FlatWorld
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you teach a course that matches one of FlatWorld's own titles and want cheaper courseware than Top Hat.
New check
Comparison
FlatWorld vs Home | LibreTexts
FlatWorld lands on Depends, and Home | LibreTexts lands on Worth it.
Home | LibreTexts
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Students and instructors who want free, remixable textbooks should use it . the core library costs nothing.
| Compare | FlatWorld | Home | LibreTexts |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Cost-conscious college instructors | Students replacing $200+ commercial textbooks |
| Who it's not for | Courses needing titles outside its own catalog | Researchers needing peer-reviewed, formally citable sources |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁶ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; no dedicated security page found.14 |
| Support quality | Local-rep model per own comparison; unverified | No support evidence found |
| Public sentiment | Public product feedback is sparse . one visible Reddit thread shows SNHU students disliking it, while most 'Flatworld' reviews online belong to an unrelated BPO.⁴ | Student feedback on Reddit calls LibreTexts often great but imperfect, while university libraries widely recommend it as a free textbook source.11 |
| Biggest gotcha | Tiered access pricing: verify exactly which features your tier includes before adopting. | 'Free' messaging coexists with ~$30/6-month All-Access add-ons . confirm what your course actually requires12 |
Pick FlatWorld when
- Cost-conscious college instructors
- Gen-ed courses matching its catalog
- Schools cutting student textbook costs
When FlatWorld is not a fit
- Courses needing titles outside its own catalog
- K-12 districts or corporate training buyers
- Anyone expecting OpenStax-level free materials
- Buyers wanting independently verified security
Pick Home | LibreTexts when
- Students replacing $200+ commercial textbooks
- Instructors adopting open course materials
- Faculty remixing or authoring OER via Remixer
- Budget-conscious course and curriculum designers
When Home | LibreTexts is not a fit
- Researchers needing peer-reviewed, formally citable sources
- Anyone expecting uniformly edited, polished textbook quality
- Institutions requiring vendor SLAs and dedicated support
- Buyers wanting documented security and compliance posture
Sources
official
- OpenStax vs. FlatWorld: Full Pricing Breakdownflatworld.comofficial
- Top Hat vs. FlatWorld: Cost, Textbooks, and AI Toolsflatworld.comofficial
review
- Flatworld Knowledge Eliminates Free Access to Online Textbookspublishersweekly.comnews
- FlatWorld Trust Portalflatworld.comsecurity
- FlatWorld | HelpDesk+ | Baylor Universityhelpdeskplus.web.baylor.eduofficial
official
news
- FlatWorld Textbooks | EduAppCentereduappcenter.comofficial
- How much does LibreTexts cost?libretexts.orgofficial
- LibreTexts homepagelibretexts.orgofficial
- LibreTexts security pagelibretexts.orgsecurity
- Create Your OER Using the LibreTexts Platform . Western TC LibGuidewesterntc.libguides.comnews
- LibreTexts / OER Remixer . Open Education Awardsawards.oeglobal.orgnews