Print-on-demand has revolutionized the e-commerce industry by offering a convenient method for creators to sell products online without having to worry about inventory and shipping.

For years, Teespring (now Spring) pioneered the print-on-demand market, providing users with an impressive catalog of products while handling production and shipping at a limited cost. However, the once notable e-commerce marketplace has seen a decline in customer satisfaction over the past few years, with users voicing their concerns about higher prices, delayed payouts, and a general lack of customer support. 

Luckily, the print-on-demand industry has seen a surge of new and more reliable platforms over the last few years that have stood out, giving Spring a run for its money. In this article, we'll explore 12 platforms that are a better alternative to Spring and provide you with an in-depth analysis of each one to help you make an informed decision.

How to Choose the Best Alternative?

If you are a content creator looking to monetize your merchandise, you have likely heard of Spring (Teespring). The print-on-demand platform offers a range of customizable products, from t-shirts to phone cases, and handles the fulfillment process for you. 

However, many Spring users have moved on to other platforms like Fourthwall and Printful, which often offer superior-quality products and premium features tailored for creators looking to elevate their brand's monetization capabilities. 

When choosing the right print-on-demand platform for your online store, it's important to consider a platform that can provide you with the necessary products and tools to make your brand flourish. So, before we delve into our list of alternatives, let's take a look at some important key factors you need to consider when choosing the right platform. 

Product Options

One of Spring's biggest advantages is the ability to customize your products fully. With over 140 items in their catalog, they have been able to provide creators with options to brand custom apparel like shirts, sweaters, and hats. However, the platform’s lack of providing a broader range of premium-quality goods and their higher pricing pales in comparison to other alternatives in the market.

When choosing your print-on-demand company, make sure you choose a platform that offers a similar level of customization while providing higher-quality products at affordable costs. This may include the ability to add your own designs, logos, and slogans, as well as select color combinations and product types.

Storefront Customization

Choosing a print-on-demand platform that offers you the tools to create your own storefront is not only a plus; it’s a straight-up advantage. Many e-commerce companies are tailoring their platforms to give creators the ability to build their own websites to launch and sell their products. While Spring does offer users the ability to launch their own shop, their site’s customization tools are more limited than other options. 

If you’re looking for a platform that allows you to build your own store, it’s important to look for one that provides enough tools to tailor your site to your needs. Whether it's customizable themes, flexible design options, or integrations with third-party apps and services, personalizing your storefront is essential for standing out in a crowded marketplace. 

Fulfillment and Shipping Time

Another important factor to consider is fulfillment and shipping time. Make sure the alternative you choose has a reliable and efficient fulfillment process that can handle your order volume. You’ll also want to look for a platform that offers fast and affordable shipping options, as slow shipping times can lead to unhappy customers.

Customer Service

Customer service is key to running an e-commerce store. In the past couple of years, Spring has seen a decline in custom support, with users complaining about a lack of response to serious issues like payment delays and product shipments.

When choosing the right platform, make sure to look for a company that has a strong reputation for customer support. The right platform should offer a variety of channels for customers to get in touch with you or the platform if they have a question or problem.

Price

Finally, consider the platform's price. While Spring offers a range of product prices and profit margins, some alternatives may charge fees or have different pricing structures. Be sure to read the fine print and calculate your expected revenue based on the platform’s pricing model. In general, however, there are many platforms today that offer equivalent or higher-quality items at a lower price point than Spring. 

12 Spring Alternatives in 2024

There are many Spring (TeeSpring) alternatives that you can use to sell their products online. Here are some of the best:

1. Fourthwall

Fourthwall is an e-commerce platform that offers an impressive amount of features and benefits for creators, all completely free to use. With its intuitive custom storefront builder, creators can easily design their own e-commerce store without any coding knowledge, empowering them to establish a unique online presence. 

The platform has an extensive product catalog featuring over 250 retail-quality print-on-demand items, including apparel, accessories, and digital products, providing creators with endless opportunities to monetize their creativity. Fourthwall stands out with its competitive pricing, offering the lowest-priced apparel costs in comparison to other platforms, ensuring creators can maximize their profits.

The platform offers a range of printing options, including direct-to-garment (DTG), embroidery, screen-printing, direct-to-film (DTFx), and sublimation printing, allowing creators to bring their designs to life with precision and vibrancy. With worldwide shipping from fulfillment centers in the US, EU, and AUS, Fourthwall ensures fast and affordable shipping for creators and their communities globally.

Moreover, creators retain full ownership of their customer emails and have the flexibility to sell their own products, further empowering them to cultivate meaningful relationships with their audience and grow their brand on their own terms. 

