Is BookBaby or Storytel better?

Neither clearly leads. BookBaby starts at On request and Storytel at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, BookBaby or Storytel?

BookBaby starts at On request and Storytel at $14.99/month.

Does BookBaby or Storytel run on more platforms?

BookBaby runs on Web. Storytel runs on iOS, Android, Web.

What is BookBaby best used for?

BookBaby is most often used for a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves, an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings, a non-fiction author producing a small print run for events or clients rather than ongoing retail sales, an author who has a finished manuscript and wants isbns assigned and registered under a known publisher of record. Of those, a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves and an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings are not what Storytel is typically brought in for.

What can BookBaby do that Storytel cannot?

BookBaby covers Ebook conversion, Print on demand, ISBN assignment, BookBaby Bookshop. Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Offline downloads, Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue, Kids profiles.

Publishing · head to head

BookBaby vs Storytel

BookBaby

Publishing

Pay-per-book self-publishing service for ebook conversion, print on demand and distribution

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Storytel

Publishing

Unlimited audiobook and ebook subscription, strong in Europe and Latin America, no library card needed

From: $14.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: BookBaby every stage beyond the base package, ISBN registration, expanded distribution, extra proof revisions and editing, is billed separately, so the advertised entry price is rarely the final cost.; 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: BookBaby covers Ebook conversion, Storytel covers Unlimited streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BookBaby and Storytel actually diverge.

Attributes where BookBaby and Storytel differ
Attribute	BookBaby	Storytel
Starting price	On request	$14.99/month
Pricing model	One-time purchase per project	Per user per month, unlimited
Platforms	Web	iOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 BookBaby

Ebook conversion
Print on demand
ISBN assignment
BookBaby Bookshop
Editing and cover design add-ons
Distribution to major retailers

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.

BookBaby

A first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselvesnot Storytel
An author who wants a direct storefront (BookBaby Bookshop) alongside Amazon and Apple Books listingsnot Storytel
A non-fiction author producing a small print run for events or clients rather than ongoing retail salesnot Storytel
An author who has a finished manuscript and wants ISBNs assigned and registered under a known publisher of recordnot Storytel

Storytel

A commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensivenot BookBaby
A reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the cataloguenot BookBaby
A family wanting a shared subscription with separate kids profiles for audio contentnot BookBaby
Someone in a Storytel-strong market such as Sweden, Poland or Brazil where the catalogue depth is greatestnot BookBaby

Where each one falls short

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

BookBaby

Every stage beyond the base package, ISBN registration, expanded distribution, extra proof revisions and editing, is billed separately, so the advertised entry price is rarely the final cost.
Unlike Draft2Digital or Kindle Direct Publishing, there is no free tier; authors pay upfront for services regardless of whether the book ever sells a copy.
Revision rounds after the first proof are charged per round, which penalises authors who want to iterate on formatting.
Editing is priced per word rather than as a flat fee, so a full manuscript edit can cost more than the entire publishing package.
It packages services that KDP, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark offer for free or on a royalty-share basis, so cost-conscious authors comfortable with self-formatting pay for convenience they do not need.

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

BookBaby

On request

Ebook Publishing$299/one-time
- Ebook conversion and formatting
- Distribution to major ebook retailers
- 100 percent royalties from most retailers
Print on Demand$399/one-time
- Paperback print on demand setup
- No inventory purchase required
- Amazon and BookBaby Bookshop listing
Print plus Ebook Bundle$2190/one-time
- Basic cover design
- Ebook conversion and print on demand
- A run of printed copies included

Storytel

$14.99/month

Storytel$14.99/month
- Unlimited audiobook streaming
- Smaller unlimited ebook catalogue
- Offline downloads

Which should you pick?

Choose BookBaby if

You need ebook conversion.
You also want print on demand.

BookBaby review

Choose Storytel if

You need unlimited streaming.
You work on iOS, Android, Web.
You also want offline downloads.

Storytel review

Questions people ask

Is BookBaby or Storytel better?: Neither clearly leads. BookBaby starts at On request and Storytel at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BookBaby or Storytel?: BookBaby starts at On request and Storytel at $14.99/month.
Does BookBaby or Storytel run on more platforms?: BookBaby runs on Web. Storytel runs on iOS, Android, Web.
What is BookBaby best used for?: BookBaby is most often used for a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves, an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings, a non-fiction author producing a small print run for events or clients rather than ongoing retail sales, an author who has a finished manuscript and wants isbns assigned and registered under a known publisher of record. Of those, a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves and an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings are not what Storytel is typically brought in for.
What can BookBaby do that Storytel cannot?: BookBaby covers Ebook conversion, Print on demand, ISBN assignment, BookBaby Bookshop. Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Offline downloads, Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue, Kids profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BookBaby: Does BookBaby take a cut of royalties?

No for most retailers; authors keep 100 percent of the retailer royalty. BookBaby earns money from the upfront service fees instead.

Storytel: Do I need a library card for Storytel?

No, it is a paid subscription open to anyone regardless of library eligibility.

BookBaby: Can I publish only an ebook without print?

Yes, ebook-only packages start at 299 US dollars and do not require the print on demand package.

Storytel: Is access unlimited or credit-based?

Unlimited streaming while subscribed, not a credit system like Libro.fm or Audible.

BookBaby: Is a BookBaby ISBN owned by me or by BookBaby?

ISBNs are registered with BookBaby listed as the publisher of record unless you supply your own, which affects how the book is catalogued.

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.

BookBaby vs Storytel

BookBaby

Storytel

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in BookBaby

Only in Storytel

What people use each for

BookBaby

Storytel

Where each one falls short

BookBaby

Storytel

Pricing, plan by plan

BookBaby

Storytel

Which should you pick?

Choose BookBaby if

Choose Storytel if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on BookBaby

More on Storytel

Keep looking

Other head to heads