Issuu Alternatives in Comparison [This is the Ultimate #1]
If you’re in the market for an Issuu like pdf viewer, then there is plenty of choices out there. But which Issuu Alternative should you choose? Well, I have found the best free Issuu Alternative: Yumpu Publishing, according to 73.9% of the survey participants and my own experience!
Well, here is what I learned from my intensive research and from trying out various different alternatives to Issuu.
Do you no longer have to worry about how can I compare free vs pro versions when the features offered sound so much alike? Should I go with Issuu or keep looking for websites like Issuu such as Yumpu Publishing, Calameo or Youblisher? What is the difference between Issuu vs Zmag or Issuu vs Scribd?
Quite frankly, the choice of best flipbook software is insane!
So I thought I would try and do something about it by conducting my own survey to find out what other people thought was the best one out there.
I love doing surveys; you really get some surprising information about things you already thought you knew about, and I learned a lot more about the advanced features of some of the Issuu alternatives that I didn’t know before — as well as the bugbears — more on that later.
The results were, to the uninitiated, pretty surprising.
I must admit here; I wasn’t all that surprised that my magazine publishing software of choice was popular…
…but that popular?
Well, let’s just say it was pretty overwhelming.
Because there were so many software, I first narrowed it to a top 4.
Which finally led me to the winner which, hold the suspense, I’ll announce a little further down the page.
Like Issuu but free…?!
So, you are looking to publish your brochure or magazine in a new flipbook format.
Perhaps your competitors have started using them, and you need to catch up, or maybe you just think it will help improve the time visitors spend on your website.
As you look for a good Issuu alternative, you’ll find some have platforms like Issuu or act as a publisher like Issuu while others are just jumped up pdf readers.
I also found that there were some that were just publishing software, leaving the hosting up to you — depends on how much time you have I guess!
Others are just hosting or link curation leaving the flipping book creation to another service.
Whatever your reasons for looking into flipbook publishing is, you’ve started down a bit of a rabbit hole searching for services like Issuu.
Like any purchase these days, you’ve searched for the answer, read the reviews, and still have no idea whether to go with Issuu vs Yudu, Issuu vs Magcloud, or Issuu.com vs some other alternative.
Is there a wonderland at the bottom?
Is there are bottom at all?
And then it can be frustrating to find a good-looking Issuu alternative only to discover you’ve just got a 14 day test period before you have to hand over your cash (or your content gets it).
That sort of thing can make one very angry (and you don’t want to see me angry!)
Well, I was just like that.
I had so many names going round in my head I was probably mumbling about the merits of Behance or the features of Slideshare in my sleep.
Well until I found a great Issuu similar provider that ticked all my digital publishing boxes so to speak.
And I could use it for free for as long as I liked.
This free alternative to Issuu has over 20 million online magazines on its virtual racks and an unbelievable amount of active readers.
And according to my recent survey plenty of other editors, writers and publishers agreed with me.
In fact, all the results of my survey were pretty surprising, not just because of who the winner was!
Magazine sites like Issuu improve your reach
It’s a bit of a no-brainer really.
Alternatives to Issuu have so many other readers and publishers that you’re going to realize it’s simple to reach your audience — even for niche publications.
Plus, with so many users they have to keep their customer service on point which means you can get any queries you have resolved quickly and easily.
Example of a Page Flip Magazine
Actually, by turning a boring pdf download into a new on-screen virtual page flipping magazine, you can see your customers are staying on your site for longer and are interacting with your content for longer.
Which means more time for them to hear your marketing message and learn about your company.
Which would you rather do?
Download a file (taking up space on your device), find it (it always takes me a few false starts to work out where a download has gone), and finally open it…
… or click on a link and start reading immediately?
And which looks nicer? A digital magazine or your Pdf reader of choice?
I’m probably preaching to the choir here but let us just recap what Issuu and sites similar to Issuu actually offer before we jump right to the results of my survey.
Issuu Review
So, here is my review of Issuu and afterward, we will dive right into the best alternatives to Issuu.
