Alibaba vs Printify: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Alibaba had ~$142.3B of annual revenue in FY2026 and ~$14.4B of net income. Printify had $103M (unaudited) of annual revenue in FY2024.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Alibaba
Revenue rose from ~$22 billion (RMB158.3 billion) in FY2017 to ~$142 billion (RMB1.024 trillion) in FY2026. Net income was ~$14.4 billion (RMB103.6 billion) in FY2026, down from ~$17.5 billion (RMB126.0 billion) in FY2025. Alibaba reports on a March 31 fiscal year and invests heavily in commerce, cloud and AI infrastructure. Alibaba Group is a Chinese multinational technology titan with a market valuation typically hovering around $200 billion.
Printify
Printify is private and does not publish audited results. Disclosed funding totals roughly $49-50 million, led by a $45 million Series A in September 2021 from Index Ventures with H&M Group, Virgin Group and Dreamers VC participating; Printify later said the round closed at $50 million including angel investors. When the Printful merger was announced in November 2024, Printify was reported to generate about $103 million in annual revenue. Merger terms and the combined company's valuation were not disclosed.
Revenue and profit by year
Alibaba
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$142.3B | ~$14.4B | 10.1% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$138.5B | ~$17.5B | 12.6% | +5.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$130.8B | ~$9.9B | 7.6% | +8.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$120.7B | ~$9.1B | 7.5% | +1.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$118.6B | ~$6.5B | 5.5% | +18.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$99.7B | ~$19.9B | 20.0% | +40.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$70.8B | ~$19.5B | 27.5% | +35.3% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$52.4B | ~$11.2B | 21.3% | +50.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$34.8B | ~$8.5B | 24.5% | +58.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$22B | ~$6.1B | 27.6% | — | Source |
Printify
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 (unaudited) | $103M | — | — | — | Source |
| FY2023 (unaudited) | $96.7M | — | — | — | Source |
| FY2022 (unaudited) | $78.5M | — | — | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Alibaba
- China commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through China commerce.
- international digital commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through international digital commerce.
- cloud intelligence
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through cloud intelligence.
- logistics services
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through logistics services.
- local services and digital media
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through local services and digital media.
Printify
- Product base-price margin
Not disclosed
Spread between merchant base price and print provider cost.
- Printify Premium and Enterprise subscriptions
Not disclosed
Monthly or annual plans that lower product base prices.
Business model and strategy
Alibaba
How it makes money
Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media. Taobao and Tmall primarily connect merchants with consumers rather than operating only as first-party retailers.
Growth strategy
Facing intense regulatory scrutiny and fierce domestic competition, Alibaba's growth strategy recently underwent a large structural overhaul. They announced a plan to split the empire into six separate, independent business groups (like Cloud, E-commerce, and Logistics), allowing each to operate faster and potentially seek their own IPOs.
Competitive advantage
Alibaba's primary moat was its large network effect within China; virtually every merchant had to be on Taobao because that's where all the consumers were, and vice versa. their proprietary logistics network (Cainiao) and deep integration with Alipay created a frictionless ecosystem for Chinese consumers.
Printify
How it makes money
Printify runs an asset-light marketplace. Merchants pick a blank product from a catalog of 900+ items, add a design and publish it to their store. When a shopper buys, the merchant pays Printify the product base price plus shipping, and Printify sends the order to a print provider in its network.
Growth strategy
Printify grows by adding sales channels (Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, eBay, TikTok Shop and others), widening its catalog and provider network, and selling Premium and Enterprise plans to high-volume sellers. Its quality programme relies on provider ratings and automated order routing, including Printify Choice, which selects a provider for the merchant.
Competitive advantage
Printify's edge is choice and price. Because it does not own factories, it can list several providers for the same product and let merchants compare base price, location, production time and ratings. That model supports one of the widest catalogs in print-on-demand and typically lower base costs than vertically integrated rivals.
Questions about Alibaba vs Printify
Which company has higher revenue — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited had ~$142.3B (FY2026), while Printify had $103.0M (unaudited) (FY2024). By latest annual revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited is the larger business, with Printify showing a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Alibaba Group Holding Limited vs Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a market capitalisation of $266.6B. A public market cap figure for Printify was not available (it may be privately held).
How does revenue per employee compare for Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited has $1.08M / employee in revenue per employee, while Printify has $206k / employee. Headcounts may use different dates, so the ratio alone does not establish which business operates more efficiently.
How do Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify make money?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Alibaba Group Holding Limited: Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media. Printify: Printify runs an asset-light marketplace.
Is Alibaba Group Holding Limited bigger than Printify?
By last reported revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (~$142.3B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Printify ($103.0M (unaudited) (FY2024)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Alibaba vs Printify overview