Issuu Alternative ⇒ 13 Alternatives for You! [1 BIG Winner]

Today is the perfect time to get into online publishing. So, for all of you out there who are unsure of where to start - these are my 13 Issuu alternatives to get you heading in the right direction. Click here to visit my Winner: the free Issuu alternative YUMPU Publishing now!

The 3 best Issuu Alternatives:

Table of contents:

• Issuu Review

• YUMPU Publishing Magazine

• Flipsnack

• Joomag

• Calameo

• Zyyne

• Flippingbook

• Scribd

• Fliphtml5

• Anyflip

• Axmag

• Uniflip

• Bote

• iMag

How to reach your readers with these top Issuu Alternatives

The online ePublishing market place is growing every day.

One site, called Issuu, had the market lead for a very long time, but now some of their competitors have caught up and some have even overtaken them!

For a long time I persevered with substandard publishing sites because I didn’t know about all the Issuu alternative out there.

It was extremely frustrating at times – especially if I saw a digital magazine with a neat feature I couldn’t get to work in my own digital publications.

So let’s start with a quick Review of Issuu.com.

Issuu Review

Issuu Website

This article may be about Issuu alternative/ Issuu like sites, but some of you might not know who they are and how does Issuu work.

Let me tell you a little bit more about them in detail by going through a short Issuu review.

What is Issuu?

In the physical world a regular paper magazine is sold on a newsstand.

A publisher like Issuu turns pdf into magazines for the digital world and allows you to sell them through a virtual newsstand.

So they basically offer a publishing software that lets you create digital magazines.

But you also might be wondering:

Issuu how to use?

Nothing easier than that:

Now, after you know how to use Issuu, you’re probably also wondering:

Which functions do exist?

So I’ll tell you:

• It lets you embed video and audio into a pdf flipbook magazine and share to most types of device.

• You can offer your magazine for free or on paid-for subscriptions.

• You can even collaborate with other editors if you need to.

• Plus you can pay to have ads removed from your content – great if you want to sell your own advertising space!

Is Issuu free?

You can create flipbooks for free, but a lot of the more useful features are only available to paying members.

When choosing which of the many sites similar to Issuu to use consider the difference between Issuu free vs pro.

What is Issuu free?

The basic plan is free.

You can create HTML5 flipbook magazines and share them but you can‘t sell them and you are limited in how you can embed other media.

You‘re also limited in how big your files can be, and you can‘t offer printing or downloads to your readership.

It‘s a useful way to dip a toe into the water, but it offers a lot-lot less than some of the freemium Issuu alternative.

The Jumpu alternative Issuu is one of the longest running digital publishers out there.

The reason for their success is down to popularity and a great product.

This brings in readers which in turn attracts more publishers and the more publications readers have to choose from the more they’ll stick around.

It’s a win-win situation for all concerned. Same as with the alternative YUMPU Publishing.

What is Issuu used for?

Pretty much everything.

It is used from big household names that you use everyday to indie publishers creating niche magazines for tiny readerships and everything in between.

They have an extensive web kiosk, showcasing pdf publications from around the world from publishers who have used them, and gained from them, for nearly a decade.

It’s not limited to flip books either.

Brochures, catalogs, leaflets and user manuals can all be found using Issuu and other similar platforms.

If you can make a book, you can make a digital book.

Is Issuu legal?

As long as you’re not breaking any laws they certainly aren’t!

Issuu allow you to spread your content with the whole world in a convenient magazine-style format.

As long as you keep your content legal everyone’s happy.

Issuu does precisely what you’d want it to do, but I think is its always a good idea to see what else is coming up the ranks, don’t you?

Issuu how to create a magazine?

It’s actually not too difficult:

It‘s certainly easy to create a magazine with Issuu, as you can see by the step-by-step guide.

Just log on and upload your pdf.

Their servers do all the rest – as long as you‘ve followed their guidelines!

Many of the neat automated features like link detection are only available on the paid plans.

You need to make sure you create web-ready content before uploading it too.

Plus you have a generous, but not huge, page limit of 500 pages squashed into 100Mb which doesn‘t go far if you want to include high quality images and complex fonts.

So now that you have all the information necessary about Issuu, the hard part for you will not be making your pdf flipping page flipbooks, but will be working out which one of the web sites similar to Issuu is the best Issuu like service for you to use.

There are so many Issuu alternative to choose from – believe me when I say I feel like I’ve tried them all!

It was so refreshing to find such a good alternative that offers me the features I need for the price I can afford.

So you are probably wondering:

Are there more websites like Issuu?

Yes!!

On the Internet, you can find a ton of services like Issuu.

To make it easier, I have done the hard work for you and used all the alternatives to Issuu (including Issuu too).

Yes, you read that correctly.

I have personally tried all these services to compare the different Issuu alternative against each other.

And I’ll be honest when I say that I was surprised and not a little disappointed by the performance of some of the big names in this list.

Digital publishing is coming of age, and it seems like some of these publishers are barely out of kindergarten.

Here is my list of the top 13 Issuu alternatives, to help you decide which one of the Issuu like pdf viewer you should use.

