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Publishing · head to head

Pressbooks vs Wattpad

Pressbooks logo

Pressbooks

Publishing

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wattpad logo

Wattpad

Publishing

User-generated fiction publishing and reading app, owned by Naver alongside Webtoon

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Wattpad only a small, selected group of authors participate in the Paid Stories revenue-share programme, so the large majority of writers publishing on the platform earn nothing directly from their work being read.
  • They diverge on capability: Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Wattpad covers Free serialised fiction library.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pressbooks and Wattpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Pressbooks and Wattpad differ
AttributePressbooksWattpad
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeFree with ads; paid ad-free subscription and optional in-app coin purchases
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostediOS, Android, Web

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 Pressbooks

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

Only in Wattpad

  • Free serialised fiction library
  • Wattpad Premium subscription
  • Wattpad Coins
  • Paid Stories programme
  • Writing and publishing tools
  • Wattpad Studios

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

Wattpad

  • A reader wanting free access to a large catalogue of ongoing, chapter-by-chapter serialised fictionnot Pressbooks
  • An amateur writer wanting to publish work chapter by chapter and build a following before seeking traditional publicationnot Pressbooks
  • A frequent reader wanting an ad-free, offline-capable experience through Wattpad Premiumnot Pressbooks
  • A fan wanting to tip a favourite author or unlock select paid stories through the Wattpad Coins systemnot 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.

Wattpad

  • Only a small, selected group of authors participate in the Paid Stories revenue-share programme, so the large majority of writers publishing on the platform earn nothing directly from their work being read.
  • The free tier is ad-supported with ads appearing between chapters, which interrupts reading flow in a way competitors with a purely subscription model do not.
  • Content moderation across a huge volume of user-submitted fiction has been an ongoing challenge, and mature or borderline content has periodically drawn scrutiny given the platform's substantial teenage user base.
  • Since the 2021 Naver acquisition and merger with Webtoon, product direction is set within a larger Korean media conglomerate strategy rather than independently, which has meant slower, less predictable feature development for the original Wattpad product.
  • Story completion and update frequency depend entirely on individual amateur authors, so readers following an ongoing story have no guarantee it will ever be finished.

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

Wattpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Ad-supported reading of the full story catalogue
    • No offline downloads
    • Ads shown between chapters
  • Wattpad Premium$4.99/month
    • Ad-free reading
    • Offline chapter downloads
    • Also offered at a discounted annual rate

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.
Pressbooks review

Choose Wattpad if

  • You need free serialised fiction library.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want wattpad premium subscription.
Wattpad review

Questions people ask

Is Pressbooks or Wattpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Pressbooks starts at Free and Wattpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pressbooks or Wattpad?
Pressbooks starts at Free and Wattpad at Free.
Does Pressbooks or Wattpad run on more platforms?
Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted. Wattpad runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Pressbooks for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Wattpad is typically brought in for.
What can Pressbooks do that Wattpad cannot?
Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration. Wattpad covers Free serialised fiction library, Wattpad Premium subscription, Wattpad Coins, Paid Stories programme.

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.

Wattpad: Is Wattpad free?

Yes, reading is free and ad-supported; Wattpad Premium removes ads and adds offline downloads for a monthly or annual fee.

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.

Wattpad: Can writers make money on Wattpad?

A limited number of authors are selected into the Paid Stories programme and earn a share of Wattpad Coins spent on their work; most authors do not earn direct payment from the platform.

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.

Wattpad: Who owns Wattpad?

Naver, the South Korean internet company that also owns Webtoon, acquired Wattpad in 2021.

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