With features like iOS and Android apps, custom domain integration, promo codes, and seamless integrations with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, Fourthwall provides creators with the tools they need to thrive in the digital landscape.

Target audience: Creators, including YouTubers, Twitch streamers, TikTokers, podcasters, artists, and musicians.

Price: Free to sign up

Pros:
- Full-featured e-commerce platform.
- Built-in website builder.
- Variety of printing options
- Offers competitive apparel costs.
- Ability to sell digital and physical products.
- Manage customer support on your behalf.
- Users own their own data.
- Integrated shopping features, including YouTube Product Shelf, TikTok Shop, and Twitch Gifting. 

Cons:
- Limited product options in some categories (e.g. makeup, sports products, and CPG goods).

2. Sellfy

Another e-commerce platform specifically tailored for creators looking to market their products online. Sellfy caters to a wide array of digital goods such as e-books, music, and software, the platform offers creators an intuitive platform with seamless integration options for social media platforms and email marketing tools. 

Similar to Fourthwall and Spring, which offer the tools to build your own custom storefront, Sellfy provides creators with the same service. However, the platform provides very few options to customize your site, tailoring it to your aesthetic needs. Unlike its competitors, Sellfy does charge to join its platform, offering users a choice between three premium plans: Starter, Business, and Premium. While branding and customization options on Sellfy are relatively minimal, users can still incorporate their branding as a label on clothing items and as a logo or text during product design. 

Additionally, Sellfy supports integration with various platforms, including Facebook, Patreon, Twitter Ads, Google Analytics, and Etsy, offering users a range of options to expand their reach and streamline their operations. Unfortunately, the platform does not provide integration with other social media shops like YouTube Product Shelf, Instagram Shop, and TikTok Shop.

Target audience: Digital creators.

Price: The starter plan starts at $19/month.

Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface.
- A wide range of product options.
- Provides excellent email marketing tools.

Cons:
- Limited customization options.
- Higher fees for processing payments.
- Limited shipping options.
- No integration with social media shops like YouTube Product Shelf, TikTok Shop, etc.

3. Printify

Printify offers creators access to a wide range of customizable products, from apparel and accessories to home decor. The platform provides multiple printing methods, including direct-to-garment (DTG), sublimation, and embroidery.

Printify’s mockup generator makes it easy for creators to design products and visualize how they’ll appear to customers. The platform integrates with various e-commerce tools like Shopify, Etsy, eBay, and WooCommerce, streamlining the fulfillment process. Creators can choose between free and premium plans, with premium users gaining access to discounted product pricing, 24/7 support, and additional features.

Unlike some platforms, Printify doesn’t offer its own marketplace or custom storefronts, requiring creators to connect with third-party platforms to sell their products.

Target audience: Entrepreneurs and creators using external e-commerce platforms.

Price: Free to sign up; premium plans start at $29/month.

Pros:

• Extensive product catalog with customizable options.
• Integrations with popular e-commerce platforms.
• Flexible pricing plans.
• Mockup generator for easy product visualization.

Cons:

• No built-in marketplace or custom storefronts.
• Quality varies depending on print providers.
• Creators must handle their own customer service.

4. Printful

Printful is a popular print-on-demand platform that allows creators to design and sell custom products such as t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise. Printful offers a range of high-quality products that can be seamlessly integrated with multiple e-commerce and online platforms, including Amazon, Wix, eBay, and Shopify. Creators can choose from various print types, materials, and colors to customize their products. 

With Printful's mockup generator, creators can visualize their designs on more than 200 available products, including clothing, accessories like stickers and bracelets, tote bags, laptop bags, streetwear, beach towels, pillows, and canvas prints. After generating mockups, Printful facilitates the effortless importation of designs into the creator's store, streamlining the process of showcasing and selling products to customers. 

Once a customer makes a purchase, Printful takes charge of the fulfillment process, handling tasks such as creation and shipping, allowing creators to focus on attracting and engaging their audience. Despite the service fee incurred for fulfillment, Printful's cost-effective approach to product creation and distribution offers creators a more economical alternative compared to managing production independently.

Target audience: Creators selling clothing and accessories.

Price: Free to sign up; fees range per product.

Pros:
- Multiple e-commerce platform integrations.
- Automated fulfillment and shipping.
- A wide range of product options.

Cons:
- Need your own storefront and have to pay third-party platforms like Shopify
- Have to provide your own customer support.
- Some categories have very few products.
- Refunds are only permitted for lost or damaged products.

5. Redbubble

Redbubble operates as an online marketplace tailored for independent artists. It offers a platform for creators to showcase and sell their artwork through various mediums like apparel, accessories, home decor, and more. Similar to Spring, Redbubble functions as both a print-on-demand platform and a marketplace, allowing users to sell products directly on the website while leveraging third-party printers for production. 

