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Vellum Review: Price, Features and Score

Vellum at a glance: $199.99 one-time, on Mac. Below are its plans, what its own site says it does for an author, its score and the products to compare it with. We did not test it ourselves; the data was checked on October 7, 2026.

Prices and data checked October 7, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for

Vellum on the BookBird Author Score

Author Score · book formatting · #4 of 12 ·

Best for: Mac-based authors formatting many books for a one-time price

BookBird Author Score8.6/10 #4 of 12 book formatting. Worked out from Vellum’s own pages, its price and US searches for its name, not typed in. Author jobs50 pts50/50Each of the 8 author jobs on the book formatting list is worth an equal share of 50 points, and counts only when Vellum’s own pages confirm it. 8 of 8 confirmed = 50 points. A job the vendor does not mention earns nothing.Cost25 pts20.5/25Vellum costs $66.66 a year on its cheapest plan. Free earns 25 points; the dearest book formatting product with a US price, Designrr at $297 a year, keeps 5; prices in between fall in a straight line. $66.66 = 20.5 points.Adoption25 pts15.7/25Searches, 20 points: 320 a month for “vellum book formatting”, against Adobe InDesign, the most searched in this category (22,200), on a log scale = 11.5. Trend, 5 points: up 34% (last three months against the first three of the year) = 4.2; a fall of half or more earns 0, no change 2.5, a rise of half or more 5. 86.2 of 100 points= 8.6 out of 10 The full method, with every product’s points →

Author jobs, from Vellum’s own pages

  • Yes: EPUB for ebook stores
  • Yes: Print-ready PDF in KDP trim sizes
  • Yes: Ready-made book designs
  • Yes: Device and print preview
  • Yes: Imports a Word file
  • Yes: Front and back matter
  • Yes: Full-bleed images
  • Yes: Several editions from one file

Vellum pricing

One-time licence. The plans as Vellum’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:

  • Vellum Ebooks: $199.99 one-time (unlimited ebooks)
  • Vellum Press: $249.99 one-time (unlimited ebooks and paperbacks)
  • Upgrade Ebooks to Press: $69.99 one-time

Free download to build, style and preview; purchase needed to generate files. Price excludes tax. 30-day refund.

What Vellum offers

From Vellum’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:

  • Imports any .docx, including from Scrivener and Pages
  • Store-specific ebooks for Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books
  • 24 trim sizes plus large print; paperback or hardcover
  • Automatic margins, headers, page numbers, widow handling
  • Book Styles with drop caps, ornaments, embedded fonts
  • Live preview on devices and in print
  • Full-bleed pages and backgrounds
  • Box sets from a finished series

Runs on: Mac. Exports: EPUB 3, EPUB 2, MOBI (ARCs) and PDF (print, PDF/X-1a).

Who Vellum suits, and what its pages do not say

Best for: Mac-based authors formatting many books for a one-time price.

Vellum’s pages confirm every author job we check in its category.

About 320 people a month search Google in the US for “vellum book formatting”, up 34% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).

Vellum alternatives

SoftwareScorePrice fromBest for
Draft2Digital9.0Free planAuthors wanting free EPUB and paperback PDF, publishing wide or not
Atticus8.9$147 one-timeSelf-publishers who write and format in one app, any OS
Kindle Create8.6FreeKDP authors wanting free, simple formatting for text-heavy books
Bookow7.4$80 one-timeAuthors wanting a typeset KDP-ready interior per book, no software
Reedsy Studio6.9Free plan; paid from $52.99 a year (add-on)Authors wanting free typesetting and real-time editor collaboration

Compare: Atticus vs Vellum · All book formatting · All software for authors

Vellum questions

How much does Vellum cost?

$199.99 one-time. Vellum lists 3 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.

What does Vellum run on?

Mac, according to its own site.

What file formats can Vellum export?

EPUB 3, EPUB 2, MOBI (ARCs) and PDF (print, PDF/X-1a), according to its own site.

How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Vellum’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.