Blurb vs Vellum Comparison 2026
Both cover self-publishing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Print books and magazines one copy at a time
Typeset a book that looks professionally made
At a glance
- Blurb starts cheaper, at $3.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Blurb | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $3.99 | From $199.99 |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | One-time purchase |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | One-time purchase | One-time purchase |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on (they differ) | Web, macOS, Windows | macOS |
| Covers | Self-Publishing, Merch & Print on Demand | Self-Publishing |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
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.
Only on this side
- Covers merch & print on demand
Vellum
Typeset a book that looks professionally made
Vellum does one thing: it turns a finished manuscript into ebook and print files that look like a publisher made them, with chapter headings, drop caps and ornaments that are already correct rather than waiting to be designed. Authors buy it the week they realise their own formatting looks amateur next to what is on the shelf. It runs on macOS only, which is a genuine barrier and the single most common reason people end up elsewhere.
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.