9 Best eBook Creation Software (2023)
Matthew Martin
Ebook creation can be daunting for anyone looking to manually self-publish an ebook. You can have excellent content and stellar writing, but your ebook won’t become successful unless you promote it. Ebook creation software helps you format your book and give it a professional look, making it much easier to sell or distribute.
Here, we have chosen the 9 best software for ebooks based on their pricing, effectiveness, and user feedback to help you get started with ebook creation.
Best eBook Creator Software
| Name | Key Features | Supported Platform | Free Trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe InDesign | Free Templates, Layout editor, Custom Images, Publishing formats, Infographics, Digital publishing, etc. | Windows | 7-Day Free Trial | Learn More |
| Visme | Unlimited pages, pre-designed eBook templates, interactive page flip effects, etc. | MAC/ Windows | Free Basic Plan | Learn More |
| Icecream PDF Editor | Encryption, Document Imaging, Merge/Append Files, Comparison, Digital Signature, etc. | Windows | Forever free | Learn More |
| Wondershare PDFElement | Editing text and images in PDFs, batch process documents, commenting in PDF files, etc. | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and iPad. | 30-day free trial | Learn More |
| FlippingBook | Google Analytics integration, Branding, White-labelling, PDF converter, Sales tools, etc. | Windows, Android, iPhone / iPad. | 30-day free trial | Learn More |
“To make your ebook vision a reality, you must have software that produces captivating content, eye-catching designs, and efficient advertising tool to attract readers and purchasers. However, this is not feasible
Each software has a unique set of features, and if you want all-around assistance, choose one or more software that fits your requirements. Be selective while choosing them and prioritize dependability ahead of price.”
1) Adobe InDesign – Best for Layout & Publishing
Adobe InDesign is widely considered an excellent ebook publishing software for creating visually polished books and seamlessly publishing them. It is the best ebook creator software for freelancers, startups & agencies. InDesign also has a wide range of features that allows users to create professional-looking layouts easily.
Using this software, you can design an ebook that grabs readers’ attention while subtly guiding them from one page to the next. This ultimate ebook creator offers high flexibility, making it easy to create custom layouts that meet the market standards and specific needs of any project.
Key Features:
- Transform any format with ease.
- Work collaboratively.
- Enhance your typography.
- InDesign integrates seamlessly with ADesign for your readers.
- Improves project load times for more extensive publications.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Effortless integration with other Adobe Creative Suite products. | Not beginner-friendly due to complex layout concepts & terminology. |
| Good picture rendering capabilities when working on projects. | Premium features are costly, with a limited free trial period. |
| Offline access to cloud library, where you can store reusable brand colors, fonts, paragraphs, images, etc. | |
| Internal access to graphics from Illustrator and Photoshop with ease. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK), German, French, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, etc.
Compatible Platforms: Windows
Integration: Canto, Pics.io, Image relay, Dash, ResourceSpace, Marq, The Magazine Manager, Image Relay, etc.
Customer Support: Phone, Chat, Expert Sessions, Forums
Pricing: Paid plans start at $20.99/month
Free Trial: 7-Day Free Trial
2) Visme – Best Visual Content Creator
Visme is one of the most well-known ebook creator software on the web. It is an ideal free ebook creator tool for small businesses, medium businesses, enterprises, and freelancers.
It has all the standard functionalities you expect in a graphic design tool.
These include creating flow charts and mind maps accessible with the drag’ n’ drop interface. Visme also comes with a wide range of templates and tools that make it easy to create beautiful visuals.
Key Features:
- Create customizable animated charts.
- Evaluate content performance based on customer experience and feedback.
- Seamless sharing of infographics and presentations with clients and the public.
- Interactive page flip effect to engage readers.
- Offers a forever-free plan and cost-effective premium tools to users.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Vast and useful collection of ready-to-use templates. | The quality of downloaded vs. printed images may not always be the same. |
| Easy integration and user-friendly. | Not compatible with Smartphones. |
| Copy embed code to insert maps, surveys, audio, videos, or graphics directly. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK), Spanish, French, Portuguese
Compatible Platforms: Windows
Integration: Keynote, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, SurveyMonkey Enterprise, Mailchimp, Google Analytics.
Customer Support: Online and Phone
Pricing: Paid plan starts at $12.25.
Free Trial: Basic Free plan
3) Icecream PDF Editor – Best E-book creation software for PDF Editing
Icecream PDF Editor is a commonly used ebook creator tool as it is free and easy to use. It is a perfect tool for freelancers, small & mid-size businesses, and large enterprises. Its simple interface makes Icecream PDF Editor an easy-to-edit PDF editor software. You can add text, images, and signatures to your PDFs and even fill out PDF forms. Icecream PDF Editor lets ebook creators convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and ePub formats. You can also password-protect your PDFs for extra security.
Key Features:
- Hassle-free clipping and emerging PDFs.
- “Manage Pages” option allows you to rearrange, rotate, remove, and add new pages.
