Kotobee Author

Kotobee Author is an ebook authoring application for teams creating interactive digital books. It is best suited to education, publishing, and training work where assessments or LMS connections matter. Its breadth is a strength, though some exports depend on an active subscription.

Overview

Authors can build books in Kotobee Author or import PDF, HTML, Word, and EPUB files. It supports fixed and reflowable layouts and exports to more than 12 ebook formats, including mobile apps. That flexibility helps teams distribute one project across different reading formats; teams making a basic text ebook may find much of the toolkit unnecessary.

Exported files belong to the customer, and Kotobee says they do not collect reader data. Some formats rely on Kotobee servers and require an active subscription, so teams should consider ongoing access needs when choosing a format.

Key features

Interactive authoring

Books can include video, audio, image click animations, widgets, and self-assessment questions. AI tools can generate text, images, questions, and voice narration, while HTML, CSS, and JavaScript allow custom behavior and integrations. These features suit instructional or specialized publications that need more than static pages, but can be surplus to requirements for conventional ebooks. EPUB projects can also be opened in other EPUB editors, which gives teams a route to continue editing elsewhere.

Assessment and LMS connections

Authors can add auto-graded questions and track learner scores. SCORM, LTI, and Tin Can support integration with an organization’s LMS, making Kotobee a stronger candidate for course materials than an editor focused only on page layout. The value of those features depends on whether a team needs learner tracking and already uses an LMS.

Branding and support

Users can apply their color scheme and logo to ebook apps and remove Kotobee mentions. Support options include live agent chat, meeting scheduling, a help center, and Kotobee Academy. Kotobee says account information is stored on secure servers in London, with daily database backups on Amazon-based servers, and describes its commitment to GDPR compliance and user rights to access, correct, restrict, or delete personal data.

Pricing

Kotobee Author uses a freemium model: the Free plan costs nothing, and paid plans are priced from $150. The free tier gives prospective authors an entry point, but the free-plan caps are not described here, so teams should confirm that it covers their intended projects before relying on it. The subscription dependency of some formats is the key long-term pricing consideration.

Free: free. A no-cost starting point for individual authors evaluating the workflow or producing work that fits the free offering.

Premium: custom pricing, billed monthly or annually, with savings of over 15% on annual billing. A fit for teams needing a paid authoring plan, though the price should be confirmed before budgeting.

Basic: custom pricing, billed monthly or annually, with savings of over 15% on annual billing. A lower-tier paid option, but its included features and limits should be checked against project needs.

Mobile App Credits: custom pricing. Relevant to teams planning mobile app exports, which are among the supported formats.

Institutional: custom pricing for customized solutions. This is the plan to consider for organizations seeking a tailored arrangement.

Plan prices and included quotas matter especially for projects using server-dependent formats, since those formats require an active subscription. Kotobee also offers annual billing at a stated discount of over 15% compared with monthly billing.

Platforms

Kotobee Author supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. Export options include EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and Word, alongside mobile apps. This platform range serves teams distributing across desktop and mobile environments, while the distinction between portable exports and server-dependent formats remains important.

Who it's for

Kotobee Author is most compelling for educators, digital publishers, and training teams that need to combine interactive content, learner assessment, and LMS delivery. Custom code and ebook app branding extend its appeal to teams that want more control over behavior and presentation. It is less suitable for authors who need only a straightforward editor and a static ebook export.

Pros and cons

Pros: More than 12 export formats, including mobile apps, provide broad distribution options.

Pros: Auto-graded questions, score tracking, and SCORM, LTI, and Tin Can integration make it useful for instructional content linked to an LMS.

Pros: Import from common document formats, both layout models, and custom code accommodate varied publishing workflows.

Cons: Some formats require an active subscription because they depend on Kotobee servers, limiting their independence from an ongoing plan.

Cons: Paid plans use custom pricing, making direct budget comparisons difficult until the relevant plan and terms are confirmed.

Alternatives

For readers choosing a platform rather than authoring software, OpenStax offers free online textbooks and PDF downloads, with low-cost print editions; OpenStax Assignable is $15, paid once. VitalSource Bookshelf is a free-to-install reading app for eTextbooks, with content potentially requiring purchase or an active license and support for up to two computers and two mobile devices. Choose it when reading and access to eTextbooks, rather than creating interactive books, is the priority.

LibreTexts provides free textbook access, instructor ADAPT access, and H5P and ADAPT authoring, with up to five custom textbooks per institution; it suits institutions whose work fits those free platform tools. zyBooks is a paid course-content option with a free trial; its student class subscription is typically $69 - $90 depending on included content. Cambridge Aspire offers a three-month subject eTextbook Collection trial and is a better fit when an instructor is evaluating that collection.

KITABOO is worth considering for teams needing its Lite plan’s pay-as-you-go model at $1 a month, billed $1 /user/month, with up to 1,000 active users, 30 titles, and 200 GB storage. Oxford Learner’s Bookshelf is a choice for readers seeking Oxford digital books and packs, with prices varying by title. DIKSHA is a free platform built using MIT-licensed Sunbird technology.

Browse Digital Textbook Platforms, Book Layout Software, or eBook Creation Software to compare broader categories.

Verdict

Choose Kotobee Author if your team needs an interactive ebook workflow that joins assessments, LMS connections, custom behavior, and broad exports in one tool. Its strongest reason to buy is the combination of instructional features and distribution flexibility. Look elsewhere for a simple static ebook or where a server-dependent format would make an ongoing subscription an unwelcome constraint.