Print-on-demand lets you sell custom products, shirts, mugs, wall art, and more, without holding stock. You design the product, and when a customer orders, the app prints and ships it for you. That removes upfront inventory cost and risk, which is why POD is one of the most popular ways to start a Shopify store. The right app decides your product range, quality, margins, and shipping speed.

These apps differ a lot: some focus on quality, some on price, some on unusual products or local fulfillment, and a couple blend POD with dropshipping. We ordered them by their App Store rating, led by the most widely used POD app, and each card explains what it suits. Base costs and margins vary, so check each app for current pricing.

Key Takeaways
1
Print-on-demand sells custom products with no upfront inventory, since items are made per order.
2
The app you choose sets your product range, quality, margins, and shipping speed.
3
Some apps focus on quality, others on price, niche products, or local production.
4
Start with the products and markets you want to serve, then match the app to them.

What print-on-demand apps do

A POD app connects your store to a supplier that prints and ships products on demand. You add products from its catalog, apply your designs with its mockup tools, and set your prices. When an order comes in, the app charges you the base cost, prints the item, and ships it to your customer, often with your branding. You never hold stock or handle fulfillment, so your job is design, marketing, and choosing the right supplier.

What to look for in a POD app

Start with the products you want to sell, since catalogs vary widely, from basic shirts to jewelry, watches, or all-over-print. Check base costs and your resulting margins, because POD margins are thinner than wholesale. Look at where the app prints, since local production means faster shipping and happier customers. Weigh print quality, ideally by ordering samples, and check the mockup tools and Shopify integration. If you also dropship, an app that does both can simplify your stack.

Product range, quality and margins

The catalog and quality are what a customer actually receives, so they matter most. General apps like Printful, Printify, and Gelato cover broad ranges, while others specialize, ShineOn in gifts and jewelry, JetPrint in watches and shoes, AOP+ in all-over-print. Quality varies, especially on marketplace models where different providers fulfill different items, so sample before you scale. On margins, compare base cost plus shipping against your selling price, since a cheap base cost with slow, costly shipping can cost you the sale. For a data-backed look at the most-installed of these, see our Printful review.

POD versus dropshipping

Print-on-demand and dropshipping both ship without you holding stock, but they differ. POD makes a custom product to order, so it is unique to your brand and takes longer to produce. Dropshipping resells an existing generic product that ships faster but is not exclusive to you. Some apps here, Zendrop and AutoDS, blend the two, which suits a store that wants custom hero products alongside faster generic ones. Choose POD when your brand and designs are the selling point.

Which POD apps mug stores actually install

Mugs is one of the most common print-on-demand products, and the stack on live mug stores is tighter than a generic Shopify. Based on adoption data from stores in our dataset, mug stores run about five apps on average, with Printful and Printify leading the fulfilment layer, review and email apps right behind them, and page-builder apps in a smaller slice.

Top apps on mug stores

Share of live Shopify mug stores running each app.

Judge.me Product Reviews App: 34.5%Judge.me Product Reviews App34.5%Klaviyo: 28.3%Klaviyo28.3%Printful: Print on Demand: 18.5%Printful: Print on Demand18.5%Shopify Inbox: 18.2%Shopify Inbox18.2%Loox ‑ Product Reviews App: 13.0%Loox ‑ Product Reviews App13.0%Recharge: 7.9%Recharge7.9%Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS: 6.8%Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS6.8%PageFly ✦ AI Page Builder: 6.3%PageFly ✦ AI Page Builder6.3%Instafeed ‑ Instagram Feed: 5.7%Instafeed ‑ Instagram Feed5.7%Paypal: 5.4%Paypal5.4%
Swym Wishlist: 4.6%Swym Wishlist4.6%Yotpo: 4.4%Yotpo4.4%Trustpilot: 3.8%Trustpilot3.8%Rebuy Personalization Engine: 3.5%Rebuy Personalization Engine3.5%Simprosys Google Shopping Feed: 3.5%Simprosys Google Shopping Feed3.5%Triplewhale: 3.3%Triplewhale3.3%Teeinblue Product Personalizer: 3.0%Teeinblue Product Personalizer3.0%Google Youtube: 3.0%Google Youtube3.0%GemPages Landing Page Builder: 2.5%GemPages Landing Page Builder2.5%Smart SEO AI & Image Optimizer: 2.5%Smart SEO AI & Image Optimizer2.5%
RankApp% of storesCategory
1Judge.me Product Reviews App34.5%Reviews & Ratings
2Klaviyo28.3%Email Marketing
3Printful: Print on Demand18.5%Print on demand (POD)
4Shopify Inbox18.2%Customer Support, Live Chat
5Loox ‑ Product Reviews App13.0%Conversion, Referral
6Recharge7.9%Subscriptions
7Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS6.8%Email Marketing
8PageFly ✦ AI Page Builder6.3%Landing Pages, Page Builders
9Instafeed ‑ Instagram Feed5.7%Conversion, Social Media
10Paypal5.4%Checkout - Other
11Swym Wishlist4.6%Wishlists
12Yotpo4.4%Product reviews
13Trustpilot3.8%Reviews & Ratings
14Rebuy Personalization Engine3.5%Checkout - Other
15Simprosys Google Shopping Feed3.5%Marketplaces
16Triplewhale3.3%Analytics
17Teeinblue Product Personalizer3.0%Print on demand (POD)
18Google Youtube3.0%Image & Video, Social Media
19GemPages Landing Page Builder2.5%Landing Pages, Page Builders
20Smart SEO AI & Image Optimizer2.5%SEO

Last updated November 10, 2026. Methodology →

See the full breakdown on the live mugs stats page, including the themes these storefronts are built on.

Our Picks: 15 Shopify Print-on-Demand Apps for 2026