Paperlight or Reedsy Studio?
Reedsy Studio is a free writing app with three book templates and four trim sizes. Paperlight is free to write in too, starts from your Word file if you have one, and gives you 129 styles plus your own, 28 trim sizes, large print and hardcover, without an account or uploading your manuscript.
Here’s Reedsy Studio next to Paperlight and the other popular tools. The full comparison.
Compare with
| Feature | Paperlight | Reedsy Studio | Vellum | Atticus | Kindle Create | Draft2Digital | Lacuna |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Writing and ebook free; print $24 a year | Free | $249.99 once ($199.99 for ebooks only) | $147 once | Free | Free; ~10% of ebook sales if you distribute with them | $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 | Windows or Mac, a download | In your browser | Windows, Mac, Linux, a download |
| Account | None | Required | Not stated by Vellum | Required; online to sign in and export | A KDP account to publish | Required | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Writing your book | Yes, free: outline, goals, story bible, versions, focus mode | A free writing app | An editor for changes, not built for drafting | A full writing app | Import a finished manuscript | Upload 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 | 3 | 26 | 17 templates, plus a theme builder | 4 ebook themes | Their set of templates | Premade styles, or customise your own |
| Trim sizes | 28, pocket to A4, square, landscape, plus custom | 4, including pocket | 24, plus large print | Not stated by Atticus | Not stated by Kindle Create | A selection | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Print files for | Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, B&N Press, Lulu, Bookvault | Print-ready PDF | Print-ready PDF | Print PDF, made mainly for Amazon KDP | Amazon KDP only (a KPF file, not a PDF) | Print-ready PDF for any print-on-demand service | Print-ready PDFs for the major distributors |
| IngramSpark PDF/X | Yes, converted in your browser (beta) | Yes, PDF/X-1a | Yes, PDF/X-1a | No | No | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Large print, hardcover, colour | Yes, all three | Not stated by Reedsy Studio | Yes, all three | Not stated by Atticus | Hardcover yes; large print no | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Hardcover yes |
| Box sets | Yes, kept in step with their books | Not stated by Reedsy Studio | Yes | Not stated by Atticus | Not stated by Kindle Create | Not stated by Draft2Digital | Not stated by Lacuna |
| Where your book is kept | In your browser, and a folder you choose | Your Reedsy account | On your Mac | Atticus cloud, synced between devices | On your computer | Your Draft2Digital account | 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
- Reedsy Studio, checked October 2026: reedsy.com/studio/format-a-book
- 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)
- Kindle Create, checked October 2026: KDP help: Kindle Create, ebookpbook: Kindle Create for print books (May 2026)
- Draft2Digital, checked October 2026: Draft2Digital FAQ, draft2digital.com, Draft2Digital: automated layout for print
- Lacuna, checked October 2026: lacuna.pub, ScribeCount: Lacuna review
Products change, so check their sites for the latest.
Why authors choose Paperlight over Reedsy Studio
- Your manuscript is already finished in Word, or you’d rather your writing stayed on your own computer.
- You want more styles, a large-print or hardcover edition, or a 7 × 10 or 8.5 × 11 trim for nonfiction and workbooks.
- You’d rather not create an account or upload your manuscript.
- You want your saved PDF checked against each printer’s rules before you upload.
See your book free
Print files $24 a year.