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    Free Adobe InDesign Alternatives

    The best free alternative to Adobe InDesign is Scribus, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Adobe InDesign and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Adobe InDesign are Canva (Freemium), Polotno Studio (Free, Open Source), Desygner (Freemium) and Lucidpress (Freemium).

    This page was last updated Aug 17, 2021
    1. Scribus is a desktop publishing (DTP) application. Scribus is designed for flexible layout and typesetting, and the ability to prepare files for professional quality image setting equipment. It can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms.
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      Scribus vs Adobe InDesign opinions
      Most users think Scribus is a great alternative to Adobe InDesign.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      I work with designers who send me PDFs as finished products. Sometimes I have to just make a small change here or there, and rather than going through a hassle of contracting someone for 10 minutes of work, I use Scribus to edit the files. I haven't used InDesign because it is too expensive and too much of a hassle to justify purchasing at work. Scribus can do the job that I need it to do. I have also used it to desing my CV and some other small projects, and I am very happy with it.
      Top positive comment  almost 3 years ago

      5
      Powerful and in-depth, lots of features. You can definitely produce professional work with Scribus. Usability is a mixed bag; get ready to meet plenty of quirks and learn some hacks which which really shouldn't be necessary (and some patchy, outdated documentation). In short: can be quite frustrating, but about as good it gets for professional output at the price of free.
      Top positive comment  almost 3 years ago

      4
      It's hideous, poorly designed and just not comparable to the sleek (if easy to learn) professional appeal of InDesign. I haven't used it enough to compare the features but I truly hope there is a better alternative to InDesign somewhere
      Top negative comment  over 2 years ago

      2
      Very powerful layouting tool, as long as you use a newer version.
      Positive comment • over 2 years ago

      3
      Very useful and complete. It has everything I need to work with, and the color management is just the best I've tired. I've been working in graphic design with Scribus for five years and it solves all my needs. I'm gonna s.top, because it looks like I'm one of those infomercial people, but I really recommend it.
      Positive comment • over 2 years ago

      2
      itstimefory2k InDesign has more features than Scribus.
      Negative comment • over 2 years ago

      2
      absolute pain in the $$$ to work with. lacks basic functionality like showing up the font you select in the actual page
      Negative comment • over 4 years ago

      15
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      7 of 8 comments
    2. Canva gives you everything you need to easily turn ideas into stunning designs. Create designs for Web or print: - blog graphics - presentations - Facebook covers - flyers - posters - invitations - and so much more
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      Canva vs Adobe InDesign opinions
      Some users think Canva is a great alternative to Adobe InDesign, some don't.
      Canva is a great tool for making a simple social media post, but it is not an industry-standard design software competitor.
      Negative comment • almost 4 years ago

      13
      Easy to use interface, lots of free photos, templates and fonts. Gives you the opportunity to work fast, in your browser, with professional results.
      Positive comment • almost 3 years ago

      1
      Canva is a good layout but has none of the advanced text editing functionality that InDesign has.
      Negative comment • over 4 years ago

      10
      Canva is certainly not an advanced design software, but for a home user on small to medium projects it is an excellent alternative to InDesign.
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      -1
    4. Free online design editor. Create images for social media, YouTube previews, Facebook covers.
    5. Desygner is an online and mobile design solution, which offers a simpler alternative to expensive and complicated design suites. The collaborative design tool allows anyone to create beautiful designs regardless of skill level.
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      Desygner vs Adobe InDesign opinions
      pros, cons and recent comments
      It simply doesn't offer file upload. I'm looking for a online solution to edit my .indd files...
      Negative comment • about 3 years ago

      -6
    6. Lucidpress is a web-based design and layout application that enables anyone to create beautiful print and digital documents.
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      Some users think Lucidpress is a great alternative to Adobe InDesign, some don't.
    8. A simple new way to design We created DesignBold with the goal of making it fun and effortless to create your designs. Expect epic and sophisticated results without any need for technical expertise!
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    9. Laidout is desktop publishing software, particularly for multipage, cut and folded booklets, with page sizes that don't even have to be rectangular. The whole page view can be rotated to any angle. Warping is implemented.
      Almost everyone thinks Laidout is a great alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    10. reThumbnail

      • Freemium • Proprietary
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Software as a Service (SaaS)
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      reThumbnail, which is re (re: a prefix that means”again” to indicate repetition) + thumbnail (small image representation to make it easier and faster to look at a video)
      reThumbnail vs Adobe InDesign opinions
      pros, cons and recent comments
      Not similar at all in function
      Negative comment • over 1 year ago

      0

    11. FontPair

      • Freemium • Proprietary
      • Online
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      Choosing between thousands of different fonts is hard. However, typography is a crucial part of good design. Whether you're designing a poster or a website you need to use good typography.
    12. Vistacreate is an online graphic design editor that offers over 6000 free design templates for social media posts, advertising materials and other graphics. (Bought Crello).
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    Showing 10 of 23 alternatives