WordPond vs Issuu
Beyond flipbooks: publish fully‑accessible, SEO‑rich digital issues that load fast, track every scroll, and stay 100 % editable.
WORDPOND is best for
ISSUU is good for
Reality check: the flipbook myth
“Myth: “Our PDF is online, so it’s already a digital, mobile‑friendly experience.””
Reality: Flipbooks are essentially screenshots of your pages:
Invisible to Google & screen‑readers – text is baked into images, so neither search engines nor accessibility tools can parse it.
Frustrating on phones – readers must pinch‑zoom and drag around static spreads.
No instant edits – any typo or sponsor swap means re‑exporting and re‑uploading the entire file.
Rising costs, unchanged value – Issuu’s Premium plan now starts at $55/mo, and users report sudden price hikes with little added functionality.
Nielsen Norman Group calls on‑screen PDFs a “frustration” and recommends native HTML for any content meant to be read online.
Four reasons customers switch from Issuu to Wordpond
Reason number one: Accessibility & SEO.
Accessibility & SEO built‑in – HTML pages with semantic tags, alt‑text, and schema markup pass WCAG tests and rank in search. Flipbooks remain invisible.
Reason number two: Edit after publish.
Tweak copy, fix typos, swap ads in seconds. Issuu requires re‑exporting and re‑uploading the entire PDF.
Reason number three: Better reader experience → higher engagement.
Responsive HTML loads faster, is easier to read, and is accessible by default.
Customers see longer read‑time and more sponsor clicks, all captured by Wordpond’s detailed analytics.
Reason number four: Predictable pricing & no surprise hikes.
Wordpond’s Plus plan is $48/mo all‑in, and the Scale Plan is at $124/mo.
To unlock similar branding and analytics, Issuu users must upgrade to Unlimited at $269/mo—and many report sudden renewal jumps.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | WordPond | Issuu |
|---|---|---|
| Digital- and mobile-first | ||
| Content published as ConNative HTML, SEO‑indexable texttentHubs or Issues | ✔ | ✖ |
| WCAG 2.1 AA compliance | ✔ | ✔ |
| Edit content post‑publish | ✔ | ✖ |
| Fully responsive on mobile | ✔ | ✖ |
| Content | ||
| Intuitive Medium-like editor | ✔ | ✖ |
| Visual editor | ✔ | ✖ |
| Articles & blocks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add PDF downloads | ✔ | ✔ |
| Design | ||
| Central brand management | ✔ | ✖ |
| Easy customization | ✔ | ✖ |
| Google, Adobe & custom fonts | ✔ | ✖ |
| Growth | ||
| Real analytics | ✔ | ✔ |
| Forms | ✔ | ✔ |
| Collaboration | ||
| Collaborative workspace | ✔ | ✖ |
| Draft mode | ✔ | ✖ |
| Live publication previews | ✔ | ✔ |
| User roles & permissions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Accessibility, SEO & Social | ||
| ADA & WCAG compliant accessibility | ✔ | ✖ |
| Automatic XML sitemap | ✔ | ✖ |
| AI-generated meta-data (tags,...) | ✔ | ✖ |
| Schema markup support | ✔ | ✖ |
| Image optimization | ✔ | ✖ |
| Webfont optimization | ✔ | ✖ |
| Open Graph meta tags | ✔ | ✖ |
| Publishing & hosting | ||
| Instant publishing | ✔ | ✔ |
| Custom domain | ✔ | ✔ |
| Global CDN & edge network | ✔ | ✔ |
| Security | ||
| HTTPS/SSL by default | ✔ | ✔ |
| DDoS mitigation | ✔ | ✖ |
| Firewall | ✔ | ✖ |
| Content security policy (CSP) | ✔ | ✖ |
| Custom firewall configuration | ✔ | ✖ |
| Support | ||
| Knowledge base | ✔ | ✔ |
| Email support | ✔ | ✔ |
| 1:1 onboarding support | ✔ | ✖ |
| Customer success team | ✔ | ✖ |
| Professional design & build services | Custom | ✖ |
Ready to go native?
Bring your publications online in a true responsive format, without breaking your budget.