In February 2025, Society6 switched to a curated marketplace, added subscription tiers ($5–$13/month), and deleted thousands of artist accounts. Artists are looking for alternatives. Here's the comparison.
| Feature | Firehawk Foundry | Society6 |
|---|---|---|
| Creator Royalty | 80% | 5–10% (net after fees) |
| Pricing Control | ✓ Full control | ✗ Removed in 2024 |
| Product Upload | ✓ AI-powered | ✗ Manual, slow |
| Monthly Fees | $0 forever | ✗ $5–$13/mo |
| Access Model | ✓ Open platform | ✗ Curated-only |
| Account Deletion Risk | ✓ Your store, your control | ✗ Deleting accounts |
| Custom Products | ✓ Unlimited | ✗ Limited |
| Payout | On demand | Monthly threshold |
| Brand Ownership | ✓ 100% yours | ✗ Marketplace |
| Setup Time | < 5 minutes | Hours of manual work |
*Society6's "5–10% net royalty" = gross sale minus Society6's base fee (~45–65%), then their curation/upcharge, then their subscription tier cut. It varies but is almost always terrible for the artist.
Society6 made major changes in 2024–2025 that broke the trust of the artist community. Here's what went wrong.
Society6 flipped to a curated model. Only "featured" artists get visibility. Thousands of artists had their accounts quietly removed or suppressed. The open marketplace that made Society6 famous is gone.
Society6 added paid tiers to unlock features that used to be free. Pay to play. Meanwhile, Firehawk Foundry charges artists absolutely nothing — ever.
Artists used to set their own markup on top of Society6's base price. Society6 took that away. You can't optimize for margin anymore — they set the price, they keep the spread.
Society6's upload process is manual at scale. Every product type needs separate setup. There's no AI assistant. Artists spend hours doing what Firehawk does in seconds.
Society6 takes 45–65% of the gross sale as their base. Then on curated products they add more fees. Then your subscription tier cuts in. What's left for you: 5–10% of the sale price. Firehawk gives you 80% of the gross.
Your shop on Society6 lives at society6.com/yourname — not your domain. When they delete your account, your store is gone. On Firehawk Foundry, your store is yours. Your domain. Your customers.
Artists upload freely, set their own markup, build stores. The community was the product. Royalties averaged 30–55% gross on standard products.
Society6 took away artist markup control. Artists could no longer optimize their margins. Frustration began building in the community.
Society6 flipped the switch: curated-only marketplace, $5–$13/mo subscription tiers, thousands of accounts deleted or suppressed. Artists lost years of work overnight.
80% royalties. AI product generation. Open platform. $0 monthly fees. Full pricing control. Your store on your domain. Artists who left are calling it the Society6 alternative they needed all along.
Upload your art once. Our AI generates print, apparel, and merchandise mockups automatically. No manual product setup. Go from art to live store in under 5 minutes.
You keep 80% of every sale. Society6's net royalty is 5–10% after all their cuts. On a $30 print, that's $24 vs $1.50–$3.00. The math is not subtle.
No subscription. No tier. No "premium" unlock. Firehawk Foundry is free to use, period. Your first $24 comes in and you keep all $24.
You set your prices. You control your margins. If you want to price a T-shirt at $35 or $50, that's entirely up to you. No Society6-style markup removal.
Your store is at firehawkfoundry.com/store/yourname — or your own custom domain. When you leave, you take your customers. Your store can't be deleted by an algorithm.
Withdraw your earnings on demand. No 30-day waiting. No $20 minimum balance. Your money is yours to access whenever you want it.
Join thousands of artists who left Society6 for a platform that actually works for them. Your art is worth more than 5–10%.