Comparison
ReaderMagnet compared with BookFunnel and StoryOrigin
BookFunnel, StoryOrigin, and ReaderMagnet all help indie authors hand a file to a reader. They are not the same product. BookFunnel is strongest as a delivery system. StoryOrigin grew up around newsletter swaps and list tools. ReaderMagnet is a dedicated ARC page plus a magnet page, with signup into the email tool you already use. This page compares those categories with public prices and with the limits of each job.
The job each tool is built for
Start with the job, then the price. If you need a file to land on a Kindle, a Kobo, a phone, and a computer, with a long help library for device trouble, that is the delivery job BookFunnel is known for. If you need a board where authors trade newsletter mentions and also run review copies, that is the job StoryOrigin is known for. If you need one private page for an ARC, one landing page for a magnet, and the address on a list you already pay for, that is the job ReaderMagnet is built for.
You can use more than one. Finish the campaign you already opened on another tool. Test one book on ReaderMagnet. Cancel the old tool only if the new page actually works for you. Mixed toolkits are normal. A swap board and a private ARC page can exist in the same season.
ReaderMagnet does not claim to have rebuilt every BookFunnel delivery option, in-person code, or support article. It does not claim to be a StoryOrigin swap board. The honest version is narrower: a campaign page, a magnet page, a private download link, and a path for the email address.
File delivery and a dedicated ARC page
Delivery means the reader can open the file. A dedicated ARC page means there is one URL that explains the book, collects the claim, and points at a private link for that reader. ReaderMagnet's campaign page does both of those steps for an EPUB or a PDF. The reader claims with an email. The access link is private. You can replace the file on the page. You can mark the campaign public on Free Books, keep it unlisted, or hold it as coming soon.
BookFunnel's public pricing separates those jobs. The First-Time plan is $30/year and covers magnet delivery. It does not include Secure ARC. Secure ARC delivery is a Mid-List feature at $200/year on BookFunnel's public pricing page. If you already like BookFunnel delivery and you only need magnets, the First-Time plan may be the right tool. ReaderMagnet does not claim to undercut that $30/year price. If you need the review-copy page and you do not want the Mid-List jump for a first test, the ReaderMagnet author path includes a private ARC page during open beta.
StoryOrigin lists review-copy tools and mailing-list tools on the Standard plan at $10/month. That is a different gate: a monthly plan that covers the review copy and the list tools together, inside a product that is also a swap community. ReaderMagnet's ARC page does not require that upgrade to try, through November 1, 2026, because the open beta does not collect a card.
How list-building differs
On ReaderMagnet, list-building means the reader typed an address to get a file you offered. You connect a provider so the address lands on a list you can mail, or you export a CSV and load it yourself. The dashboard can connect MailerLite, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and the other providers on the integrations screen. You still pay that provider. You still write the letters. There is no swap-matching step and no partner score.
BookFunnel's public plans put broader list features above the First-Time magnet plan. The comparison table on this site lists email collection on Mid-List and up. Check BookFunnel's own pricing page before you buy, because plan rows move. The fact that matters for this category is the split already on their public 2026 page: magnet delivery on First-Time, Secure ARC on Mid-List.
StoryOrigin's list tools sit with the review-copy tools on Standard at $10/month, and the product is built for authors who want to find swap partners. If your whole marketing life is the swap board, that is a reason to stay. ReaderMagnet will not pretend to replace that board. You can pay StoryOrigin for the board and still host the private ARC page here.
Public prices you can check
These are public list prices, not a quote from a sales call, and not a promise about a coupon you saw in a group. BookFunnel First-Time is $30/year for magnet delivery. BookFunnel Mid-List is $200/year and is where Secure ARC is listed. StoryOrigin Standard is $10/month for review copies and mailing-list tools. ReaderMagnet is free through November 1, 2026, with no credit card, and the private ARC page is included on the author path during that window.
After November 1, 2026, ReaderMagnet's public monthly prices are Starter $9/month, Pro $19/month, and Publisher $49/month, unless a different date is published. Starter includes unlimited pen names, reader campaigns, private reader pages, and reader magnets. BookFunnel's First-Time plan is listed as one pen name. StoryOrigin is described on our comparison table as separate accounts per pen name. Readers on ReaderMagnet stay free.
