# kdpbook.io vs Reedsy Studio: an honest comparison

Source: https://kdpbook.io/compare/reedsy-studio-alternative · Updated 2026-10-15

We make kdpbook.io, so we're not neutral. Everything about Reedsy Studio comes from its public pages as of 2026-10-15 (each row links its source); prices and features may have changed since.

Checked 2026-10-15 on the competitor's public pages. Reedsy Studio (formerly Reedsy Book Editor) is free: you write or import a manuscript and it typesets a reflowable EPUB 3 and a print-ready PDF (PDF/X-1a) in 4 trim sizes with 3 themes. Its pages list no AI tools, and its guide says the print cover is a separate file. kdpbook.io writes or imports the book, offers 16 paperback trims and exports the full-wrap cover with the interior.

| Criterion | kdpbook.io | Reedsy Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main job | Writes and illustrates the book, or lays out your own manuscript, then builds the KDP files | Write and typeset a book you write yourself (source: https://reedsy.com/studio) |
| AI | Writes, rewrites and illustrates when you ask; imported text is laid out word for word in 20 of the 36 book types | No AI tools listed; Reedsy says it will never use your work to train AI (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/pricing/) |
| Your own manuscript | Import a .docx, .doc, .pdf, .txt or .md file (or paste the text) for 20 of the 36 book types; your words are laid out as written, never rewritten | Write in Studio or import a draft from “any major text format” (source: https://reedsy.com/studio) |
| Print interior | Trim, bleed, margins, spine and page limits applied automatically, with a preflight check | Print-ready PDF (PDF/X-1a:2001, CMYK images), typeset automatically with 3 themes (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/) |
| Trim sizes | 16 standard paperback trims (no custom sizes); 5 hardcover trims; novels: 5.5 × 8.5, 5 × 8, 5.25 × 8, 5.06 × 7.81, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21 in | 4 trims: Trade 6 × 9 in, Digest 5.5 × 8.5 in, Reedsy standard 5 × 8 in, Pocket 4.25 × 6.87 in (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/) |
| Images | 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) | Every image is sized the same way automatically and can't be adjusted; full-bleed pages not documented (source: https://reedsy.com/faq/studio-app/common-questions/formatting-options) |
| Cover | Full-wrap cover PDF sized from trim, paper and final page count | Front cover image for the ebook; its guide says the print jacket is a separate PDF and suggests a designer from its marketplace (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/how-to-format-a-book/) |
| Kindle eBook | Kindle EPUB (reflowable or fixed layout) + Kindle cover | Reflowable EPUB 3; fixed layout not documented (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/format-a-book/) |
| Hardcover | 5 hardcover trims | Not documented (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/) |
| Platforms | Web app in the browser | Web app in the browser; offline use is on its roadmap, per its FAQ (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/) |
| Pricing | Free: 2,000 credits once, no card. Plans $25–$99/month | Free; optional add-ons at $4.99 and $7.99/month (source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/) |

## What Reedsy Studio is

A browser-based writing and formatting app from Reedsy, the marketplace of freelance editors and designers. You write in its editor or import a draft, plan on Boards (notes, characters, locations), collaborate in real time with track changes and comments, and share read-only previews with beta readers. Studio typesets as you write: it adds the copyright page and table of contents, lets you choose how chapters open, and exports a reflowable EPUB 3 or a print-ready PDF in 4 trims (Trade 6 × 9 in, Digest 5.5 × 8.5 in, Reedsy standard 5 × 8 in, Pocket 4.25 × 6.87 in), with a Reedsy, Classic or Romance theme.

## Where Reedsy Studio shines
- Free writing and formatting with unlimited books, and Reedsy says it will never use your work to train AI.
- Clean, conventional typesetting with no setup: automatic copyright page and table of contents, chapter openers with numbers, titles, drop caps or images, and notes set as footnotes in print and chapter-end notes in the ebook.
- Real-time collaboration with track changes and comments, and read-only previews for beta readers.
- A print-ready PDF (PDF/X-1a:2001 with CMYK images) and an EPUB 3, which its guide calls compatible with most print-on-demand services, KDP Print and IngramSpark included.
- Reedsy's marketplace of professional editors and cover designers, when you want to hire one.

