EPUB vs. PDF vs. MOBI
EPUB, PDF, and MOBI are the most common eBook formats on the market. EPUB is an open eBook format and the most widely adopted eBook format for e-readers. MOBI format, made for low-bandwidth and low-end mobile devices, widely used by Amazon to publish Kindle eBooks. PDF isn’t technically a true eBook format because it’s not reflowable, but it’s the format most people are familiar with.
Different format applying bring on different reading experience to users. So if you're an author, a professional eBook publisher or reader, these three types of format must be well learned to decide which is the better one for you. Here we will compare them on different aspects for you to choose the best fit.
The difference between MOBI and AZW3
How to Convert PDF to MOBI
Part 1. What is EPUB, MOBI, PDF?
>> EPUB
Certified by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), EPUB is the most widely supported vendor-independent eBook format. Compare to other formats, EPUB format is more friendly for multimedia contents, as it supports HTML5 multimedia and even interactive elements. That means publications can contain pictures, video, audio, and interactivity, just like websites in web browsers. Of course, it is reflowable. The layout of EPUB eBook will be adjusted automatically when you open it on any device.
If you are a writer or publisher, you may be concerned about how easy it is to create an eBook in EPUB format. For other formats, you may be required to use specific tools to create e-books. To create an EPUB eBook, you just need to make some changes to the book's HTML encoding. Then, it's done; the eBook is ready to go.
>> MOBI
In 2005, Amazon purchased Mobipocket.com, the creator of the MOBI format. MOBI eBook format became popular since Amazon used it for the eBooks sold on the web store and used on Kindle. There are two standards of Kindle Mobi eBooks, which are KF7 (mobi7) and KF8 (mobi8). Both of them only cost less storage to save an eBook. With mobi7 format, you cannot change font, size, and layout within Kindle; however, you will not have this issue with MOBI8 format eBook.
With the development of the Amazon Kindle, they created several new formats to show their work more vividly, based on Mobi. Now, most of the eBooks you bought from Amazon are saved as AZW3 format, which developed based on MOBI8. The AZW3 format becomes more prevalent on Kindle and takes the place of the MOBI format.
PDF has near-universal compatibility: operating systems, applications, and even Internet browsers everywhere can open PDF files since it is an industry standard. PDF works fine on larger desktop screens and prints well to standard copying paper with the feature of fixed-layouts. However, PDF doesn't usually work well on smaller screens.
All of those three are the most popular eBook formats used by publishers; you must be curious about the significant differences between them. Therefore, we will continue analyzing the three formats for you, in terms of readability, editing, scalability, security, and multi-platform. Please read on.
Part 2. EPUB vs. MOBI vs. PDF
>> Readability
When you open PDF eBooks on your e-reader, it only displayed the zoomed-out page due to the fixed layout. Thus, you will have trouble reading the content with a small screen. The readability of PDF eBooks on e-readers is quite poor, but quite good on a tablet.
The readability of MOBI (KF8) and EPUB format eBooks are similar. When you open EPUB and MOBI eBooks on the e-reader, the content, including text size, font, and layout, will rearrange themselves to fit the output device.
>> Editing
In general, EPUB and MOBI files are usually for reading only; no extra editing allowed. Within Kindle, you could only make a bookmark for the certain content that you can find it easily next time. On the contrary, PDF files are always editable. You are able to annotate, mark highlights, make notes, and other editing features by PDF reading tools like Adobe Reader.
>> Extensibility
PDF has a bigger reach and popularity since it has been available from 2000. EPUB and Mobi format are slowly gaining popularity across the masses who use smartphones and other devices.
>> Security
PDF has digital security to protect its data from intruders. Mobi has Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect its data from plagiarization. EPUB is an open format that can be distributed and shared easily.
>> Multi-Platform
PDF and EPUB formats are the most popular eBook formats, supported by almost all devices. If you want to read eBooks on more devices, these two formats are recommended. MOBI is the best one among these three formats if you're going to read on a Kindle device.
>> Conclusion
The Kindle store uses Mobi files, and most other major ebook companies use EPUB and PDF files. If you're a reader looking to read your books with more freedom, books in EPUB and PDF format can be your perfect choices. What if you want to read the EPUB files on Kindle devices? We all know, Kindle doesn't support EPUB format. Is that possible to open EPUB files on Kindle eReaders?
Yes, definitely! You just need a tool to convert eBooks to MOBI formats to read them on Kindle more comfortable. Hereby, we would like to share PDFMate eBook Converter Professional for you to convert eBooks.
Part 3. Convert EPUB eBooks to MOBI format
Today, we will show you how to use PDFMate eBook Converter Professional to convert EPUB eBooks to MOBI format.
eBook Converter Pro.
The most powerful eBook converting tool, specially designed for users to remove DRM from Kindle, Adobe, Kobo, Nook eBooks and convert them to various formats, including EPUB, MOBI, PDF, AZW3, TXT and KFX effortlessly.
Kindle vs. iPad
How to Remove DRM from Kindle Books
Step 1: Launch PDFMate eBook Converter Professional
Please download and install PDFMate eBook Converter Professional on your computer. Then, launch the program to start eBook Conversion.
Step 2: Add eBooks
Please click 'Add file' button to add PDF files for conversion. You can add multiple EPUB eBooks at once.
Step 3: Edit Metadata of the eBooks
After successfully importing the eBook files to the program, you can also click the 'Edit' button to edit all the important and useful meta information before conversion, including title, author, publishing date, publisher, etc.
Step 4: Choose Output Format and Adjust Settings
Click the 'Setting' button on the main interface, and then there will pop-up a window allowing you to change the output folder as required and set Source Location of your eBooks. Then, click the 'V' button next to the 'Convert' button and choose the output format you need.
Step 5: Conversion
When finish customization, click the 'Convert' button to start conversion. After the conversion is done, you can find the converted eBooks by clicking the 'history' button.
In conclusion, with PDFMate eBook Converter Professional, you can convert eBooks between EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and other eBook formats freely, no need to worry the eBooks are not supported by your e-reader. Finally, EPUB, MOBI, and PDF formats are the best eBook formats in the market, and they work perfectly for reading.
For more information about eBook Converter Professional, please visit http://www.pdfmate.com/ebook-converter-professional.html.