The same rows appear on the shorter search pages BookFunnel alternative and StoryOrigin alternative, and on Pricing. If a competitor changes a public price, trust their pricing page over a screenshot in a Facebook group. This article is the category explanation. Those pages are the tables.
- Secure ARC / review-copy page: BookFunnel — Mid-List, $200/year. StoryOrigin — Standard, $10/month. ReaderMagnet — Included now — free through Nov 1.
- Reader magnet delivery: BookFunnel — From $30/year. StoryOrigin — Standard, $10/month. ReaderMagnet — Included now — free through Nov 1.
- Collect reader email / grow a list: BookFunnel — Mid-List and up. StoryOrigin — Standard, $10/month. ReaderMagnet — Connect the email tool you already use.
- Card required to try ARC tools: BookFunnel — Yes. StoryOrigin — Upgrade required for ARC + list tools. ReaderMagnet — No card through November 1, 2026.
- Pen-name cap on the entry plan: BookFunnel — 1 pen name on First-Time. StoryOrigin — Separate accounts per pen name. ReaderMagnet — Unlimited pen names on Starter.
What ReaderMagnet does not copy
ReaderMagnet does not copy BookFunnel's device encyclopedia, and it does not claim their delivery network. If a reader cannot open a file, ARC Support is the help page, and a PDF is the practical fallback for an older Kindle. That is a smaller promise than a company whose entire product is delivery.
ReaderMagnet does not copy StoryOrigin's swap marketplace. It does not match you with other authors, and it does not require you to promote another author to earn a download. If a swap board is the job, StoryOrigin is built for that job. ReaderMagnet is built for the page and the file.
ReaderMagnet does not import your old list for you, does not guarantee reviews, and does not publish subscriber counts or awards on this page. If a sentence somewhere else on the internet says this product will match you with readers by an algorithm, that sentence is not how the author path works. The working path is list the book, deliver the file, collect the email.
Who should stay, and who should test one book
Stay on BookFunnel First-Time if you only deliver magnets, you like their apps and help docs, and you do not need a Secure ARC page. Move up to their Mid-List, or test ReaderMagnet, when the job is the review-copy page. Stay on StoryOrigin Standard if the swap board is the reason you pay. Add a dedicated ARC page here if you want the claim link and the list signup without waiting on that plan for the test.
Test ReaderMagnet if you want one signup for the ARC page and the magnet, you already pay for an email tool, and you want to run a campaign without handing over a card before November 1, 2026. List one book. Share the private page with readers you can name. See whether the file arrives and whether you can answer the mail. Keep the old tool until that test is boring in a good way.
A sentence you can send to yourself: BookFunnel First-Time is $30/year and does not include Secure ARC. Secure ARC is $200/year on Mid-List. StoryOrigin Standard is $10/month for review copies and list tools. ReaderMagnet is free through November 1, 2026, no card, and includes the private ARC page. I am testing one campaign. I am not cancelling the old tool until the test works.
Questions authors ask
Is ReaderMagnet a BookFunnel alternative?
For a private ARC page and a magnet landing page, yes, that is the category. BookFunnel First-Time is $30/year and covers magnet delivery. Secure ARC is $200/year on Mid-List. ReaderMagnet includes the private ARC page and does not ask for a card through November 1, 2026. It does not claim to replace every BookFunnel delivery feature.
Is ReaderMagnet a StoryOrigin alternative?
For the review-copy page and the list signup, it covers that job. StoryOrigin Standard is $10/month and also includes the swap community. ReaderMagnet does not run a swap marketplace and does not match authors.
Do you undercut BookFunnel's First-Time price?
No. We do not undercut the $30/year First-Time plan. That plan is magnet delivery. The price jump authors hit is Secure ARC at $200/year on Mid-List. ReaderMagnet's difference is the included ARC page during open beta, not a cheaper magnet-only plan.
Can I keep BookFunnel or StoryOrigin while I try ReaderMagnet?
Yes. Finish the campaign you already opened. Test one book here. Cancel the old subscription only if the new page works for you.
Which email tools can I connect?
The dashboard connects providers such as MailerLite, Mailchimp, and ConvertKit, and you can export a CSV. ReaderMagnet does not replace the email company you already pay for.