# Leanpub review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Write, publish and sell ebooks and courses, with author memberships Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Selling Digital Products - **Made by:** Ruboss Technology Corp. - **Website:** https://leanpub.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Tight if you're staying free, as 3 books, 1 course and 5 publishes a month is the cap. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## 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). - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **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 | $8.99 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. | Read from https://leanpub.com/authors on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Leanpub before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Technical authors who write in Markdown and publish in installments - First-time authors who want to start without paying anything - Writers who want to sell an ebook and a course in one store ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: B.** Paid 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: B.** A 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: C.** Three 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: C.** No store rating on record. You still have to write and format the book and set up a store page. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web app with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Analytics and InDesign links, plus an API on Pro. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/digital-products ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Digital downloads, long-form writing, Markdown and online courses: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. - You could not: It plugs into other products, GitHub, Dropbox and Google Analytics among them, and has an API. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Analytics, InDesign **Tags:** Digital downloads, Online store, Long-form writing, Markdown, Online courses, Public API, AI features ## Alternatives - [Gumroad](https://toolgpa.com/tools/gumroad): Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gumroad-vs-leanpub) - [Payhip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/payhip): Store for downloads, courses and memberships, with a free plan. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/leanpub-vs-payhip) - [Sellfy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sellfy): Store builder for selling downloads, subscriptions and print-on-demand. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/leanpub-vs-sellfy) - [itch.io](https://toolgpa.com/tools/itch-io): Open marketplace for indie games, assets and tools, pay what you want. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/itch-io-vs-leanpub) - [E-junkie](https://toolgpa.com/tools/e-junkie): Sell downloads and goods with buttons, carts or a shop. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/e-junkie-vs-leanpub) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://leanpub.com/authors - https://leanpub.com/about Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/leanpub Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).