Kotobee
Kotobee is a Cairo-based interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform serving educators, publishers, and corporate trainers across 200+ countries, providing multi-format authoring, hosting, DRM, and distribution tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCairo, Egypt
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kotobee does
Kotobee (legal entity Vijua) is a Cairo, Egypt-based interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform founded in 2011. The platform is composed of four core products — Kotobee Author (desktop authoring software), Kotobee Cloud (hosting, user access management, and DRM), Kotobee Library (digital bookshelf management), and Kotobee Reader (a customizable reader available on iOS and Android) — supplemented by Kotobee Narrator for audiobook production, an extensible Mini-apps ecosystem, Kotobee Academy (video training), Kotobee Services (consultation and conversion), and the Kotobee Shared Library (a free public ebook repository). Its technical foundation is a multi-format export engine that outputs 15+ formats — including EPUB 3.0, Kindle MOBI, PDF, SCORM packages, iOS and Android apps, and Windows/Mac/Linux desktop apps — from a single source file, with interactive content built on HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS.
The company targets four primary segments: K-12 education, higher education, corporate training, and digital publishing, with named customers spanning Harvard, Yale, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri, Virginia Tech, Pearson Italy, Nissan, Cisco, Oracle, UNDP, Grameen Foundation, the City of Rotterdam, and the National Museum Wales. In September 2021, Kotobee added an AI Content Generation Tool that produces text, images, and quizzes inside the Author workflow.
Kotobee operates a freemium-plus-subscription model: a free Author license with watermarked exports and limited features, paid Author licenses, subscription-based Cloud and Library tiers (with 30-day free trials), and individually priced Mini-apps at $25–$50/year or $200/year for the full bundle. Distribution combines product-led growth (self-service downloads, iOS and Google Play stores, WordPress/WooCommerce plugin) with sales-led enterprise outreach via live demos and direct sales. As of the latest data, Kotobee reports 300,000+ customers across 200+ countries, 60,000+ active users, and approximately 1,200 new users per month, and remains privately held and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding.
Kotobee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kotobee
- Legal name
- Vijua
- Website
- https://kotobee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kotobee is a Cairo-based interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform serving educators, publishers, and corporate trainers across 200+ countries, providing multi-format authoring, hosting, DRM, and distribution tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kotobee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Publishing Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Publishing Creation & Formatting Tools (EPUB, conversion, layout) (MPAJAMAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK), Audiobook Technology & Services (Hosting/CDN, DRM, Analytics, Ad Insertion) (MPAJAIAI)
Keywords
Where Kotobee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cairo
- HQ country
- Egypt
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
Kotobee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (Kotobee Author): Desktop authoring software sold with tiered licensing. Free license available with limited features (10 chapters/pages, watermark). Paid licenses unlock full features, encrypted EPUB exports, and SCORM package exports.
- Cloud Services (Kotobee Cloud & Library): Subscription-based cloud hosting for ebooks with user access control, syncing, and DRM protection. 30-day free trials available; paid plans for hosting, user management, and extended storage.
- Mini-Apps: Premium mini-apps sold at $25/year or $50/year depending on complexity. Bundle access to all mini-apps available for $200/year.
- Plugin Integrations: Integration with WooCommerce, Memberful, Shopify, and Zapier for selling ebooks through external e-commerce platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free License - Basic ebook creation with limitations |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Mini-apps - Individual app purchases |
| Subscription | Annual | All Mini-apps Bundle |
| Subscription | Monthly | Kotobee Cloud/Library - Paid Plans |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kotobee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kotobee is an end-to-end interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform comprising four core products: Kotobee Author (desktop authoring software), Kotobee Cloud (hosting and user access control), Kotobee Library (digital bookshelf management), and Kotobee Reader (customizable ebook reader). The platform enables users to create interactive ebooks with multimedia, quizzes, and HTML5 widgets, then export them to 15+ formats including Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, EPUB, Kindle (MOBI), PDF, SCORM, and Word, with built-in DRM protection and LMS integration.
Product overview
Kotobee is an end-to-end interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform launched in 2016, consisting of four core products: Kotobee Author (desktop authoring software for creating interactive ebooks), Kotobee Cloud (hosting, user access management, and DRM protection), Kotobee Library (digital bookshelves and library management), and Kotobee Reader (customizable reading interface available as standalone app). Additional offerings include Kotobee Narrator (audiobook creation), Kotobee Mini-apps (extensible interactive widgets), Kotobee Services (consultation/design/conversion), Kotobee Shared Library (free public ebook platform), and Kotobee Academy (video tutorials). The platform supports 15 ebook export formats and 19 languages.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kotobee Author: Desktop authoring software for creating and publishing interactive ebooks
- Kotobee Cloud
- Kotobee Library
- Kotobee Reader
- Kotobee Narrator
- Kotobee Services
Products and services
- Kotobee Author Desktop authoring software for creating and publishing interactive ebooks. Enables users to write new ebooks or import existing content (EPUB, PDF, HTML) and add interactive elements including media, HTML5 apps, quizzes, videos, audio, widgets, and mini-apps. Supports 19 languages.
- Kotobee Cloud Cloud-based services for hosting ebooks, managing user access, syncing user data across devices, and protecting books from piracy with DRM security. Includes hosted ebooks and cloud ebooks functionality with Microsoft SSO integration.
