The Best Free Microsoft Publisher AlternativesTop Desktop Publishers and other similar apps like Microsoft Publisher

The best free alternative to Microsoft Publisher is Scribus, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Microsoft Publisher and ten of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Microsoft Publisher are LibreOffice - Draw, Pages, Marq and 365Layouts.com.

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Microsoft Publisher alternatives are mainly Desktop Publishers, but if you're looking for Word Processors or Graphic Design Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free, Linux, Desktop Publishing, Online and Mac. 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 Microsoft Publisher.
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Alternatives list

  1. Scribus icon

    Scribus

     411 likes
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    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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    120
    Comments about Scribus as an Alternative to Microsoft Publisher
    RemovedUser
    Negative
    1

    Publisher only hints at using layers when you move objects in front of or behind other objects. The menus in Scribus aren't comparable or intuitive, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to edit images inside the image frame scribus, which Publisher lets you do.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    It's nothing like publisher: it's very inflexible, the contrary of the drag-and-drop apps nowadays. Not fluent to work with even for texts, not at all for images. The use feels like 20 years back-in-time. In the very past, it will have been really nice, but now it's extremely outdated.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    wyrazik
    Positive
    -2

    Scribus gives full control over the DTP process

    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Microsoft Publisher Icon
    Scribus icon

    • Most users think Scribus is a great Microsoft Publisher alternative.

    • Scribus is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Microsoft Publisher.

    • Scribus is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Microsoft Publisher.

    • Scribus is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Publisher is Paid and Proprietary
    • Scribus is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Publisher is not according to our users
  2. LibreOffice - Draw icon

    LibreOffice - Draw

     311 likes
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    Draw lets you produce anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan, and gives you the means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. With a maximum page size of 300cm by 300cm, Draw is a an excellent package for producing technical drawings, general posters, and much else.

    97 LibreOffice - Draw alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    LibreOffice - Draw screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about LibreOffice - Draw as an Alternative to Microsoft Publisher
    Richie Scassellati
    Positive
    1

    When I saw LibreOffice Draw, the first thing I thought of was it being the alternative to Microsoft Publisher. It's nice to use as an alternative.

    Guest
    Negative
    1

    It is more of an alternative to Visio than publisher it is not a Dekstop publishing software Use Scribus for that purpose

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Publisher Icon
    LibreOffice - Draw icon

    • Most users think LibreOffice - Draw is a great Microsoft Publisher alternative.

    • LibreOffice - Draw is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Publisher is Paid and Proprietary
    • LibreOffice - Draw is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Publisher is not according to our users
  4. Pages icon

    Pages

     212 likes
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    Pages is a powerful word processor that lets you create stunning documents, and comes included with most Apple devices. And with real-time collaboration, your team can work together from anywhere, whether they’re on Mac, iPad, iPhone, or using a PC.

    79 Pages alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Online
    Pages screenshot 1
     
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    22
    Comments about Pages as an Alternative to Microsoft Publisher
    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Because nowadays is free and it has lots of similar features to Publisher!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Publisher Icon
    Pages icon

    • Most users think Pages is a great Microsoft Publisher alternative.

    • Pages is the most popular Web-based & iPhone alternative to Microsoft Publisher.

    • Pages is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft Publisher is Paid and Proprietary
  5. Marq icon

    Marq

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

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     
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    2
    15
    Comments about Marq as an Alternative to Microsoft Publisher
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    It's much more modern than Publisher. Love it for my small business!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    according to the description of what it can do, it might make my life a lot easier

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Publisher Icon
    Marq icon

    • Some users think Marq is a great Microsoft Publisher alternative, some don't.

    • Marq is the most popular SaaS alternative to Microsoft Publisher.

    • Marq is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft Publisher is Paid and Proprietary
  6. 365Layouts.com icon

    365Layouts.com

     3 likes
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    365Layouts is building an online drag and drop design platform to help small business owners create advertising materials with our free design templates.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    365Layouts.com screenshot 1
     
  7. Omegadoc Designer icon

    Omegadoc Designer

     Like
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    A DTP app that stands out with: 1 - One click export of fixed-layout eBooks in two popular formats: EPUB3 and Amazon KF8 (Mobi) formats. 2 - Styling modeled after CSS3. 3 - Superior multiple-page viewing capability. 4. Intuitive and easy to use UI.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Omegadoc Designer screenshot 1
     
  9. Growly Write icon

    Growly Write

     3 likes
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    It’s a word processor, not a nuclear reactor Perhaps the word processor you’ve been using has 100 times more features than you need. Or it won’t work the way you want it to — too many views or too few, and nothing makes any sense.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Growly Write screenshot 1
     
  10. Laidout icon

    Laidout

     5 likes
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    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.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Laidout screenshot 1
     
  11. Passepartout icon

    Passepartout

     4 likes
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    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
     
  12. Layup icon

    Layup

     1 like
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    Layup is your technical partner, and preferred tool, while creating unique experiences on the web. Web design is now in the hands of the designer. Creatives are free to be independant from developers, with a new design tool, new advanced features and a sophisticated HTML5 output...

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    Layup screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Layup as an Alternative to Microsoft Publisher
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Provides the best pre made themes

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Publisher Icon
    Layup icon
    • Layup is Free Personal and ProprietaryMicrosoft Publisher is Paid and Proprietary
10 of 10 Microsoft Publisher alternatives