Paperlight or Draft2Digital?
Draft2Digital is an ebook and print distributor whose conversion and layout tools are free to use, even if you don’t distribute through them. Paperlight needs no account and uploads nothing, gives you more control over how the book looks, checks the files against each printer’s rules, and is free to write in.
Here’s Draft2Digital next to Paperlight and the other popular tools. The full comparison.
Compare with
| Feature | Paperlight | Draft2Digital | Vellum | Atticus | Reedsy Studio | Kindle Create | Lacuna |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Writing and ebook free; print $24 a year | Free; ~10% of ebook sales if you distribute with them | $249.99 once ($199.99 for ebooks only) | $147 once | Free | Free | $149 once |
| Try before paying | Everything free except the print files | Free | Free to build and preview | 30-day money-back guarantee; no free trial | Free | Free | Everything free until you export |
| Runs on | Any computer, in your browser | In your browser | Mac only (macOS 13 or newer) | Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook | In your browser | Windows or Mac, a download | Windows, Mac, Linux, a download |
| Account | None | Required | Not stated by Vellum | Required; online to sign in and export | Required | A KDP account to publish | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Writing your book | Yes, free: outline, goals, story bible, versions, focus mode | Upload a finished manuscript | An editor for changes, not built for drafting | A full writing app | A free writing app | Import a finished manuscript | Import a .docx |
| Book styles | 129, plus a full style editor with 540 drawn ornaments, 97 ornate letters in any colour and page frames | Their set of templates | 26 | 17 templates, plus a theme builder | 3 | 4 ebook themes | Premade styles, or customise your own |
| Trim sizes | 28, pocket to A4, square, landscape, plus custom | A selection | 24, plus large print | Not stated by Atticus | 4, including pocket | Not stated by Kindle Create | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Print files for | Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, B&N Press, Lulu, Bookvault | Print-ready PDF for any print-on-demand service | Print-ready PDF | Print PDF, made mainly for Amazon KDP | Print-ready PDF | Amazon KDP only (a KPF file, not a PDF) | Print-ready PDFs for the major distributors |
| IngramSpark PDF/X | Yes, converted in your browser (beta) | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Yes, PDF/X-1a | No | Yes, PDF/X-1a | No | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Large print, hardcover, colour | Yes, all three | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Yes, all three | Not stated by Atticus | Not stated by Reedsy Studio | Hardcover yes; large print no | Hardcover yes |
| Box sets | Yes, kept in step with their books | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Yes | Not stated by Atticus | Not stated by Reedsy Studio | Not stated by Kindle Create | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Where your book is kept | In your browser, and a folder you choose | Your Draft2Digital account | On your Mac | Atticus cloud, synced between devices | Your Reedsy account | On your computer | On your computer, no cloud |
— means the company doesn’t publish it and we couldn’t confirm it. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Sources
- Draft2Digital, checked October 2026: Draft2Digital FAQ, draft2digital.com, Draft2Digital: automated layout for print
- Vellum, checked October 2026: vellum.pub, Kindlepreneur: Atticus vs Vellum (Sep 2026)
- Atticus, checked October 2026: Written Word Media: Atticus review, Kindlepreneur: Atticus vs Vellum (Sep 2026), Kindlepreneur: Atticus review, Publishing.co.uk: Atticus review (Oct 2026), Vappingo: Atticus review (Sep 2026)
- Reedsy Studio, checked October 2026: reedsy.com/studio/format-a-book
- Kindle Create, checked October 2026: KDP help: Kindle Create, ebookpbook: Kindle Create for print books (May 2026)
- Lacuna, checked October 2026: lacuna.pub, ScribeCount: Lacuna review
Products change, so check their sites for the latest.
Why authors choose Paperlight over Draft2Digital
- You’d rather not create an account or upload your manuscript.
- You want to adjust the type, choose from 129 styles or design your own, or make large-print, hardcover or box-set editions.
- You print with KDP or IngramSpark directly and want the PDF checked first.
See your book free
Print files $24 a year.