1. YUMPU Publishing is a Site Like Issuu but Free (Issuu vs YUMPU Publishing)

Best Issuu alternative YUMPU

It’s wonderful to find a service provider who can do it all for you and who you can trust. YUMPU Publishing is the most similar sites like issuu.com – the ultimate Issuu alternative in my opinion.

Compared to all the other magazine software out there (including Issuu), they offer some amazing benefits, but there is one in particular that really brings it all.

I previously used to create a simple PDF file and then upload it to my website where my readers had to download it. The feedback of my few readers I got was, well, not really positive. They did not like that they had to download the PDF first. And in addition to that, I was struggling with low traffic because I could not get my PDF ranked in Google.

So when I finally came across this software that allowed me to embed my created magazine on my website, I could not have been happier.

In addition to that, traffic on my magazine increased by 47%! I had no idea why, so that's when I started to look up the benefits and features of YUMPU Publishing once again.

And there it was: In their feature list I found "Search Engine Optimization" and "Image Indexation". Of course, I did some further research what all of that meant.

And I stumbled upon one of their sites explaining what TrafficBooster actually meant.

So basically, YUMPU Publishing optimizes your created flipbook in a way that Google loves - meaning that your magazine will rank on top in Googles search results.

After about 3 weeks people can find your flipbook in Google - which means more clicks - more traffic - and therewith more revenue. I experienced that first hand, and I could barely believe it, even though the statistic showed it.

Even the pictures that I put inside my magazine can now be found in Googles image search, thanks to their incredible technology.

But that is not all.

When you look at Issuu vs YUMPU Publishing, this top Issuu alternative also offers other features like the flexibility to you as a publisher, they support you as a business, and they educate you in the possibilities of desktop and mobile publishing in a way you can understand.

If there are still any questions (which I doubt) you can contact their support team via live chat  and get a response in the shortest amount of time.

Furthermore, you can share your publication on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter & Co. and it works on iPhone, Android, tablet, iPad,…

Yes, it’s great!

They are so versatile that you can publish on over 400 different devices owning bringing you and your digital magazines and catalogues to over 9 million people, globally.

Check out this video to learn more about this publishing software.

The complete package

With an easy to use pricing structure (including a free plan) and a lifetime free publishing service, YUMPU Publishing is not only the best in class, offering SEO tools, interactivity, apps, Web Kiosks and more, they are also a site you can trust and grow with confidently and publish your magazines for free on YUMPU Publishing.

YUMPU Publishing vs Issuu

2. Flipsnack, a Free Issuu Alternative

Flipsnack Website

They are one of the Issuu like websites, a friendly and open company with a bouncy and delightful support ethic.

They are there to help you, and they will work with you to build and spread your pdf page flipbooks of content.

The one thing they might not help you with is app’s or quantity of content as the free package is limited to 5 pdf page flipping flipbooks and you are also limited to 500 pdf pages per publication, even when you pay more than $24 a month.

A neat feature of this alternative to Issuu is that they offer templates including one that claims to allow you to create free E-commerce integrated brochures but on closer examination that’s a paid-for feature.

The Issuu vs Flipsnack features they offer are comparable, but the limited free options and opaque advertising make flipsnack a little less friendly than how they appear.

3. Joomag: Issuu Similar Website

Joomag Website

Other sites like Issuu, like Joomag have a client list any company in any sector would envy and a collection of packages that would get every digital publisher excited.

This Issuu alternative has a super website that clearly guides you through the options you have available to you, and they offer different features which makes it a good alternative issuu.

The one downside is that you have to be signed up to the $39 a month package to be ad-free and to personalise your brand.

If anyone is serious about publishing, then this is one of the options for you. (PS: you can also spread your created brochusres on your social media channels).

Their newsstand offers diverse and fascinating content and they draw in huge global audiences who will see your digital publications.

Being part of a large community is good for attracting new readers as well as retaining existing ones.

I think they are pretty smart!

And had I not found other, better, Joomag Competitors I might well have kept my publications on their virtual shelving.

4. Calameo

Calameo Website

One of the platforms like Issuu is Camaleo.

With the simple message of publish, customise and perform Calameo is punchy, strong and a great publisher.

When comparing Issuu vs Calameo, with the well-designed, contemporary website and a brand that is confident and honest it’s easy to see why Calameo are so popular.

The pricing structure of this Issuu alternative is easy to understand, leaving you with no nasty surprise bills each month.

They are dedicated to digital publishing and can support you with optimisation, analytical data, and interactivity and secure cloud hosting.

They only down side are the audience numbers you will generate could be lower than with the market leader.

And as a French-based company they naturally attract more French-language publications which could mean you’re missing out on readers that are registered on other sites.

Of course there are also other Calameo alternatives.

5. Zyyne

Zyyne Website

After you battle through the display advertising Zyyne really does seem like a smart place to begin your digital publishing journey.

I would suggest this is a site for hobbyist to create a publication rather than larger companies or to education providers, as the site lacks the tools to get you fully mobile. Therewith it is a weaker Issuu alternative.

Although they do have some nice features in the pipeline so this could be one to watch.

