PublishDrive vs StreetLib Comparison 2026
PublishDrive charges a subscription and takes nothing from sales, free for one book and then $13.99 a month billed annually for three books and 50 channels. StreetLib charges less upfront but takes a cut: $99 a year, or $299 once for a lifetime option, and keeps 15 percent of net revenue on top, the rate stated plainly on its pricing page rather than buried in a contract. Below roughly a few hundred dollars a year in royalties, StreetLib's lower fee wins; above it, PublishDrive's zero percent share starts winning back the gap, similar to the crossover both tools separately describe against Draft2Digital's pure percentage model.
Ebook distribution with no cut of royalties
Ebook distribution that states its cut up front
At a glance
- PublishDrive starts cheaper, at $13.99.
- Only PublishDrive has a free tier.
- PublishDrive takes no share of what you earn. StreetLib takes 15%.
Side by side
PublishDrive | StreetLib | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $13.99 | From $99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Annual only | Annual only |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
PublishDrive
Ebook distribution with no cut of royalties
PublishDrive charges a subscription and then takes nothing from sales, which inverts the usual aggregator deal and pays off the moment a book sells steadily. One upload reaches over 50 retailers and a library network most authors never get near. Plans are capped by title count, so a back catalogue costs more than a single book does.
Our note
Draft2Digital takes 10 percent and costs nothing up front, so it wins on a book that barely sells and loses on one that does. Work out your annual royalties before choosing: the crossover for the Starter plan is somewhere around $1,700 a year in sales.
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 PublishDrive
- StreetLib states its percentage cut up front rather than charging a flat subscription, the opposite trade from PublishDrive's no-cut-but-capped-by-title-count model.
- PublishDrive instead of StreetLib
- PublishDrive also distributes wide and takes no cut of royalties, with a free tier before a $13.99 plan, the closest match to StreetLib's own pitch.
Which one should you pick
Pick PublishDrive if a few titles sell steadily enough that a subscription beats giving up a percentage forever. Starter is $13.99 a month billed annually for three books, and every tier states 0 percent revenue share, so royalties arrive intact once the subscription is covered.
Pick StreetLib if the backlist sells slowly or unpredictably and a lower fixed cost matters more than keeping every dollar of royalties. Pro is $99 a year, or $299 once for a lifetime option that suits a backlist selling slowly, and the stated 85 percent revenue share is printed on the page rather than left for you to calculate.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, PublishDrive or StreetLib?
- It depends on sales volume: StreetLib's $99-a-year fee is lower upfront, but it also takes 15 percent of net revenue on top. PublishDrive charges more upfront, from $13.99 a month, but takes 0 percent, so it wins back the gap once royalties pass a few hundred dollars a year.
- Does StreetLib offer a lifetime option like a one-time payment?
- Yes, $299 once instead of the $99-a-year Pro plan, which suits a backlist that sells slowly rather than steadily. PublishDrive has no lifetime option; its plans are billed annually on an ongoing basis.
- How many books does each plan cover?
- PublishDrive's Starter plan covers three books and 50 channels at $13.99 a month billed annually, rising with higher tiers. StreetLib's plans are not described with a stated book limit in the same way, differing instead by which stores each plan reaches.
- Do both distribute to libraries and audiobook formats?
- PublishDrive states library distribution to 240,000 libraries and covers ebook, print and audiobook formats from one dashboard. StreetLib distributes audiobooks alongside ebooks too, reaching retailers and libraries it describes as painful to reach individually.
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.