How do I make a book mockup for free?
Upload your cover to MockupsJar or DIY Book Covers’ mockup tool, both free, or use the free plans of Mockup App, Canva or Placeit. Each places the cover on a 3D book and lets you download the image.
Book Mockup Generators
Six tools that turn a flat cover into a 3D book, an ebook on a screen or a photo scene for ads, social posts and your website. Each has a BookBird Author Score from what its own site confirms, what a year costs and how many people search for it.
Prices and data checked October 7–14, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for · List your tool
The short answer
- Placeit 8.8 Free plan; paid from $89.69 a year
Authors wanting book, Kindle and video mockups on one subscription - Canva 7.1 Free plan; paid from $20 a month
Authors on a budget making ebook covers and promo graphics - Mockup App 7.1 Free plan; paid from $99 a year
Authors wanting free or low-cost high-resolution 3D book renders - DIY Book Covers 6.9 Free plan; paid from $19 one-time
Budget authors wanting AI-made ebook covers with one-time credit packs - MockupsJar 6.1 Free
Authors wanting quick free book or device mockups in the browser
All book mockup generators, scored
6 of 6 shown · How the Author Score works
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1
8.86/7 author jobsFree plan; paid from $89.69 a yearFree plan + paid plans18K−52%searches a monthweb
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2
Canva
General online design app with a free book cover maker and templates
Book cover designBook mockup generators
7.14/7 author jobsFree plan; paid from $20 a monthFree plan + paid plans2.4K−9%searches a monthweb · Windows · Mac · iOS · Android -
3
Mockup App
Online mockup editor from ls.graphics with book, print and device mockups
Book mockup generators
7.14/7 author jobsFree plan; paid from $99 a yearFree plan + paid plansno search dataweb -
4
DIY Book Covers
AI cover generator, template editor and 3D mockups by designer Derek Murphy
Book cover designBook mockup generators
6.94/7 author jobsFree plan; paid from $19 one-timeSeveral ways to pay, one-time option880−23%searches a monthweb -
5
6.14/7 author jobsFreeFree30−75%searches a monthweb
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6
Book Brush
Browser-based design app for book covers, ads and mockups for authors
Book cover designBook mockup generators
5.75/7 author jobs$149 a yearSubscription1.6K−16%searches a monthweb
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Prices in USD from each vendor’s own site, checked October 7–14, 2026. Searches: US Google searches a month for the product’s name, with the change over 12 months. Score out of 10, by one published formula; nobody pays to be listed.
How to choose a book mockup generator
Printed book, ebook or scene?
All six make 3D paperback or hardcover mockups from your cover. For an ebook on a screen, Placeit has Kindle mockups, Mockup App and MockupsJar have phone and tablet mockups, Book Brush shows the cover on tablet and computer screens, and DIY Book Covers combines a tablet and a phone with the book. For a photo of the book in a setting, Placeit, Book Brush and Canva have scenes, and MockupsJar makes them with an AI tool that uses credits.
Can you use it in ads?
Placeit, Mockup App and Canva say their mockups may be used commercially, which covers ads and store listings; Placeit’s licence covers paying users, and Mockup App rules out reselling the mockups themselves. Book Brush, DIY Book Covers and MockupsJar do not state a licence for their mockups, so read their terms before you put an image in a paid ad.
Moving pictures
Placeit has book video mockups and trailer templates, Book Brush makes animated mockups and DIY Book Covers animates a cover. The other three do not describe video output.
What it costs
MockupsJar is free, with downloads up to 2560 × 1844 pixels. DIY Book Covers’ mockup tool is free, Mockup App has a free plan with a limited library, Canva has a free plan, and Placeit has a free account with a few book templates; its paid plan was $89.69 a year when we checked. Mockup App’s Pro plan is $15 a month or $99 a year, and it states the largest download size of the six, 6000 × 4500 pixels.
What we did not score
We did not judge how realistic the mockups look. A mockup starts from a finished cover; if yours is not ready yet, our KDP cover calculator gives the exact size and a template to design over, and the book cover design software list scores the tools that make the cover itself.
How the BookBird Author Score works
Built for self-published authors, from facts anyone can check: each vendor’s own pages, read on October 7–14, 2026, and US Google search volumes (Google Ads data via DataForSEO). Nobody pays to be listed, and no score is adjusted by hand. We did not test the apps by writing a book in them; the score measures what they do for an author, what they cost and how widely they are used.
- Author jobs, 50 points. Each category has a list of jobs an author needs that kind of software to do. A job counts only when the vendor’s own pages say the product does it; a job they do not mention earns nothing, and the product page says which ones.
- Book mockup generators: 3D paperback and hardcover mockups, ebook and device mockups, photo scenes, sizes for social posts and ads, animated or video mockups, high-resolution download and commercial use allowed.
- Cost, 25 points. What one year costs a single author on the cheapest plan with a USD price. A one-time licence is spread over 3 years. A free plan, or a platform that takes no upfront fee, earns all 25; the dearest product in the category keeps 5.
- Adoption, 25 points. How many people in the US search Google for the product by name each month: 20 points on a log scale against the most searched product in the category, and 5 for the trend, comparing the last three months with the first three of the year.
The score is the points earned divided by the points that could be checked, on a 10-point scale. A part with no data (no USD price, no search volume) is left out rather than guessed. How long a product has existed is not scored: few vendors state it. Review sites are not used: for most of these products the profiles rate the whole company or hold a handful of reviews.
| Book mockup generators | Author jobs /50 | Cost /25 | Adoption /25 | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placeit | 42.9 | 25 | 20 | 8.8 |
| Canva | 28.6 | 25 | 17.9 | 7.1 |
| Mockup App | 28.6 | 25 | — | 7.1 |
| DIY Book Covers | 28.6 | 25 | 15.2 | 6.9 |
| MockupsJar | 28.6 | 25 | 7 | 6.1 |
| Book Brush | 35.7 | 5 | 16.8 | 5.7 |
Questions
What is a book mockup?
An image of your book as an object: a 3D paperback, a hardcover, an ebook on a phone or e-reader, or a book in a photo scene, made from your flat cover file. Authors use them in ads, social posts, newsletters and on their websites.
Can I use a book mockup in an ad?
It depends on the tool’s licence. Placeit, Mockup App and Canva say their mockups may be used commercially; the others do not state it, so check their terms first.