Free and Paid Book Formatting Software Compared

Book formatting software turns the text of your finished book into files that ebook stores and printers accept. Formatting means laying out your text as a book. It covers the fonts, chapter openings, page numbers, and margins.

Most self-published authors need two files. One is an ebook file, which people read on a Kindle, a phone, or a tablet. The other is a print file. It holds the inside pages of a paperback, set at the size of the printed book.

This guide compares nine tools. For each one, you’ll see what it is, what it costs, which computers it runs on, what files it makes, and who it suits. We make Proselis, which is one of the tools on this list. We say plainly where other tools do more today.

Which book formatting software should you use?

If you don’t want to spend any money, try Reedsy Studio first. It’s free, and it runs in your web browser. That means there’s nothing to install. You pick a ready-made book design, called a template. Reedsy Studio then lays out your pages in that design. It makes both an ebook file and a paperback file.

Kindle Create is free too. Amazon makes it for books you publish through KDP, its self-publishing service. Affinity is also free, but you design every page yourself.

If you can pay, Vellum and Atticus both lay out your pages for you from a ready-made design. Vellum runs only on a Mac. It costs $199.99 once for ebooks only or $249.99 once for ebooks and paperbacks. Atticus costs $147 once. It runs on Windows and Mac computers and on Chromebooks.

What the words in this guide mean

Each tool’s section also explains these words where they come up.

• KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon’s service for self-publishing ebooks and paperbacks.
• An EPUB is the most common kind of ebook file. KDP lists it among its recommended ebook files, along with Word files and KPF files.
• A KPF (Kindle Package Format) file is the ebook file that Amazon’s free Kindle Create app makes for Kindle.
• A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer.
• A print-ready PDF is a PDF of your book’s inside pages that a printer can use as it is. KDP recommends a PDF for a paperback’s inside pages. It requires one if any images or backgrounds run to the edge of the page.
• Trim size is the width and height of your printed book. KDP says the most common trim size for books in the US is 6 × 9 inches. That’s a page 6 inches wide and 9 inches tall.
• Bleed means an image or background color runs to the very edge of the page. The printer trims the paper after printing. That’s why a page with bleed has to run a little past the edge in your file.
• A template is a ready-made book design. The page size, margins, fonts, and text styles are already set. You add your words, and the template handles the look.
• A theme is one set of fonts and styles for the whole book. You pick a theme, and the app uses it in every chapter.
• Headers are the lines of text at the top of each page, such as the book’s title or the author’s name.
• A one-time purchase means you pay once and keep the app. A subscription means you pay every month or every year for as long as you use it.

What each tool costs and which computers it runs on

Prices are in US dollars and may not include tax.

“Once” means you pay one time and keep the app. “A month” or “a year” means a subscription. You keep paying for as long as you use the app.

A web browser is the app you use to visit websites, such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge. Linux is a free alternative to Windows that some computers run. Each tool’s name links to its section below.

Word’s monthly and yearly prices are for Microsoft 365 Personal. Its one-time price is for Office Home 2024. Both include Word. InDesign’s yearly plan means you agree to pay for a full year, one month at a time.

What files each tool makes

Every tool here can make an ebook file. Most can also make a print file, which holds the inside pages of a paperback. These are the kinds of files in the table.

• An EPUB is the most common kind of ebook file. KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing service, accepts it.
• A KPF is the ebook file that Amazon’s free Kindle Create app makes. It’s for publishing on Kindle through KDP.
• A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer. KDP recommends a PDF for the inside pages of a paperback.
• A Word file is a document saved from Microsoft Word. KDP accepts Word files for ebooks. It also accepts them for paperbacks if no image or background runs to the edge of the page.

Vellum, a paid app for Mac only

What is it? Vellum is a book formatting app for Mac computers only. You install it on your Mac. It needs macOS 13 or newer. macOS is the software that runs every Mac, and 13 is its version number.

You choose a trim size, which is the width and height of your printed book. Vellum then sets up the margins, page numbers, and headers for you. Headers are the lines of text at the top of each page, such as the book’s title. For the look of your book, you pick from Vellum’s ready-made styles.

What does it cost? You can download Vellum for free. You can set up, style, and preview your book before you pay. You pay only when you’re ready to make the files you’ll publish.

