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Lulu
Quality book printing at a reasonable price
As of 29 August 2026, Lulu's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. Print-on-demand self-publishing platform for books, with retail distribution to over 40,000 book retailers. Softwr lists it under Publishing.
Overview
What Lulu does
Print-on-demand self-publishing platform for books, with retail distribution to over 40,000 book retailers.
What people use it 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
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Lulu
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- LuluvsShopify
Shopify: The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business
- LuluvsBlurb
Blurb: Visual storytelling through print-on-demand books and wall art
- LuluvsMarq
Marq: Web-based design and publishing for brand templates
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
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.
SourceHow 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.
SourceKeep looking
Where to go from Lulu
- Lulu alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Lulu pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Lulu badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Publishing softwareThe full category
- Best Publishing softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Publishing software for
Compare Lulu with
- Blurb
- IngramSpark
- GIMP
- Draft2Digital
- Marq
- QuarkXPress
- BookBaby
- Kotobee
- Everand
- Adobe InDesign
- Kindle Direct Publishing
- Scribus
- Moon Reader
- Pressbooks
- Reedsy
- Scrivener
- Sigil
- Libro.fm
Other Publishing software
Visual storytelling through print-on-demand books and wall art
From $3.99/unit10 researched notesPrint-on-demand and distribution into the wholesale catalogue that bookshops order from
10 researched notesEbook and print distribution aggregator that takes a percentage instead of a fee
Free plan10 researched notesPay-per-book self-publishing service for ebook conversion, print on demand and distribution
11 researched notesInteractive EPUB authoring that also exports native mobile apps and hosted libraries
Free plan10 researched notesUnlimited ebook, audiobook, magazine and sheet music subscription, the consumer reading service formerly called Scribd
From $11.99/mo11 researched notesAmazon self-publishing platform that is free to use, earning Amazon a royalty cut instead of a fee, with a hard price band and per-megabyte delivery cost governing the 70% rate
Free plan11 researched notesAndroid ebook reader app with a one-time purchase, deep format support and no subscription or store lock-in
Free, then $4.99/one-time10 researched notesOpen source book production built on WordPress, and the default tool for open textbooks
Open source10 researched notesVetted marketplace of publishing freelancers with free writing and formatting tools attached
Free plan10 researched notesLong-form writing and manuscript organisation software sold as a one-time purchase per platform, with no subscription at any tier
11 researched notesOpen source EPUB editor for working directly on the file, not generating it
Open source10 researched notesAudiobook subscription that splits revenue with an independent bookstore of your choice
From $14.99/mo11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Lulu, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Lulu
Lulu alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Lulu pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Lulu
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Lulu badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Publishing software alternatives
Amazon self-publishing platform that is free to use, earning Amazon a royalty cut instead of a fee, with a hard price band and per-megabyte delivery cost governing the 70% rate
Free to publish; Amazon earns a royalty share rather than a fee
Rakuten e-reader hardware, app and ebook store, the reader-facing side of the Kobo ecosystem
Free store and app; hardware sold separately; optional subscriptionAudiobook subscription that splits revenue with an independent bookstore of your choice
Per credit per month, credits never expireUnlimited ebook, audiobook, magazine and sheet music subscription, the consumer reading service formerly called Scribd
Per user per month, unlimited
Amazon-owned book cataloguing, review and recommendation app
Free, no subscription or in-app purchases; funded by Amazon as a commerce and data feederPay-per-book self-publishing service for ebook conversion, print on demand and distribution
One-time purchase per project
Amazon's consumer e-book reading app, distinct from Kindle Direct Publishing, the author-facing service
Free app, revenue from book purchases and optional subscription
Rakuten Kobo self-publishing platform paying a 70% royalty with no delivery fee deduction and no upper price cap, a materially different structure from Amazon KDP
Free to publish; Kobo earns a royalty share rather than a fee