E-junkie vs Leanpub (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Leanpub grades higher than E-junkie: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Leanpub grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
E-junkie
Sell downloads and goods with buttons, carts or a shop
Leanpub
Write, publish and sell ebooks and courses, with author memberships
Which one is for you
Pick E-junkie if
- Fits if you want a buy button on a site you already have
- Works for sellers who want a flat monthly fee rather than a cut of each sale
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you sell more than 10 products or 200 MB on the $8 plan
- Skip it if you want tax and VAT handled, as it is not a merchant of record
- Watch out: you need your own payment processor, and its fees come on top
- Watch out: only monthly prices are listed, with no annual option
Pick Leanpub if
- Fits if you write a book in Markdown and want to publish it as you go
- Works for authors who'd rather use Leanpub's store than build their own
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, as 3 books, 1 course and 5 publishes a month is the cap
- Watch out: buyers use Leanpub's checkout, not your own site
- Pricey if you want custom themes or print-ready PDF, which start at Light Author
- Watch out: GitHub and Dropbox sync, Google Analytics and the API need Pro Author
- Skip it if you want one monthly bill, because prices shown are billed every 3 months
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAE-junkieFair | 2.6GPALeanpubGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$8 a month for 10 products, inside the cheapest quarter of digital-product tools ($10), though not under 60% of it ($6). | BPaid plans start at $8.99 a month billed every 3 months, which is the edge of the cheapest quarter for digital products. The tools most authors want sit on Light at $13.99 and Pro at $18.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial with no card; no free plan. | BA free author plan with 3 books, 1 course, 5 previews or publishes a month and 80% royalties. One writer can get started on it. |
| Features | CButtons, cart and shop, digital delivery, physical goods and shipping, affiliates and pricing options. It is not a merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are not handled for you. | CThree ways to write, one-click publish, bundles, coupons, reporting and an API. But custom themes and print-ready PDF start at Light, and GitHub and Dropbox sync at Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You paste buttons into a site and connect a payment processor. | CNo store rating on record. You still have to write and format the book and set up a store page. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with eight listed integrations including PayPal, Stripe, ClickBank and WordPress. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb app with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Analytics and InDesign links, plus an API on Pro. |
| Best for | buy buttons and a cart for downloads and goods | authors who want to write and sell ebooks or courses |
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: E-junkie and Leanpub. How we grade
Price against what you get
E-junkie starts at $8 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Leanpub starts at $8.99 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and E-junkie starts $0.99 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 7 score higher than E-junkie for less, and 7 score higher than Leanpub 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
- E-junkie also covers affiliate tracking and shipping labels.
- Leanpub also covers Markdown, long-form writing and online courses.
At a glance
| E-junkie | Leanpub | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month for up to 10 products | $8.99 per month, billed every 3 months ($26.97) |
| Free plan | None | Free Author: 3 books and 1 course, up to 5 previews or publishes a month, and 80% royalties on sales. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | E-junkie | Ruboss Technology Corp. |
| Price read from | e-junkie.com | leanpub.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
E-junkie
- You need your own payment processor account; processor fees are separate from E-junkie's plan price.
- Plans are limited by product count and file storage, and the lowest plan holds 10 products and 200 MB.
- It is not a merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are not handled for you.
- The pricing page lists monthly prices only and shows no annual option.
Leanpub
- Free accounts are capped at 3 books, 1 course and 5 previews or publishes a month.
- Custom themes and print-ready PDF export start at Light Author; GitHub and Dropbox sync at Pro Author.
- Prices shown on the page are per month billed every 3 months; monthly, annual and lifetime options sit behind the page's billing tabs.
- Sales run through Leanpub's own store, so buyers meet Leanpub's checkout rather than your own site.
Key features
E-junkie
- Buttons, cart and shop
- Paste button code or links into any site, or use a shopping cart, product pages, a hosted shop or a self-hosted shop.
- Digital delivery
- Files and codes are delivered right after payment. It sells file downloads, game codes, tickets and gift cards, with PDF stamping listed.
- Physical goods and shipping
- The cart calculates shipping and handling using UPS, USPS, flat rate and custom rules for tangible items.
- Affiliate program
- Sellers can sign affiliates up with sign-up links, and there is an affiliate network plus a marketplace for discovering products.
- Pricing options
- Fixed prices, pay what you want, donations, free checkout, discounts, product bundles and product variations.
- Your own payment processor
- You connect a processor such as PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net, 2Checkout or Razorpay; it does not collect payments itself.
Leanpub
- Three ways to write
- Write in a browser with the Minimal, Visual or Source editor, or upload finished PDF and EPUB files in Upload Mode.
- One-click preview and publish
- Preview or publish an ebook with one click. The Free plan allows 5 a month and Mini 20; Light and above are unlimited.
- GitHub and Dropbox writing
- Write on your own computer and sync with GitHub or Dropbox. This starts at the Pro Author membership.
- Selling and royalties
- Each book gets a landing page. Authors earn 80% on purchases of $7.99 and up, and 80% minus 50 cents below that.
- Courses, bundles and coupons
- Sell courses, bundles and tracks, and run coupons, using the marketing features included on every plan.
- Reporting and API
- Google Analytics and the Leanpub API are included with Pro and Max memberships.
Plans
E-junkie
10 products$8
per month for up to 10 products
10 products and 200 MB of download file storage. No transaction fee.
40 products$10
per month for up to 40 products
40 products and 2 GB of download file storage.
150 products$20
per month for up to 150 products
150 products and 8 GB of download file storage.
Unlimited products$40
per month
Unlimited products and unlimited download file storage.
Leanpub
Free Author$0
Write 3 books and 1 course, preview or publish 5 times a month, and use the Minimal, Visual or Source editor.
Mini Author$8.99
per month, billed every 3 months ($26.97)
Up to 100 books and 100 courses and 20 previews or publishes a month. Page also lists a $12 yearly saving over monthly billing.
Light Author$13.99
per month, billed every 3 months ($41.97)
Unlimited previews and publishes, custom themes and print-ready PDF export.
Pro Author$18.99
per month, billed every 3 months ($56.97)
Adds GitHub and Dropbox sync, Google Analytics, InDesign export, the Leanpub API and AI Support.
Max Author$32.99
per month, billed every 3 months ($98.97)
Adds a homepage Shelf spot every six months, VIP email support and a monthly AI usage allowance.
Ultra Author$89
per month, billed every 3 months ($267)
Everything in Max with ten times the monthly AI usage.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, E-junkie or Leanpub?
As of Nov 13, 2026, E-junkie is cheaper to start with: $8 a month, against $8.99 a month for Leanpub. E-junkie starts at $8 per month for up to 10 products, and Leanpub starts at $8.99 per month, billed every 3 months ($26.97).
Which has a free plan, E-junkie or Leanpub?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Leanpub has a free plan. E-junkie does not, though it has a free trial.
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.