Apple Pages

Apple Pages is Apple's free word processor, and it doubles as a genuinely capable book-formatting tool for authors inside the Apple ecosystem. It exports directly to EPUB in both reflowable and fixed-layout forms, and Apple specifically recommends its fixed-layout export for children's books, cookbooks, and other image-heavy titles — the illustrated niche that reflowable formatters like Vellum or Atticus cannot handle. It's a strong zero-cost DIY option for Mac and iPad authors, sitting alongside Kindle Create as a budget alternative to paid layout apps.

• Best for: Mac, iPad, and iPhone authors who want a free tool for illustrated or fixed-layout ebooks without buying dedicated DTP software
• Key features: Exports reflowable EPUB (portrait/word-processing templates) or fixed-layout EPUB (landscape/page-layout templates); imports Word documents; keeps text and image positions locked in fixed layout while readers zoom
• Pricing: Free — included with macOS, iPadOS, and iOS, and usable in a browser at iCloud.com
• Platform: Native on Mac and iPad/iPhone, plus a web version via iCloud — genuinely cross-device, unlike most Apple creative apps
• Keep in mind: It's a word processor first, not a dedicated layout app — there's no documented print-ready PDF export at print-on-demand trim sizes, so it's best for EPUB rather than paperback interiors