Paper Lake vs Wonderbly

At a glance

Paper Lake and Wonderbly both make personalised children's books, but they take fundamentally different approaches. Wonderbly has been doing this for over a decade with template-based personalisation. Paper Lake is a newer entrant that writes every story from scratch. Here is how they stack up.

What Wonderbly does well

Wonderbly (formerly Lost My Name) has been in the personalised book space since 2012. They have sold over 11 million books in more than 200 countries. That kind of scale is not an accident. They have earned it by doing several things genuinely well.

Their catalogue is enormous. It includes Lost My Name, birthday books, sibling stories, and titles featuring characters from major franchises. The production pipeline is fast and reliable, and the quality of their printing has been consistent across millions of copies.

For parents who want something quick, affordable, and dependable, Wonderbly delivers. The avatar builder is straightforward, no photos required, and the full book preview means you know exactly what you are getting before you pay. Kids recognise Wonderbly titles. There is genuine brand trust there, and for good reason.

Their price point is also significantly lower than most custom alternatives. A standard hardcover runs around $40-65 AUD before shipping, which makes Wonderbly an accessible gift even on a tight budget.

What Paper Lake does differently

Paper Lake takes a fundamentally different approach to personalisation. Instead of slotting a child's name into a pre-written template, every story is written from scratch. The narrative, the themes, the moral. All of it is generated uniquely for each order. No two Paper Lake books are alike, because no two children are alike.

The illustration process is different too. Rather than building a cartoon avatar, Paper Lake uses a single photo of the child to create illustrations that actually look like them. Parents can choose from multiple art styles (Pixar-style 3D, soft watercolour, classic Disney, or a custom style) and the result carries through every page of the book.

Wonderbly: pick from preset options

Paper Lake: illustrated from your child's photo

Made for Sofia

The customisation goes deeper than aesthetics. Parents can specify themes (adventure, kindness, bravery, dealing with a new sibling), include specific morals or messages, and add multiple characters. This makes Paper Lake particularly useful for families dealing with specific situations like a child starting school, a new baby arriving, or overcoming a fear, where a generic story template would not quite fit.

Paper Lake prints and ships from Australia, which means faster delivery for Australian families (7-10 business days) and no international shipping surcharges. The cover preview and revision process means you can request changes before anything goes to print.

Where Wonderbly falls short

Wonderbly's biggest weakness is the thing that makes it scalable: the template. When thousands of children receive the same story with only names and avatars swapped, the “personalised” label starts to feel thin. Customer reviews say the same thing repeatedly.

“The book was far from personalize other than the picture and one or two mentions of my daughter's name.”

On Trustpilot and Reviews.io, the phrase “overpriced for what you get” appears repeatedly. Parents expect deep personalisation and receive what amounts to a mail-merge with illustrations. The disappointment is not about the book being bad (the printing quality is generally fine) but about the gap between expectation and reality.

Wonderbly: same illustration for every child

Paper Lake: every illustration unique to your child

Quality control issues also surface in reviews, though less frequently. Some customers have reported smudged pages, books arriving with creased covers, and in a few cases, pages coming loose within weeks. These are not universal problems, but for a premium-priced gift, they sting.

One detail that surprises parents: several Wonderbly titles include in-book advertising. Pages at the back promote other Wonderbly products. For a book that costs $40-65 plus shipping, finding advertisements inside a children's gift feels like an odd choice.

Where Paper Lake falls short

Paper Lake is newer than Wonderbly and still building its reputation. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but they don't have a decade of history yet. For parents who value social proof and an established brand, that is worth considering.

The price is higher because every book is created from scratch. You are paying for genuine one-of-a-kind work, not a template with your name added. A Paper Lake hardcover comes in at $89 AUD compared to Wonderbly's $40-65 (before shipping). The gift edition at $119 is firmly in premium territory. For some families, that price difference matters regardless of the customisation on offer.

Who should choose Wonderbly

Wonderbly is the right choice if your budget is tight. The lower price point is a real advantage, especially if you are buying multiple books (siblings, cousins, classmates). It is also a solid option for parents who value an established brand with a long track record.

Wonderbly also suits parents who value seeing the complete book before ordering. The full preview removes all surprises. You know the exact story, the exact illustrations, and the exact layout. There is comfort in that certainty, and it is worth something.

• Budget-conscious buyers or bulk orders
• Parents who want to preview every page before purchasing
• People who value brand trust and a proven track record

Who should choose Paper Lake

Paper Lake is built for a different moment. It is for the gift-giver who wants to hand over something that could not possibly have been made for anyone else. The kind of book where the child says “that's me”, not because their name is on the cover, but because the story feels like it was written about their life.

If you are a parent dealing with a specific situation, like a child who is anxious about starting school, a family welcoming a new sibling, or a kid who needs to hear that being different is a strength, Paper Lake can write that story. Template-based books cannot, because templates have to work for everyone.

Paper Lake also suits gift-givers who care about craft. The ability to choose an art style, to have illustrations drawn from a real photo, to specify themes and morals. That level of control produces a book that feels considered and intentional. For milestone gifts like christenings, first birthdays, or adoption celebrations, that extra depth matters.

For Australian families specifically, the local printing and shipping is a practical advantage. No customs delays, no international tracking anxiety, and delivery inside a week.

• People who want a truly unique story written for one child
• Gift-givers looking for something memorable and personal
• Parents dealing with specific situations (new sibling, starting school, overcoming fears)
• Anyone who cares about art style and illustration quality
• Australian families who want fast, local delivery without international shipping costs

The bottom line

These are genuinely different products. Wonderbly sells personalised books. Paper Lake creates books that are personal.

Wonderbly is the reliable mainstream choice. It has been doing this for over a decade, the prices are accessible, the catalogue is huge, and millions of families have been happy with their books.

Paper Lake is for when you want something that could not exist for any other child. Every word written from scratch. Illustrations that actually look like your kid. A story shaped around their world, not a template. It costs a bit more, and it comes from a newer company, but for Australian families it actually arrives faster thanks to local printing.

For a quick, affordable gift, Wonderbly is a reliable choice. For a book your child will treasure, one where they see themselves in every illustration and hear their own story in every word, Paper Lake is worth every dollar.