Vivliostyle
Vivliostyle is an open-source typesetting project for digital and web publishing, built around web standards.
What Vivliostyle is
Vivliostyle is an open-source typesetting project for digital and web publishing, built around web standards. Vivliostyle Viewer loads HTML and presents its CSS typesetting in a browser; it can also display EPUB files and web publications. For command-line workflows, Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML with CSS and exports PDFs, including from EPUB files. Its PRESS-READY option supports PDF/X-1a output and requires Ghostscript and Xpdf. Vivliostyle Pub is a web application for editing text, Markdown, or HTML and previewing typesetting; its new version is in alpha. Themes are available as npm packages and can be applied through vivliostyle.config.js. The Viewer can display HTML hosted on GitHub or Gist, or be copied to a public web-server directory. The CLI requires Node.js, and its installation tutorial lists macOS, Windows, and Linux. Vivliostyle is free and uses the AGPLv3 license, which permits modification and commercial use under reciprocal terms. Its FAQ says publications do not need to publish their HTML or CSS source data.
Good
- Free, open-source typesetting software.
- Viewer displays EPUB, HTML, and web publications.
- CLI exports PDFs from HTML and EPUB.
- Themes can be applied through vivliostyle.config.js.
- Publications need not publish HTML or CSS source data.
Watch out
- New Vivliostyle Pub version is in alpha.
- CLI requires Node.js.
- PDF/X-1a output requires Ghostscript and Xpdf.
- AGPLv3 has reciprocal license terms.
Who it suits
Vivliostyle suits publishers and developers who want to typeset web-based documents or EPUB publications and export PDFs. It can also suit teams seeking an open-source publishing tool, provided they are comfortable with its licensing terms and, for CLI use, Node.js.
Verdict
Vivliostyle provides browser viewing and command-line PDF export for web-standard publishing workflows. Check the alpha status of Pub and the CLI and PDF/X-1a requirements before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From Vivliostyle's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Vivliostyle | Free | Open-source typesetting software; no paid plan or usage limits stated |
The facts
Each one read from Vivliostyle's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- Documentation publishes Core API, CLI configuration reference and a JavaScript API reference.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Changelog
- GitHub release notes record fixes for Node 22 compatibility, CSS import resolution, interrupted-build cleanup and browser updates.checked 15 Oct 2026
- CLI
- Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML or Markdown from the command line and generates publication files.checked 15 Oct 2026
- CLI output
- Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML with CSS on the command line and exports PDF.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Commercial use
- The FAQ permits commercial use, but modified distributed Vivliostyle code must provide corresponding source under AGPL obligations.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- PDF/X-1a output requires Ghostscript and Xpdf in addition to Vivliostyle CLI.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation includes user guides, supported CSS references, API references, contribution guides and a development plan.checked 15 Oct 2026
- EPUB support
- Viewer and CLI can load unzipped EPUB content, and CLI can convert EPUB files to PDF.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Developers can create and publish custom Vivliostyle themes as npm packages with a theme scaffolding command.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Formats
- Vivliostyle Viewer can display EPUB, HTML, and web publications, while CLI can generate PDFs from EPUB files.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Independent description
- The Mind the Gap software survey describes Vivliostyle as browser-based CSS typesetting for paginated EPUB, web publications and PDF export.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent pipeline
- The ADA Multi-Format guide documents a publishing pipeline connecting Fidus Writer and Git repositories with Vivliostyle CSS typesetting.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent use
- A Typebase engineer chose Vivliostyle because Markdown authoring and an npm plus Node.js setup were convenient.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Viewer can display HTML files hosted on GitHub or Gist, and it can be copied into a public directory on a web server for website use.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- Vivliostyle Core, Viewer and CLI use the GNU AGPL version 3 license.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: automatic TOC
- The Typebase review found automatic TOC generation showed chapter titles but not section entries, so the author wrote a custom script.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Markdown expressiveness
- The Typebase review reports that Markdown-based authoring limits expression compared with more specialized systems.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: page counters
- The Typebase review describes manual counter-reset adjustments as necessary when front-matter page counts change.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Markdown
- Vivliostyle Flavored Markdown extends CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown for book authoring.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Math
- Viewer supports MathML, TeX and AsciiMath formulas through MathJax integration.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser editor
- Vivliostyle Pub is a web application for editing text, Markdown, or HTML and previewing typesetting, and its new version is in alpha.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2018checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- The foundation lists its location as Minami-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 336-0015, Japan.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker
- Vivliostyle Foundation is represented by Shinyu Murakami and was founded in August 2018.checked 15 Oct 2026
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