Inkedjoy Vs. Gelato Vs. Apliiq: Best Print-on-Demand Companies for You (2026)

Inkedjoy, Gelato, and Apliiq all offer print-on-demand services, but they suit different types of sellers. If you're deciding between them, here's where I'd start:

Inkedjoy — Best for AOP Clothing & Product Variety

Ideal for sellers creating all-over-print apparel, accessories, and branded promotional merchandise.

Gelato — Best for Global & Localized Fulfillment 

A strong option for stores selling internationally, especially those offering wall art, gifts.

Apliiq — Best for Private-Label Clothing Brands

Well suited to independent fashion and streetwear brands looking for more garment and branding options.

Inkedjoy vs. Gelato vs. Apliiq: Quick Comparison

All three suppliers support print-on-demand orders with no minimum order quantity (MOQ), but they differ considerably in many aspects like product range, branding services, and fulfillment models.

Note: Product counts follow each supplier's published figures. Printing methods and branding options may vary by product or service.

Products & Printing: Which Supplier Fits Your Designs?

Inkedjoy - Offers a broad range of customizable apparel, shoes, bags, and home products. All-over-print clothing is a particular strength, with sublimation printing that covers entire fabric panels rather than a limited print area. It's useful for patterned clothing and coordinated merchandise collections.

Gelato - Focuses on conventional apparel, wall art, and everyday personalized products. It offers DTG printing, selected DTF applications, and embroidery, with garment options from brands such as Gildan and Bella+Canvas. However, it doesn't currently support all-over sublimation printing for clothing.

Apliiq - Specializes in clothing and garment decoration, with premium blanks, DTG, DTF, embroidery, patches, and custom garment details. Screen printing is also available for bulk orders. Its product pages include print placement and size references to help sellers prepare artwork.

What About Product Quality?

Product quality depends heavily on the garment and printing method. Inkedjoy's sublimated polyester apparel offers extensive design coverage, while Gelato's cotton blanks and Apliiq's streetwear styles provide different fits, textures, and finishes.

Rather than comparing suppliers by reputation alone, check the fabric composition, printing technique, and construction of the products you plan to sell. Ordering samples is especially important for apparel.

Custom Branding: How Much Can You Customize?

Branding is another area where the differences become noticeable. Inkedjoy covers a practical range of branding needs, while Apliiq offers more clothing-specific options. Gelato's branding services are currently narrower in scope.

Inkedjoy - Offers custom labels, hangtags, packing bags, gift cards, and branded tape. These options help sellers build a recognizable identity across their products and packaging, rather than relying on the printed design alone.

Gelato - Provides branded inserts and shipping labels through Gelato+, currently available for selected poster products and supported regions. The service is useful for adding branded touches to wall art orders, but its product coverage is limited.

Apliiq - Goes further into apparel branding with private labels, woven labels, embroidered patches, and custom garment details. Sellers can replace manufacturer tags or incorporate branding directly into the clothing. Some options require materials to be purchased in advance.

The right branding service depends on the kind of business you're building. For a design-led POD store selling T-shirts, bags, and gifts, consistent labels and packaging like Inkedjoy provides may be enough to make different products feel like one collection.

But for an independent clothing label, customers also pay attention to the garment itself. Woven labels, embroidered patches, and custom details can help create a more distinctive, retail-ready product, which is where Apliiq has an edge.

Design Tools & Automation: Which Is Easier to Manage?

All three platforms support automated order fulfillment, but their design and product management tools have different strengths.

Inkedjoy - Its online designer supports custom artwork, product previews, and bulk design across different categories. Sellers can connect Shopify, Etsy, or WooCommerce stores to synchronize orders and automate fulfillment. Bulk design is particularly handy for creating matching products from the same artwork.

Gelato - Offers an online editor, product mockups, and additional creative tools through Gelato+. Magic Mockups creates product visuals, while Personalization Studio automates customized orders involving customer names, photos, or other personal details. This can save considerable time for stores selling personalized gifts.

