Marketing and delivery
Bookrata vs BookFunnel
BookFunnel is very good at getting a file to a reader. Bookrata also sells the book and brings the reader.
BookFunnel delivers files after a sale you process somewhere else, and it says plainly that it has no reader list. Bookrata includes delivery, watermarking and a reading app on every plan, inside a store readers browse by measured content.
Every BookFunnel figure here is taken from BookFunnel's own published pages, checked on , and pulled from the same source as the full comparison. Plans change, so verify before relying on any figure.
Two different products, side by side
The same summary cards that appear on the full comparison. Each one ends with what that product does not do, including Bookrata.
Bookrata
Every book measured across six content categories on a five-tier scale. Readers set comfort caps and browse what clears them. You're the merchant of record, keep 100%, and delivery, watermarking and a reading app come with every plan.
Doesn't doNewsletter swaps. Print-on-demand printing. ARC campaign tooling.
BookFunnel
The best-known way to get a file to a reader: reader magnets, secure ARCs, watermarking, apps for phones and tablets, download tracking. $30–$300/yr plus audiobook add-on.
Doesn't doKeep a reader list — "We don't even have a reader mailing list!"
What each one takes
The platform's cut, what you pay before you sell anything, and who is the merchant of record, which decides who owns the customer and who carries the tax.
| Platform | Cut of each sale | What you pay | Merchant of record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookrata | 0% | Free, or $65/yr Pro, $150/yr Premier Audiobook add-on $15/yr | You Your Stripe, your customer |
| BookFunnel | 0% It never touches the sale | $30–$300/yr Audiobook add-on $20–$300/yr | Not applicable |
Card processing is separate everywhere and goes to Stripe or the equivalent, typically around 2.9% plus 30¢. Where you are the merchant of record you keep the customer relationship and carry the tax obligation; where the platform is, it's the reverse. Neither is strictly better — but it's worth knowing which one you've signed up for.
Bookrata and BookFunnel, row by row
Every row from the BookFunnel column of the full comparison, next to Bookrata's. Where BookFunnel publishes nothing on a point, it says "not documented" rather than guessing.
| Capability | Bookrata | BookFunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Getting found | ||
| Readers of its own, browsing to buy | ✓Readers come to shop the store, or open a link an author sent them | –"We don't even have a reader mailing list!" — swaps and promo boards only |
| Discovery by what's inside the book | ✓Six categories, five tiers, 2300+ tags — readers filter by their own values | –Not offered |
| Readers can browse what's on sale | ✓An On Sale filter in the library. Set a sale price and readers browsing the catalogue find it — no placement fee, no application, no selection. Pro and Premier | –No reader-facing catalogue at all — "The only way a reader can find your book on our service is if you (or someone else) shares the link with them" |
| Placement nobody can outbid you for | ✓No ads, no sponsored shelf, no algorithmic push — ordering is neutral | –No shelf to be placed on |
| You get in without being selected | ✓Join free. Every book is rated, not judged | ✓Open signup |
| Cross-promotion with other authors | –Not offered — the one thing these tools genuinely do better | ✓Author swaps and group promos, on every tier |
| Selling and delivering | ||
| The sale happens here | ✓Full storefront and checkout — you're the merchant of record | –Delivers the file after a sale you process elsewhere |
| DRM-free delivery, per-buyer watermarked | ✓Both, on every plan including free — a deterrent, never a lock | ~Core product, but capped at 500 downloads a month on the entry tier; watermarking from Mid-List up |
| A reading app for the buyer | ✓Browser reader plus an installable web-app, always re-downloadable | ✓Apps for iOS, Android and Fire/NOOK tablets, plus a browser Cloud Reader and a library readers log into. Its supported-devices page lists e-ink readers — Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo, NOOK Glowlight — as not supported |
| The buyer's email belongs to you | ✓Consented purchaser capture on every plan, free one included; lead export and giveaway leads from Pro | ✓From Mid-List; 4 integrations, 6 on Bestseller |
| Someone else funds your audiobook | ✓The Guild pays production. You pay $0, keep 100%, own the master, grant no exclusivity Coming in November | –Not offered |
✓ Does this ~ Partly, or with a condition – Doesn't
Rows marked Coming in November describe the Bookrata Guild, which launches in November 2026. They are not counted as shipped.
Where BookFunnel is the right answer
A comparison that finds nothing good in the other product is an advert. Here is where BookFunnel genuinely does better, and you can keep using it alongside Bookrata. Nothing you upload here becomes exclusive.
StoryOrigin · BookFunnel
Swaps, promos and ARC tooling
Trading a mention with another author in your genre is effective and cheap, and Bookrata has no swap desk. Their ARC programmes are also deeper: vetted reviewer histories, automated follow-up, beta questionnaires, a dozen-plus email integrations. If swaps are working, keep them.
Weighing more than one?
The full comparison puts all eight platforms in one place, with every table and source note.