I Tried and Tested Printful vs Gearbubble – My Verdict for 2025

I’ve been in the ecommerce and print on demand (POD) industry for over a decade, helping clients launch and scale their online businesses.

Over the years, I’ve tested just about every POD platform available, and I know firsthand how choosing the right one can make or break your business.

The wrong choice can lead to high costs, slow shipping, and frustrated customers, while the right platform can help you scale efficiently and maximize profits.

If you're debating between Gearbubble and Printful, you’re in the right place.

While both platforms offer on-demand printing and fulfillment, they serve very different types of sellers.

Gearbubble is focused on gift-based products and offers built-in upsell features, while Printful provides a wider product range, branding options, and seamless integrations with major e-commerce platforms.

In this deep dive, I’ll compare pricing, product variety, quality, branding, integrations, shipping, and marketing tools, so you can pick the best platform for your needs.

Printful: A Premium POD Service with More Control

Printful is one of the most well-known print-on-demand platforms, offering a huge catalog of high-quality products with on-demand fulfillment and warehousing services.

Unlike Gearbubble, which relies on third-party suppliers, Printful owns and operates its own fulfillment centers across the US, Europe, and Mexico, which results in higher product quality and better consistency.

The biggest advantage of Printful is the level of control it gives sellers.

You can sell on multiple platforms like Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and even Amazon, and you can customize branding elements like labels, packaging inserts, and embroidery.

This makes it the best option for sellers who want to build a strong, recognizable brand. However, it comes at a cost—Printful’s product prices are higher than competitors, which means sellers need to price strategically to maintain profitability.

Who it’s for:

Sellers who want a wide range of high-quality products (apparel, accessories, home décor, etc.).
Business owners focused on brand-building with custom packaging and labeling.
Entrepreneurs who sell on Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, or Amazon and need a platform with strong integrations.

Downsides:

Higher product pricing means smaller margins unless you charge premium prices.
No built-in upsell features, so sellers need external apps like OneClickUpsell.
Slower fulfillment times during peak seasons can cause delays in order processing.

What Are Gearbubble and Printful?

Gearbubble: A Simpler POD Platform for Gift-Based Sellers

Gearbubble is a print-on-demand platform that specializes in high-demand gift items like mugs, necklaces, tumblers, and bracelets.

Unlike other POD services, it doesn’t just act as a middleman between you and suppliers—it also offers turnkey store solutions and built-in upsell features to help sellers maximize their profits.

One of the standout features of Gearbubble is its focus on simplicity.

Instead of relying on integrations with Shopify or Etsy, they encourage users to sell through Gearbubble Pro, their own hosted store solution.

This is great for people who don’t want to deal with store setup, plugins, or external apps—you can launch and sell within minutes.

However, the downside is that your store is tied to Gearbubble’s ecosystem, making it harder to migrate elsewhere later.

Who it’s for:

Sellers who specialize in gift-based products (mugs, jewelry, tumblers, etc.).
Entrepreneurs who want a plug-and-play store solution with minimal setup.
Business owners looking for built-in upsells and cross-sell features to maximize profits.

Downsides:

Limited product variety—not suitable for those wanting to sell apparel or home décor.
Higher base costs make it harder to maintain competitive pricing.
Fewer integrations—Gearbubble is best used with its own store system, limiting your flexibility.

Product Variety: Who Offers More?

When it comes to product selection, there’s a clear winner—Printful.

Advertisment ⓘ

Printful offers over 330 different products, including t-shirts, hoodies, swimwear, posters, bags, phone cases, and embroidered hats.

If you're looking for diversity in your product line, Printful is by far the better option. This is especially important for sellers who want to scale their business or test multiple niches without having to switch platforms.

Gearbubble, on the other hand, is much more limited. Their catalog mainly focuses on mugs, tumblers, bracelets, and necklaces.

While these products sell well as gifts, they don’t offer much room for expansion. If you’re building a brand that focuses on custom fashion, home décor, or unique product types, Gearbubble just won’t cut it.

Winner: Printful—More variety means more flexibility for your business.

Pricing and Profit Margins

Printful Pricing

Printful has two pricing options: a free plan and the Growth membership ($24.99/month). However, if you generate $12,000 in annual sales, you unlock the Growth membership for free—which makes Printful an unbeatable deal.

Here’s how each plan works:

✅ Free Plan (No Monthly Fee)

Full access to all products in Printful’s catalog
Automatic fulfillment with integrations for Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and more
Global shipping and fulfillment
Free logo maker, mockup generator, and design tools
White-label packaging with custom messages
24/7 customer support

🚀 Growth Membership ($24.99/month or Free at $12K Annual Sales)

Up to 33% off Printful products
9% discount on branding options
25% off sample orders
Free embroidery digitization ($6.50 savings per design)
Unlimited stores under one account
Larger print sizes for select items
Exclusive limited-time discounts

While Printful doesn’t charge a monthly fee, their products cost more, which means you’ll either need to price higher or accept lower margins.

Printful Profit Margins

Printful has significantly lowered its product prices, making it more competitive than Printify and other top POD platforms.

Here are some key product costs:

T-shirt (Gildan 64000): $10.50
Sweatshirt (Gildan 18000): $17.50
Hoodie (Gildan 18500): $22.25
Trucker Hat (Otto Cap 39-165): $11.95
All-over print hoodie: $41.25
White glossy mug: $6.50
Enhanced Matte Paper Poster: $7.75

Additional Print Areas (Optional Upgrades)

Sleeve Print: $2.49 per sleeve
Back Print: $5.95
Inside Label: $0.99

Printful Shipping Costs (US Example)

T-Shirt: $4.69 (first item) / $2.20 (each extra)
Hoodies: $8.49 (first item) / $2.50 (each extra)
Mugs: $6.49 (first item) / $3.50 (each extra)

Bulk Discounts & Sample Orders

Sample Orders: 20%-25% off (Growth members get the highest discount)
Bulk Orders: Save 5% to 55% on 25+ items

Gearbubble Pricing

Gearbubble charges higher base prices on most products, and they also offer a Gearbubble Pro Plan for $97 per month. This allows you to create standalone stores that function independently from platforms like Shopify or Etsy.

For example:

A standard mug costs $5.95-$8.95, plus shipping.
A necklace starts at around $9.95.

Profit Margins

Printful sellers typically make 20%-40% margins, depending on pricing strategy.
Gearbubble sellers often have 10%-30% margins, due to higher base product costs and limited pricing flexibility.

Winner: Printful—Although Printful’s prices are higher, you have more flexibility in setting your prices and branding your business.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Feature	Printful	Gearbubble
Product Variety	✅ 330+ items	❌ Limited (mugs, jewelry)
Pricing	❌ Higher base costs	❌ Higher costs, $97 Pro Plan
Profit Margins	✅ 20%-40%	❌ 10%-30%
Branding	✅ Full branding options	❌ No branding
Integrations	✅ Shopify, Etsy, Amazon	❌ Limited
Shipping Speed	✅ 5-20 days (global)	❌ 7-12 days (US)
Marketing Features	❌ No built-in upsells	✅ Built-in upsell tools

Final Verdict

Choose Printful if you want a premium POD platform with branding and integrations.
Choose Gearbubble if you want a simple gift-focused POD store with upsells.