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Vivliostyle
The foundation lists its location as Minami-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 336-0015, Japan.
What it is
Vivliostyle is free, open-source typesetting software for digital and web publishing built on web standards. Vivliostyle Viewer loads HTML and presents CSS typesetting in a browser; it can also display EPUB files and web publications. Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML with CSS on the command line and exports PDFs, including PDFs from EPUB files. Its PRESS-READY option supports PDF/X-1a output but requires Ghostscript and Xpdf. Vivliostyle Pub is a web application for editing text, Markdown, or HTML and previewing typesetting, with its new version in alpha. Themes are distributed as npm packages and applied through vivliostyle.config.js. Viewer content can come from HTML hosted on GitHub or Gist, or from a public web-server directory. The CLI requires Node.js, with installation guidance for macOS, Windows, and Linux. The AGPLv3 license permits modification and commercial use under reciprocal terms. The FAQ says publications made with Vivliostyle need not publish their HTML or CSS source data.
For and against
For
- Open-source and free
- Browser-based CSS typesetting viewer
- CLI PDF export from HTML or EPUB
- EPUB, HTML, and web publication display
- npm-based themes
Against
- PRESS-READY requires Ghostscript and Xpdf
- CLI requires Node.js
- New Pub version is in alpha
- AGPLv3 reciprocal terms apply
The verdict
Vivliostyle covers browser viewing, command-line PDF generation, and web-based editing in an open-source toolkit. Users should account for the CLI prerequisites and AGPLv3 obligations when deploying it.
Who it suits
Vivliostyle suits publishers and developers working with HTML, CSS, EPUB, Markdown, and PDF output. It is available across Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and self-hosted setups.
Plans and prices
Vivliostyle
Open-source typesetting software; no paid plan or usage limits stated
Read 9 Oct 2026 · vivliostyle.org
On the record
- API
- Documentation publishes Core API, CLI configuration reference and a JavaScript API reference.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Browser editor
- Vivliostyle Pub is a web application for editing text, Markdown, or HTML and previewing typesetting, and its new version is in alpha.vivliostyle.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Changelog
- GitHub release notes record fixes for Node 22 compatibility, CSS import resolution, interrupted-build cleanup and browser updates.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- CLI
- Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML or Markdown from the command line and generates publication files.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- CLI output
- Vivliostyle CLI typesets HTML with CSS on the command line and exports PDF.vivliostyle.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Commercial use
- The FAQ permits commercial use, but modified distributed Vivliostyle code must provide corresponding source under AGPL obligations.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- PDF/X-1a output requires Ghostscript and Xpdf in addition to Vivliostyle CLI.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation includes user guides, supported CSS references, API references, contribution guides and a development plan.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- EPUB support
- Viewer and CLI can load unzipped EPUB content, and CLI can convert EPUB files to PDF.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Developers can create and publish custom Vivliostyle themes as npm packages with a theme scaffolding command.docs.vivliostyle.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Formats
- Vivliostyle Viewer can display EPUB, HTML, and web publications, while CLI can generate PDFs from EPUB files.vivliostyle.org · read 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.assets.pubpub.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Independent pipeline
- The ADA Multi-Format guide documents a publishing pipeline connecting Fidus Writer and Git repositories with Vivliostyle CSS typesetting.tibhannover.github.io · read 15 Oct 2026
- Independent use
- A Typebase engineer chose Vivliostyle because Markdown authoring and an npm plus Node.js setup were convenient.zenn.dev · read 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.vivliostyle.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- License
- Vivliostyle Core, Viewer and CLI use the GNU AGPL version 3 license.vivliostyle.org · read 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.zenn.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Markdown expressiveness
- The Typebase review reports that Markdown-based authoring limits expression compared with more specialized systems.zenn.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