What is Issuu?
Website of Issuu
Issuu, and pages like Flipsnack, Youpublisher, or Yumpu Publishing, are online digital publishers that convert pdf documents into virtual publications (or catalogues, brochures, books).
Like a bricks-and-mortar bookseller you can arrange your library onto virtual bookshelves — but unlike paper, you can create a fully immersive experience with videos, audio, and hypertext.
(Plus many flip book readers even come with animations, swipe to turn and paper rustles to make it as close to read on paper as you can get on-screen).
The other huge advantage over paper is that a virtual flipping book can be search engine optimized (SEO) and can report back analytics so you can gauge how well your content is being received.
Which functions do exist?
Issuu and Issuu alternatives allow you to upload pdf files and make them into a new HTML5 flipbook or virtual magazine.
Usually with cute sound effects when you flip the page!
Being HTML5 the files can be read on most modern browsers.
Mobile and desktop, and as it’s not a single pdf, you can incorporate Google analytics and actually discover which pages your customers are most interested in.
The finished flip book can include audio and video — either embedded in the page or through external links.
Links can be between pages in the magazine or to external sites (great for catalogues as you can direct your readers to where they can buy items from).
And the entire interactive magazine can be embedded in your blog and shared through your social media outlets (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.) in just a few clicks.
Are you wondering how does Issuu works?
Well, it’s pretty simple.
Just like sending photos to be printed you simply upload your pdf, and their servers work their magic.
If you use InDesign to produce your magazine you can download the ideal Issuu settings as an Export Preset to make getting your file in shape even easier.
What is Issuu used for?
You can use it for almost anything that you could print in book or booklet form.
If you are thinking Issuu how to create a magazine you are almost certainly thinking too small.
Stop at Issuu how to use and let your imagination take control.
Perhaps you could create digital brochures for your business with links to your shop?
Or how about a guide to a hotel, complete with video tours of each room and subtle background music?
And don’t worry “is Issuu legal?” — just make sure your content is!
What does Issuu stand for?
Issuu is an online publishing platform with the aim of “connecting content to people”.
And before you ask “is Issuu free?”: Yes, it offers a free service to achieve this aim.
Now you’ll be wondering “if it’s a company then how does Issuu make money?”.
Well, it is through a combination of advertising and charging for premium features.
What is Issuu Free?
The name Issuu gives to their entry-level package of features — with ads and limited volume is Issuu Basic. Which just about sums it up.
After you convert PDF to flipbook it will be listed on the Issuu website.
You can share it on social media and through the Issuu apps as you see fit.
Other features, such as creating an unlisted digital publication or sharing with access to a full-screen reader are only available for an extra fee or through subscription to one of the paid plans.
Are there more websites like Issuu?
Many — as I’m sure you’ve learned from your research.
This is why the winner of the survey I conducted earlier was quite so surprising!
There is a whole continuum from content providers to eBook creators.
Issuu, as well as some other best alternatives, offer both creation and distribution so could quite reasonably be called a digital publisher.
The best Issuu Alternatives
Chances are you’ll be looking for an online service if you’ve been considering alternatives to Issuu. While you can download software — for example, 3D Issue — it’s usually easier to get the feature you need with an online service provider or platform like Publitas.
So, back to the survey, which compared websites like Issuu, Joomag, Ipaper versus Next Issue versus Flippingbook, Issuu vs Zinio and other sites like Issuu.
And the winner was pretty impressive so let us do a countdown of the top four.
In the running were…
So of all the Issuu alternatives reviewed it turned out that the top four PDF catalog creator were Uberflip, FlippingBook, Yumpu Publishing, and Flipboard.
Here I take you through each one and why people liked it, leading up to the crowning of the winner.
(Drumroll please…..!)
4. Uberflip
Uberflip calls itself “a cloud-based content platform”.
Comparing Issuu vs Uberflip you are immediately struck that the Uberflip front page is about their product — not their content.
That aside it has lots of nifty tools for ensuring that your content gets noticed by your customers.
