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Publishing · head to head

Blurb vs Kobo Writing Life

Blurb logo

Blurb

Publishing

Visual storytelling through print-on-demand books and wall art

From
$3.99/unit
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kobo Writing Life logo

Kobo Writing Life

Publishing

Rakuten Kobo self-publishing platform paying a 70% royalty with no delivery fee deduction and no upper price cap, a materially different structure from Amazon KDP

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kobo Writing Life has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Blurb print-on-demand model; no subscription plans or seat limits; Kobo Writing Life kobo overall market share is smaller than Amazon Kindle in the US specifically, so an author relying only on Kobo reaches a smaller US audience than KDP alone would.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blurb and Kobo Writing Life actually diverge.

Attributes where Blurb and Kobo Writing Life differ
AttributeBlurbKobo Writing Life
Starting price$3.99/unitFree
Pricing modelusage-basedFree to publish; Kobo earns a royalty share rather than a fee
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Blurb

Nothing recorded that Kobo Writing Life does not also cover.

Only in Kobo Writing Life

  • Free publishing
  • 70% royalty, no price ceiling
  • No delivery fee
  • Automatic price matching
  • International reach
  • Direct payment threshold

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Blurb

  • Self-publishingnot Kobo Writing Life
  • Print marketing materialsnot Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life

  • An author with a long or image-heavy ebook wanting to avoid the delivery fee that would apply on KDP at the same pricenot Blurb
  • An author pricing a book above $9.99 who wants the 70% royalty without hitting the price ceiling that would apply on Amazon before its July 2026 expansionnot Blurb
  • A wide-distribution author targeting Canadian, UK or other international markets where Kobo has stronger relative reach than in the USnot Blurb
  • An author who wants to understand that price-matching to other retailers may automatically change their Kobo price without a manual updatenot Blurb

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Blurb

  • Print-on-demand model; no subscription plans or seat limits
  • Per-page costs add $0.04-$3.50 depending on product type
  • Volume discounts require minimum orders

Kobo Writing Life

  • Kobo overall market share is smaller than Amazon Kindle in the US specifically, so an author relying only on Kobo reaches a smaller US audience than KDP alone would.
  • Automatic price matching to other retailers means an author discounting on one platform can see their Kobo price change without a deliberate action, which requires active monitoring to avoid unintended royalty impact.
  • The requirement to price at least 20% below any physical edition to qualify for 70% is easy to overlook and can silently drop an author into the 45% tier if a print edition price changes without an ebook price adjustment.
  • Below the qualifying threshold, the fallback royalty is 45%, not the 35% floor on KDP, which sounds better but is a smaller total addressable audience given lower Kobo market share, so gross revenue comparison still favours evaluating both platforms together.
  • As with any single-retailer self-publishing tool, relying solely on Kobo concentrates risk in one platform policy and market position rather than spreading across a wide-distribution strategy.

Pricing, plan by plan

Blurb

$3.99/unit
  • Paperback$3.99/unit
  • Photo Books$12/unit
  • Notebooks$12/unit
  • Wall Art$65/unit

Kobo Writing Life

Free
  • 70% royalty tierFree
    • Applies from $2.99 USD (or currency equivalent) with no upper price cap
    • No delivery fee deducted, full 70% kept
    • Ebook must be priced at least 20% below any physical edition list price
  • 45% royalty tierFree
    • Applies below the $2.99 threshold
    • No delivery fee deducted

Which should you pick?

Choose Blurb if

Nothing in the data separates Blurb from Kobo Writing Life on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Blurb review

Choose Kobo Writing Life if

  • You need free publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want 70% royalty, no price ceiling.
Kobo Writing Life review

Questions people ask

Is Blurb or Kobo Writing Life better?
Neither clearly leads. Blurb starts at $3.99/unit and Kobo Writing Life at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blurb or Kobo Writing Life?
Kobo Writing Life has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3.99/unit for Blurb and Free for Kobo Writing Life.
Does Blurb or Kobo Writing Life run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Kobo Writing Life for free?
Yes. Kobo Writing Life has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Blurb starts at $3.99/unit.
What is Blurb best used for?
Blurb is most often used for self-publishing, print marketing materials. Of those, self-publishing and print marketing materials are not what Kobo Writing Life is typically brought in for.
What can Blurb do that Kobo Writing Life cannot?
Kobo Writing Life covers Free publishing, 70% royalty, no price ceiling, No delivery fee, Automatic price matching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blurb: What is Blurb's starting price for printed books?

Blurb's paperback books start at $3.99 for a 5x8-inch book with economy color paper, with prices increasing based on size and binding style.

Source
Kobo Writing Life: Does Kobo Writing Life charge a fee?

No. Like KDP, it is free to publish; Kobo earns its share through the royalty percentage on each sale.

Blurb: Does Blurb offer volume discounts?

Blurb provides volume discounts: 10-20% for 10-19 copies, 15-20% for 20-49 copies, and 20-25% for 50+ copies depending on product type.

Source
Kobo Writing Life: Is there a price ceiling on the 70% royalty?

No. Unlike KDP, which caps the 70% band at $12.99 as of July 2026, Kobo 70% rate has no upper price limit, only the $2.99 lower threshold.

Blurb: What does Blurb charge for photo book printing?

Blurb's photo books start at $12 and can cost up to $159 depending on size (6 sizes available), paper quality, and cover binding option.

Source
Kobo Writing Life: Does Kobo deduct a delivery fee like Amazon?

No. Authors keep the full 70% regardless of file size; there is no per-megabyte delivery deduction.

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