Last updated:
March 2, 2023

9 Best Adobe InDesign Alternatives in 2023

Looking for a great alternative to Adobe InDesign in 2023? Check out our list of the 9 best alternatives, whether you're a professional designer or a casual user, these tools offer powerful features and a user-friendly interface for all your publishing needs.

When it comes to desktop publishing software, Adobe InDesign is one of the most popular options.

Many experts like it for designing books, periodicals, posters, and other printed materials

What are the best Adobe InDesign alternatives?

Fortunately, you may do the task with other apps that are either free or much less expensive.

There aren't many feasible options, but we've identified the ones that the best alternatives that do exist.

The Best Alternatives To InDesign

Consider the following free and low-cost software solutions if you're not ready to commit to any Adobe software like InDesign.

9 Best InDesign Alternatives

  1. Scribus—Best free overall
  2. Affinity Publisher—Best paid overall
  3. Viva Designer—High-end alternative
  4. QuarkXpress—Most popular
  5. Swift Publisher—Best for Mac
  6. Lucidpress—Best browser-based
  7. Microsoft Publisher—Best for beginners
  8. Xara Designer—Best value
  9. Canva—Best for Android

How To Get Adobe InDesign for free

InDesign is an amazing product that does about everything you might want from a DTP but requires a monthly subscription.

It costs $20.99 per month or $52.99 per month when purchased as part of the Adobe Creative Suite.

How to get Adobe InDesign for free?

You can, however, try it out for a free trial before committing to a subscription.

How To Get Adobe Cc For Free

All of the key features of Adobe's creative tools come with a 7-day free trial?—Simply choose your plan and try it out for a free trial.

For information on how to get Adobe CC discounts, you can check out this YouTube video.

1. Scribus

If you are looking for an open-source and free alternative to InDesign, then Scribus is the right pick.

Scribus is the best free Adobe InDesign alternative.

This is by far, the most well-known and widely used free InDesign alternative.

Scribus is the best free Adobe InDesign alternative.

Scribus is compatible with Unix, Linux, BSD, macOS, Haiku, Windows, and many more.

It has an intuitive interface, that is comparable to InDesign, making it simple and easy to use, intuitive interface, easy to use interface learn, and it comes with various templates to get you started.

It also has an unusually extensive feature set for a free application.

The only drawback is that files created in other programs, like InDesign or Quark, cannot be imported.

Check out Scribus, a free InDesign alternative that is surprisingly powerful.

2. Affinity Publisher

If you want something that has a similar set of functionality to Adobe InDesign but is less expensive, look for Affinity Publisher.

Affinity Publisher is the best paid overall InDesign alternative.

It's available for Mac and PC, but not for Linux.

Affinity Publisher is the best paid overall InDesign alternative.

Although there is no iPad version yet, Affinity Publisher documents can be opened, edited, and exported in Affinity Designer for iPad and Affinity Photo.

Whether you're designing for print or online, it provides superb page and layout design capabilities.

This software is best for professional graphic designers who work in print and want to improve their productivity.

However, footnotes and endnotes are not supported, which could be a major issue for many book publishers.

Check out Affinity Publisher, an InDesign alternative that you can get at a much lower price.

3. VivaDesigner

VivaDesigner is a desktop and web-based publisher with a diverse set of capabilities.

VivaDesigner is a high-end alternative for InDesign.

It is the world's first high-end, full desktop publishing software and Web typesetting and page layout software application.

VivaDesigner is a high-end alternative for InDesign.

For such high-end software, the price is very affordable.

VivaDesigner has a free trial version, but the premium edition provides you with so many key features and much more.

All desktop operating systems and browsers are supported by this software and are also compatible with Adobe and Microsoft.

This is one of the best InDesign alternatives for Linux.

Check out VivaDesigner, the ultimate InDesign alternative for creative professionals.

4. QuarkXpress

Wondering what is the oldest desktop publishing software?—QuarkXpress is already in the industry even before the advent of InDesign.

QuarkXpress is the most popular InDesign alternative.

It was the de facto industry standard for best desktop publishing software.

QuarkXpress is the most popular InDesign alternative.

It was first launched in 1987, and QuarkXpress’ popularity peaked in the 1990s.

It's been updated on a regular basis over the years and is still a useful design tool even now.

