Adobe InDesign Alternatives for Linux

Adobe InDesign is not available for Linux but there are some alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is Scribus, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe InDesign and eight of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Adobe InDesign are Canva, VivaDesigner, Laidout and PageStream.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe InDesign alternatives are mainly Desktop Publishers, but if you're looking for Graphic Design Tools or Image Editors 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

     411 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.

    26 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
    130
    Comments about Scribus as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    Comment summary: Scribus is viewed as a competent alternative to Adobe InDesign, praised for its comprehensive features and ability to produce professional work, especially for users valuing free software. However, it attracts criticism for its outdated user interface and occasional usability issues, such as difficulties in performing basic tasks and a lack of alignment features. While some find it suitable for small projects, others struggle with its more complex functions in comparison to InDesign.
    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
    Adobe InDesign Icon
    Scribus icon

    • Most users think Scribus is a great Adobe InDesign alternative.

    • Scribus is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • Scribus is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • 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. Canva icon

    Canva

     384 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.

    93 Canva alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • 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
    35
    Comments about Canva as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    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
    Adobe InDesign Icon
    Canva icon

    • Some users think Canva is a great Adobe InDesign alternative, some don't.

    • Canva is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone, SaaS & Android Tablet alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • Canva is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Canva is Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  4. 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...

    49 VivaDesigner alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    VivaDesigner screenshot 1
     
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    2
    15
    Comments about VivaDesigner as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    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.
    Adobe InDesign Icon
    VivaDesigner icon

    • Almost everyone thinks VivaDesigner is a great Adobe InDesign alternative.

    • VivaDesigner is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe InDesign is also Paid and Proprietary
  5. Laidout icon

    Laidout

     5 likes

    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.

    16 Laidout alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Laidout screenshot 1
     
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    1
    8
    Comments about Laidout as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    1

    it's poorly designed and looks like a program from the 1990s

    Adobe InDesign Icon
    Laidout icon

    • Most users think Laidout is a great Adobe InDesign alternative.

    • Laidout is Free and Open SourceAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Laidout is LightweightAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  6. PageStream icon

    PageStream

     6 likes

    Pagestream is a proprietary desktop publishing program for Linux, Windows, Macintosh, and Amiga. It was originally released under the name Publishing Partner in 1986.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • AmigaOS
    PageStream screenshot 1
     
  7. pagination.com icon

    pagination.com

     1 like

    Pagination lets you connect data from any source with custom InDesign layouts, and automatically create beautiful catalogs and price lists.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
  9. BroadVision QuickSilver icon

    BroadVision QuickSilver

     Like

    BroadVision QuickSilver enables businesses to create and publish lengthy, complex documents in virtually any language and any format.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  10. Passepartout icon

    Passepartout

     4 likes

    Passepartout is a desktop publishing system that is based on the idea of automatic typesetting of streams of XML based text documents.The project was started back in 2002 to facilitate a particular task — creating a newspaper. These days the project is somewhat dormant.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Passepartout screenshot 1
     
8 of 8 Adobe InDesign alternatives