How to Make a Free Online Flipbook

You do not need to spend money to publish a professional flipbook. ZenFlip's Explorer plan is free forever, requires no credit card, and gives you enough to publish real content for a real audience. This guide walks you through everything the free plan includes and how to get the most out of it.

What You Get on the Free Plan

ZenFlip's Explorer plan includes:

• 10 publications - enough for a portfolio, a small catalogue, or a trial run of your content strategy

• Up to 50 pages per publication - sufficient for most brochures, reports, and magazines

• Basic analytics - see total views, page views, and completion rates

• Public sharing - share via direct link or embed on your website

• ZenFlip viewer - the same interactive flipbook viewer used on all plans, with page-turning animations, keyboard navigation, and mobile support

• WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility - every flipbook you create meets accessibility standards, even on the free plan

There is no time limit. Your free account and publications stay active indefinitely.

Step by Step: Creating Your First Free Flipbook

1. Create Your Account

Go to zenflip.io/signup and create an account with your email or sign in with Google. No credit card is required. You will land on your dashboard immediately.

2. Prepare Your PDF

ZenFlip converts PDFs into flipbooks. For the best results:

• Use a PDF with clear text and high-resolution images

• Keep file size under 100MB (most documents are well under this)

• Horizontal (landscape) layouts work particularly well as flipbooks, though portrait works too

• Make sure your PDF is the final version - you can always re-upload, but it creates a new publication

3. Upload and Convert

Click the "New Publication" button on your dashboard. Drag your PDF into the upload area or click to browse your files. ZenFlip processes your document in the background. Most PDFs convert in under a minute.

4. Configure Your Publication

Once processing is complete, you can:

• Set a title and description - these appear in search results and when sharing

• Choose visibility - public (anyone with the link can view) is the default on the free plan

• Preview your flipbook - check how it looks before sharing

5. Share Your Flipbook

You have two main options for sharing:

• Direct link - copy the URL and send it via email, social media, or messaging

• Embed code - copy the iframe embed code and paste it into your website, blog, or landing page

Both options are available on the free plan.

What the Free Plan Does Not Include

Being transparent about limitations helps you decide whether the free plan fits your needs:

• ZenFlip branding appears on your flipbook viewer. Paid plans let you remove it

• No custom domain - your flipbooks are hosted on zenflip.io. Paid plans support CNAME custom domains

• No lead capture - you cannot add email capture forms or gated content on the free plan

• No password protection - all publications on the free plan are public

• Basic analytics only - you get views and completion rates, but not page-level heatmaps or CSV export

• 10 publication limit - sufficient for testing, but active publishers will likely need more

When to Upgrade

The free plan is genuinely useful for:

• Testing the platform before committing

• Personal projects like portfolios, photo albums, or event programmes

• Small businesses with a handful of key documents to publish

• Nonprofits and educators with limited budgets

Consider upgrading to the Starter plan ($19/month) when you:

• Need more than 10 publications

• Want to remove ZenFlip branding for a professional look

• Need lead capture forms to collect reader information

• Want detailed analytics with page-level heatmaps

• Need email support

The Professional plan ($49/month) adds unlimited publications, team collaboration, white-label viewer, password protection, and priority human support.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Free

Optimise your PDFs before uploading. Compress images and remove unnecessary pages. Smaller files convert faster and load quicker for your readers.

Use descriptive titles. Your publication title appears in the browser tab and when shared on social media. Make it clear and compelling.

Test on mobile. ZenFlip flipbooks are responsive, but check how your specific content looks on a phone screen. Content with very small text may be harder to read on mobile.

Share strategically. Rather than publishing all 10 publications at once, start with your strongest content. See how readers engage with it using the basic analytics, then publish more based on what works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the free plan really free forever? Yes. There is no trial period and no credit card required. Your free account and publications remain active with no expiration.

Can I upgrade later without losing my publications? Yes. Upgrading preserves all your existing publications and their analytics data. Nothing is lost.

Are free flipbooks accessible? Yes. Every ZenFlip flipbook meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards regardless of plan. Keyboard navigation and screen reader support are included on all plans.

Can I use free flipbooks for commercial purposes? Yes. There are no restrictions on commercial use. The only difference is that ZenFlip branding appears on the viewer.

Start Publishing

Creating a flipbook takes less than five minutes. Sign up for free and upload your first PDF today.