Redbubble’s product pricing is determined by a combination of the base price and the user’s margin, with the base price deducted automatically upon customer purchase. Unfortunately, Rebubble’s product catalog is sizably smaller compared to other platforms, and its product costs can be considered too high for most creators.    

Additionally, while Spring offers integrations with platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and Discord, Redbubble does not offer support for third-party integration.

Target audience: Artists and designers.

Price: Free to sign up; fees typically range 20% per sale.

Pros:
- Platform drives traffic to you.
- Supportive community of artists.
- User-friendly interface.
- Provide customer support.

Cons:
- No brand control.
- Doesn’t support third-party integration.
- Make substantially less money per sale.
- Higher fees for processing payments.
- Longer shipping times for some products.
- No integration with social media shopping platforms. 

6. Merch by Amazon

Merch by Amazon is Amazon’s own print-on-demand platform that allows creators to design and sell custom products such as t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise on the massive Amazon marketplace. The platform provides a streamlined process—creators upload their designs, select product types, and Amazon takes care of production, shipping, and customer service. Creators earn royalties for every product sold.

One of the key advantages of Merch by Amazon is its reach. Amazon is the largest online shopping site globally and accounts for nearly half of all e-commerce sales in the U.S., offering unparalleled access to millions of potential customers. Additionally, products sold through Merch by Amazon are eligible for Prime Shipping, ensuring fast and reliable delivery.

However, Merch by Amazon is an invite-only program, which means creators must apply and wait for approval before getting started.

Target audience: Creators looking to tap into Amazon's massive marketplace.

Price: Free to sign up; royalties are deducted per sale.

Pros:

• No startup fees.
• Extensive reach on Amazon's marketplace.
• Products are eligible for Prime Shipping.
• Amazon handles customer service.

Cons:

• Invite-only program with long approval times.
• Highly competitive marketplace.
• Limited product customization options.

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7. Spreadshirt

Similar to Spring, Spreadshirt functions as both a print-on-demand website and a marketplace for designed products, the platform offers creators the opportunity to earn income by either selling or designing unique products. 

With over 150 custom printable items available, including popular choices like t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, and phone cases, creators have a diverse array of products to customize with their unique designs. Getting started on the Spreadshirt platform is straightforward—creators simply need to create a seller account and begin designing artwork on their preferred products. 

For those with Shopify stores, products can be published directly on their storefronts, while others can opt to sell their custom product designs in the Spreadshirt marketplace. With its dual functionality as a print-on-demand website and a marketplace, Spreadshirt provides creators with the tools and support needed to showcase and monetize their creativity effectively.

Target audience: Creators selling clothing and accessories.

Price: Free to sign up; fees vary.

Pros:
- Wide range of product options.
- Good quality prints.
- Easy-to-use interface.
- Integration with YouTube Merch Shelf.
- Provides customer support. 

Cons:
- Limited product varieties.
- Limited customization options for storefronts.
- Shipping costs can be high.
- Three-color maximum for higher-quality print designs.

8. Society6

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Society6 stands out as one of the oldest alternatives to Spring in the print-on-demand fulfillment industry. Founded in 2009, Society6's marketplace primarily focuses on art products such as home decor, wall art, and framed prints, but it also accommodates the sale of home goods, tech accessories, stationery, and clothing. 

To get started on Society6, you must have a PayPal account, which is necessary to open an artist shop on their marketplace. Additionally, Society6 offers a unique opportunity for creators to not only own an artist shop but also become art curators, earning commissions on top of their sales.

With a significant social media presence, Society6 drives consistent traffic to its marketplace, but creators are still responsible for promoting their custom products and executing their marketing strategies to stand out from the competition. 

It's important to note that Society6 has a well-defined aesthetic, with a strong emphasis on art rather than t-shirts, which may or may not align with your niche or designs. Therefore, creators should consider whether Society6's aesthetic fits their brand and objectives before committing to the platform.

Target audience: Artists and designers.

Price: Free to sign up; fees range from 10-30% per sale.

Pros:
- High-quality products.
- Acts as a marketplace like Redbubble.
- No upload limit.
- Supportive community of creators.

Cons:
- Need a PayPal account to sign up.
- Limited customization options.
- Poor analytics.
- Slow order fulfillment.
- Earnings take time to transfer.
- No integration with social media shops. 

9. CustomCat

Founded in 1999, CustomCat stands out as one of the oldest print-on-demand sites similar to TeeSpring. It offers creators over 500 options for customizable product types, ranging from t-shirts, jerseys, and sweatshirts to backpacks, hats, phone cases, and more. 