Vellum comes in two versions. Each one is a one-time purchase, which means you pay once and keep it.

• Vellum Ebooks costs $199.99. It makes as many ebooks as you like.
• Vellum Press costs $249.99. It makes as many ebooks and paperbacks as you like.

Updates to Vellum are free. If Vellum isn’t right for you, you can cancel your purchase within 30 days for a refund.

What files does it make? For ebooks, Vellum makes an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file.

For print, Vellum Press makes the inside pages of a paperback or hardcover as a PDF. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer. Vellum Press offers 24 trim sizes. It also offers large print, which uses bigger text for readers who need it. It also supports full-bleed pages, where images or backgrounds run to the very edge of the page.

Vellum saves print files as PDF/X-1a, a kind of PDF made for printing. KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing service, says it prefers PDF/X-1a for a paperback’s inside pages.

Who is it for? Vellum suits Mac users who want ready-made book styles and don’t mind paying for them.

Atticus, a paid app for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook

What is it? Atticus is a writing app and a formatting app in one. You can write your book in it and then lay it out as a book.

Atticus runs in a web browser, such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge. You can also download it as an app. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook computers. Linux is a free alternative to Windows that some computers run. Atticus works with or without an internet connection.

For the look of your book, Atticus offers 17 templates. A template is a ready-made book design. Atticus also has a theme builder for designing your own look. A theme is one set of fonts and styles that the app uses across the whole book.

What does it cost? Atticus costs $147. It’s a one-time purchase, which means you pay once. All future updates are included. If you’re not happy with it, you can get your money back within 30 days.

What files does it make? For ebooks, Atticus makes an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file. For print, it makes a PDF, a file that looks the same on every computer and printer. It can also save your book as a Word file.

Who is it for? Atticus is the closest match on this list to Vellum, a paid app that runs only on a Mac. Atticus also runs on Windows and Chromebooks. It costs less than either version of Vellum, and it makes both ebook and print files.

Reedsy Studio, a free app in your web browser

What is it? Reedsy Studio is a free app for writing and formatting a book. It runs in your web browser, such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge. That means there’s nothing to install.

You choose a template, which is a ready-made book design. Reedsy Studio then lays out your pages in that design. For a print book, you can also choose the trim size. Trim size is the width and height of your printed book.

Reedsy doesn’t offer a phone app. It says Studio works in the web browser on a phone or tablet.

What does it cost? Reedsy says the main writing and formatting features of Studio are free. That includes saving your book as an ebook file and as a print file.

Reedsy also sells two optional extras, which it calls add-ons. You can pay for them monthly or yearly.

• One add-on costs $4.99 a month. It adds extras for writing, such as more detailed writing statistics, extra writing goals, and dark mode. Dark mode shows light text on a dark screen.
• The other add-on costs $7.99 a month. It adds more tools for planning your book, such as unlimited boards for your notes on characters, places, and research.

What files does it make? Reedsy Studio makes an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file. It also makes a print-ready PDF. That’s a PDF of your book’s inside pages that a printer can use as it is. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer.

Who is it for? If you can’t spend any money and you need both an ebook and a paperback, Reedsy Studio is a good first tool to try.

Kindle Create, Amazon’s free app for Kindle books

What is it? Kindle Create is Amazon’s free app for turning your finished book into a Kindle ebook. You install it on your computer. It runs on Windows 10 or later and on macOS 10.15 or later. Those numbers are versions of the software that runs a Windows PC or a Mac.

You bring in your book as a Word file. Then you apply a theme, which is one set of fonts and styles for the whole book. When you’re done, you save a KPF file. That’s the Kindle ebook file you upload to KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing service.

What does it cost? Kindle Create is free.

What files does it make? The KPF file is for publishing on Kindle. Kindle Create can also save an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file. Amazon says that EPUB is for viewing your ebook on devices other than Kindle.

The same KPF file can also become a paperback or hardcover. When you upload it to KDP for a paperback, KDP sets the margins and adds page numbers for you.

What are its limits for print books? KDP is clear about them.

• KDP recommends Kindle Create for books that are mostly plain text with a simple layout, such as novels, essays, and memoirs.
• Kindle Create doesn’t support paperbacks with tables, footnotes, endnotes, or images that bleed. Footnotes are notes at the bottom of a page. Endnotes are notes collected at the end of a chapter or book. An image bleeds when it runs to the very edge of the page.
• You can’t change a paperback’s margins, font, or font size.
• Kindle Create doesn’t design covers. You make the cover separately.

