The best reader magnet delivery services in 2026: an honest roundup

There are four services authors usually consider for delivering a reader magnet, plus the option of doing it yourself with your email service. They are good at different things, and the cheapest way to collect email addresses is not the one most people assume. This roundup compares them on what matters, and says plainly who each one suits.

We make Storyfinch, which is one of the options, so read this as a comparison with a point of view. We have tried to be fair: several of these tools are the better choice for some authors, and we say so.

The short answer

• Best free way to collect emails: Storyfinch. It is the only free plan here that adds readers to your mailing list.
• Best for polished delivery, audiobooks and review copies: BookFunnel.
• Best for newsletter swaps and group promotions: StoryOrigin.
• Best for being found by new readers: Prolific Works, or Voracious Readers Only for review copies.
• Cheapest if you only need the basics and already use Kit or MailerLite: doing it yourself.

What to look for

Every tool here can put a file in front of a reader. The differences that matter are:

• Whether the plan you can afford collects email addresses. Several free and entry plans deliver books but do not build your list.
• How the book is delivered. A private link for each reader is harder to share around than one public file.
• Help for readers. Some readers struggle to get an ebook onto a Kindle or phone, and good tools help them so you do not have to.
• Your email service. Check the tool connects to the one you use.
• A record of consent. Proof of what each reader agreed to protects you if anyone ever asks.
• Extras you will actually use. Swaps, review copies and audiobooks are valuable if you use them, and wasted money if you do not.

BookFunnel

BookFunnel is the established name and the most polished deliverer. It handles getting the book onto any device very well, and its own help desk answers readers' technical questions. It also does review copies, audiobooks, direct sales and group promotions.

It has no free plan, though it offers a refund within 30 days. The entry First-Time Author plan ($30 a year) delivers files but does not collect email addresses. List-building starts with Mid-List Author at $200 a year (or $20 a month), and Bestseller is $300 a year (or $30 a month). Audiobook delivery is an extra add-on on those two plans.

Best for: authors who will use its wider toolkit, especially audiobooks and review copies. Our BookFunnel comparison goes into more detail.

StoryOrigin

StoryOrigin's strength is its community: newsletter swaps and group promotions, where authors promote each other's books to their lists. It also does review copies, beta-reader feedback, audiobook promo codes and universal book links, and connects to a long list of email services.

Its free Basic plan delivers files but does not collect email addresses. Reader magnets and email collection are part of Standard, at $10 a month or $100 a year.

Best for: authors whose growth plan is swaps and group promos, in a genre that is active on the platform. See our StoryOrigin comparison.

Prolific Works

Prolific Works (formerly Instafreebie) is different from the others because it has its own reader marketplace: readers browse and claim free books on its site and app, so new readers can find you there.

Its free Basic plan runs giveaways but does not add readers to your list. That needs Plus, at $20 a month or $200 a year, and connects only to MailerLite and Mailchimp. Pro is $50 a month or $500 a year. It also does not promote giveaways where joining your list is required, so you trade some list growth for discovery.

Best for: authors who want discovery more than list-building. See our Prolific Works comparison.

Storyfinch

Storyfinch does the core job and deliberately little else: a hosted signup page for each book, delivery on a private link for each reader that expires, a record of each reader's consent you can export, and connections to ten email services plus a webhook.

Its free plan collects email addresses, with one active reader magnet and 50 deliveries a month. Pro is $29 a year (£25 in the UK) for unlimited reader magnets, 2,000 deliveries a month, automatic sync to your email service and no Storyfinch credit. It has no marketplace, swaps, review copies or audiobooks, and it gives readers step-by-step guides rather than a help desk.

Best for: authors who want to build their list from their first reader without paying for features they will not use.

Doing it yourself with your email service

If you already use Kit or MailerLite, you can deliver a free book without any extra service:

• Kit: a form's confirmation email can deliver a file once the reader confirms. This works on Kit's free plan, but automated follow-up sequences need a paid plan.
• MailerLite: upload the book to the File Manager (PDF or EPUB, up to 10 MB) and link to it from an automated email when someone joins a group. The free plan includes three automations.

The trade-offs are real. You get one file link rather than a private one for each reader, so it can be shared around. Readers get no help loading the book onto their device. And there is little or no record of downloads.

Best for: authors starting out with one short book who already pay for, or are happy on the free plan of, Kit or MailerLite.

Also worth knowing: Voracious Readers Only

Voracious Readers Only is not a delivery tool in the same sense. It matches your novel with readers who have asked for books in its genre, mainly to get you reviews. The first giveaway of up to 20 copies is free, and ongoing promotion starts at $30 a month. Readers agree to hear from you, but they are not added to your list automatically; you add them yourself. It can sit alongside any of the tools above.

At a glance

Prices and features were checked on each provider's own website between 29 September and 1 October 2026, and do change.

How to choose

Start with what you need the reader magnet to do. If it is mainly to build your list, pick the cheapest option that collects emails and delivers well: Storyfinch's free plan, or doing it yourself if you only have one book and already use Kit or MailerLite. If you need new readers to find you, a marketplace like Prolific Works or a review service like Voracious Readers Only adds something the others do not. If cross-promotion is your engine, StoryOrigin. And if you will use audiobooks, review copies and direct sales, BookFunnel earns its price.

Plenty of authors combine them, for example swaps on StoryOrigin with their main reader magnet on Storyfinch or BookFunnel. There is no rule that you must pick one.

Frequently asked questions