6. Flippingbook

Flippingbook Website

When looking at Flippingbook vs Issuu you can see that they offering both desktop publish software from $599 and web-based publishing from $59 a month.

This makes it one of the more expense Issuu alternatives on the market.

Without lead capture features and apps, however, I think you are better off investing in YUMPU Publishing, on of the other Issuu alternatives or other app publishers.

The one feature you may be interested in is their offline desktop software for creating self-hosted pdf flipbooks.

If you are really into publishing and can run your own server, this could be the solution to get you excited.

Personally, I get more excited about being able to cloud host my blog and get it on multiple devices so my readers can read it wherever they are.

7. Scribd

Scribd Website

When looking at Issuu vs Scribd, 90 million readers for Scribd is a lot, a huge amount in fact.

Scribd is a user-facing site that is geared up for the readers 100%.

Its mission is to change the way people read and to build a complete social network of readers.

This is perfect if you want to share what you have with huge numbers.

This Issuu alternative makes its money by charging readers a subscription and also offer audio books for on-the-go listeners.

If you want to offer free content, you need to opt-out of this system.

Scribd is a sharing platform – think of it as a digital lending library – so it offers next to no editing facilities.

You simply upload a pdf, and that’s it.

Want to get to know some more Scribd and Issuu alternatives?

Than keep on reading, as I will mention my personal winner of all the pages like Issuu later in the article.

8. Fliphtml5

Flip Html5 Website

On first glance Fliphtml5 does not really look like a good digital publishing platform. It seems dated and unsure of itself.

The navigation seems slow, and the wooden shelves used to showcase the web kiosk make the Issuu alternative Fliphtml5 less appealing than say YUMPU Publishing or other Issuu alternatives.

That said, Flip Html5 does offer the complete, if you’re prepared to pay!

9. Anyflip

Anyflip Website

This Issuu alternative can make your digital publications secure on a cloud, interactive with video and hyperlinks, they can make sure you can monetize your publications so they work for you.

But, the one thing about Anyflip is that they just don’t seem to attack the large audience numbers that are pivotal to publishing.

Without readers, you might as well just be writing your thoughts on the back of an envelope.

The website is a little clunky and the pricing structure shows that there are limitations on reader numbers, storage sizes and administrators.

10. Axmag

Axmag Website

The Issuu alternative Axmag are software providers that can give you the tools to create magazines of varying standards.

They have the full 3D publication packages through to the basic page flip book ranges and the prices reflect the products you buy, with a basic rate of $380.00.

Not for the faint-hearted Axmag is  for those who don’t need a market place for their publication but for those who need the kit to build publications for others to put in market places.

If you’ve been wondering about how to create a magazine, you may find that Axmag can help with one of their full-serve packages.

But without the virtual newsstand or kiosk features offered elsewhere you’ll need to find your own marketplace which makes this an option only for the well-established.

11. Uniflip

Uniflip Website

I know it is wrong to judge a book by its cover, but I work in publishing!

Uniflip seems to have been stuck in 2009 and therefore does not look like a great alternative issuu. They do create flipbooks from PDF’s, you can also create responsive designs.

You just feel, when using them, that you might not be with the most advanced and productive Issuu alternative. Take a look and find out for yourself.

Bonus (Update):

12. Bote

Bote Website

I really liked Bote. It’s got a clean interface and a modern feel to it. I love that there’s a free trial, which gave me a chance to check out the features without reaching for my wallet.

In terms of functionality, it’s quite good. The rendering is super fast, and it does some automatic optimization of your publication to get it ready for Google and Co.

One of my favorite features was the ‘share’ function, which lets you socially share or email your document to anyone with just one click.

The only downside is it’s a little pricier than other Issuu alternative options. But, as I said, it’s nice that they give you a free trial so you can see if it’s for you, without committing to anything long term.

13. iMag

iMag Website

iMag looked initially like a very good Issuu alternative. It does all sorts of clever things to help people find your publication, such as SEO and uploading it to content hubs.

It even extracts the images from your document and optimizes them for Google Images – now that’s clever!

The software is capable of producing magazines, catalogs, flipbooks and more. With a paid account, you can even embed your publications on your own website or blog and can publish it worldwide in a whole host of different channels.

It’s pretty cheap too, letting you access all features and functions for just $15 a year. Definitely worth a look if you’re on the hunt for a good Issuu alternative.

As you can see, there are a lot of services like Issuu.

Conclusion

Of course, there are also a ton of other magazine sites like Issuu both free and paid, desktop and cloud-based…

On the Internet, you can find some more information like this about Issuu vs Flipboard, Issuu.com vs Yudu, Uberflip, Magcloud, Zinio, Zmag, Flipboad, Slideshare, 3d Issue, Behance, Youblisher, Publitas, Next Issue or iPaper.

There’s so many you will be wondering “How does Issuu make money?” which they do by charging for their services whether you are reading or writing.

Unlike my favorite best Issuu alternative the free plan is only a taster of the power of their paid plans.

If you think you are a little late to join in the ‘Flip book publishing party’ then think again, because it is only just getting started!

I can absolutely recommend my personal winner: the free Issuu alternative YUMPU Publishing to anyone who is looking for a free and easy-to-handle digital publishing platform.