Who is it for? Kindle Create suits authors who publish only through KDP and whose book is mostly plain text with a simple layout.

Microsoft Word with Amazon’s free paperback templates

What is it? Microsoft Word is a word processor, which is an app for writing and editing documents. You may already have it.

KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing service, offers free Word templates for paperbacks in a range of trim sizes. Trim size is the width and height of your printed book. A template is a ready-made Word file with the page size and margins already set.

KDP offers blank templates and templates with sample content. The blank ones have the page size and margins set. The ones with sample content also include a formatted title page, a table of contents, and sample chapters.

The catch is that you set up the rest of the book by hand. That includes section breaks, headers, page numbers, and chapter openings. A section break divides a document into parts. Each part can then have its own page numbers and headers. Headers are the lines of text at the top of each page, such as the book’s title.

What does it cost? You can get Word in two ways.

• Microsoft 365 Personal is a subscription that includes Word. A subscription means you keep paying for as long as you use it. It costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
• Office Home 2024 costs $179.99 once. You pay one time and keep it. It includes Word and works on one PC or Mac.

What files does it make? For a Kindle ebook, you can upload the Word file itself. KDP accepts Word files for ebooks. It says most Word files turn into good ebooks, but files with a complicated layout may not.

For a paperback, KDP accepts a Word file if your book has no bleed. Bleed means an image or background runs to the very edge of the page. For the best results, KDP recommends saving your finished file as a PDF before you upload it. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer. Word can save one.

Who is it for? Word suits authors who already know it and have a simple book. You also need the patience to learn how to set up book pages in Word.

Google Docs, a free word processor in your browser

What is it? Google Docs is a free word processor that runs in your web browser. A word processor is an app for writing and editing documents. Anyone with a Google Account can use it. That’s the free account you use for Gmail and other Google services.

Like Word, Google Docs leaves most of the book setup to you. You set up the headers, page numbers, and chapter openings by hand. Headers are the lines of text at the top of each page, such as the book’s title.

What does it cost? Google Docs is free.

What files does it make? Google Docs can download your document as a PDF, a Word file, or an EPUB. An EPUB is the most common kind of ebook file. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer.

A paperback takes more work. KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing service. Its paperback templates are Word files. KDP’s step-by-step paperback guide covers Word and Apple Pages but not Google Docs. Apple Pages is Apple’s free word processor. If you write in Google Docs, it may be easier to download a Word file and finish the paperback in Word.

Who is it for? Google Docs suits authors who already write in it, have a simple book, and want to spend nothing.

Adobe InDesign, a paid app for designing every page

What is it? InDesign is a page layout app. That means you place every block of text and every picture on the page yourself. Adobe describes InDesign as “a professional page layout application for print and digital publishing.” It runs on Windows and Mac.

InDesign doesn’t set up a book for you. You set the page size, margins, and text styles yourself, and that takes time to learn.

What does it cost? InDesign is a subscription, which means you keep paying for as long as you use it. It costs $22.99 a month on a yearly plan. That means you agree to pay for a full year, one month at a time. Adobe offers a free trial for 7 days.

What files does it make? Adobe says you can use InDesign to create and publish books and ebooks. It can save an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file. It can also save a PDF for print. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer.

Who is it for? InDesign suits authors and designers who want control over every page. It also suits people who already know design apps.

Affinity, a free app for designing every page

What is it? Affinity is a page layout app, like InDesign. That means you place every block of text and every picture on the page yourself. It also includes tools for design and photo editing. It runs on Mac and Windows computers. Its website says an iPad version is coming.

Affinity now comes from Canva, the company behind the online design app of the same name. Like InDesign, Affinity doesn’t set up a book for you. You set the page size, margins, and text styles yourself, and that takes time to learn.

What does it cost? Affinity is free for individuals. You need a free Canva account to use it.

What files does it make? Affinity’s website says it can save EPUB files for ebooks. An EPUB is the most common kind of ebook file. It can also save PDF files with bleed for print. A PDF is a file that looks the same on every computer and printer. Bleed means images or backgrounds run to the very edge of the page.

