This whole past week I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to find a really good, reliable online flipbook creator. I recently went on vacation, and I took a lot of videos and pictures, so I decided to create a mini-travel magazine. Since I’ve been looking to create more professional-looking magazines for my freelancing business, this seemed like a great way to test it and figure out how I needed to improve. I have everything compiled. All of my info and multimedia stuff is already there embedded in the PDF. I thought the work was done – all I really needed was something that would turn it from a PDF into an online flipbook . It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it wasn’t at first. I tried a lot of different things and got more and more frustrated. Only one worked well enough for me to decide that I loved it.
Easily the best of the options I found was Yumpu Publishing . The basic version is completely free, and it has no page limit. It’s got search engine optimization, allows embedding, is integrated with most social media platforms, and lets you embed links, video, and audio. There’s a couple of levels of paid version with more features and no ads, too.
I checked out iSpring Suite, but it didn’t let you upload a PDF; you have to create your online flipbook from scratch. Plus, the trial only lasts for thirty days, so it doesn’t have a full free version. FlipSnack had a simple interface and let you upload a PDF, but there was a fifteen-page limit. Flipping Book had great page-turning options, but a ten-page limit. Yumpu Publishing definitely boasts the most robust free version.
It was also really simple to use. All you have to do is drag or select your PDF and let it get to work, and then, when it’s done, tweak it to your satisfaction. I’m a lazy person, so I like that it autogenerated tags. It was pretty accurate, too! I had to edit it a little bit, but it was way easier than inputting my own. After I uploaded the PDF, I put some links into the magazine for sources. That was pretty easy too. There was nothing about the experience that frustrated me, which was a relief.
Aside from the fact that the other options all had either limits or trial period limits, none could really match the level of multimedia integration. I like that you can include videos, audio, and links into the flipbook itself. I think that makes it really simple and comprehensive.
I found the embedding features really well-done, too. I tried it on my website and on a couple of different social media websites, and it worked really well. Also, I love the bookshelf option. It lets you embed your whole collection of online flipbooks into a virtual shelf. No other platform lets you insert multiple magazines. Even more crucially, the magazine looked just as good on my phone as it did on my computer.
Another important incentive: the customer service is high-quality, which I consider extremely valuable in this age of “just google it”. I had a bit of a problem with uploading my PDF, and I got ahold of them in no time and got it straightened out quickly. They were really kind and helpful. Also, when you go to the website, there’s a little walkthrough tab to help you with your first online flipbook. I thought that was really helpful for learning how to use the website. Overall, I found this a really pleasant experience for online flipbook creation.
My only real complaint was the lack of flip animation when you’re reading. The pages just flip straight over without any transition, which is a teeny bit jarring. However, comparing this against all the other great features on this website, I would definitely say it is worth it.
There’s also the fact that the free version only has so many features. For instance, it has ads both in and underneath your magazines. There are a lot of extra bells and whistles with the pro version that make it easier to publish in a high-quality, professional way. You can remove Yumpu Publishing’s logo, and the images are rendered in high definition. As far as I’m concerned, though, that’s not much of a downside. No other service I tried gave me so many great options for free.
At my level right now, the free version is working just fine for me. I’m thinking about upgrading later, though. I’m planning on doing a lot more online flipbook magazines in the future at a higher level of professionalism, and I think Yumpu Publishing is the way to go. They support many different magazine types, so no matter what kind of project you’ve got planned, it’ll work for you.
I’d definitely recommend Yumpu Publishing for its excellent service, ease of use, and its feature-to-price ratio. It has a few downsides, but it offers an enormous amount for a free service, even if you don’t choose to upgrade to the ad-free version. I think it’s a great online flipbook creation service. Happy flipbook-making!