The Best Adobe InDesign AlternativesTop Desktop Publishers and other similar apps like Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is described as 'Industry-standard software for print and digital design with advanced typographic controls and integration in the Adobe Creative Suite' and is a very popular desktop publisher in the ai tools & services category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Adobe InDesign for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Windows, Mac, SaaS and Linux apps. The best Adobe InDesign alternative is Scribus, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Adobe InDesign are Affinity Publisher, Affinity, Canva and QuarkXPress.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe InDesign alternatives are mainly Desktop Publishers, but if you're looking for Graphic Design Tools or Vector Graphic Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Free, Linux, Mac, Android, iPad and Chrome OS. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe InDesign.
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Alternatives list

  1. Scribus icon

    Scribus

     416 likes

    Open-source desktop publishing software offering flexible layouts and typesetting, professional image setting, CMYK support, interactive PDFs, vector tools, and wide format support, perfect for creating newspapers, brochures, and more on Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD.

    27 Scribus alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Oracle Solaris
    • Flatpak
    Scribus screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Scribus vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    maurosoft391
    3

    depsite it's poorly designed, scribus is somewhat easy to use. the font problem can be fixable by writing in the internal editor

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    15

    absolute pain in the $$$ to work with. lacks basic functionality like showing up the font you select in the actual page

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    It's very basic, and needs a lot of work to do even the simplest of things properly.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    • Scribus is Free and Open SourceAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Scribus is Lightweight and Privacy focusedAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  2. Affinity Publisher icon

    Affinity Publisher

     86 likes

    Affinity's professional desktop publishing software offers seamless integration with the Affinity suite, live document views, cloud collaboration, and advanced typography tools, providing users a flexible editing experience with support for large files, preflight tools, customizable UI color management features.

    26 Affinity Publisher alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
    Affinity Publisher screenshot 1
     
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    8
    Affinity Publisher vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    3

    Until now, QuarkXPress was the only professional alternative to InDesign, but there's now a new contender: Affinity Publisher. I was already using Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, and it's an essential addition to the suite. Really great to see new professional products breaking the Adobe monopoly.

    Noah
    Positive
    0

    It has the same features as InDesign and a much friendlier financing model without a horrendously expensive subscription and the more intuitive UI im my opinion.

    ashf
    Positive
    0

    Fast, flexible with designing

    3 of 8 comments
    • Affinity Publisher is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
  4. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     59 likes

    Unified design solution merging advanced photo, vector, and layout tools for seamless workflow, non-destructive editing, RAW support, batch processing, AI enhancements, GPU acceleration, file compatibility, cloud asset integration, and tailored workspace options.

    67 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
  6. Canva icon

    Canva

     386 likes

    A comprehensive design application combining innovative photo and video editing with advanced AI capabilities to streamline creating designs. Users can produce unique graphics, engaging social media content using customizable templates and thousands of images, videos, and fonts accessible through its vast library.

    98 Canva alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Canva screenshot 1
     
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    7
    Canva vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    DalsPhotography
    1

    Canva has now purchased all the Affinity company. Yet, you can still use them as separate software, but I don't know for how long!

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    11

    Canva is a good layout but has none of the advanced text editing functionality that InDesign has.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Canva is not made for layouts

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 7 comments
    • Canva is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Canva is Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  7. QuarkXPress icon

    QuarkXPress

     26 likes

    Page layout tool for print and digital publishing featuring graphics editing, rich illustration support, image correction, responsive design conversion, native object handling, content automation, synchronized updates, and flexible workflow for creative projects.