## Reedsy Studio pricing (as published on 2026-10-15)
- Free: writing, formatting, manuscript import, PDF and EPUB export, unlimited books and devices.
- Optional add-ons: Craft $4.99/month (unlimited history, advanced stats, custom goals, daily check-ins, dark mode) and Outlining $7.99/month (unlimited Boards and notes, writing templates), with 10% off annual billing; its Studio page still calls the first one Studio Essential.
- A 30-day free trial of the add-ons, no card.

## Choose Reedsy Studio if
- You're writing a novel or non-fiction book yourself and want free, clean typesetting.
- You work with an editor or co-author and want track changes in the same app.
- Your book is text-first, fits one of its 4 trims and has no full-bleed images.

## Choose kdpbook.io if
- You want the book written or illustrated, or art on every page: picture books, comics, cookbooks, coloring books.
- You need a trim outside its 4 sizes, a hardcover edition or images that run to the edge of the page.
- You want the full-wrap paperback cover built from the final page count, with the interior.
- You want a fixed-layout Kindle edition for an illustrated book.

## Questions

Q: Is Reedsy Studio the same as Reedsy Book Editor?
A: Yes. Reedsy launched its Book Editor in 2016 and renamed the app Reedsy Studio in June 2025, adding planning boards, writing goals and book sharing, as Good e-Reader reported on June 30, 2025. Its FAQ still sends you to editor.reedsy.com to use it, and writing, formatting and export stay free.

Q: Is Reedsy Studio really free?
A: Yes. Writing, formatting, import and PDF and EPUB export are free, with unlimited books; Reedsy sells optional add-ons for writing stats and outlining ($4.99 and $7.99 a month). kdpbook.io works on credits because it generates text and art: 2,000 free credits once, no card, then paid plans from $25/month. Importing your own manuscript costs 3 credits per 1,000 words to read it, and the book's estimate (plan, layout, cover art) is shown before you launch.

Q: Does Reedsy Studio make KDP paperback covers?
A: No. Its formatting guide says print-on-demand services need a full-jacket PDF separate from the interior and suggests hiring a designer from its marketplace; the cover you add in Studio is for the ebook. The full wrap depends on the page count: a 200-page 6 × 9 in book on white paper has a 0.45 in spine and a 12.7 × 9.25 in cover file. kdpbook.io computes the spine from the page count and paper and exports the cover PDF with the interior.

Q: Which trim sizes does Reedsy Studio offer?
A: Reedsy Studio lists 4 print trims: Trade 6 × 9 in, Digest 5.5 × 8.5 in, Reedsy standard 5 × 8 in, Pocket 4.25 × 6.87 in. Pocket isn't a KDP standard trim, but it fits KDP's custom range (4–8.5 in wide, 6–11.69 in tall); the other 3 are KDP standard paperback trims. kdpbook.io offers KDP's 16 standard paperback trims (no custom sizes) and 5 hardcover trims, including square and large formats for illustrated and activity books.

## Sources
- [Reedsy Studio](https://reedsy.com/studio)
- [Reedsy Studio: Format a book (themes, exports)](https://reedsy.com/studio/format-a-book/)
- [Reedsy Studio pricing](https://reedsy.com/studio/pricing/)
- [Reedsy Studio FAQ (trim sizes, themes, exports, offline use)](https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/book-writing-software-faq/)
- [Reedsy: How to format a book (trims, print jacket and interior)](https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/how-to-format-a-book/)
- [Reedsy FAQ: Formatting options (images, fonts, notes)](https://reedsy.com/faq/studio-app/common-questions/formatting-options)
- [Good e-Reader: Reedsy has rebranded Book Editor to Reedsy Studio (June 30, 2025)](https://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/reedsy-has-rebranded-book-editor-to-reedsy-studio)
- [KDP Help: Print Options](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834180)
- [KDP Help: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6)
- [KDP Help: Create a Paperback Cover](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020)