Top 10 Alternatives To Adobe InDesign

Arek Dvornechuck
5 min readFeb 3, 2022

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Here’s a post for creative artists looking for the best free and low-cost InDesign alternatives.

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 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.

10 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. Spring Publisher — Most attractive
  10. 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 free before committing to a subscription.

How To Get Adobe CC For Free

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

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

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

It has an interface that is comparable to InDesign, making it simple to 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

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 layout 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 desktop and Web typesetting and layout application.

VivaDesigner

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

VivaDesigner has a free version, but the premium edition provides you with so 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 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 desktop publishing.

QuarkXpress

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 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 editing tool.

Swift Publisher


This basic piece of publishing software is made only for the Macintosh environment.

Swift Publisher has fewer 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 desktop publishing.

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

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