Who is it for? Affinity suits authors who want to design every page themselves without paying. It also suits people who already know design apps.

Proselis, a writing app that makes ebooks but not paperbacks yet

What is it? Proselis is an app for writing and formatting a book. We make it. It runs in your web browser, such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge. That means there’s nothing to install.

You can organize your chapters and choose a theme for the whole book. A theme is one set of fonts and styles that the app uses in every chapter. You can also add front matter and back matter. These are the pages before and after your chapters, such as a title page, a copyright page, a dedication, and an About the author page.

You can bring in a book you wrote in Word. You can also preview your book. That means you see how it will look on common e-readers, tablets, and phones. An e-reader is a small device made for reading ebooks, such as a Kindle.

What does it cost? Writing in Proselis is free. A Publish One Book pass costs $20, paid once. It lets you save one book as an EPUB, the most common kind of ebook file.

What files does it make? Proselis makes an EPUB. It can’t make a print-ready PDF yet. A print-ready PDF is a file of a paperback’s inside pages that a printer can use as it is. That means you can’t make the inside pages of a paperback with Proselis today.

If you need a paperback now, Vellum Press, Atticus, Reedsy Studio, Kindle Create, Word, InDesign, and Affinity can all make print files.

Who is it for? Proselis suits authors who want to write and format an ebook in one place, on any computer with a web browser.

How to choose the right tool for your book

Which tool fits your budget?

If you can’t spend anything, Reedsy Studio and Kindle Create both make ebook and print files for free. Kindle Create’s files are made for KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing service. Affinity and Google Docs are free too, but you’ll set up more of the pages yourself.

If you can spend a little, look at Proselis or Atticus. Proselis costs $20 once per book to save it as an ebook file. It doesn’t make paperback files yet. Atticus costs $147 once and makes both ebook and print files.

Vellum costs $199.99 once for ebooks only or $249.99 once for ebooks and paperbacks.

Microsoft 365 and InDesign are subscriptions, which means you keep paying for as long as you use them. Microsoft 365 Personal includes Word and costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. InDesign costs $22.99 a month on a yearly plan. You can also buy Word once as part of Office Home 2024, which costs $179.99.

Which tools work on your computer?

If you need book formatting software for a Mac, every tool on this list works. Vellum is the only one made just for the Mac.

On a Windows PC, you can use Atticus, Kindle Create, Word, InDesign, or Affinity. On a Chromebook, you can use Atticus.

Reedsy Studio, Google Docs, and Proselis run in a web browser. They work on any of these computers.

Which tools make an ebook, a paperback, or both?

If you need only an ebook, any tool on this list can make one. Keep in mind that Kindle Create is for books you publish on Kindle.

If you also need a paperback, you need a print file. That’s the file of your book’s inside pages. Vellum Press, Atticus, Reedsy Studio, Kindle Create, Word, InDesign, and Affinity can all make one. Google Docs can save a PDF, but KDP’s paperback templates are Word files. Proselis can’t make a print file yet.

A paperback also needs a cover file. KDP requires the cover as a single PDF. It holds the back cover, the spine, and the front cover side by side as one image. The spine is the narrow edge that shows when a book sits on a shelf.

The size of the cover depends on your trim size, paper, and page count. Trim size is the width and height of your printed book. You can estimate your page count with our word count to pages calculator. Then our KDP cover calculator calculates the exact size of your full cover.

How much of the design do you want to do yourself?

Kindle Create gives you the least control and asks the least of you. For paperbacks, you can’t change its margins or fonts.

Vellum, Atticus, Reedsy Studio, and Proselis sit in the middle. You pick a ready-made design, called a template or a theme. The tool then uses it across the whole book.

Word and Google Docs give you a lot of control, but you set up every part of the book by hand. InDesign and Affinity give you the most control. They also take the most time to learn.

What to do before you start formatting

Finish editing your book before you format it. Amazon recommends bringing your book into Kindle Create only when you’ve finished writing it. That advice suits most tools.

Choose your trim size early too. It affects your page count and your printing cost. Printing cost is what Amazon charges to print each copy of a paperback.

If you still need a copyright page, our free copyright page generator can help you write one. A copyright page is the page near the front of a book that says who owns the rights to it.

Prices and features change often. Check each tool’s website before you buy.