compared
A custom plush takes six weeks. You have until Friday.
A custom plush of their pet is a lovely object. Someone sews a soft version of that specific animal from your photos, and the good ones start around 150 EUR and take four to eight weeks to arrive.
A Dearling is the other way to give them their animal. One photo becomes a 3D model of that pet, on a private page they open on their phone, ready a few minutes after you order, from 12.90 EUR. This page compares the two honestly, because they are good at different jobs.
- ready in minutes, not weeks
- from 12.90 EUR
- nothing ships, no address needed
- two portraits free before you pay
What each one actually is.
A custom plush
A soft toy sewn to look like their pet, made to order from your photos. It is a real object they can hold and keep on a bed or a shelf for years. Expect 150 EUR and up from established makers, and four to eight weeks, because each one is sewn by hand. In the run up to Christmas it is longer still.
A dearling
A 3D model of their pet built from one photo, delivered as a private link. They pull a ribbon, the animal is standing there turning with your message under it, and one button stands it on a real table through the phone camera. From 12.90 EUR, ready in minutes.
Side by side.
| a dearling | a custom plush | |
|---|---|---|
| How fast it arrives | minutes, at any hour | four to eight weeks |
| What it costs | from 12.90 EUR | from about 150 EUR |
| Is it their actual pet | built from one photo of them | sewn from your photos |
| Can they hold it | no, it lives on a screen | yes |
| Do you need their address | no, you send a link | yes, theirs or yours |
| Does it move | it turns, and stands in their room through the camera | no |
| Ten years from now | only for as long as the link works | still on the shelf |
Plush prices and lead times checked against public maker listings in August 2026, converted to euros where they are quoted in dollars. They move, and they get longer before Christmas.
The honest verdict.
Buy the plush when
- The date is at least two months away and you can wait for it.
- The person needs an object to hold. A screen is not that.
- The budget stretches to 150 EUR or more without wincing.
- It is for a child, who will carry it around by one ear.
Send a dearling when
- The date is this week, or tonight. Nothing sewn can get there in time.
- You do not have their address, or asking for it would spoil the surprise.
- You want their exact markings, checked against the photo before you pay.
- The budget is closer to what flowers cost than to what a plush costs.
What we do not do.
Nothing physical ships from us, ever. There is no plush tier and no printed object in the post. A Dearling is not a toy you can put in a box, and if holding it is the point, buy the plush and order it early.
We only build dogs and cats. A plush maker will sew you a rabbit, a horse or a parrot. We cannot build those, so for any other species the plush is the only option on this page.
price
One payment, no subscription.
Dearling
12.90EUR
- One pet, in the look you pick
- A private gift page they open on any phone
- They stand it in their room through the camera
- A card you print at home and point a camera at
- Ready a few minutes after you order
Dearling Plus
19.90EUR
- One pet, built in both looks
- They choose which one to keep on the page
- A private gift page they open on any phone
- They stand it in their room through the camera
- A card you print at home and point a camera at
Questions people ask.
How much does a custom pet plush cost?
Made-to-order plush of a specific pet starts around 150 EUR at the established makers and climbs from there with size, and it takes four to eight weeks because each one is sewn by hand. If you have the time and the budget, they are a genuinely good gift.
What is the fastest alternative to a custom plush?
A Dearling. One photo becomes a 3D model of the pet a few minutes after you order, delivered as a private link, from 12.90 EUR. It is not an object you can hold, but it is their actual animal, standing on their table through the phone camera, tonight.
Is a Dearling a physical figurine?
No. The Figurine look makes the pet look like a glossy vinyl toy on a little base, but it lives on the screen and, through the camera, in the room. Nothing ships, and the only thing to unwrap is the parcel on the gift page.
Can I send a Dearling while the plush is being made?
That is a genuinely good pattern. The plush arrives in six weeks; the Dearling arrives tonight and carries your message on the day itself. Both are made from the same kind of photo, so you already have everything you need.
Do both work for cats?
Plush makers cover most species. Dearling builds dogs and cats only, because the pipeline is built around them and we would rather refuse a species than deliver it badly.
What do I pay, and when?
You upload the photo and see two portraits of the pet first, free. If the likeness is right you pay once: 12.90 EUR for one look, or 19.90 EUR for both looks with the recipient choosing. The 3D is built in a few minutes after that.
The plush needs six weeks. You might not have them.
One photo, two portraits free, then a link you can send tonight. From 12.90 EUR.
Not sure yet? Read how it works first.