ARC & Reviews

BookSprout vs Pubby

BookSprout is an ARC management tool that allows authors to send advance copies to reviewers directly, with a free tier for up to 20 copies and paid plans from $90 to $229 per year. Pubby is a review-exchange community where authors earn credits (snaps) by reviewing others' books, which can then be used to request reviews for their own book. The key difference is that BookSprout focuses on managing your own ARC distribution, while Pubby relies on a reciprocal system where you must actively participate to earn reviews. Pricing for Pubby is subscription-based, but the cost varies; it may be more time-intensive than BookSprout's straightforward approach.

Pick BookSprout

Pick BookSprout if you want direct control over your ARC distribution and prefer a simple free tier with low-cost paid options to scale up.

Pick Pubby

Pick Pubby if you are willing to reciprocate by reviewing other books to earn review credits and want to reduce upfront costs.

At a glance

BookSproutPubby
PricingFree; $90–$229/yrSubscription
Pricing modelFreemiumSubscription
Free optionYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb
Best forARC & ReviewsARC & Reviews
AI featuresNoNo
Open sourceNoNo

BookSprout

booksprout.co

Indie-friendly ARC management; free tier for up to 20 copies.

Visit BookSprout

Pubby

pubby.co

Review-exchange community where authors earn "snaps" to get reviews.

Visit Pubby

See more options: BookSprout alternatives · Pubby alternatives