They allow you to keep all your content — not just your ebooks — in one single location. But they’re very shy of giving you the price which could be why they’re only in fourth.
Being a tool for marketers Uberflip offers analytics as standard and allows you to track where and what your readers are reading.
The same content can be shared on different platforms without needing to reformat it or send it to the IT guys (assuming you have any) and it integrates with various marketing solutions.
3. FlippingBook
This is another slightly surprising result as, comparing Issuu vs FlippingBook, you don’t have the online ecosystem of publishers and readers that a digital publishing platform like Issuu or other Issuu alternatives offers.
Once you’ve uploaded your file, you can look at it through a direct link — which makes it perfect for page flip brochures and catalogues that you want to showcase on your own site.
It also means you can limit, or at least monitor, who is using your content.
The online version is straightforward to use — simply create an account and upload your document — but unlike some of the better-placed options, the only free version is the test version.
And once the free trial is up you need to pay up or move on.
And if you do not continue paying you won’t see your digital magazines after 14 days.
This software integrates with Google analytics if you want, and there is an option to prevent Google and friends from indexing your publication if you are going to keep it a bit more hidden.
You can decide between 24 different skins for your ebook — or if you are on one of the exclusive plans you can change the colors and images to match your website.
2. Flipboard
Flipboard is most definitely a publisher, not a content creator.
Actually, if you look at Issuu vs Flipboard the most obvious differences are that Flipboard is totally free (both for readers and publishers) and also that it simply offers a publishing platform to gather content together into “magazines”.
As a publisher you control a set of RSS feeds that come together to create your Flipboard magazine.
Content is hosted elsewhere so, combined with some of the Issuu alternatives we’ve already mentioned if reaching a lot of readers is important Flipboard could be what you (and the respondents in my survey) are looking for!
1. The winner
You are probably already dying to know which software made it #1
And I don’t want you to wait any longer.
But I have to say: I am kind of proud that other people are as convinced of this best Issuu Alternative, as I am!
It is…
The big surprise of my survey was not so much who won it but rather the margin by which they won. 73.9%!
I had to double-check I’d read it right too (and here’s the screenshot to prove it).
But what is it that makes this winner such a great alternative to Issuu?
Well, it most certainly checks all the important points needed:
- It’s completely FREE (they also do offer paid plans if you wish to have some extra features, but between us: the free plan got everything you could ask for)
- Supports desktop and mobile devices (Android and ios devices)
- You can embed your flip books on your web site
- Add Audio and Video into your magazine
- Amazing support team & support community to contact via email or phone
- Share it on social media like Facebook, Twitter,.. is simple by using the social sharing button
- You can link from your online magazine to a website, blog, shop, etc.
- Easy to use (creating digital publications is a child’s play — just have a look at the video below)
They also offer some awesome paid plans, such as the AdFree plan which I am currently using. You only pay 19.95$/month and get some nice additional features such as Google Analytics, no advertisement, privacy settings and many more. Definitely worth a try, as this plan also comes with a 30-day free trial.
And what is the difference between Issuu vs Yumpu?
Both of these alternatives are big publishers hosting tens of millions of digital publications to be read by a ton of satisfied customers.
Issuu has fewer price plans which makes it less flexible if you are not sure which of the premium features you need. Although if you go with the alternative, you may realize the free version has everything you need.
You even get access to the API for free with Yumpu Publishing which could be the difference between making and breaking your app.
But when push comes to shove what usually tips the balance is their easy-to-use software and their great customer service/support.
And from personal experience, I can tell you that the winner is certainly doing things right in that regard.
If you are trying to get a complicated digital masterpiece converted and checked for a deadline, you don’t want uninformed “knowledge” bases or to wait in a queue to speak to a person.
You want your query dealt with quickly and courteously — something my favorite platform certainly manages.
Put quite simply — if 73.9% of people who responded to the survey did like Yumpu Publishing as a free Issuu alternative — hadn’t you better have a look at the winner Yumpu Publishing to see if you agree too?
Leave a comment down below and let me know which Issuu Alternative is your favorite!
