Education, FlipbooksWhat Is a Flipbook? Definition and Examples

By: Robert Soares     |     Jan 18, 2026

The Quick Answer

A flipbook is a digital document that turns pages like a physical book. Click or swipe, and the page flips. That's the basic idea.

But here's what actually matters: flipbooks are built for reading on screens, not printing on paper. That changes everything about how people interact with them.

Think of It This Way

Remember those little paper booklets where you flip the pages fast and see animation? A running stick figure, a bouncing ball? Same concept, different application.

Digital flipbooks take that page-turning experience and apply it to real documents. Brochures. Catalogs. Proposals. Reports.

Instead of scrolling through a PDF (which feels like reading a receipt), you flip through pages (which feels like reading something designed for humans).

A Simple Example

Let's say you work at a real estate company. You create a property brochure.

As a PDF: You email a 3MB attachment. The recipient downloads it. Maybe. They open it in whatever PDF reader they have. They scroll. They might zoom in on photos. Probably they don't finish it.

As a flipbook: You send a link. They click. The brochure opens instantly in their browser. Pages flip with a smooth animation. Photos are full-screen and sharp. There's a video tour embedded on page 4. You can see they spent 3 minutes reading it and looked at the floor plan twice.

Same content. Completely different experience.

Why Flipbooks Exist

PDFs were invented in 1993. The goal was simple: make documents look the same on any computer, for printing.

That was 30 years ago. The world has changed.

Now, most documents are never printed. They're read on laptops, tablets, phones. Shared via email and chat. Viewed in browsers. Nielsen Norman Group recommends using PDFs only for documents that need to be downloaded and printed, noting they create usability problems for on-screen reading.

PDFs still work, technically. But they weren't designed for this. Flipbooks were.

What Makes a Flipbook Different?

Five things, mostly.

1. The page-turn animation

This sounds trivial. It's not.

When you flip a page, your brain registers "I'm moving through something." There's a sense of progress. Of discovery. The next page might be interesting.

Scrolling doesn't do this. Scrolling feels like work. Flipping feels like exploring. Research compiled by Outgrow shows users spend an average of 13 minutes with interactive content compared to 8.5 minutes with static formats.

Publishers have known this forever. That's why physical magazines work. Digital flipbooks bring that same psychology to screens.

2. Browser-based viewing

A flipbook opens in any web browser. No download. No special app. No "what program opens this?" confusion.

This removes friction. When you share a link and someone clicks, they're immediately reading. Not waiting for a download. Not hunting for the file. Not dealing with "this file type is not supported."

3. Built-in interactivity

PDFs can technically have links. But it's clunky. Links often don't work. There's no way to embed video. Adding interactive elements requires Adobe Acrobat or similar tools.

Flipbooks are interactive by design. Add a link, it works. Embed a video, it plays. Drop in a button, people click it. The editor tools vary by platform, but good ones make this easy.

4. Reader analytics

This is the big one.

With a PDF, you know nothing. Did they open it? Did they read it? Did they see the pricing page? Complete mystery.

With a flipbook, you know everything. When they opened it. How long they spent. Which pages got attention. Where they dropped off. What links they clicked.

Sales teams love this. Marketing teams love this. Anyone who cares whether their documents actually get read loves this.

5. Mobile-first design

PDFs on phones are painful. Pinch to zoom. Scroll around. Lose your place. Fight with the layout. With over 60% of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, this matters more than ever.

Flipbooks adapt to screen size. Swipe to flip pages. Everything stays readable. The experience just works.

Real-World Flipbook Examples

Product catalogs

IKEA famously stopped printing their catalog in 2021. But they didn't stop making catalogs. They went digital.

A flipbook catalog lets you browse products the way you would in a physical book. But you can also click on a product to see details. Watch assembly videos. Jump directly to purchase pages.

Inventory updates automatically. No more "sorry, that item is discontinued."

