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Kernsetzer and Reedsy Studio compared
By Lukas · updated
Reedsy Studio, which used to be the Reedsy Book Editor, is where many self-publishers format their first book, because it’s free and runs in the browser. Kernsetzer is meant for the books that need more than it offers.
Kernsetzer isn’t out yet. Its column describes what I’m building; you can’t download it today.
| Reedsy Studio | Kernsetzer (planned) | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Any browser; no app, no offline use yet, needs a Reedsy account | Windows, macOS, Linux as a desktop app, offline, no account |
| Price | Free for writing, formatting and export; optional writing add-ons from $4.99 a month | Not announced. Pay once, no subscription |
| Makes | EPUB 3 and a print PDF (PDF/X-1a) | Print-ready PDF and EPUB 3 |
| Manuscript in | DOCX or ODT, up to 50 MB | Word and Markdown |
| Trim sizes | Four: 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9 and 4.25 × 6.87 in | KDP’s and BoD’s common sizes, with each printer’s margins and bleed |
| Design | Three themes; text size small, medium or large; no other font choice | Three themes, each with settings for text size, chapter openers, initials and more |
| Available | Yes | Public beta from mid-November |
Where Reedsy is better
It costs nothing and you can start in a minute, on any computer with a browser, Chromebooks included. If your novel is plain text in one of its four trim sizes and you like one of its three themes, Reedsy Studio gives you a clean EPUB and a print PDF in the PDF/X-1a format KDP prefers, and you don’t need to pay anyone, me included. It is also a place to write, with goals and, in the paid add-ons, outlining boards. Kernsetzer is neither free nor a word processor.
Where it runs out
Reedsy keeps the choices few on purpose, and the limits show as soon as a book doesn’t fit them. According to Reedsy’s own help pages, there are four trim sizes, so none of BoD’s and not 5.25 × 8 in; fonts come only with the theme; every picture is sized the same way; and the copyright page can’t be turned off and credits Reedsy. I found nothing on bleed, and the language setting changes only the editor, not the book. Your manuscript also lives on Reedsy’s servers, not as a file on your computer.
How Kernsetzer differs
Kernsetzer is a desktop program, and your manuscript stays a file on your computer. You pick the trim size from KDP’s and BoD’s lists, and the margins and bleed follow the printer you choose. Pictures can stand in the text, beside it, on a page of their own or out to the edge. Most of my work goes into the printed page: hyphenation, widows and orphans, chapter openers, and German set as carefully as English. The first look has screenshots of the app as it is today. For the other options, see Kernsetzer and Atticus and Kernsetzer and Vellum.
Sign up for the beta and tell me about your book.
Facts about Reedsy Studio come from Reedsy’s own pages (reedsy.com/studio, its pricing page, the format-a-book page and the Studio help pages), read on 28 October 2026, and can change. Kernsetzer has no connection to Reedsy; product names belong to their owners. If something here is wrong, tell me and I’ll fix it.