Here’s something most print-on-demand guides won’t tell you: Society6 vs. Redbubble isn’t a fair fight—and Redbubble is losing on royalties. The default artist margin on Redbubble sits around 20% of the retail price. On Society6, artists set their own markup on top of a base price. That structural difference changes everything about how much you actually take home per sale. If you’ve been defaulting to Redbubble because “everyone uses it,” this breakdown is worth your attention.
What Most Artists Get Wrong About Print-on-Demand Royalties
Most artists compare platforms by traffic, not by margin structure. That’s backwards.
High traffic means nothing if the platform takes 80% of every sale. The Society6 vs. Redbubble royalty gap isn’t obvious until you do the math on actual products—and most creators never do. They see a $35 art print on Redbubble, earn $7, and assume that’s just how print-on-demand works. It’s not.
Additionally, platform choice affects buyer demographics. Society6 attracts home décor shoppers willing to pay premium prices. Redbubble skews younger, with more budget-conscious buyers hunting for sticker packs and $22 t-shirts. Your art style should determine your platform — not the other way around.
The Society6 vs Redbubble Numbers Breakdown (Per Product)
Point 1: Art prints — where the gap is most dramatic.
On Redbubble, a standard art print (medium, ~11×14) retails around $27–$32. At the default 20% margin, you earn roughly $5.40–$6.40. On Society6, the same size print has a base cost of approximately $20. Set your markup to $12–$15, and you’re earning 2–3x more per sale on a comparable product. One artist I know switched her primary platform after running this exact comparison—her monthly passive income went from $180 to $410 within four months, same designs, different platform.
Point 2: T-shirts favor Redbubble slightly.
This is where the narrative flips. Redbubble t-shirts are a high-volume category, and the platform’s audience actively searches for niche graphic tees. Society6’s apparel line is thinner, with less buyer intent for clothing specifically. If your work is illustration-heavy and appeals to subculture communities—fandoms, hobbies, humor niches—Redbubble’s t-shirt traffic still outperforms. For apparel-focused print-on-demand income strategies, Redbubble edges out Society6 on sheer volume.
Point 3: Home décor is Society6’s strongest category.
Throw pillows, tapestries, wall clocks, duvet covers—Society6 built its reputation on home goods. A tapestry on Society6 can retail for $55–$85 with an artist markup of $15–$25 built in. On Redbubble, the same category exists but converts at lower rates because the buyer’s intent isn’t as strong. If your art translates to interior spaces — botanical prints, abstract patterns, or minimalist line work — Society6’s home décor buyers are your audience.
Point 4: Society6 runs frequent sitewide sales that cut your margin temporarily.
This is the catch. Society6 regularly runs 30–40% off promotions, and those discounts come out of the artist’s markup—not Society6’s base price. During sale periods, your $15 markup shrinks to $9–$10. Plan your pricing accordingly: set your base markup higher ($18–$22) so your floor during sales stays acceptable. Redbubble runs promotions too, but they’re less aggressive and less frequent.
If you’re exploring how print-on-demand is evolving, it helps to understand the bigger picture of the industry. That broader reality is discussed in Broke But Ambitious? Here’s What Print-on-Demand Really Looks Like in 2026.
Neither Platform Is a Passive Income Shortcut
Both Society6 and Redbubble require a real catalog to generate meaningful income. Sellers with fewer than 50 designs typically earn under $50/month on either platform. The artists clearing $500–$2,000/month have 200–500+ designs live and treat SEO (yes, product titles and tags matter enormously) as seriously as the artwork itself.
Timeline-wise, expect 6–9 months before you see consistent monthly income. If you want to compare all major print-on-demand platforms before committing, that research is worth doing upfront—switching platforms after 300 uploads is painful.
At the same time, many creators are already earning quietly from print-on-demand platforms. A closer look at that opportunity is explained in Why Redbubble Sellers Are Quietly Making $3K/Month While You Sleep.
Run the Numbers on Your Own Work
Pick your three best-performing or most versatile designs. Price them on both platforms using current base costs—Society6 publishes its base pricing transparently in the artist dashboard. Calculate your per-sale earnings at realistic retail prices. Then ask: Where does my art style fit the buyer? That answer tells you where to focus your next 90 days of uploads.