- Edit PDF files and organize texts, photos, and shapes, flawlessly.
- Add stamps, underline texts, and use free-hand in PDFs.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Intuitive & simple-to-use user interface. | Not compatible with Android and iOS. |
| You can add a comment to any annotation object in the PDF. | The free version comes with many limitations and a watermark. |
| Annotations can hide in some PDF readers and are not visible when printed. |
Key Specs:
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Dutch, Polish, Thai, Turkish, Simplified Chinese
Compatible Platforms: Windows
Integration: Microsoft Word and Microsoft 365
Customer Support: Email Helpdesk
Pricing: $49.95 Flat Fee
Free Trial: Forever Free
4) Wondershare PDFElement – Best for PDF Licensing & Protection
Wondershare PDFElement is the best ebook creation software for small businesses, and the education management industry mostly uses this software. It offers many ebooks creator tools that allow you to work effortlessly, edit, and convert PDF files. You can add text, images, and even signatures to your PDFs. It also enables ebook creators to fill out forms and convert PDFs to ePub format. With its responsive user interface and powerful tools, you can easily manage your PDFs on your iPhone or iPad.
Key Features:
- Secure documents containing sensitive information with a password or disable PDF editing.
- Open, edit, and convert large PDF documents in seconds.
- Add watermarks and links to your document.
- Intuitive user interface, even for beginners.
- You can get started right away with no training required.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Offers the best PDF batch processors at a meager price. | Password removal is an optional extra program offered for $20 |
| Paid Version offers 100GB of cloud storage. | OCR alters the entire text and distorts the typefaces in editable text. |
| Self-serve licensing management enables users to manage devices and assign, cancel, add, and cancel licenses. | Only 20 users can operate with it. |
| Highly rated by users, especially for customer support. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK), German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese
Compatible Platforms: Apple iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and iPad.
Integration: Dropbox
Customer Support: Online forums & chats
Pricing: Paid plans start at $9.60
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
5) FlippingBook – Best for Interacting with clients/readers
FlippingBook is the best ebook creation software for designing interactive PDFs. The software is ideal for small and mid-size businesses and large enterprises dealing with clients. It’s easy to use, so you can quickly create interactive and engaging PDFs.
It offers a variety of features that allow you to customize your publications to fit your needs. FlippingBook will help you create a product catalog, an educational guide, or a marketing brochure.
Key Features:
- Create lifelike digital flipbooks with embedded videos, images, and outbound links.
- Collect leads within your flipbooks with a built-in lead capture form.
- Monitor page visits, outbound clicks, and time spent on your content to better understand your audience.
- Promote yourself with a clickable logo and branded publication links.
- 24/7 customer support to resolve any issues.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Increase content engagement using YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia videos, pop-ups & GIFs in your PDFs. | Users can’t track the number of people who downloaded PDFs using Google Analytics. |
| FlippingBook Automation | Cloud services are a bit expensive. |
| Batch automatically converts several PDFs into HTML5 formats. | |
| Share your flipbooks as links instead of large PDF files. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English, German, French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese
Compatible Platforms: Windows, Android, iPhone / iPad.
Integration: Salespal, Google Analytics, WordPress, Zapier, etc.
Customer Support: Email/Help Desk, Forum, Phone and Chat Support
Pricing: Paid plans start at $14/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Link: https://flippingbook.com/
6) Scrivener – Best for its Binder feature
Scrivener has all the features you need to get your writing project off the ground, including a built-in word processor, research tools, outlines and templates, and more. This software is most suitable for freelancers, small businesses, mid-size businesses, and large enterprises.
Ebook creators can use the powerful binder feature to navigate and organize their writing. Moreover, it’s easy to use and learn, so you’ll be up and writing with its ebook creator tools.
Key Features:
- Scrivener’s innovative “Scrivenings” mode lets you put the pieces together as though they were all part of a single document.
- The “Color Code” feature allows labels to be customized to indicate chapters in outline, drafts, or finished state.
- Use the “Writing History” feature to set goals for each writing session and monitor your progress.
- “Distraction Free Mode” lets the user concentrate on only one item simultaneously.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Customizable “Inspector Tool” to add notes, comments, pictures, and keywords make revision hassle-free. | Users with both Mac and Windows machines must purchase a license for both. |
| You can create numerous folders, even folders inside of folders, along with images, documents, and notes. | Design can be challenging if you don’t initially learn the how-to tutorial. |
| With Scrivener’s corkboard feature, you can take a step back and focus on the synopses you’ve put on the cards. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK), German, French, Spanish
Compatible Platforms: Windows, Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Software Info: 1 user, 20+ professionally designed eBook templates, over 3 million stock photos and videos access, export in 12 different eBook formats, etc.
