Amazon KDP vs Lulu Direct (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Amazon KDP grades higher than Lulu Direct: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Amazon KDP grades higher on the free plan and features. Lulu Direct grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Free
Which one is for you
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
Pick Lulu Direct if
- Fits if you run a store or app that needs books printed and sent to buyers
- Works for authors who want Lulu's retail distribution beside print on demand
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: no book prices are published, so you can't know your cost until you run the calculator
- Tight if you want retail distribution: a one-time fee applies and review can take up to 12 weeks
- Not for you if you sell apparel or other merchandise, as the pages describe books, magazines, calendars and notebooks
- Too light for no-code use if you have no developer, since the API needs your own build
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAmazon KDPFair | 2.2GPALulu DirectFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CNo subscription, and no price on the pages: you use a calculator for each size, paper and binding. Nothing to compare against the category. |
| Free plan and trial | BJoining and publishing are free, with no trial needed, and one author could live on that. The costs come out of each sale. | CNo fee to start, but every print job is paid, and there is no trial. |
| Features | 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. | CPrint API, PDF printing, six countries, store buttons and retail distribution. The gaps: distribution adds a one-off fee with review of up to 12 weeks, and not every option qualifies. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You still format the manuscript and cover and set prices that clear the minimum. | CNo store rating on record. Using the API means sending print-ready interior and cover PDFs from your own code. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no API or integrations on the listing. | BWeb only, but with Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, Amazon, Ingram, Zapier and Ghost links, and a public API. |
| Best for | publishing ebooks and paperbacks on Amazon | a print API that ships books to your buyers |
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: Amazon KDP and Lulu Direct. How we grade
Price against what you get
Amazon KDP has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lulu Direct 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 Amazon KDP for less, and none scores higher than Lulu Direct 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
- Amazon KDP also covers digital downloads and amazon selling.
- Lulu Direct also covers online store and shipping labels.
In commonFree planWebPrint on demand
At a glance
| Amazon KDP | Lulu Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | No subscription: you pay the printing and shipping cost of each order, which Lulu's book cost calculator estimates. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Amazon | Lulu Press, Inc. |
| Price read from | kdp.amazon.com | lulu.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Lulu Direct
- Lulu publishes no subscription or per-book price on its pages; the book cost calculator on the pricing page is the way to get a figure for a given size, paper and binding.
- Print and ebook titles sent for retail distribution carry a one-time distribution fee, and Lulu says review can take up to 12 weeks.
- Not every product option is eligible for retail distribution; Lulu publishes an eligible products guide.
- Books are printed from PDFs you supply; Lulu's pages describe printing books, magazines, calendars and notebooks rather than apparel or other merchandise.
Key features
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.
Lulu Direct
- Print API
- A RESTful API with JSON and XML support and webhooks accepts an order, shipping details and print specifications, then returns order status and tracking.
- Print from PDFs
- Books are printed from an interior PDF and a cover PDF supplied with each order, so a store can send a different file for every buyer.
- Large product range
- Lulu lists more than 3,000 combinations of size, paper and binding, covering paperbacks, hardcovers, coil-bound books, magazines, children's books, calendars and notebooks.
- Printing in six countries
- Lulu says it prints in Australia, Canada, France, India, the United Kingdom and the United States, and ships to more than 200 countries and territories.
- Store integrations and buy button
- Direct integrations are listed for Shopify, Wix and WooCommerce, plus an order import tool and a Direct Buy Button for selling from a newsletter or social profile.
- Bookstore and retail distribution
- Authors can list a book on the Lulu Bookstore, where Lulu says the author earns 80% of the revenue, or apply for distribution to retailers such as Amazon and the Ingram network.
Plans
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.
Lulu Direct
Pay per order$0
No monthly fee is listed. Each print job is charged at the printing and shipping cost for the chosen size, paper, binding and destination.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Amazon KDP or Lulu Direct?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Amazon KDP and Lulu Direct are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Amazon KDP or Lulu Direct?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Amazon KDP and Lulu Direct have a free plan.
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.