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turn.js

The original jQuery flipbook library — battle-tested but ageing.

turn.js is the original — the jQuery plugin that defined the look-and-feel of the modern web flipbook over a decade ago. It still works, it still looks the part, and there are countless flipbook viewers in production today that depend on it. The downside is that turn.js depends on jQuery, has not seen substantive updates in years, and requires a paid commercial licence for any non-personal use. New projects should usually pick StPageFlip or react-pageflip instead, but if you are maintaining a legacy site, turn.js is still serviceable.

What it does well

  • Battle-tested in production for over a decade
  • Works in IE11 if you absolutely need it
  • Familiar API for any team that already uses jQuery
  • Predictable visual output

Where it falls short

  • Depends on jQuery
  • Commercial licence required for business use
  • No active maintenance to speak of
  • Performance lags behind StPageFlip on mobile
Worth reading alongside: an independent buyer's guide to open-source flipbook libraries from our editorial partners.

Pricing snapshot

Free for personal use. Commercial licences start around $129 (single domain) and scale to multi-domain and enterprise tiers via the official site.

Best fit for

Legacy site maintainers, agencies inheriting older flipbook builds, and anyone whose existing flipbook depends on the turn.js look-and-feel.

Step-by-step: turn a PDF into a flipbook with turn.js

  1. Step 1. Install jQuery and the turn.js plugin in your build.
  2. Step 2. Mark up the flipbook container with one div per page.
  3. Step 3. Initialise turn.js with the desired width, height and binding.
  4. Step 4. Hook into turning callbacks to add analytics or navigation.
  5. Step 5. Test carefully on iOS — touch gestures need the optional touchSwipe plugin.
  6. Step 6. Buy a commercial licence if shipping for business use.

Where it sits versus the rest

turn.js is the historical default; StPageFlip and react-pageflip are the modern replacements. flipbook-viewer is a higher-level wrapper that handles more of the integration. For new projects, prefer the modern alternatives unless you have a specific reason to stay with turn.js.

Compare it head-to-head: StPageFlip vs turn.js

Use-cases this tool fits

Below are the FlipCraft Guide use-case playbooks where turn.js is one of the recommended tools.