Calameo vs Joomag » #1 Alternative on the market

How I published digital flipbooks, grew my business, and earned money! A while ago, I decided I wanted to self-publish a digital magazine for my readers of my website. Surprisingly, it was tough to find free, easy-to-use software to publish digital flip books online. Everything I tried left me disappointed. That is until I found the free and easy online publishing software YUMPU Publishing.

Table of contents:

• Comparison Calameo vs YUMPU Publishing vs Joomag

• How I got started

• YUMPU Publishing vs Calameo vs Joomag

  • Calameo Review

  •  Are there any sites like Calameo?

•  How you can use digital flipbooks to boost profit and value:

  • Create more content

  • Inspiration for design

Comparison Calameo vs YUMPU Publishing vs Joomag

A few of my readers asked me to compare Calameo vs YUMPU Publishing and Calameo vs Joomag. So here it is!

Since I was looking for a software to self-publish my online magazine I tried out a lot of different digital publishing software that left me disappointed.

Look, it is not easy to find the right publishing software, but here is what I learned and found out.

How I got started

As previously mentioned, I run a travel- and event-based website about my state that covers fun family activities, vacation locations, food-related events, and more.

I share anything that gets people out of the house and having fun.

For my readers I wanted to make an online magazine, to make my content more attractive and to gain more readers.

When I stumbled across flipbooks I couldn’t have been happier…

Why?

…because this software made it quiet easy for me to finally create interactive digital magazines I wanted to all along.

There are plenty of sites promising free software online that provides everything you need to publish a digital magazine online.

Most are easy to use and have some of the features that made my magazine publishing process successful.

But almost none of them have everything I need as I’ll explain later.

My experience

When I finally found the Calameo alternative YUMPU Publishing, the online digital magazine software that’s right for me, I was relieved.

It’s easy to use, fast, and free.

All I needed to do was upload a PDF file, and let the converter convert documents to publications.

Voila.

And I was ready to start publishing my interactive publications and online catalogs plus expanding my website’s readership.

Looking at alternatives, sites like Issuu or sites like Calameo vs Joomag, it seems standard to simply use a PDF when creating a digital flipbook.

This makes it easy and straightforward for all users.

YUMPU Publishing vs Calameo vs Joomag

With all the digital magazine software available, I did a lot of research before settling.

In fact, I looked at the features, pricing plans, and communities of every service I could find.

When comparing Calameo vs Joomag and many other Joomag competitors/online software providers, I’ve found some similarities in the basic services and tools provided.

Digital flipbooks typically start with a PDF and users can add features from there.

However, almost all of the software I used either wasn’t easy to use or only provided minimal tools with the free version.

Talk about annoying!

So now let’s dive deeper into the topic of Calameo.

Calameo Review

You can’t find a lot of  Calameo reviews on the world wide web, so here is one for you.

Website of Calameo

What is Calameo?

Calameo is an online publishing platform which allows you to create your own flip magazines.

Digital publishing platforms basically fall into two camps – those that offer news stand facilities and those that don’t.

Platforms like Calameo vs Joomag or other Joomag Competitors have news stand features which allow you to share your digital magazines easily.

So now you’re wondering:

What functions exist?

• Upload your document (PDF) and add music and video to make it come alive.

  • Create your beautiful publications and share them on major social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin)

  • Embed the reader in your blog.

  • Charge a subscription for your digital content.

  • Enable or disable downloads and printing to protect your content.

  • And you can get it tracked with Google analytics, so you get feedback on what your readers are reading.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

But how Is Calameo priced?

This is the nub of the issue.

What these software providers can be reluctant to do is tell you what kind of plans exist for whom?

Calameo has three price plans which give you less agonizing over which to choose but isn’t as flexible as other sites.

The basic plan is free. Gratis.

The free account comes with an allowance for storage, a limit on the size of files, a limit to the number of flipbooks you can keep private and you can only have one login and one folder space.

The basic plan is clearly intended for bloggers and small business who are just starting out in the world of digital publishing and don’t need all the fancy subscription features of the paid-for plans.

The next level up is the premium plan with $17 per month.

This purchase doubles your storage space, removes the page limit on your flip book (but your file-size limit remains the same), lets you keep more publications private and allows up to five people to log in to the same account.

Crucially you also get to remove ads from the reader.

Other features include being able to schedule publication dates and allow printing and downloads.

This would suit a bigger company, a more established blogger or maybe one who wants to provide an online catalog or brochure.

The top level is the Platinum plan with $53 per month.

This purchase includes everything they offer.

Including white label access, so your company doesn’t need to show who they’re using to provide their digital magazine publishing services.

It also allows you to embed YouTube, Vimeo and DailyMotion clips into the document – the cheaper plans will open a new window to display them.

Now if you’re like me you can get a bit concerned about internet safety.

After all, it’s pretty easy for someone to grab a copy of your content and pass it off as their own.

So I wanted to know “is Calameo safe?” before adding my page flip magazine to this flipbook software

If you are using the basic plan, then downloads and printing are disabled.

Premium users can allow downloads to logged in users, and Pro users can allow anyone to download.

Embedding into blogs is done through an iFrame, so you have to make sure your blog supports iframes.

How to use Calameo?

It’s very easy to use.

Start by creating your HTML5 brochures the way you usually do by creating PDF pages.

Lay it out and edit it using the tools you’re familiar with then save it on your computer (and if you’re anything like me you might want to make a note of where you saved it).

Then simply log into the system or sign up, click publish and upload the document.

