Blurb vs Lulu Comparison 2026
Blurb prints a photo book, magazine or zine one copy at a time from $3.99, with layout in its own tools or through an InDesign plugin, though paper and binding choices move the final price well past the sticker figure. Lulu also prints one copy at a time, with a free account and no subscription, but drop-ships it under your own branding so a creator can sell a workbook from their own site without Amazon in between. The choice is between a designed one-off object and an ongoing print-on-demand operation under your own name.
At a glance
- Only Lulu has a free tier.
Side by side
Blurb | Lulu | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $3.99 | Free |
| Pricing model (they differ) | One-time purchase | Free |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing (they differ) | One-time purchase | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
Blurb
Print books and magazines one copy at a time
Blurb prints a single copy as readily as a hundred, which is what makes a photo book, a zine or a portfolio possible without an inventory. Layout happens in its own tools or in InDesign through a plugin. Paper stock and trim size move the unit price a long way, so the calculator is worth opening before the design is finished.
Our note
Paper stock moves the price further than page count does, with the same photo book running from $32 to $70. Work out the real cost at the binding you want before setting it against Lulu. The $12 headline is the cheapest possible configuration.
Lulu
Print and sell a book with no minimum order
Lulu prints one copy at a time and will drop-ship it under your own branding, so a creator can sell a workbook from their own site without holding stock or handing Amazon the customer. An API connects it to Shopify or a custom checkout. Print costs come out of your margin, and a colour interior turns a cheap book into an expensive one.
Our note
Choose Lulu over Amazon KDP when you want to sell direct and keep the buyer's email address, and KDP when you want to be found by people already shopping for books. Plenty of creators do both with the same file.
Why people weigh these two
- Lulu instead of Blurb
- Prints and sells a book with no minimum order and nothing up front, covering the same one-copy-at-a-time job with selling built in.
- Blurb instead of Lulu
- Blurb also prints one copy at a time with no minimum order, covering magazines as well as books for someone whose project is not a standard paperback.
Which one should you pick
Choose Blurb for a designed physical object such as a photo book or magazine, built in its own tools or through the InDesign plugin, with prices from $3.99 for a magazine and volume discounts starting at ten copies. Check the calculator first: by Blurb's own account, the $12.00 trade-book headline is the cheapest possible configuration, and the same photo book can run to $70.00 depending on paper stock.
Choose Lulu for selling a workbook, zine or manual direct from your own site. The account is free, books drop-ship under the creator's own branding rather than Lulu's, and a print API connects to Shopify or a custom checkout. A colour interior is dramatically more expensive than black and white, so run that choice through the calculator too, and anybody chasing Kindle readers should be on Amazon KDP instead of either of these.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Blurb or Lulu?
- Neither publishes one flat price. Blurb lists starting prices by format, from $3.99 for a magazine to $65.00 for a layflat book, and its own editorial note warns the $12.00 trade-book figure is the cheapest possible configuration. Lulu has no starting price at all and calculates cost from trim size, page count, binding, paper and interior colour, so compare the two through each calculator rather than the headline number.
- Does either charge a subscription?
- No. Blurb has no plan or membership fee and prices each product directly. Lulu's account is free too, with no subscription, so in both cases the only cost is what you print.
- Which one keeps the customer relationship with the buyer?
- Lulu is built for that: books drop-ship white label, under the creator's own branding rather than Lulu's, and a print API connects to Shopify or a custom checkout to automate orders. Blurb offers a custom API too, but for large or repeating order volumes rather than for drop shipping under your name.
- Which one discounts a bulk print run?
- Blurb states volume discounts starting at ten copies and reaching 25 percent off at fifty. Lulu prices each copy through its calculator, with per-copy cost the only figure its listing gives.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.