Publishing · head to head
Pressbooks vs Storytel
Pressbooks
Publishing
Open source book production built on WordPress, and the default tool for open textbooks
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Storytel
Publishing
Unlimited audiobook and ebook subscription, strong in Europe and Latin America, no library card needed
- From
- $14.99/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Pressbooks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Storytel catalogue depth and specific title availability vary significantly by country, so the experience in a core Nordic market is not the same as in newer markets.
- They diverge on capability: Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Storytel covers Unlimited streaming.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Pressbooks and Storytel actually diverge.
| Attribute | Pressbooks | Storytel |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $14.99/month |
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | Per user per month, unlimited |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | iOS, Android, Web |
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 Pressbooks
- Single source, three outputs
- Cloning and adaptation
- H5P interactive content
- LMS integration
- Open source under the GPL
- Accessibility tooling
Only in Storytel
- Unlimited streaming
- Offline downloads
- Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue
- Kids profiles
- Personalised recommendations
- Multi-device sync
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Pressbooks
- A university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new onenot Storytel
- A course team that wants readings delivered inside Canvas or Moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static PDFnot Storytel
- A research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an EPUB and a printable document without maintaining three filesnot Storytel
- A consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titlesnot Storytel
Storytel
- A commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensivenot Pressbooks
- A reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the cataloguenot Pressbooks
- A family wanting a shared subscription with separate kids profiles for audio contentnot Pressbooks
- Someone in a Storytel-strong market such as Sweden, Poland or Brazil where the catalogue depth is greatestnot Pressbooks
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Storytel
- Catalogue depth and specific title availability vary significantly by country, so the experience in a core Nordic market is not the same as in newer markets.
- Access stops the moment you cancel, so a lapsed subscriber loses the ability to continue books they were partway through, unlike owned audiobook purchases elsewhere.
- Its ebook catalogue is meaningfully smaller than dedicated ebook services, so heavy ebook readers may find it thinner than expected.
- It competes on unlimited access, so heavy listeners get better value than light users, who may find a credit-based service like Libro.fm or Audible cheaper per book.
- Pricing and plan structure have changed by market over time, so the number of concurrent profiles and exact price should be checked for your specific country.
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Storytel
$14.99/month- Storytel$14.99/month
- Unlimited audiobook streaming
- Smaller unlimited ebook catalogue
- Offline downloads
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Storytel if
- You need unlimited streaming.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want offline downloads.
Questions people ask
- Is Pressbooks or Storytel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Pressbooks starts at Free and Storytel at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Pressbooks or Storytel?
- Pressbooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Pressbooks and $14.99/month for Storytel.
- Does Pressbooks or Storytel run on more platforms?
- Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted. Storytel runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Pressbooks for free?
- Yes. Pressbooks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Storytel starts at $14.99/month.
- What is Pressbooks best used for?
- Pressbooks is most often used for a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one, a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf, a research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an epub and a printable document without maintaining three files, a consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titles. Of those, a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one and a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf are not what Storytel is typically brought in for.
- What can Pressbooks do that Storytel cannot?
- Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration. Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Offline downloads, Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue, Kids profiles.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Storytel: Do I need a library card for Storytel?
No, it is a paid subscription open to anyone regardless of library eligibility.
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.
Storytel: Is access unlimited or credit-based?
Unlimited streaming while subscribed, not a credit system like Libro.fm or Audible.
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.
Storytel: What happens to my books if I cancel?
You lose access to the catalogue, including anything you were partway through, since nothing is owned outright.
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