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Publishing · head to head

Draft2Digital vs Pressbooks

Draft2Digital logo

Draft2Digital

Publishing

Ebook and print distribution aggregator that takes a percentage instead of a fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pressbooks logo

Pressbooks

Publishing

Open source book production built on WordPress, and the default tool for open textbooks

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Draft2Digital the 10% cut is taken from the list price of every copy for as long as the title stays in the channel, so on a backlist that sells for years it costs far more than a one-off formatting or distribution fee would have.; Pressbooks self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.
  • They diverge on capability: Draft2Digital covers One-upload distribution, Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Draft2Digital and Pressbooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Draft2Digital and Pressbooks differ
AttributeDraft2DigitalPressbooks
Pricing model10% of retail list price, no upfront feeOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebWeb, Self-hosted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Draft2Digital

  • One-upload distribution
  • Free conversion
  • Books2Read universal links
  • Print distribution
  • Free ISBN option
  • Series and back-matter automation

Only in Pressbooks

  • Single source, three outputs
  • Cloning and adaptation
  • H5P interactive content
  • LMS integration
  • Open source under the GPL
  • Accessibility tooling

What people use each for

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

Draft2Digital

  • An author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each onenot Pressbooks
  • A writer who wants library distribution through OverDrive and Bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliersnot Pressbooks
  • Anyone publishing outside the United States who wants Tolino and other regional European stores reached without local accountsnot Pressbooks
  • A publisher of series fiction that benefits from automated end-matter linking across every store editionnot Pressbooks

Pressbooks

  • A university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new onenot Draft2Digital
  • A course team that wants readings delivered inside Canvas or Moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static PDFnot Draft2Digital
  • A research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an EPUB and a printable document without maintaining three filesnot Draft2Digital
  • A consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titlesnot Draft2Digital

Where each one falls short

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

Draft2Digital

  • The 10% cut is taken from the list price of every copy for as long as the title stays in the channel, so on a backlist that sells for years it costs far more than a one-off formatting or distribution fee would have.
  • Moving a title to direct distribution later means unpublishing and republishing at each store, which usually resets reviews, rankings and pre-order history at that retailer.
  • The free ISBN names Draft2Digital as publisher of record, which weakens the case that the book is independently published when dealing with libraries, bookshops or awards that check the imprint.
  • You lose the merchandising and promotional tools retailers give direct suppliers, including Kobo price promotion tools and Apple promotional scheduling, which are among the few levers indie authors actually have.
  • Payments wait on retailer reporting, so revenue arrives later than a direct account would pay it, and reconciling a discrepancy means the aggregator has to raise it with the store on your behalf.

Pressbooks

  • Self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.
  • Professional print PDF output depends on a commercial rendering engine that is licensed separately, so the genuinely free self-hosted route produces web and EPUB output but not press-quality print.
  • Design control is limited to the supplied themes unless someone writes custom CSS, so books tend to look recognisably like Pressbooks books.
  • There is no distribution, no ISBN service and no retail channel, so it produces files and web pages but plays no part in selling anything.
  • The editing experience inherits WordPress conventions, and authors working on long or heavily structured manuscripts find it slower than a dedicated writing application.

Pricing, plan by plan

Draft2Digital

Free
  • Draft2Digital$undefined/month
    • No setup, subscription or conversion fees
    • Draft2Digital retains 10% of the retail list price of each sale
    • Free ISBN available, or supply your own

Pressbooks

Free
  • PressbooksFree
    • GPL licensed, self-hostable with no software fee
    • WordPress multisite administration is your responsibility
    • Print PDF export depends on a separately licensed rendering engine

Which should you pick?

Choose Draft2Digital if

  • You need one-upload distribution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want free conversion.
Draft2Digital review

Choose Pressbooks if

  • You need single source, three outputs.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want cloning and adaptation.
Pressbooks review

Questions people ask

Is Draft2Digital or Pressbooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Draft2Digital starts at Free and Pressbooks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Draft2Digital or Pressbooks?
Draft2Digital starts at Free and Pressbooks at Free.
Does Draft2Digital or Pressbooks run on more platforms?
Draft2Digital runs on Web. Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Draft2Digital for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Draft2Digital best used for?
Draft2Digital is most often used for an author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each one, a writer who wants library distribution through overdrive and bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliers, anyone publishing outside the united states who wants tolino and other regional european stores reached without local accounts, a publisher of series fiction that benefits from automated end-matter linking across every store edition. Of those, an author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each one and a writer who wants library distribution through overdrive and bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliers are not what Pressbooks is typically brought in for.
What can Draft2Digital do that Pressbooks cannot?
Draft2Digital covers One-upload distribution, Free conversion, Books2Read universal links, Print distribution. Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Draft2Digital: Should I distribute to Amazon through Draft2Digital?

Usually not. Amazon accounts are free and paying an aggregator a percentage on your largest sales channel is difficult to justify unless you have a specific reason to avoid a direct account.

Pressbooks: Is Pressbooks really free?

The software is GPL licensed and free to self-host. The hosted service is priced, and professional print PDF output requires a commercially licensed renderer, so budget accordingly.

Draft2Digital: Can I use my own ISBN?

Yes, and you should if you want the imprint on record to be yours. The free ISBN is convenient but lists Draft2Digital as publisher.

Pressbooks: Can I sell a book made in Pressbooks?

You can sell the EPUB or the printed book through any distributor, but Pressbooks itself provides no ISBN, no storefront and no distribution.

Draft2Digital: What happened to Smashwords?

Draft2Digital acquired it in 2022. The Smashwords store continues, and the two distribution operations were brought under one company, which reduced the number of independent aggregators to choose between.

Pressbooks: Why do universities use it for open textbooks?

Because an openly licensed book can be cloned into another institution network and adapted for a different course, which turns a finished textbook into a starting point rather than a fixed artefact.

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