Leanpub review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Write, publish and sell ebooks and courses, with author memberships
Black Friday: is there a Leanpub sale?
Leanpub report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for authors who want to write and sell ebooks or courses
Leanpub lets you write, publish and sell ebooks and courses, with 80% royalties on the free plan. The free plan stops at 3 books and 1 course, and sales go through Leanpub's own store, with better tools locked behind its dearer plans.
Who Leanpub is for
- 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
Who Leanpub is not for
- 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
Why Leanpub gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyPaid 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.
- BFree plan and trialA free author plan with 3 books, 1 course, 5 previews or publishes a month and 80% royalties. One writer can get started on it.
- CFeaturesThree 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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You still have to write and format the book and set up a store page.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb app with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Analytics and InDesign links, plus an API on Pro.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Leanpub's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Leanpub? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/leanpub#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/leanpub.svg" alt="Leanpub: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Leanpub stands among tools for selling digital products
Leanpub's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 50 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 41 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $8.99 a month, against a middle price of $16.74 for the category: 6 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 7 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Leanpub’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 41 of 50, level with 8
- BFree plan and trialAbove 23 of 50, level with 18
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 50, level with 27
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 50, level with 47
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 14 of 50, level with 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 tools for selling digital products. 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 Leanpub, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Leanpub you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 50 other tools for selling digital products we grade. It costs $107.88 a year.
What you could make
- Digital downloads, long-form writing, Markdown and online courses: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, GitHub, Dropbox and Google Analytics among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Leanpub’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 Leanpub?
Leanpub is a publishing platform and bookstore where authors write books and courses in a browser editor or from files synced with GitHub or Dropbox, then publish them with a click. Sales go through Leanpub's store, and authors keep a percentage of each one. Paid author memberships raise limits and add features.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Leanpub pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Leanpub has a free plan, and paid plans start at $8.99 per month, billed every 3 months ($26.97).
- Starts at
- $8.99 per month, billed every 3 months ($26.97)
- Free plan
- Free Author: 3 books and 1 course, up to 5 previews or publishes a month, and 80% royalties on sales.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $8.99per 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 | $13.99per month, billed every 3 months ($41.97) | Unlimited previews and publishes, custom themes and print-ready PDF export. |
| Pro Author | $18.99per month, billed every 3 months ($56.97) | Adds GitHub and Dropbox sync, Google Analytics, InDesign export, the Leanpub API and AI Support. |
| Max Author | $32.99per 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 | $89per month, billed every 3 months ($267) | Everything in Max with ten times the monthly AI usage. |
Read from leanpub.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Leanpub before you buy.
Works with
- GitHub
- Dropbox
- Google Analytics
- InDesign
Leanpub alternatives
- Leanpub vs Payhip
Free plan · from $29/mo
- Leanpub vs Sellfy
Free trial · from $22/mo
- Leanpub vs E-junkie
Free trial · from $8/mo
Common questions
Does Leanpub have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Leanpub is listed for Web.
Does Leanpub have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Leanpub is listed for Web.
Is Leanpub open source?
Leanpub is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Leanpub have an API?
Yes. Leanpub 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 13, 2026.