Integration: ProWritingAid, WattPad, Living Writer
Customer Support: Forum, Phone Support, Email
Pricing: Paid plan starts at $19.9/month (iOS version) & $49/month (OS & Mac version)
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
7) Marq (formerly LucidPress) – Best flexible E-book creation software
Marq is the best free ebook creator software for creating stunning marketing content and building your brand. You can easily tailor your designs to match your brand identity, and the built-in tools make inserting your logos, photos, and text simple.
It is arguably the best ebook creator tool for small, mid-size, and large enterprises. Moreover, the software is easy to use, even for beginners. This software helps make simple flyers and posters to complex annual reports and brochures.
Key Features:
- Upload brand assets–fonts, colors, logos, and more–to embed brand standards directly into the editor experience.
- Add profile, system, brand, or custom smart fields to your templates for data population via advanced automation.
- Send any asset to print directly from Marq, with the option of setting up custom printing and shipping.
- Use the advanced data automation function to auto-populate data into your templates, reducing the need for frequent content revisions.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Centralize all brand templates, images, and projects to serve as one single source of brand truth | Limited storage in the free version. |
| Ready-made & reusable templates are available for branding and making a presentation or catalog. | It is not compatible with Microsoft Publisher. It does not support importing .pub files. |
| Hourly backups are stored across multiple data centers. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK)
Compatible Platforms: Windows
Software Info: Single user, 1 GB of storage space, PDF export, local backup capability, 3 pages per document, etc.
Integration: Google Analytics, Slack, Google Workspace, Dropbox, Canvas, Rippling, PowerSchool, Mailchimp, Matterport, OneLogin, etc.
Customer Support: Forum, Email, Chat
Pricing: Paid plans start at $3/month
Free Trial: Basic free Version
Link: https://www.marq.com/pages/examples/ebook-creator
8) KotoBee – Best for engaging ebook content
KotoBee is an interactive ebook creation software that makes creating and publishing engaging ebooks easy. It is a perfect ebook creator tool for authors, teachers, instructors, self-publishers, and Edtech companies. You can add video, audio, and interactive elements to your ebooks to make them more engaging and interactive. This ebook creator software helps you to create documents that respond to the reader’s interactions so that the reader can have a more personalized experience.
Key Features:
- Use videos, interactive images, and widgets to engage students.
- Integrate Kotobee Mini apps to extend the usefulness of your ebooks beyond just reading.
- Distribute ebooks individually or collectively through an internal library app.
- Use Tin-Can API to collect student activity reports.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Seamless audio and video embedding into a fixed layout manuscript in ePub format. | Expensive cost of printing and distribution of ebooks. |
| Manage your hosted ebooks, cloud ebooks, and digital bookshelves using Kotobee Author. | No customization options for the user interface, and it doesn’t support android / iOS. |
| Image click-animations, self-assessment questions, and book widgets make it interactive. |
Key Specs:
Languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Russian, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish.
Compatible Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS
Software Info: 40 MB per hosted ebook, 10 users (readers) per cloud ebook, export to multiple formats, etc.
Integration: Google Analytics 360, Shopify, Schoology, Moodle, WooCommerece
Customer Support: Email, Chat, Phone, Online Forums
Pricing: Paid plan starts at a $150 onetime payment
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
9) Designrr – Best for custom branding
Designrr is a powerful online tool allowing you to easily create eBooks, Kindle books, and lead magnets. Freelancers, large enterprises, small & mid-size businesses, and public administrations can benefit from this ebook creator tool.
With Designrr, you can quickly and easily create professional-looking books perfect for any purpose. This ebook creator tool provides access to hundreds of beautiful templates, fonts, and covers.
Key Features:
- Creating ebooks at breakneck speed with a setup wizard that gets you up and running in minutes.
- Import text from blogs, social media, audio, and PDF files.
- “Table Of Contents” generator features handle nested headers for users to navigate anywhere in the document.
- Create an eBook for sale, a Kindle book for distribution, or a lead magnet to capture leads.
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| The 3D mockup generator allows clients to envision the final printed version of the ebook. | To use all of Designrr’s features, you’ll need to sign up for a costly monthly membership. |
| Automatic page numbering eliminates the hassle of numbering each page. | Steep learning curve to properly utilize Designrr’s capabilities while designing an ebook. |
| Upgraded plans give access to powerful features such as 3D cover images and a large variety of cover designs. | |
| Simple drag-and-drop visual editor with unlimited online support. |
Key Specs:
Languages Available: English (US/UK)
Compatible Platforms: Windows
Software Info: 1 user, 20+ professionally designed eBook templates, over 3 million plus stock photos and video library, etc.
Customer Support: Email, Forum, Phone Support, Chat
Pricing: Paid plan starts at $29/per month
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
Link: https://designrr.io/ebook-creator/
FAQs
Verdict
Finding an ebook creation software that meets your expectations, has precisely the functionalities, and is safe to use is challenging. I prefer Adobe InDesign, as it is reliable and offers the best all-around premium features among the listed tools. If your budget is tight, go for Visme or Marq, as it is quite a popular free ebook creation software.