Redbubble vs Society6 – Which One is Better for Selling Your Art Online?

---

Today I’m sharing a comprehensive guide on Redbubble vs Society6 for selling your art online.

These two popular Print on Demand websites are great options if you want to generate an income from your art and designs online without paying for inventory, shipping etc.

You can watch my video below, or read on to learn more about selling your art through Redbubble vs Society6 and determine which one is best for you!

Artist Store Front

Rebubble and Society6’s store fronts are visually quite similar. 

The most obvious difference is the custom header on Redbubble is a lot larger. Both store fronts feature custom logo or bio pic, a small bio section, and can be slightly customized to show specific item categories on Society6 or feature a collection on Redbubble.

Your Redbubble storefront shows your products sorted by most relevant by default. On Society6 you can choose whether to showcase your products in order of most popular items, most recent, or random.

There store front layouts have apparently been optimized for shoppers and to increase sales based on marketing research by the respective companies.

Type of Audience

Both Society6 and Redbubble cater towards a young, hip, and trendy audience.  Think festival gear, college dorm or first apartment decor, stickers, and unique accessories.

Trendy pattern designs and quotes are popular on both websites, but I think Redbubble is more on the trendy side while on Society6 you will find more abstract art and modern art based designs.

The audience on Redbubble is slightly younger though than Society6 as they focus more on stickers which are popular with teenagers and young adults.  However, Society6 has stickers too which can be popular with the right design.

Overall I think the target audience for both of these sites are young adults (20s and 30s) and their parents buying gifts for them.

Ease of Uploading Artwork

Redbubble’s uploading tool is easier and more efficent than Society6, hands down.

Not to say you shouldn’t spend the time uploading your art on Society6, just expect it to take longer. Their current uploading tool is an improvement on what it used to be, and they are planning further changes for the future.

What is better about Redbubble’s uploading process?

• You can upload one image for all products, and individual images as needed.
• You can set a background colour for all products.
• The ability to create square or offset patterns.
• The “Copy” tool which allows you to copy all of the settings from an existing artwork, great to quickly upload recolours.

Redbubble vs Society6 Products

Society6 and Redbubble offer a similar range of print on demand products including apparel, tech cases, home decor items, and accessories. But both have some unique products as well.

For example:

• Redbubble offers more tops and blouses, mini skirts, dresses and scarves.
• Society6 has a lot of different furniture and yoga mats.

Myself, family and friends have purchased items from both sites. The quality has been good overall, and any time there was an issue it was resolved promptly.

Both websites add new types of products from time to time, which is fun.

Reviews of different Redbubble and Society6 products I own:

• Society6 Yoga Mat Review
• Redbubble Sticker Haul and Review
• Society6 Leggings Review
• Redbubble Travel Mug Review
• Redbubble Scarf Review

Earnings and Payment

Redbubble earnings are paid automatically around the 15th of every month (to Paypal, or direct deposit), and there is a $20 minimum threshold. If you don’ t meet the threshold by the end of the year they pay you out in December.

Similarly, Society6 pays automatically to Paypal, with whatever balance you have on usually on the 1st of every month.

Both are reliable and I haven’t had any issues getting paid from either.

Product Marketing

Redbubble and Society6 have their own marketing departments who are professionals and good at driving traffic to their own websites. However, until your designs get their attention they probably won’t be promoting them. You will have to do some of your own marketing as well.

They do have re-targeting ads which means if someone views your design on their site a “cookie” will make it so they will see ads for your design on Facebook and Google etc.

Tips for Marketing your Print on Demand Products:

• Social Media Marketing Tips for Artists
• How to Use TikTok for Artists
• Why you should Blog as an Artist
• Pinterest Marketing Strategy for Artists

Most products have nice mockups that are easy to share or take a screenshot for social media, blogs and other marketing initiatives. 

You can also find some nice Photoshop mockups on the Redbubble blog.

Society6 sends out e-mail notices to artists prior to upcoming sales. They will often provide a link to download a .png overlay to use for your ads. Usually it’s just text containing the discount amount and promo code.

Redbubble sends an e-mail to their subscribers when there’s a sale. It’s useful to be signed up for their newsletter to get these notifications so you can promote these.

Shipping and Packaging

Redbubble and Society6 both have pretty reasonable shipping costs which vary depending on your location, the product size and weight.

Redbubble has manufaturers worldwide and products are shipped from the closest one to your location. They usually add in a free sticker with your purchase, and the packaging is cute and fun to open.

Society6 works with manufacturers in the U.S. and they often have free shipping worldwide promotions.

Both companies work with different manufacturers for different products. So, for example if you ordered a t-shirt and coasters, they might come in separate packages and at different times.

Note: Some products take longer to manufacture than others so it could take longer to ship and receive!

Summary

I hope you’ve found this breakdown of Redbubble vs Society6 helpful. Society6 and Redbubble are both great options for selling your artwork online, but overall I prefer Redbubble, mainly because of their streamlined uploading process. I think it’s better for beginners.

However, both have great things to offer including unique products and audiences, so it really depends on what you like and what works for you.

I use both because, as they say, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Want to learn more about selling your art online?  Here are some more great posts to check out!

• A more in-depth analysis of selling on Redbubble
• Selling your art on Zazzle vs. Society6 
• 10 Websites to Sell your Art Online

Cheers,

[Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated in 2023 for clarity and accuracy.]