Verdict: Gelato is usually the best fit for EU/UK sellers and brands that want fast regional delivery and a simpler “one platform” workflow. It’s a weaker fit if you need maximum catalog breadth, supplier-by-supplier control, or you won’t place enough orders to justify Gelato+.
Best for
- EU/UK-focused brands that care about shipping speed and fewer cross-border surprises.
- Sellers expanding internationally who want global reach without stitching multiple suppliers.
- Teams optimizing for speed-to-listing (mockups, collections, pricing tools).
Bad fit if…
- You need huge product variety (especially niche blanks / specialty items / heavy AOP).
- You want to choose print partners per product (fine-grained vendor control).
- Your margins are tight and your monthly volume is too low to offset Gelato+.
At a glance
- Pricing: Can be competitive; Gelato+ matters most for tooling + discounts.
- Production: Distributed network across many countries to print closer to buyers.
- Shipping: Usually best when items are produced in the buyer’s region (EU→EU, US→US).
What Gelato is (and who it’s for)
Gelato is a global print-on-demand (POD) platform that routes orders to production partners, aiming to print closer to the end customer. If you’re selling across regions (especially Europe), the core value is simple: localized production can improve the customer experience by reducing long cross-border shipping routes.
If you’re new to POD, read our guide to how print-on-demand works.
Localized production network (why it matters)
Gelato’s main selling point is its distributed production approach: orders are routed to nearby facilities when possible. In real terms, that can mean:
- Faster delivery for same-region customers.
- Fewer international shipping headaches when your products can be produced locally.
- More confidence scaling beyond one country.
If your main channel is Etsy, shipping speed directly affects reviews (and conversion). Here’s the deeper explanation on why faster shipping tends to lead to better Etsy reviews.
Product range & customization (what you can and can’t do)
Gelato covers the mainstream categories most stores need (apparel, home & living, wall art / photo products), and the workflow is beginner-friendly.
Where some sellers hit limits:
- Not as much breadth as “marketplace aggregators” with many competing suppliers.
- Specialty blanks and niche categories can be harder to match.
- Depending on product/region, some advanced branding/personalization options may be limited or paywalled.
If you’re still deciding which provider to use overall, see our list of the best print-on-demand sites (and what each one is best at).
Gelato integrations (Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce)
Gelato supports the standard POD stacks most sellers use:
- Shopify
- Etsy
- WooCommerce
If you’re deciding where to sell, these may help:
Gelato Pros
- Strong for EU/UK sellers: localized production can reduce cross-border friction.
- Good buyer experience: faster regional delivery helps reviews and repeats.
- Simple setup: clean UI, quick product creation, straightforward store integrations.
- International scale: global selling is easier without managing multiple suppliers.
- Gelato+ tools: mockups/collections/pricing tools can reduce time-per-listing.
- Good default choice: especially if your bottleneck is logistics, not catalog breadth.
Gelato Cons
- Less supplier-level control: fewer knobs to choose “this printer vs that printer” per SKU.
- Catalog depth varies: niche product strategies may outgrow Gelato.
- Features can be tiered: some tools move behind paid plans over time.
- Costs can move: base costs/shipping can change by region/materials.
- Support can be mixed on edge cases: most are fine; tricky technical cases can drag.
Pricing & plans (Gelato vs Gelato+)
Pricing last updated: December 2025.
- Free plan: basic integrations + product creation tools.
- Gelato+: $23.99/month or $19.99/month billed annually ($239.88/year).
- Gelato+ structure: one subscription.
- Trial: 14-day free trial for software features (discounts apply once you’re on a paid plan).
- Included tools (Gelato+): Magic Mockups, Instant Collections, Price Navigator (and other premium tools).
- Discounts: subscriber discounts (up to ~35% in year one, then up to ~25%, varying by product/region).
What Gelato+ is actually for
Gelato+ is usually worth it when at least one of these is true:
- You place enough monthly orders that discounts beat the subscription.
- You rely on the workflow tools (mockups/collections/pricing) to ship listings faster.
- You manage multiple storefronts and generic “free tooling” becomes a bottleneck.
Break-even estimate
(Plan cost) ÷ (your average savings per order) = orders needed to break even
Example:
If your average pre-discount product cost is about $15 and Gelato+ saves about 25% per item (that’s $3.75 off each order), then the subscription pays for itself after roughly:
– 7 orders on the $23.99 monthly plan (23.99 ÷ 3.75 ≈ 6–7)
– 6 orders on the $19.99/mo annual plan (19.99 ÷ 3.75 ≈ 5–6)
(Just divide the plan price by your average savings per order to get your own break-even.)
Despite its competitive base product pricing, some users have reported unexpected cost increases. A few sellers observed a 15-16% price hike over six months for materials like premium paper and frames. Additionally, the platform’s decision to move the personalization tool to a separate paid tier has led to criticism, as it disrupted operations for businesses relying on these features during high-demand periods.
For a direct head-to-head framing, see our comparison of Gelato vs Printify.
Gelato alternatives for 2026
Pick alternatives based on what you’re optimizing for:
- Use Printify if you want maximum product variety and the ability to choose from multiple print partners per product (good for price-shopping and niche catalogs). Read: Printify vs Gelato.
- Use Printful if you optimize for consistent quality control and a more curated, “brand-ready” experience. Read: Printful vs Gelato.
- Use Printful vs Printify guidance if you’re stuck between “quality-first” and “marketplace variety.”
- Use a Europe-first provider if your store is EU-only and you want tighter local lead-time control (often best when your product mix is very specific). One example to explore is Shirtee.
- If you mainly sell on Etsy, start with our provider shortlist for Etsy sellers.
FAQ
Is Gelato worth it in 2026?
Often yes if regional fulfillment (especially EU/UK) improves your delivery times and customer experience, or if your workflow benefits from Gelato+ tools. It’s less compelling if you need maximum catalog breadth or supplier-level control.
Is Gelato cheaper than Printify?
It depends on your products and where you ship.
- Printify can be cheaper for specific SKUs because you can choose between multiple print partner options.
- Gelato can win on total “landed experience” (speed/reliability) when localized production applies.
How fast is Gelato shipping to the US / EU?
A reliable rule of thumb:
- Fastest when the item can be produced in the buyer’s region.
- Slower when a product is produced cross-region due to availability.
If Etsy reviews are your bottleneck, read how shipping speed impacts reviews.
Does Gelato support Etsy / Shopify / WooCommerce?
Yes, Gelato supports the common store platforms. If you’re still deciding your stack:
Conclusion
Gelato is a strong choice in 2026 if you care about regional fulfillment, want global reach without operational complexity, and value a smoother design → listing → order workflow.
If your priority is catalog breadth and supplier choice, start with Printify vs Gelato. If you’re optimizing for a curated, brand-ready feel, see Printful vs Gelato.