Apliiq - Provides an apparel-focused design workflow, letting sellers select garments, decoration methods, and available print positions. Product-specific size guides are useful when preparing designs for embroidery or different print locations. Store integrations also automate order processing and fulfillment.

The essential POD workflow is similar across all three. Inkedjoy makes it convenient to develop custom collections, Gelato provides more advanced personalization tools, and Apliiq emphasizes garment decoration and design placement.

Fulfillment & Shipping: Where Are Orders Produced?

Inkedjoy - Most products are manufactured in China, with a smaller selection produced in the US and Australia. Its factory-direct model supports a wide product range, although international shipping can take longer. US-made products ship domestically, while Australian-made products serve Australia and New Zealand.

Gelato - Uses a distributed production network across 32 countries. Orders can be manufactured closer to customers, which helps reduce shipping distances and delivery times. Local production depends on the product and available facilities, so not every order will necessarily be produced in the destination country.

Apliiq - Operates US-based production facilities and offers both print-on-demand and inventory warehousing. Sellers can produce popular items in advance, store them with Apliiq, and ship from existing stock within 24-48 hours. Regular POD orders still require production time.

Gelato has an advantage for international stores that want local production options across multiple markets. Apliiq's US-based operations and warehousing are particularly useful for apparel brands focused on American customers.

Inkedjoy offers more product variety through its factory-direct supply chain, but sellers should check individual production locations and delivery estimates before listing products.

Pricing & Membership: What Adding to Your Cost?

All three platforms are free to start, but their product costs and optional memberships work differently.

Product Costs & Additional Fees

Inkedjoy - Factory-direct sourcing helps keep product costs competitive, especially for AOP apparel and custom accessories. However, shipping costs depend on the product and destination, and additional branding services come with separate charges.

Gelato - Product prices reflect its catalog and distributed production network. Costs vary by product, specifications, and fulfillment location. Local production can offer delivery advantages, although it doesn't automatically mean lower prices.

Apliiq - Uses branded blank garments with separate charges for printing, embroidery, and other decoration services. Digital printing starts at $7.49 per print, while private labels or neck prints are listed at $2.50 per item under standard pricing. Additional design locations and garment details increase costs.

Comparing the cheapest T-shirt from each platform wouldn't be particularly useful here. Their products differ in material, construction, and printing methods.

A better approach is to evaluate the cost of the exact product you intend to sell, including printing, shipping, and required services.

Are Their Paid Memberships Worth It?

Note: Memberships are optional. Product, shipping, and applicable additional service fees are charged separately.

Inkedjoy's paid plans mainly unlock branding services. Lite covers the essentials, while Pro adds more packaging options. Material costs are billed separately, so the subscription fee alone doesn't cover every branded order.

Gelato+ combines discounts with creative and automation tools. Besides eligible product discounts of up to 33%, members gain access to Magic Mockups, Personalization Studio, and other tools. It's particularly useful for stores handling frequent personalized orders or larger product catalogs.

Apliiq VIP is more focused on reducing order costs. Members receive 20% off eligible dropship products and services, including certain printing and embroidery charges. Shipping, taxes, and bulk-purchased branding materials aren't included in the discount.

Final Verdict: Which One is Better

There's no need to choose a supplier based on its longest feature list or lowest advertised product price.

First, make sure it offers the products, printing methods, and branding options your store actually needs. Then look at the total cost of fulfilling those products and whether delivery times work for your target customers.

It's also worth considering your next stage of growth. You may need more product categories, better personalization tools, or inventory fulfillment as your business develops.

And before committing to any supplier, order samples. Fabric, fit, print quality, and finishing details are much easier to judge when you have the actual product in your hands.

Read More

• Inkedjoy vs. Gelato: Which is Better for Print on Demand?
• 10 Best Apliiq Alternatives for POD Clothing Brands
• Best Print on Demand for Canada: 11 Top Platforms Ranked by Shipping Speed
• Best Print on Demand Australia: 15 Local Suppliers Ranked