Comparison

Best Book Formatting Software for KDP

KDP is less demanding than it looks. A paperback interior needs a PDF whose page size equals your chosen trim exactly, with mirrored margins and a gutter that grows with page count, and fonts embedded. Any tool here can satisfy that. Kindle Create is free and guaranteed to pass but locks you to Amazon; Atticus and Vellum give you a clean EPUB you can also sell on Kobo and Apple; Reedsy does it free. Order a proof copy whichever you choose.

Last updated: August 23, 2026 · Prices checked on this date and do change

Most KDP rejections are not design failures. They are a Letter-size PDF uploaded for a 6×9 book, a gutter too narrow for the page count, or fonts that were never embedded. Before comparing tools it is worth knowing what the platform is actually checking, because that determines how much a tool has to do for you — and how much of the recommendation you read elsewhere is really about taste.

At a glance

Tool	Price	Platforms	Best for
Kindle Create	Free	Windows, macOS	Publishing to Amazon and nowhere else
Atticus	$147 one-time	Browser-based — Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook	Authors on any platform who want writing and formatting in one place
Vellum	$249.99 (print + ebook) / $199.99 (ebook only)	macOS only	Mac authors who format repeatedly and want the best output with no fuss
Reedsy Studio	Free	Browser	A first book on no budget that needs to look respectable
Ceeryoours	Per book	Browser — any operating system	One or two books, formatted in minutes, on a machine that cannot run Vellum

Tool by tool, including where each one stops

Kindle Create

Free · Windows, macOS

Best for: Publishing to Amazon and nowhere else

Strengths

Free, from Amazon, and guaranteed to satisfy KDP's own requirements.
Handles the KDP paperback and Kindle ebook path with no compatibility guesswork.

Where it stops

Its ebook output is Amazon's own format — it does not give you a clean EPUB for Apple Books, Kobo or Google Play.
Very limited typographic control, and the interior looks it beside Vellum or Atticus.
Choosing it effectively commits you to Amazon-only distribution.

Atticus

$147 one-time · Browser-based — Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook

Best for: Authors on any platform who want writing and formatting in one place

Strengths

Runs anywhere with a browser, which is the direct answer to Vellum's platform lock.
Combines drafting and formatting, so the manuscript never leaves the tool.
One payment covers unlimited books and includes future updates.

Where it stops

Output is very good but not consistently at Vellum's level on fine typographic detail.
Still a real application to learn, with a dashboard, settings and its own conventions.
Being browser-first, it is less comfortable if you work offline for long stretches.

Vellum

$249.99 (print + ebook) / $199.99 (ebook only) · macOS only

Best for: Mac authors who format repeatedly and want the best output with no fuss

Strengths

Output quality is the benchmark — chapter openings and running heads look like a trade publisher set them.
Live preview across device sizes while you style, so nothing is a surprise at export.
One purchase covers unlimited books, which makes it cheap per title for a prolific author.

Where it stops

There is no Windows version, no browser version, and no announced plan for one.
The upfront price is the highest of the mainstream tools, paid before you know whether you like it.
Deliberately limited customisation — you work within its styles rather than designing your own.

Reedsy Studio

Free · Browser

Best for: A first book on no budget that needs to look respectable

Strengths

Genuinely free for both EPUB and print PDF, with no watermark or export fee.
Very short learning curve — a handful of clean templates and little to configure.
Backed by a large editorial marketplace, so it is well maintained.

Where it stops

Almost no design control: you take one of the supplied looks or you do not.
Weak on anything structurally unusual — heavy tables, images, or complex back matter.
Your manuscript lives on their platform, which some authors will not accept.

Ceeryo

our toolPer book · Browser — any operating system

Best for: One or two books, formatted in minutes, on a machine that cannot run Vellum

Strengths

Nothing to install or learn: upload the manuscript, choose a theme, download a print PDF and EPUB.
Priced per book, so a single title costs a fraction of a perpetual licence.
Print output is preflight-checked against print-on-demand trim, margin and gutter rules.

Where it stops

Designed themes only — there is no interactive styling and no live preview while you edit.
Text-led books only: it is the wrong tool for cookbooks, photo books or anything image-heavy.
If you publish many books a year, a one-time licence will cost less over time than paying per title.

Which one, for your situation

Amazon is your only channel and you want it free

Kindle Create

Amazon's own tool, free, and it cannot produce a file KDP rejects. The cost is that its ebook output is not a portable EPUB.

You want to sell on Kobo and Apple Books too

Atticus or Vellum

Both produce a clean EPUB alongside the print PDF. Choose by platform: Vellum if you are on a Mac, Atticus otherwise.

First book, no budget

Reedsy Studio

Free, and its print output meets KDP's requirements without you needing to learn them.

You want the gutter and trim handled for you, once

Ceeryo

Print output is preflight-checked against the trim and gutter rules. For repeat publishing, a one-time licence is cheaper.

What is the best software to format a book for KDP?

Kindle Create is free, made by Amazon and cannot produce a file KDP rejects — but its ebook output is Amazon-only. If you intend to sell on other stores, Atticus ($147, any platform) or Vellum ($249.99, Mac) produce both a KDP-ready print PDF and a clean EPUB. Reedsy Studio does both for free with less control.

Frequently asked questions

What margins does KDP require for a 6x9 book?+

Outside margins of at least 0.25 inch, and an inside gutter set by page count — from 0.375 inch at up to 150 pages, rising to 0.875 inch at 700 pages and above. Most designers use more than the minimum on the outside: 0.5 to 0.75 inch reads far better than a page crowded to its edges.

Does KDP accept Word documents for paperbacks?+

It accepts a PDF exported from Word, provided the page size equals the trim, margins are mirrored with an adequate gutter, and fonts are embedded. It is the export settings that fail, not Word itself.

Do I need bleed?+

Only if something is meant to run off the edge of the page — a full-page image or a printed background. A text-only interior needs no bleed. If you do use it, extend artwork 0.125 inch beyond the trim on the outer edges.

Ceeryo is on this list — how impartial is it?+

Not entirely, and you should read it knowing that. What we can commit to is that every entry states where it beats us, that we do not name ourselves as the pick for jobs we do badly — image-led books and high-volume authors are both listed as reasons to choose something else — and that prices and platform facts are checked on the date shown at the top. Compare it against a source with nothing to sell before you spend money.

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