Softwr

The directory

Publishing software

31 products matching your filters. Each one described on the same fields, so two tools can be read against each other rather than against their own marketing.

Showing 124 of 31

  • Adobe InDesign logo

    Adobe InDesign

    Industry-standard desktop publishing and page layout

    Pricing not published
    • Windows
    • macOS

    1 alternative · 3 questions answered

  • Affinity Publisher logo

    Affinity Publisher

    Desktop page layout application, free since the Affinity range was relaunched by Canva

    Free
    • macOS
    • Windows
    • iOS
    5 integrations

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Atticus logo

    Atticus

    One-time-purchase writing and book formatting that runs on Windows and Linux, not just Mac

    From $147 one-off
    • Web
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • +1

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Blurb logo

    Blurb

    Visual storytelling through print-on-demand books and wall art

    From $3.99/unit

    4 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • BookBaby logo

    BookBaby

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

    Pricing not published
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Calibre logo

    Calibre

    Ebook library management and format conversion

    Free
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux

    3 questions answered · 4 limitations documented

  • Draft2Digital logo

    Draft2Digital

    Ebook and print distribution aggregator that takes a percentage instead of a fee

    Free
    • Web
    8 integrations

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Everand logo

    Everand

    Unlimited ebook, audiobook, magazine and sheet music subscription, the consumer reading service formerly called Scribd

    From $11.99/mo
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • GIMP logo

    GIMP

    Free and open-source image editor

    Free
    • Linux
    • macOS
    • Windows

    4 alternatives · 2 questions answered

  • Goodreads logo

    Goodreads

    Amazon-owned book cataloguing, review and recommendation app

    Free
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Web

    3 questions answered · 5 limitations documented

  • IngramSpark logo

    IngramSpark

    Print-on-demand and distribution into the wholesale catalogue that bookshops order from

    Pricing not published
    • Web
    6 integrations

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Kindle logo

    Kindle

    Amazon's consumer e-book reading app, distinct from Kindle Direct Publishing, the author-facing service

    Free
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Web

    1 alternative · 3 questions answered

  • Kindle Direct Publishing logo

    Kindle Direct Publishing

    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
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Kobo logo

    Kobo

    Rakuten e-reader hardware, app and ebook store, the reader-facing side of the Kobo ecosystem

    Free
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Kobo Writing Life logo

    Kobo Writing Life

    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
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Kotobee logo

    Kotobee

    Interactive EPUB authoring that also exports native mobile apps and hosted libraries

    Free
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Web
    • +2
    5 integrations

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Libro.fm logo

    Libro.fm

    Audiobook subscription that splits revenue with an independent bookstore of your choice

    From $14.99/mo
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Lulu logo

    Lulu

    Quality book printing at a reasonable price

    Pricing not published

    4 alternatives · 2 questions answered

  • Marq logo

    Marq

    Web-based design and publishing for brand templates

    Free plan, then $10/mo

    4 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Moon Reader logo

    Moon Reader

    Android ebook reader app with a one-time purchase, deep format support and no subscription or store lock-in

    Free plan, then $4.99 one-off
    • Android

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • Pressbooks logo

    Pressbooks

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

    Free
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    6 integrations

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • PublishDrive logo

    PublishDrive

    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

    Free
    • Web

    3 alternatives · 3 questions answered

  • QuarkXPress logo

    QuarkXPress

    The original desktop publishing software for print and digital design

    Pricing not published

    4 alternatives · 2 questions answered

  • Reedsy logo

    Reedsy

    Vetted marketplace of publishing freelancers with free writing and formatting tools attached

    Free
    • Web

    2 alternatives · 3 questions answered

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How this works

What you are looking at

Where does this data come from?

Pricing, platforms and feature lists are taken from each vendor's own pages. Limitations, answered questions and alternatives are researched separately and carry a source URL on the page that states them. Every product is described on the same fields, so two tools can be read against each other rather than against their own marketing.

Why are there no star ratings?

Because we did not collect any. Softwr hosts no reviews, and a rating aggregated from somewhere else is not ours to publish as though it were an assessment we made. What is shown instead is what a tool costs, where it runs, and what it is concretely bad at.

How are alternatives chosen?

A researcher proposes them, then two independent reviewers judge one question each: would a buyer evaluating this product seriously consider that one instead. 225 of 1,841 candidates failed and were deleted, including a font inspector matched to a dark mode extension. Only pairings that survived both rounds are published.

Do vendors pay to appear here?

Not to be listed. A vendor can buy a place in the results on the home page, on a category listing or on the catalogue, and where they do the result carries a Sponsored label. Everything not carrying that label is ordered on the same criteria as everything else, and a paid place never changes where an unpaid one lands: the editorial order flows around it. Where a link earns a commission that is disclosed on the page carrying it.

How current is it?

Prices and plan limits move without notice, so treat anything with a number on it as a starting point and check the vendor before you buy. Where a claim could go stale it carries the source it came from, which is the fastest way to tell.