- Kotobee Library Solution for creating, publishing, and managing digital bookshelves and ebook libraries with full user access control, branded startup pages, color scheme design, and powerful management tools. Includes all services provided in Kotobee Cloud.
- Kotobee Reader Customizable ebook reader embedded in all Kotobee ebook apps and libraries. Available as a standalone app for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play). Features customizable reading environment including font size, display settings, and reading tools.
- Kotobee Narrator Tool for creating and distributing structured audiobooks from MP3 files. Available for Windows and Mac download.
- Kotobee Services Consultation services including design, scripting, conversion, and deployment assistance to help writers along the path from inception to completion of ebooks, ebook apps, and ebook libraries.
- Kotobee Shared Library Free public ebook library platform where anyone can publish books at no cost. Contains over 1,000 books across 4 languages, providing a community ecosystem and content discovery for users.
Quantifiable outcome
- IDC Magazine witnessed 60% readership increase after using Kotobee
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Kotobee
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Kotobee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability6 records
Feature6 records
Kotobee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WooCommercecoreKotobee WooCommerce plugin integrates cloud ebooks and libraries with WooCommerce stores on WordPress. Enables automatic permission granting upon purchase and optional activation email delivery. Available from WordPress plugin directory.
- Microsoft AzurecoreMicrosoft Single Sign-On (SSO) integration via Azure Active Directory. Users can log into Kotobee libraries and ebooks using their Microsoft credentials through Azure app registration.
- GooglecoreMultiple Google integrations: Google Analytics tracking for ebooks, Google Maps mini-app, Google Calendar mini-app, Google Slides mini-app, Google Forms mini-app, Google Translate mini-app, Google Docs viewer, YouTube integration in ebooks.
- Amazon (Kindle)coreExport ebooks to Kindle (MOBI format) for distribution through Amazon Kindle store and devices.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kotobee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Book Creator: Directly competing interactive ebook creation tool for K-12 and education, with similar multimedia embedding, app store distribution, and teacher-focused go-to-market.
- Pressbooks: Book publishing platform used by academic institutions and self-publishers; overlaps with Kotobee's higher-education and self-publishing segments and supports EPUB/PDF exports.
- Vellum: Premium ebook formatting and publishing tool for indie authors, focused on EPUB/Kindle/PDF output. Comparable in format-export focus but less interactive than Kotobee.
- Atticus: Cross-platform ebook writing and formatting tool for authors, with one-time pricing and multi-format export. Competes for the same indie author and small publisher segment.
- Designrr: Ebook and lead-magnet creation tool with multi-format export and templates, targeting marketers and content creators - an adjacent buyer to Kotobee's SMB segment.
- Publuu: Online flipbook and ebook publishing platform with HTML5 hosting, similar cloud-distribution and access-control features to Kotobee Cloud/Library.
- FlipHTML5: Flipbook and interactive ebook software with broad template library and multi-format output, competing in the SMB and digital publishing segments.
Emerging players
- Book Bolt: Niche ebook creation and research tool focused on low-content and KDP publishing; partial overlap with Kotobee's self-publishers and digital publishing segment.
Broad incumbents
- Canva: Mass-market design platform that has added ebook templates and PDF/EPUB export. Far larger distribution base but shallower interactive features than Kotobee.
- Adobe (Digital Editions / InDesign): Incumbent in professional publishing workflows (InDesign) and EPUB consumption (Digital Editions); overlaps with Kotobee's enterprise publishing use cases as part of a much broader portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kotobee social profiles
Digital presenceKotobee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kotobee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kotobee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kotobee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kotobee
What does Kotobee do?
Kotobee is an end-to-end interactive ebook creation and digital publishing platform comprising four core products: Kotobee Author (desktop authoring software), Kotobee Cloud (hosting and user access control), Kotobee Library (digital bookshelf management), and Kotobee Reader (customizable ebook reader). The platform enables users to create interactive ebooks with multimedia, quizzes, and HTML5 widgets, then export them to 15+ formats including Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, EPUB, Kindle (MOBI), PDF, SCORM, and Word, with built-in DRM protection and LMS integration.
Is Kotobee a public or private company?
Kotobee is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kotobee founded?
Kotobee was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kotobee based?
Kotobee is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, in the Africa region.
How does Kotobee make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (Kotobee Author) is the primary driver. The others are cloud Services (Kotobee Cloud & Library), mini-Apps and plugin Integrations.
Who are Kotobee's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Book Creator, Pressbooks, Vellum, Atticus, Designrr, Publuu and FlipHTML5. Book Bolt is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Canva and Adobe (Digital Editions / InDesign).
Does Kotobee have an API?
Yes. Kotobee offers a REST API at https://www.kotobee.com/api/v1 enabling developers to control all areas of their cloud account (cloud ebooks or libraries). The API supports user management (add, edit, delete users), promo code management (add, edit, delete codes), book management (list, add, edit, get, delete books), and library management (list libraries, get library details, add categories). Authentication uses serial number or access key. Rate limit: 1 request per second. Variables can be sent as POST and/or GET variables. Developer documentation is at support.kotobee.com/en/support/solutions/folders/8000082574.
What industry is Kotobee in?
Kotobee's product category is Digital Publishing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAG, Digital Publishing Creation & Formatting Tools (EPUB, conversion, layout), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAK, eBook & Digital Reading Platforms. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.