The demand for digital magazines has skyrocketed. This is partly due to the superior reading experience that interactive magazine software provides. You can win over any skeptics quickly when they see just how enjoyable it is to read your online magazines.
Out of the New York Times’s 8.4 million total subscriptions, 7.6 million are digital. That’s over 90% of their subscriber base. Other publications are seeing similar demand for digital reading experiences.
Whether your subscriber base is international or simply loves to read online, you need the right magazine software to meet their needs.
In this guide, we dive into the top features to look for. Plus, we round up the best platforms to choose from and help you decide which one is right for you.
What is interactive magazine software?
With interactive magazine software, you can publish an online magazine that is optimized for desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. Readers can flip through and scroll through the magazine to interact with their favorite content. Some interactive magazines also offer audio and video to engage subscribers with different content formats.
The top features to look for in interactive magazine software
Online magazine-publishing software can have a lot of different features. This depends mainly on the target users. Are you publishing a world-renowned magazine or a small community gazette?
These features are essential for large magazine publishers, but small publishers might only need the first couple of items on the list:
- A beautiful reading experience: Online magazine software should offer an attractive reading experience to your subscribers. It should feel as close to the print version as possible, in terms of layout and branding.
- No passwords or apps required: Passwords and app downloads result in confusion and a high influx of customer support tickets. Use a platform that relies on email as the main delivery method. Of course, if you already have your own branded magazine app, then the platform should be able to deliver issues to your app as well.
- Hands-on help with production and delivery: Creating and distributing online magazines is highly specialized work. Consider choosing a service provider that does most of the heavy lifting for you. For many publishers, this is economically competitive compared to doing everything in-house.
- Automated article audio: For both accessibility and preference, be sure to offer audio of your articles. You can use a solution with high-quality AI-generated audio to save hundreds of hours producing the content.
- Ability to offer or sell your back issues: Make sure the solution you choose makes it easy to offer back issues to your customers. You could provide them for free, sell them individually, or charge a flat rate for all of them.
- Support for Apple News+: Creating a mobile version of your magazine that is suitable for Apple News+ is a lot of work. Opt for a solution provider that can handle this for you.
- Integrated subscription order pages: You’ll want to ensure that the digital magazine software you choose is compatible with your ordering system. The order pages should integrate seamlessly with your print and digital subscriptions and your premium add-ons.
Analytics and reporting: Check to see that the platform offers analytics and reporting so you can discover the most popular content and track how your readership is growing.
10 best magazine software (and which is right for you)
These interactive magazine software platforms can help you generate your own digital magazines.
1. eMagazines
Best for: Large- and medium-sized publishers looking for the best reading experience and services
eMagazines offers the software and services you need to produce and deliver stunning digital magazines. We also help with subscription order pages, access to your back issues, and delivering content from approved publishers to Apple News+.
Features:
- PDF converter
- Mobile optimized magazine reader
- Fully branded experience
- Password-free and download-free digital magazine delivery
- Expert assistance with production and delivery to subscribers
- High-quality article audio
- Subscriber back issue access
- Analytics and reporting
- Support for Apple News+
- Subscription order pages that integrate with ELPs
- Native app building and maintenace
- New customer acquisition through our partner network
- End-user customer support
Pricing:
We offer affordable, custom pricing for large publishers as well as smaller regional publishers. Contact us for a custom quote.
2. MagLoft
Best for: Small community and charity publications
MagLoft is a good option for new publications or small, community magazines. The reader experience might not be up to par with the top magazine publishers in the world, but it is suitable for small companies and non-profit organizations.
Features:
- Branded reading experience
- Mobile app and website
- Content editor
- CRM for subscribers
- Sales and subscription management
- Analytics
- Subscriber push notifications
Pricing:
MagLoft doesn’t publish their pricing online, so you’ll need to get in contact with them for a custom quote.
3. Flipsnack
Best for: Creating catalogs
Flipsnack can be used to create online catalogs or simple digital magazines. Without article audio, video embeds, and excellent mobile optimization, it isn’t a fit for larger publishers. But if all you need is a PDF converter, this platform might do the trick.
Features:
- PDF to flipbook converter
- Catalog designer
- QR code generator
- Custom subdomains
- Team collaboration
- Analytics
Pricing:
Flipsnack’s most popular plan, the Professional Plan, costs $35 per month and includes all of the features you need to create and share your catalog. The Business Plan is available for $79 per month and offers up to 100 flipbooks and a custom domain.
4. Issuu
Best for: Infrequent publications
Do you publish your digital magazine infrequently? Maybe your real estate office creates a guide to county neighborhoods and restaurants once a year. Or, maybe your small college publishes an alumni magazine quarterly. If so, you might want to opt for a cheap solution like Issuu, rather than pay for a fully featured platform designed for major publications.
Features:
- Create digital magazines and catalogs
- Team collaboration and workflow management
- SEO optimization
- Fullscreen viewing
- Sales and subscriptions management
Pricing:
You can get started with the free plan, which lets you publish up to 5 documents. The Starter Plan costs $21 per month and lets you publish unlimited flipbooks. The Unlimited Plan costs $269 per month and unlocks unlimited documents, pages, and file sizes and also removes ads.
