What the two products cover
Printavo describes quoting, online approvals, payments, production scheduling and shop reporting on its official site. PrintShopCRM supports estimates with your own pricing matrices, customer proof links, a production board, invoices with partial payments, and per-job costing. Check each product against the jobs your shop actually runs; neither list guarantees a perfect match for your process.
- Printavo: a hosted product with plan-based features, support, and no server to maintain. Review its current plans and limits directly.
- PrintShopCRM: the AGPL-3.0 source and install guide are public. Run the full application on your own server without a software subscription, or choose paid managed hosting.
When self-hosting makes sense
PrintShopCRM is a practical fit when you want to keep customer records, price sheets and job history under your control, and someone can maintain a Node and SQLite installation. The application includes CSV and JSON exports. You still need to budget for the server, backups, updates and any optional setup help.
If you want a vendor to handle infrastructure and provide a ready-to-use cloud service, Printavo may be the simpler choice. PrintShopCRM also offers managed hosting, but that is a paid service rather than the free self-hosted path.
Compare your real workflow before switching
- Build the same representative estimate in both systems. Check garment sizes, decoration charges, margin and tax against your current price sheet.
- Send a proof to an internal test contact and verify revisions and approval status before routing a job to production.
- Test invoice balances and partial payments with sample records. Confirm any payment provider or messaging service your shop needs.
- Export a sample of customers and order history from your current system, preview the import, and verify the resulting records before a full migration.
Run both systems alongside each other for a few live jobs before changing the shop's daily process. See the switching guide for a fuller checklist.
Common questions
Is PrintShopCRM free like a trial?
The self-hosted software is free under AGPL-3.0 and does not expire. You provide and maintain the server. Managed hosting is paid and has a separate trial; see current pricing.
Can I bring my Printavo records?
PrintShopCRM has import tools for customer and order-history CSV files. Preview and verify a sample first because exported fields and shop workflows vary. Setup and migration help can be quoted separately.
Does PrintShopCRM replace every Printavo feature?
No blanket feature-parity claim is made. Compare the specific capabilities you depend on, including stores, shipping, messaging, integrations and mobile workflows, before deciding.