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Publishing · head to head

Kindle vs Pressbooks

Kindle logo

Kindle

Publishing

Amazon's consumer e-book reading app, distinct from Kindle Direct Publishing, the author-facing service

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: Kindle purchased e-books are DRM-protected and tied to an Amazon account by default, so a Kindle library is not portable to another platform's app without stripping protection through third party tools.; 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: Kindle covers E-book reading, Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kindle and Pressbooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Kindle and Pressbooks differ
AttributeKindlePressbooks
Pricing modelFree app, revenue from book purchases and optional subscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, 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 Kindle

  • E-book reading
  • Whispersync
  • Audible integration
  • Offline downloads
  • Kindle Unlimited
  • X-Ray

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.

Kindle

  • Reading e-books purchased from the Kindle Store across a phone, tablet and dedicated e-reader with synced positionnot Pressbooks
  • Switching between reading and audiobook listening on titles with Audible integrationnot Pressbooks
  • Subscribing to Kindle Unlimited for readers who consume many books from its included cataloguenot Pressbooks
  • Reading downloaded books offline while travelling without a data connectionnot Pressbooks

Pressbooks

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

Where each one falls short

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

Kindle

  • Purchased e-books are DRM-protected and tied to an Amazon account by default, so a Kindle library is not portable to another platform's app without stripping protection through third party tools.
  • Kindle Unlimited only includes a rotating subset of titles, not the full Kindle Store, so many popular or newly released books still require a separate purchase even with an active subscription.
  • Public library e-book lending through Kindle depends on library systems like Libby/OverDrive integration working correctly, and syncing issues between library loans and the Kindle app are a recurring user complaint.
  • Amazon can and has remotely removed purchased content from user accounts in rare disputed-rights cases, which is a real, if uncommon, risk of the DRM-locked model.
  • Reading on a phone or tablet inside the app lacks the e-ink glare-free reading experience of a dedicated Kindle device, which is a different purchase entirely.

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

Kindle

Free
  • Free appFree
    • Pay per book purchased, no subscription required
  • Kindle Unlimited$10.99/month
    • Access to a rotating catalogue of included e-books and audiobooks, not the full Kindle Store

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 Kindle if

  • You need e-book reading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want whispersync.
Kindle 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 Kindle or Pressbooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Kindle 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, Kindle or Pressbooks?
Kindle starts at Free and Pressbooks at Free.
Does Kindle or Pressbooks run on more platforms?
Kindle runs on iOS, Android, Web. Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Kindle for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kindle best used for?
Kindle is most often used for reading e-books purchased from the kindle store across a phone, tablet and dedicated e-reader with synced position, switching between reading and audiobook listening on titles with audible integration, subscribing to kindle unlimited for readers who consume many books from its included catalogue, reading downloaded books offline while travelling without a data connection. Of those, reading e-books purchased from the kindle store across a phone, tablet and dedicated e-reader with synced position and switching between reading and audiobook listening on titles with audible integration are not what Pressbooks is typically brought in for.
What can Kindle do that Pressbooks cannot?
Kindle covers E-book reading, Whispersync, Audible integration, Offline downloads. Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kindle: Is the Kindle app free?

Yes, the app itself is free; you pay for individual e-book and audiobook purchases, or optionally subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.

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.

Kindle: Can I read Kindle books on a non-Amazon device?

Somewhat; Kindle apps exist for most major platforms, but the books remain DRM-locked to your Amazon account rather than being a portable file format.

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.

Kindle: Is this the same as Kindle Direct Publishing?

No, Kindle Direct Publishing is the separate author-facing platform for publishing and selling books; this is the consumer reading app.

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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