Moreover, CustomCat supports various printing methods, including embroidery, dye sublimation, and digital printing, ensuring high-quality and versatile customization options for creators. The platform offers seamless integration with supported e-commerce platforms such as Etsy, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Shopify and the flexibility to integrate with custom online stores. 

With two pricing plans available—free and premium—CustomCat caters to the diverse needs of creators, offering a wide range of products under the premium plan. Getting started on the CustomCat platform is hassle-free, requiring users to register for an account and select their desired products. Utilizing the platform's product design tool, creators can design products according to their preferences and publish them on their connected online stores.

Target audience: Creators and artists.

Price: Free to sign up.

Pros:
- User-friendly platform.
- No limit on minimum orders.
- Affordable prices.

Cons:
- The free plan has limited features.
- Limited to e-commerce platforms only.
- Few product varieties.
- Must provide your own customer support on orders.
- No integration with social media shops.

10. Zazzle

Zazzle is an online marketplace similar to Redbubble and Society6 that allows designers to create and sell custom products such as clothing, electronics, art, gifts, and accessories. While the platform offers unique customization options and a product pricing model based on royalties, navigating its intricacies may pose challenges for some users. 

However, Zazzle remains a formidable alternative to Spring, providing a platform where designers can showcase their creations on various products while simultaneously serving as a bustling marketplace for consumers. With an impressive 300 million unique products listed on its catalog, Zazzle’s partnerships extend to renowned brands like Hallmark, Disney, Marvel, Harry Potter, and DC Comics, making it stand out in the print-on-demand game.   

Despite volatile shipping rates and a relatively long shipping time frame, Zazzle offers robust integration with Google Analytics and an API, reinforcing its position as a versatile hub for creators seeking to monetize their designs.

Target audience: Primarily designers.

Price: Free to sign up; fees vary.

Pros:
- Wide range of product options.
- Acts as a marketplace.
- High-quality products.
- Bulk order discounts.

Cons:
- No third-party integration.
- Long delivery times.
- Shipping costs can be high.
- No integration with social media shops. 

11. Gooten

Established in 2012, Gooten has built a strong reputation for offering high-quality products, a user-friendly experience, and seamless integrations with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Additionally, Gooten provides a RESTful API for custom integrations, making it a versatile option for businesses of all sizes.

Creators can choose from over 150 customizable product options, including apparel, mugs, phone cases, tote bags, and more. Gooten regularly audits its inventory to ensure high-quality standards, and its production partners span 35 vendors globally, offering rapid production and shipping times. Most items are produced within two days and shipped worldwide in about four days, providing fast fulfillment for customers.

Gooten also stands out with its order management tools, allowing creators to monitor and manage orders in real-time. The platform's flexible product hub enables users to either upload their own designs or select from pre-made designs by other artists. With no monthly fees or subscriptions, creators only need to account for production and shipping costs, which Gooten helps calculate through its handy expense calculator.

Target audience: Small businesses and creators seeking efficient order management and high-quality products.

Price: Free to sign up; costs depend on production and shipping.

Pros:

• Wide range of customizable products.
• Integrations with major e-commerce platforms.
• Reliable production and shipping times.
• Easy-to-use order management tools.
• RESTful API for custom integrations.

Cons:

• Some products can be expensive to produce.
• Limited international shipping options.
• Complex API setup for beginners.

12. Teemill

Teemill is a sustainable print-on-demand platform designed for environmentally-conscious creators. The platform offers customizable apparel made with organic materials and ships products in plastic-free packaging. Teemill also incentivizes sustainability through a unique program that gives customers store credit for returning worn-out items for recycling.

Setting up a Teemill store is simple, and sellers can customize their storefront to match their brand. The platform supports quick delivery, with most orders processed within 24 hours. Teemill also provides marketing tools like a blog section for driving traffic to stores.

However, Teemill doesn’t integrate with external websites, and sellers must upgrade to the Pro plan to access advanced features like custom domains and marketing emails.

Target audience: Sustainability-focused creators and charities.

Price: Free to start; Pro plan starts at £10/month.

Pros:

• Strong emphasis on sustainability.
• High-quality products and printing.
• Quick order processing and shipping.
• Fully customizable storefronts.

Cons:

• Limited to apparel and eco-friendly products.
• No integration with external websites.

Choose the Best Option for Your Community!

After considering these key factors, Fourthwall is a compelling alternative to Spring. Fourthwall not only offers a range of customizable products but also handles the fulfillment process and has a strong reputation for customer service. 

What sets Fourthwall apart, however, is their focus on creators. With Fourthwall, you can launch your own personalized homepage, shop, and membership site that your community will love.

If you’re a content creator looking for a powerful monetization tool, consider joining Fourthwall today!