The 5 Best Alternatives to Microsoft Publisher on Windows 10
Microsoft Publisher is a convenient and effective tool in the design world today. This tool is mainly for small business owners or individuals who wish to bypass professionals when designing marketing resources. This includes banners, fliers, or documents as simple as birthday cards.
While this software has many exciting and functional features, other alternatives appeal to different users and their project types. These alternatives, like Microsoft Publisher, have advantages and disadvantages, with some being more suitable for some tasks than others.
As such, we will look into these alternatives, their peculiar features, and general working mechanisms.
1. Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is one of the most popular desktop publishing software. It’s known for its versatility among graphic designers, publishers, marketing professionals, and freelancers. This application helps to create and publish professional-looking print and digital media.
Some of its features include creating a wide range of designs, from simple business cards to interactive PDFs and eBooks. It also allows you to add multimedia elements like audio, videos, and animations to these designs. While the interface is more complex than Microsoft Publisher, you canlearn to use Adobe InDesignfrom free tutorials online.
The software also comes with various typography and graphic tools, allowing you to customize your designs to your liking. Another advantage of Adobe InDesign is its integration with other Adobe software, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. This allows for easy file transfers and collaboration between programs.
Despite these features, Adobe InDesign has its fair share of disadvantages. One major snag is its price point. The single-app plan is $22.56 monthly with a 7-day free trial period. And though many users claim it’s worth the money, you should still consider your budget before committing.
Download:Adobe InDesign(Subscription required, free trial available)
2. Scribus
Scribus is a free, open-source desktop publishing software that allows users to create professional-looking layouts for print and digital media. The company aims to make desktop publishing software programs accessible to professional and amateur designers working on publications.
This application supports a wide range of file formats like PDFs, EPS, and SVG, which allow users to collaborate and export their designs in these various formats. Scribus provides tools for creating and manipulating text, graphics, and other design elements.
As a free application, it is available to small businesses and non-profit organizations as an effective alternative to more expensive and elaborate programs. It is also available in different languages.
On the downside, Scribus is less user-friendly than other publishing applications, especially for those without design experience. It has some advanced features that may require additional knowledge of desktop publishing principles. Additionally, its interface can seem cluttered and overwhelming for some users.
Download:Scribus(Free)
3. Affinity Publisher
Affinity Publisher is a professional design and publishing software developed by Serif in 2018. It’s mainly used for creating and publishing different kinds of documents, from brochures, magazines, and books to marketing materials.
Affinity Publisher provides a wide range of layout features and advanced typography tools. This includes ligatures and drop caps with an allowance for importing fonts from third-party sources like Google Fonts.
This software is compatible with all major file formats. Thus, enabling you to export your documents and even collaborate with other users in real time using its StudioLink technology. This feature also integrates with other Affinity apps like Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, allowing users to access the vector and raster functionalities directly within the Publisher.
One key advantage Affinity Publisher has over most other publishers is that it requires a one-time purchase with no additional monthly costs. The standalone price for Affinity Publisher is $69.99. But if you wish to purchase the suite (Publisher, Designer, and Photo) on all your devices, you’d have to cough up $169.99.
Download:Affinity Publisher(Free trial available, One-time Purchase)
Canva is a graphic design platform that accommodates the needs of individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises. Its numerous features make it popular among marketers, social media managers, bloggers, and educators who need to create visual content.
This application has a user-friendly interface, various templates, and over one million stock photos and illustrations that users can leverage in their designs. It also allows multiple users to work on a design simultaneously, making it easy for teams to collaborate on projects.
While Canva is a downloadable application for most devices, including Windows, you could access it through the web-based platform. The software also has different pricing options ranging from the free plan, Canva Pro at $12.99 per month, and Canva Teams starting at $14.99 monthly for five people.
One of the main advantages is that you can easilylearn how to use Canvaand make the most of it, even with the free plan. However, it may not have all the advanced features that professional designers need, and customizing some templates may be challenging.
Download:Canva(Free, Subscription available)
Marq is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses create and design brand assets like logos, brochures, posters, and other similar documents. This application works for marketing teams, designers, and brand managers who work on a large volume of marketing and promotional materials.
Like most other publishing software, Marq has an array of customizable templates you can tweak to make unique designs. It also provides a centralized location for your brand assets and designs, making them easy to access and use whenever needed.
Another advantage of using Marq is that it is a web-based application. As such, you don’t need to worry about installation or compatibility issues.
Making the Best Choice in Design and Publishing
Knowing there are many options and alternatives to Microsoft Publisher, you must consider a couple of things before choosing. This includes standout features, device and collaborative compatibility, customization options, and your budget.
Ultimately, these options will ensure you can create beautiful designs for your organization or personal endeavors.
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