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Publishing · head to head

PublishDrive vs Sigil

PublishDrive logo

PublishDrive

Publishing

Ebook distribution aggregator that moved from a royalty-share model to flat-fee subscription pricing, so authors now keep 100% of the store royalty rather than splitting it with the platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigil logo

Sigil

Publishing

Open source EPUB editor for working directly on the file, not generating it

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: PublishDrive the flat-fee model works against an author with low or unpredictable sales, since the monthly subscription is charged regardless of whether the book earns enough royalty to cover it, unlike a royalty-share model that only costs money on actual sales.; Sigil it produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
  • They diverge on capability: PublishDrive covers Wide distribution, Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PublishDrive and Sigil actually diverge.

Attributes where PublishDrive and Sigil differ
AttributePublishDriveSigil
Pricing modelFlat-fee subscription, no commission on paid plansOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebWindows, macOS, Linux

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 PublishDrive

  • Wide distribution
  • 0% commission on paid plans
  • Ebook converter
  • Sales analytics
  • AI publishing chatbot
  • Free tier

Only in Sigil

  • Direct EPUB editing
  • Code and preview views
  • EPUB 2 and EPUB 3
  • Regex across files
  • Validation
  • Python plugins

What people use each for

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

PublishDrive

  • An author wanting one upload to reach 400+ retail and library channels rather than managing each retailer account separatelynot Sigil
  • An author confident in steady sales volume who prefers a fixed monthly fee over a per-sale royalty cut, since the flat fee does not scale with successnot Sigil
  • A publisher distributing to library and subscription services like Scribd alongside standard retail channels from one dashboardnot Sigil
  • An author testing distribution on the free tier with one book before committing to a paid plan for a larger cataloguenot Sigil

Sigil

  • Fixing an EPUB that a retailer validator has rejected, without re-exporting from the tool that generated itnot PublishDrive
  • Correcting the table of contents, reading order or metadata in a file supplied by a conversion servicenot PublishDrive
  • Preparing a back-catalogue title where the only surviving source is the EPUB itselfnot PublishDrive
  • Applying a consistent stylesheet or a bulk text correction across every chapter of a book at oncenot PublishDrive

Where each one falls short

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

PublishDrive

  • The flat-fee model works against an author with low or unpredictable sales, since the monthly subscription is charged regardless of whether the book earns enough royalty to cover it, unlike a royalty-share model that only costs money on actual sales.
  • The free tier gives access to only 29 of roughly 49 total channels, so testing the platform for free does not represent the full distribution reach a paid plan provides.
  • Subscription service royalties (25-60%, typically around 55%) are lower and more variable than standard retail royalties, so an author distributing heavily through subscription channels should model that lower rate specifically rather than assuming a flat 70%.
  • As an aggregator, PublishDrive sits between the author and each retailer, so account-level issues or policy changes at an individual retailer (Amazon, Kobo, Apple) can affect distribution in ways the author does not directly control.
  • Multiple books beyond the Starter plan 3-book cap require a higher tier, so an author with a larger catalogue needs to check the cost of higher plans against direct multi-retailer management before committing.

Sigil

  • It produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
  • Meaningful use requires reading and writing HTML and CSS, which puts it out of reach of most authors who simply want a finished file.
  • There is no cloud storage, sync or collaboration, so the book exists as a file on one machine and version control is whatever you set up yourself.
  • Development depends on a small number of volunteer maintainers, so release timing and platform builds follow their availability rather than a roadmap, and a lapse in maintenance would leave no obvious successor.
  • It provides no distribution, no retailer connection and no Kindle-native output, so it sits in the middle of a workflow that other tools have to complete on both sides.

Pricing, plan by plan

PublishDrive

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 29 of ~49 distribution channels
    • 1 book
    • Ebook converter, sales analytics, AI chatbot
  • Starter$undefined/month
    • All ~49 distribution channels
    • Up to 3 books
    • 0% commission, author keeps full retailer royalty

Sigil

Free
  • SigilFree
    • GPL licensed with no cost or account required
    • Full functionality with no feature gating
    • Community support through forums and the issue tracker

Which should you pick?

Choose PublishDrive if

  • You need wide distribution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want 0% commission on paid plans.
PublishDrive review

Choose Sigil if

  • You need direct epub editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want code and preview views.
Sigil review

Questions people ask

Is PublishDrive or Sigil better?
Neither clearly leads. PublishDrive starts at Free and Sigil at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PublishDrive or Sigil?
PublishDrive starts at Free and Sigil at Free.
Does PublishDrive or Sigil run on more platforms?
PublishDrive runs on Web. Sigil runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use PublishDrive for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is PublishDrive best used for?
PublishDrive is most often used for an author wanting one upload to reach 400+ retail and library channels rather than managing each retailer account separately, an author confident in steady sales volume who prefers a fixed monthly fee over a per-sale royalty cut, since the flat fee does not scale with success, a publisher distributing to library and subscription services like scribd alongside standard retail channels from one dashboard, an author testing distribution on the free tier with one book before committing to a paid plan for a larger catalogue. Of those, an author wanting one upload to reach 400+ retail and library channels rather than managing each retailer account separately and an author confident in steady sales volume who prefers a fixed monthly fee over a per-sale royalty cut, since the flat fee does not scale with success are not what Sigil is typically brought in for.
What can PublishDrive do that Sigil cannot?
PublishDrive covers Wide distribution, 0% commission on paid plans, Ebook converter, Sales analytics. Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing, Code and preview views, EPUB 2 and EPUB 3, Regex across files.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PublishDrive: Does PublishDrive take a cut of royalties?

No, not on paid plans. It moved from a royalty-share model to flat-fee subscription pricing, so authors keep 100% of what each retailer or subscription service pays.

Sigil: Can I write my book in Sigil?

You can, but you should not. It is an EPUB editor, not a word processor, and writing long-form prose in it is unpleasant. Write elsewhere, import, then finish in Sigil.

PublishDrive: Is the free plan worth using to test the platform?

It gives access to only 29 of the roughly 49 total channels for one book, so it is a limited preview rather than the full paid-plan experience.

Sigil: Does it make Kindle files?

Not natively. Produce a valid EPUB in Sigil and let Amazon convert it, or use a separate conversion tool for other Kindle formats.

PublishDrive: How does it compare to Draft2Digital?

Both are wide-distribution aggregators; the key difference to check is Draft2Digital retains a small percentage-based fee model in most cases, while PublishDrive is flat-fee subscription-only on paid plans.

Sigil: Is it safe to rely on a volunteer project for commercial work?

The files it produces are standard EPUB, so nothing is locked in. The risk is that maintenance stops, not that your books become unreadable.

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