Ecommerce entrepreneurs have more options than ever when it comes to print-on-demand (POD) solutions. Two popular choices are Modalyst and Printful, which allow you to easily create and sell custom printed products without having to hold inventory. But how do you know which one is the better fit for your online store?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare the key features, pros and cons of Modalyst and Printful to help you make an informed decision.
Whether you’re running a dropshipping store, or want to add unique printable merchandise to your existing ecommerce site, read on to discover which platform offers the capabilities and integrations you need.
A Brief Comparison Table:
| Feature | Modalyst | Printful |
| Product Selection | ~100 customizable products | 300+ customizable products |
| Print Quality | High-quality digital printing | High-quality digital printing |
| Order Fulfillment | 1-2 day processing; 3-5 day US shipping | 1-2 day processing; 3-5 day US shipping |
| Ease of Use | Intuitive online designer | Easy to use designer and mockups |
| Integrations | Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, Amazon | All platforms above plus Wix, BigCommerce, Walmart, eBay, etc. |
| Pricing | Wholesale pricing for 2-3X profit margins | Pay per order with 1.5-2X profit margins |
| Customer Support | Email, chat | Email, chat, phone |
| Additional Services | None | Packaging customization, warehousing, automation, SMS notifications |
Overview Of Modalyst And Printful
What is Modalyst?
Modalyst is a white-label print provider that offers dropshipping fulfillment for a wide range of products including apparel, home goods, accessories and more.
With Modalyst, you can design custom prints using their online designer tool and sell items with your own branding through your ecommerce storefront.
When an order comes in, Modalyst handles production and shipping directly to your customer.
What is Printful?
Printful is also a dropshipping print provider, with many similar product offerings such as t-shirts, mugs, phone cases and other customizable items.
Like Modalyst, Printful lets you integrate its fulfillment services with your online store so you can offer print-on-demand merchandise without holding inventory. When an order is placed, Printful takes care of printing and shipping.
Key Feature Comparison
Now let’s take a closer look at some of the most important capabilities of each platform:
Product selection
Both Modalyst and Printful provide a wide range of printable products like apparel, home decor, accessories, stationery and more.
Modalyst offers nearly 100 products you can customize including t-shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, towels, yoga mats, face masks, leggings and mugs.
Printful has a much larger catalog of over 300 products including all of the same items as Modalyst along with additional options like stickers, jewelry, pet products and posters.
So Printful comes out ahead in terms of product selection and variety.
Print quality
Modalyst uses high-quality digital printing for vibrant, durable prints on fabric as well as hard goods. Items are printed on demand so they won’t fade or crack over time.
Printful also offers excellent full-color digital printing. Their modern printing technology produces bright, accurate colors that hold up well during washing and daily use.
When it comes to print quality, both Modalyst and Printful deliver professional results you’ll be happy with.
Order fulfillment
Modalyst and Printful both have fast and reliable shipping from their US-based fulfillment centers.
Standard production time is 1-2 business days for most products. They then ship via USPS or DHL.
Expected delivery timeframes:
- United States: 3-5 business days
- Canada: 7-12 business days
- Europe: 4-10 business days
The order fulfillment pipelines are very similar between the two platforms.
Ease of use
Modalyst provides an intuitive online designer to customize products with your graphics, images and text. There are flexible layout tools and filters to quickly achieve the look you want.
Printful also has an easy-to-use design tool integrated with its platform and major ecommerce integrations. Creating mockups and applying your branding is straightforward.
Both platforms make it simple for anyone to customize high-quality printed merchandise, no design experience required.
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Supported integrations
Modalyst seamlessly connects with the following ecommerce solutions:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce -Squarespace
- Etsy
- Amazon
Printful integrates with those platforms as well, along with many additional options:
- Wix
- BigCommerce
- GearLaunch
- Ecwid
- Shopify POS
- Zakeke
- Wish
- Walmart
- eBay
Printful is the clear winner when it comes to the number of supported integrations. This makes the platform more versatile for connecting with a variety of online storefronts.
Additional services
Beyond printing and order fulfillment, Printful also offers:
- Packaging customization: Add your logo or design to packages
- Warehousing: Option to hold inventory if preferred
- Printful Flow: Automation workflow builder
- SMS notifications: Shipping and order updates via text
- Print on Demand by Printful: Turn designs into standalone products
Modalyst has more limited additional offerings compared to Printful. This gives Printful another advantage in features and customization options.
Pricing and profits
Modalyst has wholesale pricing with margins around 2-3X cost. This allows you to set competitive retail pricing while earning solid profits.
Printful pricing follows a pay-per-order model with margins around 1.5-2X the product cost. Profits per item are lower compared to Modalyst. But with Printful’s greater integration options, higher overall order volume can compensate.
When weighing pricing and potential profits between the two, Modalyst tends to provide better margins. But Printful offers more revenue potential in high-volume scenarios.
Customer support
Modalyst provides email and chat support from their US-based team.
Printful also offers email and chat support with US-based reps along with extended phone support hours from their Latvia headquarters. Printful also provides video tutorials on their website.
Both platforms offer solid customer service options. Printful comes out slightly ahead with the addition of phone support.
Also Read: Comparison Between PublishDrive And IngramSpark.
Pros And Cons Of Modalyst And Printful
Based on this feature comparison, what are the key advantages and disadvantages of each platform?
Modalyst pros:
- Higher profit margins per item
- Intuitive online designer
- Fast, reliable fulfillment and shipping
- Quality, durable printing
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Modalyst cons:
- Smaller product selection compared to Printful
- Fewer 3rd party integrations
- Limited additional customization features
Printful pros:
- Huge product selection with 300+ options
- Seamless integration with tons of ecommerce platforms
- Extra services like packaging customization
- Extended phone customer support hours
Printful cons:
- Lower profit margins per item
- Less intuitive online designer
- Fewer apparel finishing options like tags or heat transfers
Also Read: Comparison Between Custom Ink And Zazzle
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, Modalyst is an excellent platform for dropshipping custom printed products. The white-label model provides high profit margins and requires no upfront inventory.
Printful offers far greater product selection, better printing quality, quicker shipping and more integrations compared to Printify. The value justifies slightly higher base prices.
Printful has marginally higher base product pricing. But you get added benefits like custom packaging, SMS updates and automation workflows. Overall Printful delivers superior value for the small difference in cost.
Modalyst enables easy creation and selling of customized merchandise. Popular uses cases include dropshipping stores, ecommerce integrations, branded giveaways, event merch, band merch and more.
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The Takeaway
When weighing Modalyst Vs. Printful, Modalyst excels at maximizing profit margins while Printful offers far greater product variety and customization features.
If you’re a dropshipper focused strictly on profits, Modalyst is likely the better bet. The platform still provides plenty of product options while letting you earn solid returns.
For ecommerce sellers wanting expansive merchandise and deep third-party connections, Printful is the superior pick. The catalog size and integrations can’t be beat.
Both platforms deliver quality printing, on-demand fulfillment and easy store connectivity. Assessing your merchandise and revenue goals helps dictate which solution best matches your needs.
With the information above, you can determine the best print provider for powering your custom products.