accomplice closest to your buyer, and ships it on to them. You by no means contact a field.

I examined the Gelato integration with Shopify, and the automation is spectacular. As soon as related, orders circulate via with none handbook intervention. A buyer in London will get their poster printed within the UK. Somebody in Chicago will get theirs from a facility within the US.

That native manufacturing mannequin is Gelato’s largest promoting level – it cuts transport occasions and reduces prices in comparison with providers that ship all the things from a single warehouse.

Key Options

• Native Achievement: Gelato operates 140+ manufacturing companions throughout 32 international locations. Orders are robotically routed to the closest facility, which reduces transport occasions and carbon emissions. It is a huge benefit for anybody promoting into European or UK markets.
• Product Catalog: The catalog consists of attire (t-shirts, hoodies, activewear), wall artwork, cellphone circumstances, mugs, tote baggage, stationery, and extra. It’s not the biggest catalog within the POD house – opponents like Printify provide extra selection – however the high quality of Gelato’s prints, notably for wall artwork and effective artwork merchandise, is constantly wonderful.
• Branding Choices: On the Gelato+ paid plan, you get entry to branded packaging inserts and labels. It’s a small element that makes an enormous distinction. Your packages cease wanting like they got here from a random print store and begin wanting like an intentional model expertise.
• Automation & AI Instruments: Orders sync robotically out of your related shops. Gelato+ subscribers additionally get entry to Magic Mockups (AI-generated product photographs), an web optimization title/description generator, and a Worth Navigator device for adjusting margins throughout your catalog.
• Personalization Studio: Out there on Gelato+, this device lets clients customise merchandise with names, dates, or messages. It handles the personalization robotically – no handbook template enhancing required. Excellent for present retailers and customized product sellers.

Gelato Pricing

Gelato works on a pay-per-order mannequin with non-compulsory subscription plans for reductions and premium instruments:

Gelato by no means prices fee. You pay solely the product price and transport when an order is positioned.

3. How They Work Collectively: The Full Image

That is the half most comparability articles get incorrect. They pit Shopify in opposition to Gelato like you might want to choose one. You don’t. They do fully totally different jobs, and essentially the most profitable print-on-demand companies use each.

Right here’s how the everyday workflow seems to be:

Step 1: You construct your on-line retailer on Shopify. You select a theme, customise your branding, arrange your area, and configure funds.

Step 2: You put in the Gelato app from the Shopify App Retailer. It’s free to put in and takes minutes to attach.

Step 3: You design your merchandise in Gelato’s editor and publish them on to your Shopify retailer.

Step 4: A buyer visits your Shopify retailer and locations an order. Shopify processes the fee.

Step 5: Gelato robotically receives the order, prints the product on the facility closest to your buyer, and ships it on to them.

Step 6: Monitoring data syncs again to Shopify. Your buyer will get a transport notification. You didn’t raise a finger.

Your complete course of – from fee to supply – is automated. That’s the ability of utilizing these two platforms collectively. Shopify handles the “entrance finish” (what the shopper sees), and Gelato handles the “again finish” (what occurs after they purchase).

Finest for Pricing: It Is determined by Your Mannequin

Evaluating the pricing of Shopify and Gelato head-to-head doesn’t make a lot sense since you’re paying for various issues.

Shopify is a subscription on your storefront. Gelato is a per-order price for manufacturing. That mentioned, right here’s what your whole month-to-month outlay would possibly appear to be:

For a brand new POD vendor beginning lean, you could possibly realistically start with Shopify Primary at $29/month (annual) and Gelato’s free plan. Which means your solely ongoing prices are the Shopify subscription plus the per-order manufacturing and transport charges from Gelato. Not dangerous for a completely automated international enterprise.

Finest for Ease of Use: Shopify

Shopify’s onboarding expertise is considerably smoother than most ecommerce platforms I’ve examined. You reply a couple of questions on what you are promoting, and inside minutes, you’re taking a look at your dashboard with a transparent setup guidelines. The editor is intuitive, and the product administration backend is well-organized.

Gelato’s interface is clear however has a studying curve. Connecting your retailer is easy, however navigating the product creation workflow, selecting a product, importing designs, establishing sizing and placement, configuring pricing throughout areas, takes some getting used to. When you’ve been via it a couple of occasions, it’s effective. However it’s not as instantly apparent as Shopify.

Finest for Product Catalog: Gelato

This one’s simple. Shopify doesn’t have a product catalog – it’s a software program platform. You supply or create your individual merchandise. Gelato, alternatively, offers you a ready-made catalog of things to customise and promote.