    22 QuarkXPress alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    QuarkXPress screenshot 1
     
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    4
    QuarkXPress vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Paul
    Positive
    2

    Way better than the competition. I learned Adobe InDesign when I was in school but I now use QuarkXPress for work.

    martinturner
    Positive
    4

    2 generations ahead of InDesign and available as a permanent purchase with no subscription. Converts all types of PDF files to native objects and outputs HTML5 and iOS apps in addition to industry-standard PDF for print.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Innovative features, like make PDF editable, create HTML5, as many apps as I want etc. And I can buy a license which I keep. At $185 for an upgrade. Plus it is fast, launches within 6 seconds.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    • QuarkXPress is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
  8. VivaDesigner icon

    VivaDesigner

     9 likes

    This economically priced high end DTP program is extremely powerful and still very easy to use. With its innovative concepts, you can decisively improve your working processes and document management. With VivaDesigner, all collaborations between end customers, corporations and...

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    VivaDesigner screenshot 1
     
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    2
    VivaDesigner vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    BlueTen
    Positive
    0

    I moved to Linux recently and honestly didn't think I'd find a way to import my old InDesign files or even find a user-friendly app to recreate them in. Viva's got all that covered. Tried the free version, and it has everything I need!

    Nice and intuitive interface, snappy and performant. For ease of use on Linux, it comes in .appimage format, which means you should be able to run it no matter what distro you've chosen (like a portable .exe on windows).

    Guest
    Positive
    5

    It has 95-99% of all the features of InDesigner, can read and write Adobe InDesign files based on IDML and is the only app that is also available for the browser without any installation for the client. And last but not least you can buy or rent it and there is even a free version!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • VivaDesigner is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
  10. Desygner icon

    Desygner

     95 likes

    Desygner is an online and mobile design solution, which offers a simpler alternative to expensive and complicated design suites.

    181 Desygner alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Desygner screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Desygner vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Osiris Berbesia
    Negative
    3

    No similar at all to indesign

    Guest
    Negative
    -6

    It simply doesn't offer file upload. I'm looking for a online solution to edit my .indd files...

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Desygner is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
  11. Microsoft Publisher icon

    Microsoft Publisher

     60 likes

    Integrated within the Microsoft Office Suite, this tool empowers users to create, personalize, and share diverse publications and marketing materials. It aids in brand building, track campaigns, and manage customer lists, with capabilities for print, web, and email distribution.

    25 Microsoft Publisher alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Microsoft Publisher screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Microsoft Publisher vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    8

    Most of the essential InDesign functions are not there.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Good for very simple job. Nice for merging data (db) and presentation !

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Covers all the essentials of good DTP software if you're willing to get into the help documentation and find them (more complicated features are somewhat hidden). Vastly more affordable than InDesign or Quark, and vastly more capable than most of the rest of the options. I personally like it because I'm old school and was trained on Aldus Pagemaker, and MS Publisher has a Pagemaker-like feel.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Microsoft Publisher is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
  12. Polotno icon

    Polotno

     21 likes

    A versatile visual design suite offering an intuitive canvas editor, automated template creation for social media and ads, video editing integration for apps, and asset management through unlimited libraries. Supports various storage options and is made for creative scale.

    92 Polotno alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Polotno screenshot 1
     
  13. Marq icon

    Marq

     42 likes

    Marq, formerly Lucidpress, is a brand-templating platform that empowers everyone to build on-brand.

    62 Marq alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     
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    1
    Marq vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    It's so unwieldy compared to InDesign, and super slow.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Marq is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
  14. Aktivisda icon

    Aktivisda

     11 likes

    Aktivisda is a web application to facilitate the creation of visuals that use the graphic charter of an organization, and the spreading of this graphic charter.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    Aktivisda screenshot 1
     
  15. Swift Publisher icon

    Swift Publisher

     10 likes

    Swift Publisher is an easy-to-use page layout and desktop publishing app for Mac. This software provides all you need for creating impressive and professional-looking documents such as flyers, brochures, catalogs, magazines, booklets, newsletters, calendars, posters, menus...

    43 Swift Publisher alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Swift Publisher screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Swift Publisher vs Adobe InDesign Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It's inexpensive and very straightforward. It misses some of the hi-end features of InDesign, but is very good for basic tasks such as designing flyers, posters or brochures. Handling of text could be better though. Overall, it's a very good app for its price.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Swift Publisher is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
12 of 58 Adobe InDesign alternatives