Kobo Writing Life vs StreetLib Comparison 2026
Kobo Writing Life reaches Kobo's own readers and libraries through OverDrive directly, free to publish with royalties up to 70 percent. StreetLib reaches a wider set of stores beyond the obvious ones, including likely Kobo among them, for $99 a year or $299 once, keeping 85 percent of net revenue, which means StreetLib takes both a fee and a 15 percent share. The axis is the same as any direct-listing-versus-aggregator choice: free but narrow on Kobo directly, paid and broader through StreetLib.
Publish to Kobo and keep your rights
Ebook distribution that states its cut up front
At a glance
- Only Kobo Writing Life has a free tier.
- StreetLib bills annually only, so there is no month to try it for.
Side by side
Kobo Writing Life | StreetLib | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | From $99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing (they differ) | Usage-based | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
Kobo Writing Life
Publish to Kobo and keep your rights
Kobo Writing Life puts a book in front of Rakuten Kobo's readers, and through OverDrive into public libraries, without asking for exclusivity in return. Publishing costs nothing and the author sets the price. For anybody whose first shelf is Amazon this is the obvious second one, and the library route is the part Amazon has no answer to.
Our note
There is no reason not to be on it if you are already selling elsewhere, since it costs nothing and asks for nothing in return. Treat it as a second channel rather than a first: the reader numbers are Amazon's game, and the library route is where Kobo earns its place.
StreetLib
Ebook distribution that states its cut up front
StreetLib distributes ebooks and audiobooks to the stores an author cannot easily reach one by one, and is unusual in charging for the service rather than only taking a share. It publishes what it keeps, which is more than most aggregators do. For an author already selling through Amazon alone, the question is whether the other stores add up to more than the fee.
Why people weigh these two
- StreetLib instead of Kobo Writing Life
- StreetLib states its distribution cut in the price up front, at $99, where Kobo Writing Life publishing itself costs nothing to start.
- Kobo Writing Life instead of StreetLib
- Kobo Writing Life publishes to one store rather than many, free to use, for an author who wants to keep rights without paying an annual distribution fee.
Which one should you pick
Choose Kobo Writing Life directly if Kobo's readers and the OverDrive library route are the reach you need, since it costs nothing at all and asks for no exclusivity. Royalties run up to 70 percent depending on the price band, with money going straight to a bank account.
Choose StreetLib once the other stores it reaches, beyond Kobo, add up to more than its fee, since $99 a year or $299 once buys distribution an author cannot easily assemble one retailer at a time. Work out annual net revenue first: below roughly a thousand dollars a year, paying nothing through direct listings and keeping less per sale is still the cheaper route.
Common questions
- Does StreetLib reach Kobo as well?
- It distributes to a broad set of stores beyond the obvious ones, which would typically include Kobo alongside others, all from one upload. Kobo Writing Life reaches Kobo directly for free, without StreetLib's fee or its 15 percent share.
- Which one keeps more of the sale?
- Kobo Writing Life can, depending on price: royalties run up to 70 percent with no subscription at all. StreetLib keeps 15 percent of net revenue on top of its $99-a-year or $299-once fee, a combined cost Kobo direct does not carry.
- Is there a free option on StreetLib?
- No, StreetLib always charges, either $99 a year or $299 once. Kobo Writing Life has no fee at all, ever, which is why its own editorial guidance says there is no reason not to be listed there if you are selling anywhere else.
- Which one suits a single book that sells modestly?
- Kobo Writing Life, since there is nothing to lose by listing there. StreetLib's own guidance states that a single book selling mostly on Kindle will not recover its annual cost, so it favours authors with several titles selling steadily.
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.