Sigil: free EPUB ebook editor for Windows and Mac
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Sigil calls itself "open-source and completely free software". It is an editor for EPUB ebook files, with a code view and a preview view. Here is what its pages say.
Official editor screenshot
Quick facts
- What it does: edits and builds EPUB ebooks (EPUB 2 and 3), with a Code View and a Preview View, a table of contents generator and a metadata editor.
- Price: free. Its site says "This open-source and completely free software", under GPLv3. No price appears, so no rupee figure.
- Platforms: Windows 10 (1809) or newer on x64, macOS 13 or newer (Intel and Arm). On Linux there is an AppImage, a Flathub build, or you build from source.
- Best for: people who want to fix or format an EPUB by hand. It is an editor, not a book library or reader.
What it is
Sigil is a multi-platform EPUB ebook editor. Its site says it was designed to make it easy to create great ebooks in the EPUB format, whether you format books for yourself or publish professionally. It says it is written and supported entirely by volunteers and was created by Strahinja Markovic in 2009.
Is it free?
Yes, per the project. The Sigil page says it is "open-source and completely free software" and "remains completely free to download and use", and lists "Free and open source software under GPLv3".
What the pages list
- Code View for direct editing of EPUB syntax, and a Preview View.
- Table of contents generator with multi-level heading support, and a metadata editor.
- Import of EPUB and HTML files, images and style sheets.
- Find and Replace with full regular expressions (PCRE), and spell checking.
- Plugins and checkpoints, which compare snapshots of your changes.
- An interface translated into many languages.
Good to know, per Sigil
- Latest release on its GitHub page is 2.8.1, dated 18 July 2026. Its download page was last updated 18 July 2026.
- Windows installer is x64 only. Windows package managers (winget, Chocolatey, Npackd) carry it too, per the download page.
- The macOS app is signed by the maintainer, Kevin Hendricks, per the download page.
- The download page says there is no official Linux binary package, but AppImages are released and there is a Flathub build.
- Every release file has a sha256 checksum on the GitHub releases page.
Our advice
- This is for editing the file itself. If you only want to read EPUBs, use a reader instead.
- Keep a copy of the original EPUB before you edit it. This is our advice, not the project's.
- Only edit books you have the right to edit, such as your own work or files in the public domain.
- Download from sigil-ebook.com or its GitHub releases page.
Privacy and data
- We found no privacy statement on the pages we read and make no claim about data. It is a desktop program that edits files on your computer.
India
- No region limit appears on the pages we read. We did not test it from India.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sigil free?
Yes. Its site calls it completely free, open-source software under GPLv3.
Does it work on Windows?
Yes, on Windows 10 (1809) or newer, 64-bit, per its download page.
Is it an ebook reader?
No. It is an EPUB editor with a preview view for checking your edits.
Sources: What is Sigil, Download, GitHub. Checked 21 October 2026.
Scoped recheck 23 October 2026: official Sigil site and GitHub project. Latest release remains 2.8.1 (18 July 2026), and the "open-source and completely free" GPLv3 wording is unchanged. Added the project's own repository screencap; no fact changes. Other claims retain their original source-check date. Original publication date unchanged.