Source: VistaCreate
VistaCreate is an intuitive, browser-based graphic design tool perfect for creating custom t-shirts, social media graphics, and merch visuals. Aimed at small businesses and print-on-demand creators, it’s simple to learn and lets you design with drag-and-drop ease – no design training required.
Pricing
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Free Starter plan: basic access to templates and design assets.
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Pro plan: $10 per month, includes unlock premium content, a background remover, team tools, and more.
Features
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Extensive library of templates and graphics: Thousands of editable layouts and design assets for building unique shirt visuals.
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Drag-and-drop editor: Quickly create and style designs using shapes, text, and uploaded logos.
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Upload your own visuals: Add custom logos or graphics and layer them with on-site elements.
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Background remover: One-click tool to clean up photos or logos (Pro only).
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Brand Kits and styles: Save your brand’s colors, fonts, and logos for a consistent look.
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Export print-ready files: Download high-resolution PNGs or PDFs needed to print t-shirts.
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Pros
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Cons
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Beginner-friendly and ideal for quick t-shirt or merch design.
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Free plan has download limits and fewer templates.
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Great for small businesses or non-designers to build branded visuals.
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Occasional glitches reported in the mobile/web interface.
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Affordable.
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Some users report search/filter limits within the asset library.
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Source: Sketch
Sketch is a popular app for Mac users that focuses on vector graphics. While it’s wildly known for its powerful capabilities in digital design creation, you can also use Sketch to create stunning t-shirt designs.
This software ensures a smooth design workflow and lets you use an extensive plugin ecosystem.
Pricing
Sketch offers 3 subscription plans:
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For solo designers: $120 per year (no free trial).
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For small teams: $10 monthly per editor, billed yearly, or $12 per editor, billed monthly.
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For medium and large teams: $22 monthly per editor, billed yearly.
Features
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Vector editing tools: Design crisp, scalable illustrations and logos that stay sharp when printed on shirts of any size.
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Custom shapes and paths: Build unique icons, lettering, or illustrations.
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Symbols for reusable graphics: Create reusable design elements (like logos or badges) that you can duplicate and update across multiple shirt mockups.
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Color management and swatches: Save brand or client color palettes for quick access and consistent design across product lines.
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High-resolution export options: Download designs as PNGs, SVGs, or PDFs at print-quality resolutions for screen printing or DTG.
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Plugins and integrations: Extend Sketch’s capabilities with plugins for mockups, asset previews, or even direct-to-print workflows.
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Pros
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Cons
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Great for scalable vector designs.
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Doesn’t produce print-ready files, so you may need other tools.
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Large collection of both simple and advanced design tools and elements.
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Can be challenging for beginners.
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Offers a real-time collaboration feature.
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Mac-only – no Windows version available.
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Source: Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is mainly aimed at professionals. It’s a powerful tool for creating both vector and raster designs. Vector graphics are scalable without losing quality, while raster images are made up of pixels, like photos, which can lose sharpness when resized.
Pricing
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For iPad: One-time payment starting at $23.54.
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For macOS or Windows: $88.32.
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Bundle of both plans: $211.99.
Features
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Vector and raster tools in one app: Combine clean vector shapes with rich pixel textures all in a single design workflow.
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Real-time performance: Use ultra-smooth zooming, editing, and rendering, even with large and complex files.
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Symbols and reusable components: Build consistent designs faster by syncing updates across all instances of a symbol.
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Advanced typography controls: Access to fonts, spacing, OpenType features, and text styles.
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Export-ready assets: Slice and export graphics in multiple sizes and formats, perfect for web, app, and print projects.
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Cross-platform design freedom: Work seamlessly across Mac, Windows, and iPad with full file compatibility.
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Pros
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Cons
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Extensive toolset for professional designers.
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No cloud storage or syncing options.
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Fast performance with large files.
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Lacks some advanced text features.
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Supports multiple file formats.
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Costly compared to several alternatives.
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Source: Kittl
Kittl is a web-based design tool that makes it easy to create and personalize visuals for print-on-demand products like shirts, hoodies, mugs, and posters. Designed for both beginners and seasoned creators, it offers a drag-and-drop interface with AI-powered tools to help you bring your ideas to life, whether you're designing for a special occasion or building a brand for your customers.
Pricing
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Free plan: Limited projects and assets.
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Pro: $15 per month per editor. Expanded storage, AI credits, and premium content.
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Expert: $30 per month per editor. Unlimited projects, more AI generations.
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Business: $65 per month per editor. All features expanded, plus billing with a VAT invoice.
Features
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Professional templates and mockups: 10,000+ templates and high-resolution mockups.
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Extensive asset library: Over 1 million photos, graphics, and fonts.
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Advanced AI tools: Enter prompts and get AI-generated text and visuals.
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Vector editing and exports: Create and export high-resolution vector files – perfect for printing t-shirts with clean, scalable graphics.
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Commercial use license: All Pro and Expert users get full commercial rights – ideal for businesses selling t-shirts.
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Pros
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Cons
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Easy-to-use interface and no design experience needed.
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Free plan has limited storage and project slots.
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Rich template and stock photos library.
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Requires a paid plan for commercial downloads.
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Ideal for designing shirts, logos, posters, and other merch.
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No mobile app yet.
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Supports AI tools and custom design workflows.
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AI usage is capped by credit limits.
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Source: Procreate
Primarily designed to create digital sketches, paintings, illustrations, and animations, Procreate is made for a unique design with a hand-drawn touch.
This software is praised for its touch-responsiveness, extensive brush library, full color, font control, and 3D model painting features.
Pricing
Features
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Intuitive design tools: Sketch, draw, and paint custom t-shirt graphics with a natural, responsive interface.
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Creative freedom: Personalize your designs using brushes, textures, and color tools that create that hand-drawn look.
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Print-ready export: High-quality files for t-shirt printing or mockups.
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Pros
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Cons
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One-time purchase, no monthly fees.
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Available only on iPads and iPhones.
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Simple interface.
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Lacks extensive text editing features.
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Time-lapse recording of the design process.
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Limited file management and organization options.
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Source: Placeit
Placeit is an online design tool and mockup generator that’s well-suited for creating professional-looking t-shirt designs without any design experience. It offers thousands of templates for designs, videos, and more.
Pricing
Features
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Thousands of ready-to-use templates: Quickly create designs, logos, and mockups with easy drag-and-drop tools.
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High-quality product mockups: Generate realistic visuals for shirts, hoodies, and other apparel.
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Beginner-friendly editing tools: Personalize templates with your own text, colors, and images without design experience.
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Pros
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Cons
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Huge library of customizable templates.
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Limited advanced features compared to other options.
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User-friendly drag-and-drop interface.
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Lower quality on free plan downloads.
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No design skills required.
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Design and sell t-shirts with Printful
Partner with Printful – a print-on-demand powerhouse – and start your custom t-shirt business in minutes. No equipment, no inventory, just profits.
Here's how it works:
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Create your free account.
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Pick from tons of shirt styles, materials, and colors.
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Use our free Design Maker to upload your art or customize your masterpiece from scratch.
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Connect your store with your preferred sales channel, list your items, and watch the orders roll in.
We'll handle the printing, packaging, and global shipping, while you focus on marketing your t-shirts and growing your business.
