Blurb vs Amazon KDP (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Blurb and Amazon KDP share a 2.4 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on whether you care more about platforms, where Blurb grades higher, or features, where Amazon KDP does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Amazon KDP
Amazon's free self-publishing for ebooks and print-on-demand books
Which one is for you
Pick Blurb if
- Fits if you want a few printed copies of a book with no setup fee
- Works for authors who sell through Amazon or Ingram retail distribution
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want large formats: a 12 by 12 inch hardcover photo book starts at $67
- Skip it if you want every format in retail, as not all can go to distribution and retail fees vary
- Watch out: BookWright runs on Mac and Windows only
- Watch out: retail distribution lists the book on the retailer's page, with no Blurb storefront on that route
Pick Amazon KDP if
- Fits if you want to publish on Amazon with no upfront cost
- Makes sense if you sell mainly ebooks and want a 70% royalty option
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: Expanded Distribution pays 40% of list price minus printing cost, and royalties arrive about 30 days after the month ends
- Tight if you price low: a minimum list price applies so the royalty covers printing
- Not for you if you want per-page-read income without KDP Select, as Kindle+ needs ebook enrolment
- Skip it if you also use IngramSpark, as the two should not both distribute the same title
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABlurbFair | 2.4GPAAmazon KDPFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo subscription. Books start at US $8.99 and photo books at US $12.00, rising with size and pages, and the pricing page shows a 12 by 12 inch hardcover at US $67.00. | CNo fee, but Amazon's cut is the price: up to 70% on ebooks and 60% on print, with the printing cost taken off. Its own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-and-white paperback. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo setup fee or subscription, and the design tools cost nothing. But every printed copy is paid, so nothing leaves the building free. | BJoining and publishing are free, with no trial needed, and one author could live on that. The costs come out of each sale. |
| Features | CDesign tools, many formats, an Instant Store, retail distribution, bulk printing and a print API. Not every format can go to retail, and there is no hosted storefront on that route. | BEbooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, a royalty calculator, KDP Select and Expanded Distribution. The listing shows no gap in the core job of publishing a book. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You design the book yourself, in a browser, BookWright or an Adobe app. | CNo store rating on record. You still format the manuscript and cover and set prices that clear the minimum. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac and Windows, with Amazon, Ingram and Adobe links, plus a print API. No phone app is listed. | CWeb only, with no API or integrations on the listing. |
| Best for | printing your own photo books and paperbacks | publishing ebooks and paperbacks on Amazon |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Blurb and Amazon KDP. How we grade
Price against what you get
Blurb has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Amazon KDP has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other print-on-demand and dropshipping services on the chart, none scores higher than Blurb for less, and none scores higher than Amazon KDP for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Blurb also covers online store.
- Amazon KDP also covers digital downloads and amazon selling.
At a glance
| Blurb | Amazon KDP | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | No subscription. Blurb says there are no upfront costs; you pay per printed product, with books from US $8.99 and photo books from US $12.00. | Free to join and publish. Amazon pays a royalty on each sale: up to 70% on ebooks and up to 60% on print books, with printing cost deducted on print. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Blurb | Amazon |
| Price read from | blurb.com | kdp.amazon.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Blurb
- Prices are per product and rise with size and page count: a 12 x 12 inch hardcover photo book with an image wrap starts at US $67.00 on the pricing page.
- Not every format can go to retail distribution, and retail fees vary by retailer.
- Retail Distribution lists the book on the retailer's own page; there is no hosted storefront from Blurb on that path.
- BookWright runs on Mac and Windows only; the other design tools run in a browser or inside Adobe apps.
Amazon KDP
- Printing cost comes off each print sale: KDP's own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-ink paperback sold on the US marketplace.
- Sales through Expanded Distribution pay a lower 40% rate, and those royalties appear about 30 days after the month ends.
- A minimum list price applies so that the royalty always covers printing cost.
- Per-page-read royalties through Kindle+ require enrolling the ebook in KDP Select.
Key features
Blurb
- Book design tools
- BookWright is a desktop app for Mac and Windows, and there is an online editor, a PDF uploader, and plugins for Adobe InDesign, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.
- Wide range of formats
- Photo books in six sizes, paperback and hardcover books, magazines, notebooks and journals, and wall art, each with its own paper options.
- Instant Store
- A hosted product page for selling a book directly, which Blurb says has no subscription or extra fees. Blurb prints and ships each order.
- Retail distribution
- Books can be listed on Amazon, through Ingram's network to bookstores and libraries, or on the Blurb Bookstore, with ISBN support included.
- Bulk printing
- Volume discounts start at 10 copies on printing, and bulk services with custom quotes and dropshipping to several addresses are offered for 100 or more copies.
- Print API
- Blurb says its RPI Print API has no fees or minimums and white-label packaging, for developers who want to connect a store or app.
Amazon KDP
- Ebooks and print books
- One account publishes Kindle ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, and KDP says books appear on Amazon stores in more than 10 countries within 72 hours.
- Printed when ordered
- Paperbacks and hardcovers are printed when a customer orders them and shipped by Amazon, so there is no inventory to hold.
- Royalty options
- Ebooks offer a 70% or 35% royalty depending on content and country. Paperbacks pay 50% or 60% of list price, set by price and marketplace, less printing cost.
- Printing cost and royalty calculator
- KDP provides a calculator for estimating printing cost and royalty. Printing cost depends on the marketplace, page count and ink type, not on trim size or cover finish.
- KDP Select
- Enrolling an ebook in KDP Select makes it eligible for Kindle+ and earns royalties for pages read.
- Expanded Distribution
- Paperbacks can be offered through other channels, with a royalty of 40% of the list price in that channel minus printing cost. Japanese-language paperbacks cannot join.
Plans
Blurb
Pay per product$0
No subscription or setup fee. The pricing page lists starting prices per product: paperback and hardcover books from US $8.99, photo books from US $12.00, magazines from US $7.00.
Amazon KDP
KDP (royalty-based)$0
No fee to publish. Ebooks earn a 70% or 35% royalty; paperbacks earn 50% or 60% of the list price minus printing cost, and 40% minus printing cost through Expanded Distribution.
Ways to pay less
Blurb
- Other savings
Volume discounts from 10 copies
Blurb says volume discounts on printing start at 10 copies, and bulk printing services cover 100 or more copies with custom quotes.
Amazon KDP
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Blurb or Amazon KDP?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Blurb and Amazon KDP are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Blurb or Amazon KDP?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Blurb and Amazon KDP have a free plan.
Which platforms do Blurb and Amazon KDP run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Blurb lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.