Up to 4 at once.
| Criteria | Apple Books | Google Play Books |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Score | 2.5/5 | 2.6/5 |
| Pricing | Free app; pay-per-title for individual books and audiobooks; 70% royalty rate for authors selling via the platform. | Free to use for consumers with individual book purchases. Publishers receive a standard 70% royalty on sales with no upfront fees. |
| Platform Type | Book publishing platform | Book publishing platform |
| Distribution reach | 2.5/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Royalty rates & payment terms | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Format support | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Rights & IP control | 4.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Production & formatting tools | 2.5/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Metadata & discoverability | 3.0/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Sales reporting & reconciliation | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Pricing controls | 4.0/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Marketing tools | 3.5/5 | 3.2/5 |
| Print quality & fulfilment | 0.0/5 | 0.0/5 |
| Strengths | ✓ Audiobook distribution and digital narration ✓ Smooth integration with Apple devices | ✓ Distributes ebooks to a worldwide audience via the Google Play Store ✓ Lets you set and modify ebook prices including region-specific pricing |
| Limitations | ✗ More accommodating formatting and content guidelines could lower rejection rates and approval time | ✗ Single storefront with no library or third-party retail distribution ✗ No print-on-demand or physical fulfilment |
Apple Books
2.5
Rating
★ 2.5/5
Pricing
Free app; pay-per-title for individual books and audiobooks; 70% royalty rate for authors selling via the platform.
Platform
Book publishing platform
Scores
Distribution reach
2.5
Royalty rates & payment terms
4.5
Format support
2.5
Rights & IP control
4.5
Production & formatting tools
2.5
Metadata & discoverability
3.0
Sales reporting & reconciliation
2.5
Pricing controls
4.0
Marketing tools
3.5
Print quality & fulfilment
0.0
Strengths
✓ Audiobook distribution and digital narration
✓ Smooth integration with Apple devices
Limitations
✗ More accommodating formatting and content guidelines could lower rejection rates and approval time
Google Play Books
2.6
Rating
★ 2.6/5
Pricing
Free to use for consumers with individual book purchases. Publishers receive a standard 70% royalty on sales with no upfront fees.
Platform
Book publishing platform
Scores
Distribution reach
3.0
Royalty rates & payment terms
4.5
Format support
3.5
Rights & IP control
3.5
Production & formatting tools
3.0
Metadata & discoverability
3.5
Sales reporting & reconciliation
3.5
Pricing controls
4.0
Marketing tools
3.2
Print quality & fulfilment
0.0
Strengths
✓ Distributes ebooks to a worldwide audience via the Google Play Store
✓ Lets you set and modify ebook prices including region-specific pricing
Limitations
✗ Single storefront with no library or third-party retail distribution
✗ No print-on-demand or physical fulfilment
