Compare
JavaScript flipbook libraries compared
A JavaScript flipbook library turns images, HTML, or PDF pages into a book that readers turn by dragging a corner. In 2026 the main options are StPageFlip for free HTML page flips, zinejs for PDF and image readers in code, DearFlip and Real3D for WordPress without code, and hosted makers such as Heyzine for teams without a developer.
Facts checked October 2026. zinejs is built by Awecode, which publishes this site. Competitor facts link to their sources, and each page says where the competitor is the better choice.
Libraries
| License | Last release | Pages | RTL | Zoom | Size, min+gzip | npm per week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StPageFlip | MIT | April 2021 | HTML, images | No | No | No | 10.2 KB | 138,000 |
| react-pageflip | MIT | April 2021 | JSX, images | No | No | No | 0.9 KB plus StPageFlip | 87,000 |
| flipbook-vue | MIT | January 2023 (beta) | Images | No | Yes | Yes | 9.0 KB plus Vue | 1,700 |
| turn.js | Non-commercial; paid commercial license | 2012 (v4) | HTML | No | Yes | v4 add-on | 10.9 KB plus jQuery | Not on npm officially |
| BookBlock | MIT (source header) | January 2016 | HTML | No | Reported broken | No | 2.4 KB plus jQuery | Not on npm officially |
| zinejs | Free non-commercial; $20 one-time commercial | September 2026 | Images, PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | 16.4 KB entry; about 43 KB with toolbar | 350 |
The MIT libraries are free for commercial use, small, and widely installed, but none has shipped a release since January 2023, and none renders PDFs or ships a reader toolbar. StPageFlip and react-pageflip also have no right-to-left mode.
zinejs is the newest library here and has the smallest user base. It is the only one in the table with built-in PDF rendering, a toolbar, and keyboard and screen reader support. It also charges for commercial use, as turn.js does, where the MIT libraries do not.
One more open-source option is 3D FlipBook's jQuery edition (flip-book on npm). It renders images, PDFs, and HTML with three.js under the GPL-2.0 license, but its last npm release was in 2022, and it draws about 54 downloads a week.
Self-hosted plugins
These are commercial products with admin screens, sold mostly as WordPress plugins. They host nothing; the files run on your own server.
| Platforms | Free version | One site, commercial | Loads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DearFlip | WordPress, jQuery, Joomla, Shopify | WordPress Lite, 200,000+ installs | $39/year (WordPress), $49/year (JS) | jQuery, three.js, pdf.js |
| Real3D FlipBook | WordPress, Shopify, Wix, JS | WordPress Lite, 10,000+ installs | $49/year direct; $99 on CodeCanyon | three.js, pdf.js |
| 3D FlipBook | WordPress, jQuery | WordPress, with a logo, 70,000+ installs | $39/year (WordPress), $34/year (jQuery) | jQuery, three.js, pdf.js |
| FlowPaper | Desktop publisher, cloud, WordPress | 90 days, branded | $75 one-time | Free WordPress plugin embeds from flowpaper.com |
| WowBook | jQuery | None | $25; no update since October 2020 | jQuery, pdf.js |
For a WordPress site run by editors, one of these plugins is the right tool, and DearFlip Lite is the usual starting point. The three WebGL plugins each load three.js and pdf.js, which comes to roughly 280 to 335 KB min+gzip before the pdf.js worker.
Hosted makers
FlipHTML5, Heyzine, Flipsnack, Issuu, and Publuu host the book for you and embed it in an iframe. They add analytics, lead forms, and visual editors, and they charge from $59 to $2,259 a year to remove their branding. The hosted makers comparison covers prices, self-host exports, and lock-in.
Which to pick
- Free flip effect on HTML or React pages: StPageFlip or react-pageflip.
- Free image book in Vue, with zoom: flipbook-vue, accepting a beta that has not changed since 2023.
- PDF or image reader in code, with a toolbar, RTL, or accessibility needs: zinejs.
- WordPress without code: DearFlip Lite; Real3D when add-ons matter.
- Shopify or Wix: Real3D.
- No developer at all: Heyzine or FlipHTML5.
How we compared
Release dates and download counts come from the npm registry and the npm downloads API for the week of 5 to 11 October 2026. Repository activity comes from the GitHub API, and WordPress install counts and ratings from the wordpress.org plugin API. Prices were read from each vendor's own pricing page.
Sizes are the published files compressed with gzip at level 9, fetched from jsDelivr or unpacked from the free plugin downloads. Keyboard and ARIA support was checked by searching each library's source for ARIA attributes and key handlers.
Detailed comparisons
- turn.js alternativesturn.js has had no code changes since 2013 and its license bars free commercial use. How StPageFlip, zinejs, and DearFlip compare as replacements.
- StPageFlip vs zinejsStPageFlip is free, MIT, and the most installed page-flip library, with no release since 2021. Where it fits, where zinejs fits, and what each lacks.
- DearFlip vs zinejsDearFlip is a WordPress flipbook plugin with 200,000+ installs and JS licenses from $49 a year. How it compares with zinejs on price, weight, and features.
- Real3D FlipBook vs zinejsReal3D FlipBook costs $99 on CodeCanyon or from $49 a year direct, and ships three.js. How it compares with zinejs on price, weight, and features.
- Hosted flipbook makers vs a self-hosted libraryHosted flipbook makers charge $59 to $2,259 a year to remove their branding. When a hosted maker is the right call, and when a self-hosted library is.
Questions
What is the best JavaScript flipbook library?
It depends on the pages. StPageFlip is the most used and is free under MIT, which makes it the default for HTML pages. For PDFs with zoom, search, and right-to-left reading, zinejs does that work out of the box.
Is there a free flipbook library that renders PDFs?
Not among the popular MIT libraries; each needs pdf.js wired in by hand. zinejs renders PDFs and is free for non-commercial use, 3D FlipBook's jQuery edition renders PDFs under the GPL, and DearFlip Lite is free for WordPress sites.
Which flipbook libraries support right-to-left reading?
zinejs, turn.js, and flipbook-vue, along with DearFlip, Real3D, and most hosted makers. StPageFlip and react-pageflip do not, and Issuu offers only a page-order workaround.
Do flipbook libraries need jQuery?
The older ones do: turn.js, BookBlock, WowBook, and the DearFlip and 3D FlipBook viewers. StPageFlip, flipbook-vue, Real3D, and zinejs do not.