kdpbook.io vs Kindle Create: an honest comparison
Kindle Create is Amazon's free desktop app for Windows and Mac: it formats a finished manuscript into a Kindle eBook (KPF) and, for text-first books, a paperback without bleed. It doesn't write, illustrate or make covers. kdpbook.io writes and illustrates books, or imports yours word for word, and exports the interior PDF, the full-wrap cover and a Kindle EPUB.
By kdpbook.io editorialPublished
We make kdpbook.io, so we’re not neutral. Everything about Kindle Create below comes from its public pages as of (linked at the end); prices and features may have changed since.
At a glance
| Criterion | kdpbook.io | Kindle Create |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Writes and illustrates the book, or lays out your own manuscript, then builds the KDP files | Formats a finished manuscript for Kindle and simple paperbacks |
| Your own manuscript | Import a .docx, .doc, .pdf, .txt or .md file (or paste the text) for 19 of the 36 book types; your words are laid out as written, never rewritten | Word (.doc, .docx) for reflowable books; PDF for Print Replica; PDF, PNG or JPEG for comics and kids' books |
| Kindle eBook | Kindle EPUB (reflowable or fixed layout) + Kindle cover | KPF: reflowable, Print Replica, or comics and kids' books with Guided View; EPUB export for reflowable books only |
| Paperback interior | Trim, bleed, margins, spine and page limits applied automatically, with a preflight check | From a reflowable project: margins and font set automatically and not editable; no bleed, tables, footnotes or endnotes |
| Illustrated print books | Full-bleed art where the book type uses it, sized to KDP's interior rule (0.125 in on the top, bottom and outside edge) | Comics and kids' mode makes eBooks; print output from it is not documented |
| Hardcover | 5 hardcover trims | Not documented |
| Cover | Full-wrap cover PDF sized from trim, paper and final page count | Not in Kindle Create; KDP's separate Cover Creator makes covers on KDP, and those using its stock images can't be downloaded |
| Illustrations | 40 illustration styles or your own; character reference sheets reused on every illustration | You supply the images |
| Platforms | Web app in the browser | Desktop app: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later |
| Pricing | Free: 2,000 credits once, no card. Plans $25–$99/month | Free |
Main job
- kdpbook.io
- Writes and illustrates the book, or lays out your own manuscript, then builds the KDP files
- Kindle Create
- Formats a finished manuscript for Kindle and simple paperbacks
Your own manuscript
- kdpbook.io
- Import a .docx, .doc, .pdf, .txt or .md file (or paste the text) for 19 of the 36 book types; your words are laid out as written, never rewritten
- Kindle Create
- Word (.doc, .docx) for reflowable books; PDF for Print Replica; PDF, PNG or JPEG for comics and kids' books
Kindle eBook
- kdpbook.io
- Kindle EPUB (reflowable or fixed layout) + Kindle cover
- Kindle Create
- KPF: reflowable, Print Replica, or comics and kids' books with Guided View; EPUB export for reflowable books only
Paperback interior
- kdpbook.io
- Trim, bleed, margins, spine and page limits applied automatically, with a preflight check
- Kindle Create
- From a reflowable project: margins and font set automatically and not editable; no bleed, tables, footnotes or endnotes
Illustrated print books
- kdpbook.io
- Full-bleed art where the book type uses it, sized to KDP's interior rule (0.125 in on the top, bottom and outside edge)
- Kindle Create
- Comics and kids' mode makes eBooks; print output from it is not documented
Hardcover
- kdpbook.io
- 5 hardcover trims
- Kindle Create
- Not documented
Cover
- kdpbook.io
- Full-wrap cover PDF sized from trim, paper and final page count
- Kindle Create
- Not in Kindle Create; KDP's separate Cover Creator makes covers on KDP, and those using its stock images can't be downloaded
Illustrations
- kdpbook.io
- 40 illustration styles or your own; character reference sheets reused on every illustration
- Kindle Create
- You supply the images
Platforms
- kdpbook.io
- Web app in the browser
- Kindle Create
- Desktop app: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later
Pricing
- kdpbook.io
- Free: 2,000 credits once, no card. Plans $25–$99/month
- Kindle Create
- Free
What Kindle Create is
Amazon's free desktop formatter for KDP. It turns a Word file into a reflowable eBook, a PDF into a Print Replica eBook, and PDF or image files into comic and kids' eBooks with Guided View. It exports a KPF file to upload to KDP (EPUB too, for reflowable books), and a reflowable project can also be published as a paperback, with margins and page numbers set automatically.
Where it shines
- Free, made by Amazon, and built around KDP's own file format (KPF).
- Guided View for comics and kids' eBooks, moving the reader panel by panel.
- One project for the Kindle eBook and a simple paperback.
- A built-in previewer to check the eBook before you upload it.
- The tool KDP recommends for fixed-layout comic and kids' eBooks, alongside EPUB.
Kindle Create pricing
- Free.
- Covers are separate: KDP's free Cover Creator makes eBook, paperback and hardcover covers from its layouts and fonts; KDP says covers made with its stock images can't be downloaded for use outside KDP.
As published on September 28, 2026. See the current prices on its website.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Kindle Create if…
- You have a finished, text-first manuscript and want a free Kindle eBook in Amazon's own format.
- You're turning finished comic or picture-book pages into a Kindle eBook with Guided View.
- Your paperback is plain text with no bleed, tables or footnotes.
Choose kdpbook.io if…
- You want the book written and illustrated, not only formatted.
- Your print book needs full-bleed art, a hardcover edition or fonts you choose.
- You want the full-wrap cover PDF built from the final page count, as a file you keep.
- You want a KDP preflight and a listing sheet with the files.
Questions
Is Kindle Create really free?
Yes. Amazon describes it as a free desktop application. It formats a manuscript you've finished; it doesn't write or illustrate. kdpbook.io generates text and art, so it works on credits: 2,000 free credits once, no card, then paid plans from $25/month.
What replaced Kindle Kids' Book Creator and Kindle Comic Creator?
KDP stopped offering both tools for download on February 6, 2025 and stopped accepting their MOBI files on March 18, 2025. It recommends Kindle Create (KPF) or EPUB for fixed-layout comic and kids' books; books already published stay live. kdpbook.io exports picture books and comics as fixed-layout EPUB.
Can Kindle Create make a paperback with images to the edge?
Not according to KDP Help: Kindle Create doesn't support paperback images that bleed to the edge of the page, and paperback margins and fonts can't be changed. For bleed, KDP needs a PDF interior with 0.125 in added on the top, bottom and outside edge; kdpbook.io exports that PDF.
Sources · read on September 28, 2026
- Amazon: Kindle Create (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: Getting Started with Kindle Create (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: Prepare Your eBook and Paperback with Kindle Create (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: Prepare Comic and Kids' eBooks with Kindle Create (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Community: Kindle Comic Creator and Kindle Kids' Book Creator will be unavailable from March 18, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: MOBI support FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: Cover Creator (opens in a new tab)
- KDP Help: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins (opens in a new tab)
- kdpbook.io pricing
Try it on your own book.
Describe a book in one sentence and see its plan and credit estimate before you launch anything.
2,000 free credits · no card required