You can drag and drop if that’s easier.

This way you can convert PDF to an online magazine.

You get a box asking if you want to customize the file properties – editing title, description, sharing, display mode, the usual sort of stuff.

Click the green publish button, wait a few minutes or less and there it is – ready to view and ready to go.

Of course, if you need to add anything – videos, background music, links – there’s an editor.

This also lets you add a table of contents.

Anything more complicated and you’ll need to edit it on your computer and upload a new version.

Are there any sites like Calameo?

There are a ton of different software which are similar to Calameo:

• Issuu

• Hashdoc

• Calameo

• Slideshare

• Scribd

• Joomag

• And many many more…

I did a lot of research before settling on software for publishing online digital magazines.

Regarding the features of Calameo vs Joomag, I found them to have simple tools to set up a magazine.  (If you are looking for a Joomag Review – go and check out one of my other articles).

However, I chose not to rely on those two sets of software because I prefer the variety of features and plentiful support of the software I’m using now.

The one software I now rely on every day.

With a robust set of tools and incredible support, this software is the best available online.

I found YUMPU Publishing to be the best after comparing all kinds of online software, from Issuu to Hashdoc, Calameo vs Issuu, Slideshare y Calameo, Scribd vs Calameo to Calameo vs Joomag.

Website of YUMPU Publishing

Features

There’s no question that this Calameo alternative is the easiest to use and the most user-friendly.

Above all, it’s free.

I’ve used it consistently for my projects and, even after trying out other software like Calameo vs Joomag, I keep coming back to this one.

What I like about this software are its features and tools.

From the embedding capabilities to the ability to insert hyperlinks, I can truly take advantage of the digital medium.

You certainly can’t do these things in print magazines. Take a look at how to embed links with a digital magazine in the video below.

How to embed links and create a table of contents

Additionally, I heavily rely on integrating my magazines fully with social media like Facebook, Twitter & Co.

It’s easier than ever to share my files across the internet/ share them worldwide, gain new readers, and ultimately run a successful business.

It’s not surprising that countless users rely on this software, even after looking at other options such as Calameo vs Joomag.

Another thing I really like about this software is the amount of support I receive whenever I bump into a technical issue.

Although it’s rare that I have a problem, I’ve never used software with a more responsive help center – team to help me with technical issues.

I don’t have to worry about anything.

All I have to focus on is creating good content with easy-to-use design tools, and the rest is taken care of.

It is one possibility after another!

Value

Everything you need to get started is available with the free plan with YUMPU Publishing.

I could create digital interactive content, embed audio and video files, and even use automatic search engine optimization without cost.

However, as I grew a larger readership and became more successful, I realized how helpful online magazines are to my online website and business.

I decided to invest in paid features, which let me do all kinds of things.

I can set publication dates, use Google Analytics, password protect magazines and so much more.

Even when I compare other online digital magazine software like Calameo vs Joomag, it’s clear that nobody provides value like the service I’m using now.

Google Analytics? Yes, please.

Once I decided to invest in paid features, I was able to use Google Analytics to craft a more engaging magazine.

With the cheapest monthly plan, I began using this feature, and I realized just what it offers me and my business.

Not only can I obtain a more accurate picture of where my readers are coming from but also I can look at page-view time, measure clickthroughs, and ultimately modify my magazine to suit my readers as much as possible.

With this feature, I have been able to ensure everything I publish appeals to all individuals in my audience.

From my readers who prefer family-friendly activities and day trips to those who want culinary destinations and luxurious weekends, my magazine covers it all.

Google Analytics also helps me to make mistakes only once. If I write about a topic that just isn’t interesting to my readers, I’ll know.

Whether it’s the design, the content, or the writing style, I can make changes and tailor everything to suit my readers.

How you can use digital magazines to boost profit and value:

Create more content

Ultimately, the best way to keep users interested and engaged in your website or business is by creating top-notch content.

By creating more deliverables, I can encourage readers to return to my blog.

Using a digital publication as a reward for signing up for an email subscription is also a great idea.

Digital catalogs are still an emerging medium. Calameo vs Joomag and others are adding new features all the time.

Users will be interested and appreciative that they can enjoy your content on their tablet or smartphone (iPhone or Android), which keeps both you and your readers happy.

Inspiration for design

With all the digital magazine publishing software available online, there is plenty of inspiration available.

Although I always use YUMPU Publishing when creating my magazine, I look at all kinds of websites for design ideas and cover inspiration and also on other digitally published magazines.

Calameo vs Joomag and plenty of other online software packages typically have a gallery displaying the public content of users.

These magazines come in all flavors, from polished and sleek to indie and fun.

I can ultimately synthesize ideas from across the board and make a magazine with the look of a professional publication that still suggests my own unique branding.

Overall, you won’t be shy of ideas if you look at the galleries of the top digital magazine publishing software such as Calameo vs Joomag available online.

All in all, I’ve had great success using this software for publishing digital magazines.

I’ve grown a larger readership as my publications spread using the social media integration and search engine optimization.

By embedding my digital magazines on my website/blog, I can show off just what I have to offer in addition to my travel and event blog.

My business has grown tremendously since I’ve been able to easily provide quality content to readers across the world.

No matter if users rely on tablets and mobile devices or desktop computers, my content is accessible by all.

Whenever I bump into a technical problem, the IT support team is there to help me solve issues.

Talk about unmatched service!

This is the best, easiest-to-use publishing platform for creating digital publications that will surely bring more readers to your website and more profit to your business.