5. Foleon
Best for: Corporate publications
Foleon is a great solution for large enterprises looking to create digital versions of their magazines. In addition to digital magazine publishing, you also get access to remarketing features, SEO optimization, content insights, and other features that matter to content marketers. Foleon helps you fit digital magazines into your overall content strategy.
Features:
- Mobile responsive reading experience
- Interactive magazine designer
- Remarketing pixels
- SEO optimization
- Custom domains
- Magazine templates
- Content insights
- Account-based marketing journeys
Pricing:
Foleon offers custom pricing based on your needs, so you’ll need to get in touch for a demo and a custom quote.
6. RelayTo
Best for: Small publishers or businesses looking for unique content marketing campaigns
RelayTo is an AI-powered platform that transforms static PDFs and business documents into interactive, engaging experiences that drive results. It’s designed to help teams in marketing, sales, and HR create dynamic content with features like embedded videos, analytics, and content security. From magazines to flipbooks to digital sales rooms, RelayTo makes it easy to share, track, and enhance content. If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform for all sorts of content, this might be a great fit.
Features:
- Interactive content studio
- Embedded videos and multimedia
- Content performance analytics
- Lead capture and engagement tools
- Enterprise-grade content security
Pricing:
RelayTo offers a simple free plan. Their most popular option is the Pro Plan at $65 per month for individual professionals, which includes privacy options and engagement analytics. For teams, the Team plan costs $800 per month and provides collaboration tools, branded subdomains, and lead capture.
7. FlippingBook
Best for: Small businesses looking for an affordable PDF to digital magazine converter
FlippingBook converts static PDFs into interactive digital flipbooks that enhance audience engagement and provide valuable content insights. With customizable branding and embedded multimedia options, FlippingBook supports marketing and sales efforts with useful analytics and sharing tools. Its lead capture and content protection features make it a great fit for companies of all sizes.
Features:
- Customizable branding and links
- Embedded videos and images
- Lead capture forms
- Content analytics and tracking
- Content protection options
Pricing:
The Lite Plan costs just $19 per month and offers ad-free flipbooks, basic analytics, and trackable links. The Starter Plan costs $44 per month and also unlocks website embedding. With the Optimal Plan for $89 per month, you also get the Google Analytics integration, and forms and quizzes.
8. Canva
Best for: Free magazine designing and PDF creation
Most of the online magazine software on our list were designed to turn PDF content into mobile responsive magazines. And that’s because PDFs are hard to read. (You have to do a lot of pinching and zooming.) But if you’re looking for a free design tool and you know your readers will be on their desktops, laptops, or tablets, you could provide a PDF magazine and call it a day. If that sounds like the right route for you, Canva is a great tool for this.
Features:
- Design templates
- Stock images and elements
- Creates PDF, JPG, and PNG files
- Custom template creation
Pricing:
Most likely, you’ll be able to do everything you need on the free plan. But Canva Pro makes it easier to save and re-use your branding and costs just $120 per person per year. If you do decide to make a digital magazine with Canva, check out this tutorial.
9. Mag+
Best for: Digital magazines with creative services
Mag+ offers some creative services so you don’t have to manage everything yourself. In-house designers turn your existing content and transform it into digital magazines, then deliver the magazine to your app, and provide quality assurance.
Features:
- Custom app development
- PDF to magazine converter
- Custom digital magazine design
- Customer support
Pricing:
Mag+ offers custom pricing based on your needs, so get in touch with them for a quote.
10. Joomag
Best for: Turning corporate communications into digital magazines
Joomag is a great solution for enterprises looking to turn their corporate content into attractive digital magazines. These magazines can then be used for new lead generation or for sales enablement.
Features:
- Digital magazine designer
- 300+ templates for digital content
- Generate and track leads with your content
- Online distribution
- Team collaboration
- Analytics
- Print to digital magazine converter
Pricing:
Joomag doesn’t publish their pricing online, so reach out to their sales team for a demo and custom quote.
Frequently asked questions
Get a better understanding of interactive features with answers to top FAQs.
What is an interactive magazine?
An interactive magazine is a digital publication designed for an engaging, user-friendly reading experience. Unlike static PDFs, interactive magazines include features such as clickable links, multimedia elements like videos and audio, and responsive layouts that adjust to any screen, making content easy to navigate and explore.
What are some of the features that interactive magazine software provides?
Interactive magazine software typically offers a range of features to enhance the reading experience, such as multimedia support (audio, video), clickable tables of contents, mobile optimization, branded content options, analytics and reporting, and support for delivering content via email or apps. These tools make interactive magazines engaging and accessible across devices.
What is the most popular software for premium digital magazines?
eMagazines is a popular choice for premium digital magazines, offering software and services that cover everything from PDF conversion to content delivery on Apple News+. eMagazines also supports branded subscription pages, back-issue access, and expert assistance with production and distribution.
If you’re simply looking for a PDF to digital magazine converter, then there are many different options above to choose from. But if you want to provide the best possible reading experience on every device, then you need eMagazines.
