0% commission on Lifetime
After the $300 one-time fee, you keep everything the retailer pays you.
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Chiify vs Smashwords
Smashwords is the original indie aggregator — merged with Draft2Digital in 2022 and now operates as part of D2D. Chiify ships European Accessibility Act compliance by default and offers 0% commission Lifetime.
Mark Coker founded Smashwords in 2008 and quietly built one of the largest indie distribution networks in the world. In 2022 Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital; titles uploaded today flow through the D2D system. The Smashwords brand is still used for the consumer-facing store at smashwords.com.
Chiify is younger and built around two ideas Smashwords didn't: pay-once-or-per-sale (no subscription), and accessibility-by-default. Here's a clear comparison.
Chiify vs Smashwords, side by side
| Feature | Chiify | Smashwords | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free or one-time $300 Lifetime | Free, no subscription | – |
| Commission on sales | 0% (Lifetime/Pro), 10% (Free) | 10–15% depending on channel | ✓ |
| Free EPUB conversion | Yes, our pipeline | "Meatgrinder" converter (controversial output quality) | ✓ |
| Lifetime EPUB warranty | Yes | No | ✓ |
| Free ISBN-13 (Bowker-registered) | Yes | Yes | – |
| Amazon KDP | Yes | Yes | – |
| Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, B&N | Yes | Yes | – |
| Library lending (OverDrive, Hoopla) | Yes | Yes | – |
| Audiobook distribution | Yes | Limited (D2D Audio still maturing) | ✓ |
| Human review before retailer delivery | Yes | No | ✓ |
| WCAG 2.2 / EAA 2025 accessibility | Auto on every plan | Not built-in | ✓ |
| Pre-orders & price scheduling | Yes | Yes | – |
| Royalty splits with co-authors | Yes | Yes | – |
| Direct-to-reader store integration | Yes (chiify.com/store) | Yes (smashwords.com store) | – |
| Best for | Authors who want 0% commission long-term | Authors who want no upfront cost ever | – |
Competitor details are based on publicly available information and can change — check Smashwords's site for current pricing and terms.
The Meatgrinder
Conversion: the famous Smashwords vs. clean EPUB question
Smashwords' famous "Meatgrinder" converter has been simultaneously praised (it's free, it works, it's fast) and criticized (it produces conservative EPUB output that loses formatting nuances, breaks complex layouts, and routinely fails Apple iBooks validation). Smashwords requires very specific Word formatting for the Meatgrinder to produce a clean EPUB.
Chiify uses a modern conversion pipeline built on Pandoc + custom XML post-processing. We accept Word, Google Doc, PDF, and Markdown with looser source-formatting requirements, and produce EPUB 3.3 output that passes EPUBCheck 5 and the Apple iBooks Asset Guide tests.
Both produce a usable file. Chiify produces a cleaner one with less manuscript prep on your end.
Commission
Math on a $4.99 ebook
Amazon takes 30% of $4.99, leaving $3.49 to the aggregator:
- Chiify Lifetime/Pro — author keeps $3.49 (100%)
- Chiify Free — author keeps $3.14 (90%)
- Smashwords/D2D — author keeps $3.14 (90%, the standard 10% aggregator cut)
On the Free plan, the math is identical. On Lifetime, after the $300 one-time fee Chiify pays for itself in roughly 86 sales at $4.99 vs. Smashwords' 10% commission.
Why authors choose Chiify
Modern conversion
Works with looser source formatting — no Meatgrinder Style Guide to memorize.
WCAG 2.2 by default
Your books are EU Accessibility Act ready without you knowing what the EAA is.
Human review
Every submission read by a person before retailer delivery, not just an automated pass.
When Smashwords might be the better choice
No tool is right for everyone. Here's where Smashwords can be the smarter pick:
- 17 years of operating history — they were doing this when most aggregators were not yet companies.
- Smashwords store — direct-to-reader discovery at smashwords.com, particularly strong in romance and erotica.
- Universal Book Link (Books2Read) — polished universal-link tool that predates most competitors.
- Author marketing community — newsletters, promotion opportunities, and merchandising built over years.
Try the numbers yourself with our free royalty calculator and print cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Are Smashwords and Draft2Digital the same thing now?
Yes, since the 2022 merger. Smashwords.com is still branded separately, but the publishing platform behind it is Draft2Digital's. New uploads typically go through D2D, not the legacy Smashwords portal.
Can I have my book on Smashwords AND Chiify at the same time?
Yes — same book, same ISBN, both platforms. Many authors do this because Smashwords' direct store has a reader audience while Chiify gets you Lifetime 0% commission on retail.
What about the Smashwords Style Guide?
It's a 100+ page guide on how to format your Word doc so the Meatgrinder produces a clean EPUB. Chiify doesn't require equivalent prep — use proper Word styles and our pipeline handles the rest.
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