Blurb review (2026): is it any good?
Print-on-demand photo books, books, magazines and wall art
Blurb report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for printing your own photo books and paperbacks
Blurb prints photo books, paperbacks, hardcovers and magazines on demand, with design tools in a browser, BookWright and Adobe plug-ins. There is no subscription, but every copy is paid for: books start at $8.99, and a 12 by 12 inch hardcover photo book starts at $67. Retail listing does not cover every format.
Who Blurb is for
- 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
Who Blurb is not for
- 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
Why Blurb gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNo 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.
- BFree plan and trialNo setup fee or subscription, and the design tools cost nothing. But every printed copy is paid, so nothing leaves the building free.
- CFeaturesDesign 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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You design the book yourself, in a browser, BookWright or an Adobe app.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, Mac and Windows, with Amazon, Ingram and Adobe links, plus a print API. No phone app is listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Blurb's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/blurb#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/blurb.svg" alt="Blurb: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Blurb stands among print-on-demand and dropshipping services
Blurb's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 30 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 10 of 30) and worst on value for money (C, above 0).
Blurb has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Blurb’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 0 of 30, level with 18
- BFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 30, level with 9
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 30, level with 19
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 30, level with 30
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 30, level with 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 31 print-on-demand and dropshipping services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Blurb, or make your own?
Keep it
Blurb is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could not
- Printers that make and ship each order.
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Amazon, Ingram and Adobe InDesign among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Blurb’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Blurb?
Blurb prints custom photo books, paperbacks, hardcovers, magazines, notebooks and wall art, one copy at a time or in bulk. Creators design with Blurb's own tools or upload a PDF, then buy copies or sell them through an Instant Store, the Blurb Bookstore, retail distribution to Amazon and Ingram, or Blurb's print API. There is no subscription; you pay per printed product.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Blurb pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Blurb is free to use.
- Starts at
- 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 trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Read from blurb.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Blurb before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsVolume 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.
Stated on blurb.com
Works with
- Amazon
- Ingram
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Lightroom Classic
- Adobe Photoshop
Blurb alternatives
- Blurb vs Fine Art America
Free plan · from $30/yr
Common questions
Does Blurb have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Blurb is listed for Web, macOS and Windows.
Does Blurb have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Blurb is listed for Web, macOS and Windows.
Is Blurb open source?
Blurb is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Blurb have an API?
Yes. Blurb offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.