Gelato’s catalog at present consists of attire, wall artwork, cellphone circumstances, mugs, tote baggage, calendars, journals, and stationery. For wall artwork and effective artwork prints particularly, Gelato’s high quality is tough to beat. However if you happen to’re searching for a wider vary of area of interest merchandise – suppose embroidered gadgets, sublimation all-overs, or customized footwear – you would possibly must complement Gelato with one other POD supplier.

Finest for Advertising: Shopify

Advertising is completely Shopify’s area. Gelato doesn’t have advertising instruments as a result of that’s not its job. Shopify, alternatively, offers you a complete advertising toolkit.

Shopify Electronic mail permits you to construct and ship branded e mail campaigns instantly out of your admin panel. You may join your retailer to Instagram, TikTok, Fb, Pinterest, and Amazon for multichannel promoting. The Shopify Market Join app syncs your merchandise throughout these channels so that you’re not duplicating work. And Shopify’s built-in web optimization options – plus integrations with instruments like Semrush – show you how to drive natural site visitors.

Gelato does present some AI instruments for writing product descriptions and producing mockup photos, which not directly help your advertising. However the heavy lifting occurs on Shopify.

Finest for World Promoting: Gelato

For those who’re promoting to clients in a number of international locations – particularly in Europe and the UK – Gelato’s native achievement mannequin is a game-changer. Orders are printed on the nearest facility to the shopper, which suggests quicker supply, decrease transport prices, and fewer customs complications.

Shopify helps worldwide promoting with multi-currency options, language translations (30+ languages), and the flexibility to redirect clients primarily based on their location. However Shopify handles the digital facet of internationalization. Gelato handles the bodily facet – truly getting merchandise to clients throughout borders effectively.

Finest for Help: Shopify

Shopify affords 24/7 stay chat help (AI-assisted with human escalation), an intensive Assist Heart with guides and video tutorials, and a big group discussion board. Telephone help is out there for Shopify Plus retailers. The Assist Heart is genuinely thorough – I’ve not often hit a useless finish when looking for solutions.

Gelato gives 24/7 help via chat and e mail. Their assist documentation covers the fundamentals properly, however some customers have reported slower response occasions on advanced technical points. For simple questions on orders, integrations, or product setup, Gelato’s help is mostly effective. For edge circumstances, it may be hit and miss.

5. Who Ought to Use What?

Use Shopify If…

You need to construct an expert, long-term model. You want full management over your buyer’s journey, from the second they land in your website to the emails they obtain after shopping for. Shopify is for the intense entrepreneur who needs a “residence base” for his or her enterprise – not only a itemizing on another person’s market.

Use Gelato If…

You need to promote customized designs globally with out the headache of worldwide transport, customs, and stock administration. Gelato is particularly the only option for artists promoting wall artwork or stationery, and for sellers centered on EU/UK markets the place the native achievement community is strongest.

Use Each If…

You’re constructing a print-on-demand enterprise and need the entire thing automated. Shopify handles the customer-facing facet, Gelato handles the achievement facet, and the 2 platforms speak to one another seamlessly via the Gelato Shopify app. That is the setup most profitable POD sellers use.

How We Check Ecommerce Platforms

We often check and analyze the most effective ecommerce platforms and print-on-demand providers utilizing a rigorous analysis course of. For this comparability, we evaluated each Shopify and Gelato throughout a number of key areas:

• Options & Performance – What instruments does every platform present, and the way properly do they work in apply?
• Pricing & Worth – What do you truly pay, together with hidden prices and subscription tiers?
• Ease of Use – How lengthy does it take to arrange, and the way intuitive is the each day workflow?
• Product High quality – For Gelato particularly, we ordered samples to check print high quality and packaging.
• Help & Assets – How responsive is customer support, and the way good are the assistance docs?
• Integration – How properly do the 2 platforms work collectively, and what’s the setup course of like?

Maybe most significantly, I’ve examined each Shopify and Gelato myself, to verify the insights and suggestions I share are primarily based on actual, first-hand expertise with each platforms.

Shopify vs Gelato: Our Verdict

Shopify and Gelato aren’t opponents – they’re companions. Asking which one is “higher” is like asking whether or not a restaurant wants a kitchen or a eating room. You want each.

Shopify is the most effective ecommerce platform for constructing and rising your on-line retailer. Its gross sales options, advertising instruments, and app ecosystem are unmatched for companies that need to personal their model and buyer expertise. Begin with the Primary plan at $29/month (billed yearly) and benefit from the $1/month introductory provide.

Gelato is the most effective print-on-demand accomplice for international sellers. Its native achievement community delivers quicker transport, decrease prices, and higher buyer experiences than centralized printing providers. Begin with the free plan and improve to Gelato+ as soon as your order quantity justifies the subscription.

For those who’re critical about promoting customized merchandise on-line, join the Gelato app to your Shopify retailer and let the automation do the work. Check each with their free trials, discover your bestselling designs, and scale from there.