Pressbooks vs Sigil (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Pressbooks if

• Fits if you publish a book or textbook online and export files
• Works for one author who accepts paying per book

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you write several books, since each needs its own subscription
• Watch out: editing stops if the subscription lapses
• Watch out: there are no sales tools, and ISBNs are on you
• Tight if you add video, as media storage is 250 MB on Single Author
• Not for you if you want to run it yourself without managing a server

Pick Sigil if

• Fits if you format your own EPUB files and want control over the code
• Works for editors cleaning up ebooks that came from other tools

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to write a manuscript in it, as it edits EPUB markup, not prose
• Not for you if HTML and CSS are new to you, because Code View assumes you know them
• Watch out: it's maintained by volunteers, so support means project channels, not a help desk
• Too light for phones and tablets, since only Windows, Mac and Linux are listed

Pressbooks

• Each book needs its own subscription, and editing stops if the subscription lapses, though openly licensed books stay hosted.
• Media storage is 250 MB on Single Author and 1 GB on Collaboration, with large video expected to be embedded from elsewhere.
• There are no sales or monetization tools: you export files and sell them yourself, and ISBNs are your responsibility.
• Whole-organization use is sold separately as Enterprise Networks; hosting the open-source software yourself means managing a server and its updates.

Sigil

• It edits EPUB markup rather than writing prose, so a manuscript is usually drafted elsewhere and imported.
• Code View assumes some comfort with HTML and CSS.
• It is maintained by volunteers, with support through the project's channels rather than a company help desk.
• No mobile or web version is listed.

Pressbooks

Write, import and clone

Write original content, import from sources such as Google Docs, or clone and adapt openly licensed books.

Export formats

Produces digital and print-ready PDFs, EPUB, XML, XHTML and Common Cartridge files.

Web publishing

Make all or part of a book public on the web and list it in the Pressbooks Directory.

Accessibility

The vendor says books can be published as fully accessible (WCAG 2.2 compliant) digital books.

H5P and annotation

Embed H5P quizzes and interactive activities on the Collaboration plan, and allow social annotation through Hypothes.is.

Themes and custom CSS

Choose from 20+ themes and add custom CSS to change how the web book, EPUB and PDF look.

Sigil

EPUB 2 and EPUB 3

Supports both versions of the EPUB specification, with direct editing of the EPUB's markup in Code View.

Code View and Preview View

Edit the markup and see how the page looks in a preview, so layout can be checked as you work.

Table of contents and metadata

A table of contents generator that handles multi-level headings, plus a metadata editor.

Regex find and replace

Find and replace with full regular-expression (PCRE) support, and spell checking with user dictionaries.

Import and cleanup

Imports EPUB and HTML files, images and style sheets, and can mend formatting or tidy the code.

Plugins and checkpoints

Plugin support extends the editor, and checkpoints let you compare snapshots of changes.

Pressbooks

• Single Author$12

  per book / month, or $120 per year

  One author, 250 MB of media storage, EPUB and PDF exports without watermarks, 20+ themes and custom CSS.

• Collaboration$40

  per book / month, or $400 per year

  Unlimited collaborators, 1 GB of media storage, plus H5P quizzes and interactive activities.

Sigil

• Free$0

  The full application, free and open source under the GPLv3.

Pressbooks

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing: $120 or $400 a year

  The plans page lists Single Author at $12 a month or $120 a year, and Collaboration at $40 a month or $400 a year.

Sigil

No public discounts listed.