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Publishing · head to head

Lulu vs Pressbooks

Lulu logo

Lulu

Publishing

Quality book printing at a reasonable price

From
On request
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

  • Only Pressbooks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lulu no fixed pricing published; vendor requires pricing calculator for quotes; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lulu and Pressbooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Lulu and Pressbooks differ
AttributeLuluPressbooks
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Self-hosted

Identical on both: 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 Lulu

Nothing recorded that Pressbooks does not also cover.

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.

Lulu

  • Self-publishing novels without traditional publishingnot Pressbooks
  • Producing print-on-demand photo books without inventorynot Pressbooks
  • Creating photo books for preserving memoriesnot Pressbooks
  • Accessing 40,000+ global book retailersnot Pressbooks

Pressbooks

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

Where each one falls short

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

Lulu

  • No fixed pricing published; vendor requires pricing calculator for quotes
  • Costs vary significantly based on trim size, binding type, page count, and shipping
  • Author royalties and distribution fees not disclosed on website

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

Lulu

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Lulu review.

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 Lulu if

Nothing in the data separates Lulu from Pressbooks on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Lulu 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 Lulu or Pressbooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Lulu starts at On request and Pressbooks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lulu or Pressbooks?
Pressbooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Lulu and Free for Pressbooks.
Does Lulu or Pressbooks run on more platforms?
Lulu runs on Web. Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Pressbooks for free?
Yes. Pressbooks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lulu starts at On request.
What is Lulu best used for?
Lulu is most often used for self-publishing novels without traditional publishing, producing print-on-demand photo books without inventory, creating photo books for preserving memories, accessing 40,000+ global book retailers. Of those, self-publishing novels without traditional publishing and producing print-on-demand photo books without inventory are not what Pressbooks is typically brought in for.
What can Lulu do that Pressbooks cannot?
Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lulu: How much does Lulu self-publishing cost?

Lulu does not publish fixed pricing. Costs depend on specific book specifications including trim size, binding type, page count, and distribution format. Users must access Lulu's pricing calculator to receive personalized quotes for their book project.

Source
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.

Lulu: How does Lulu's pricing calculator work?

Users input their book specifications such as trim size, binding type, and page count into Lulu's pricing calculator tool to receive customized pricing quotes and view production timelines.

Source
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.

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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