The application uses simple procedures to import files and create layouts.

It's quick and simple to use, and it comes with a wealth of online training.

Check out QuarkXpress, the most preferred InDesign alternative of veteran graphics artists.

5. Swift Publisher

If you are looking for a low-cost InDesign alternative for Macs, here’s Swift Publisher for you to try.

Swift Publisher is the best InDesign alternative for Mac.

It was developed to be a user-friendly image editing tool.

Swift Publisher is the best InDesign alternative for Mac.


This basic piece of the desktop publishing tool and document management tool and software is made only for the Macintosh environment.

Swift Publisher has fewer advanced features than Adobe InDesign, but it is more advanced than Microsoft Publisher.

But it still uses the same familiar system of layers, grids, and formats as InDesign.

It's your one-stop-shop for page layout and other desktop publishing software.

Check out Swift Publisher, the InDesign alternative for Mac lovers professionals.

6. Lucidpress

Lucidpress is recommended for artists with basic desktop publishing skills.

Lucidpress is the best browser-based alternative to InDesign.

It provides both free templates and premium templates to help you get things done quickly and easily.

Lucidpress is the best browser-based alternative to InDesign.


This editing tool is developed by Lucid Software.

This InDesign alternative works with your web browser to complete publishing jobs.

It's as simple as dragging and dropping multiple items to make modifications and bring in photos.

Another important feature of Lucidpress is the ability to synchronize with other online storage resources like Google Docs, Facebook, etc.

If you're ready to pay, you can access more of these functions.

Check out Lucidpress, a flexible InDesign alternative for graphics artists looking for a flexible and powerful tool.

7. Microsoft Publisher

If you are looking for the best InDesign alternatives for Windows, Microsoft Publisher is one of them.

Microsoft Publisher is the best Adobe InDesign alternative for beginners.

Users can publish their work straight to other websites thanks to the user-friendly interface.

Microsoft Publisher is the best Adobe InDesign alternative for beginners.

This editing tool is good for beginners but not recommended for professional designers and creatives.

Microsoft Publisher’s other layout tools and typography capabilities are far less flexible.

This InDesign alternative has a simple, hassle-free program that makes creating documents with professional layouts a breeze.

If you're a newbie or a small firm looking to create simple marketing documents without having to master a lot of technical abilities, this is a good option.

Check out Microsoft Publisher, this is meant for budding artists wanted to start their image editing and publishing tools and careers.

8. Xara Designer

If you want to develop your own advertising material, you may want to download and try Xara for a free trial.

Xara Page and Layout Designer is the best value InDesign alternative.

Simple one-page layouts to multi-page brochures to complex page layouts are all possible with this application.

Xara Page and Layout Designer is the best value InDesign alternative.

In terms of desktop publishing tool and software, Xara is highly user-friendly for beginners.

There are professional templates and also a number of pre designed templates for free users of templates to help you get started quickly.

Technically, this InDesign alternative is not designed for professionals.

It lacks some of the key features, the professional features necessary for producing higher-quality works.

Check out Xara Designer, the best InDesign alternative that focuses on creating published digital documents, with ease.

9. Canva

Canvas target audience is anyone who wants to quickly and simply create stunning visuals.

Canva is the best InDesign alternative for Android and IOS.

It stands out because it is a free-to-use website that only asks you to register an account.

Canva is the best InDesign alternative for Android and IOS.

This popular drag-and-drop tool is so simple to use.

Even a novice layout designer can develop a text-based design that appears professional.

Its major objective, like InDesign's, is to assist you in creating graphic designs for a variety of projects, both online and offline.

Canva is a low-cost, simple-to-use alternative to more comprehensive, desktop publishing software and tools.

Check out Canva, not your traditional desktop-publishing app, but still one of the finest alternatives to InDesign.

Conclusions

While the Adobe InDesign alternatives we've discussed above aren't as strong, they can be a good fit in many situations.

What is the best Adobe InDesign alternative?

To summarize, Scribus is the best free Adobe InDesign alternative.

Affinity Publisher and VivaDesigner are also good choices as paid InDesign options.

The next thing to do now is to select the most appropriate program for your needs and requirements.

Other Related Articles:

Which do you think is the best Adobe InDesign alternative now that I've featured my top picks?

Did I miss something?—Leave a comment below.

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