Bloom vs Sigil

Bloom8.6Visit Sigil8.4Visit

Higher score Bloom #6 in eBook Creation Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Bloom

vs

Sigil #7 in eBook Creation Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 6 features Visit Sigil

• Bloom fits best

  Accessible educational and multilingual books

• Sigil fits best

  Free EPUB editors and technically inclined authors

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Side by side

Feature	Bloom 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Sigil 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.4
Ranking	#6 in eBook Creation Software	#7 in eBook Creation Software
Best for	Accessible educational and multilingual books	Free EPUB editors and technically inclined authors
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux, Android	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features Bloom 6/6 · Sigil 2/6
EPUB export	✓	✓
PDF export	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Reflowable layout	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Fixed-layout support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Ebook validation	✓	✓
Accessibility tools	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Import formats	WDGT, HTM, HTML, XLSX, bloomSource	EPUB, HTML, images, stylesheets
Our review
Pros	Free Basic tier supports small book-creation projects Exports to PDF, EPUB, BloomPUB, video, and web Accessibility checks, narration, translation, and leveled-text tools	Supports EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 editing with code and preview views Includes plugins, checkpoints, TOC tools, and configurable spell checking Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with EPUB validation tools
Cons	Advanced capabilities require Pro or Enterprise subscriptions Enterprise features focus on organizational publishing needs Desktop editing is limited to Windows and Linux	Focused on EPUB rather than broader publishing workflows PDF export is not part of its documented product capabilities Desktop software may not suit teams seeking a hosted service
Our verdict	Bloom is book-creation software from SIL Global for language communities, literacy programs, educators, publishers, and organizations producing multilingual materials. It supports books made from templates or existing books, with tools for… Read the review →	Sigil is a free, open-source desktop application for creating, editing, formatting, and packaging EPUB ebooks. It supports EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 and is aimed at personal ebook formatting as well as professional editors publishing across… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Bloom — where it wins

  • Free Basic tier supports small book-creation projects
  • Exports to PDF, EPUB, BloomPUB, video, and web
  • Accessibility checks, narration, translation, and leveled-text tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced capabilities require Pro or Enterprise subscriptions
  • Enterprise features focus on organizational publishing needs
  • Desktop editing is limited to Windows and Linux

• Sigil — where it wins

  • Supports EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 editing with code and preview views
  • Includes plugins, checkpoints, TOC tools, and configurable spell checking
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with EPUB validation tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on EPUB rather than broader publishing workflows
  • PDF export is not part of its documented product capabilities
  • Desktop software may not suit teams seeking a hosted service

• Bloom8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible choice for multilingual education teams needing accessible, varied publishing outputs.

  Visit BloomFull verdict →
• Sigil8.4/10 · Free plan

  A capable free EPUB editor for authors comfortable with desktop publishing workflows.

  Visit SigilFull verdict →