Sales proposals

A proposal needs to impress. And you need to know if it's being read.

Flipbook proposals look polished. The page-flip animation adds perceived value. Video testimonials can play inline. Interactive charts and diagrams work natively.

And when your prospect opens it at 9 PM and spends 8 minutes on it, you know exactly when to follow up.

Magazines and newsletters

Digital magazines were early adopters of flipbooks. Makes sense. The format mirrors what readers expect from print.

A monthly newsletter becomes something people look forward to flipping through, not another long email to skim. Annual reports become shareable, browsable documents instead of 80-page PDFs nobody finishes.

Training and onboarding materials

"Did everyone complete the compliance training?"

With PDFs, you're guessing. With flipbooks, you have data. Who opened it. Who finished. Who's been stuck on page 2 for a week.

Plus, training materials can include video explanations, clickable quizzes, and links to additional resources. All in one document.

Real estate and property marketing

Property brochures are visual by nature. Flipbooks let you show high-res photos that readers can actually see properly. Embed virtual tours. Include mortgage calculators. Link to scheduling pages.

A single flipbook replaces a PDF brochure, a property video, and a bunch of follow-up links.

How Do You Make One?

The process is simpler than you'd expect.

1. Create your document in whatever tool you normally use. Canva, PowerPoint, InDesign, Word. Export it as a PDF.
2. Upload to a flipbook platform. Conversion takes seconds. Your PDF becomes a flipbook with page-turn animation automatically.
3. Customize if you want. Add your logo. Match your brand colors. Drop in links or videos.
4. Share with a link. Or embed it on your website.

That's it. We have a detailed walkthrough in our how to make a flipbook from a PDF guide if you want specifics.

Flipbooks vs. PDFs: The Honest Comparison

We're biased, obviously. But here's the objective breakdown.

PDFs aren't bad. They just weren't built for how documents are used today.

When Should You Use a Flipbook?

Use a flipbook when:

• You're sharing something meant to be read on screen
• You want to know if people actually read it
• You need interactive elements (links, video, buttons)
• The document represents your brand
• You're distributing widely (no download friction)

Stick with PDF when:

• The document will primarily be printed
• You need legal signatures
• It's for archival or compliance records
• Readers specifically need an offline file
• The audience expects a PDF (legal, technical specs)

The Shift Is Already Happening

Five years ago, most companies sent PDFs. Today, forward-thinking teams are switching to flipbooks for anything customer-facing.

Why? Because they work better. People actually read them. Engagement is measurable. The experience reflects well on the brand.

This isn't about being trendy. It's about being practical. Documents that get read are more valuable than documents that get ignored.

Try It Yourself

The best way to understand flipbooks is to make one.

Pick a PDF you already have. Something you send to clients or share with your team. Upload it to Flipbooker. See how it looks. Share it instead of the PDF next time.

Then check your analytics. See who opened it, how long they spent, what they looked at.

Most people are surprised by the difference. Not just in how it looks, but in what they learn about their readers.

Quick FAQ

Is a flipbook the same as an ebook? Not quite. Ebooks are typically text-heavy content meant for sustained reading (like novels or textbooks). Flipbooks can be any document type and are often more visual, shorter, or designed for browsing rather than linear reading.

Do flipbooks work on phones? Yes. Good flipbook platforms are mobile-responsive. Swipe to flip pages. Everything adapts to screen size.

Can I track who reads my flipbook? Yes. Most platforms show view counts, time spent, and page-by-page engagement. For individual reader tracking, you can use email gates or send unique links.

How much does it cost? Free tools exist but usually have watermarks and limited features. Paid platforms typically range from $8-60/month depending on features. Compare what you need before choosing.

Can search engines find flipbook content? Depends on the platform. Good ones make your content indexable. The text becomes searchable. Check SEO features before picking a tool.

Where can I learn more about creating flipbooks? Check out our complete flipbook guide for a deeper dive into types, features, and best practices.