Comparison of desktop publishing software

Short description: none

The following is a comparison of major desktop publishing software.

## Contents

* 1 Overview
* 2 OS and Online support
* 3 Input format
* 4 Output format
* 5 See also
* 6 Notes
* 7 References

## Overview

This table provides general software information including the developer, latest stable version, the year in which the software was first released, and the license under which it is available.

Desktop publishing software  | Developer(s)  | Latest stable version  | Initial release  | License

|
|
|
|

Affinity Publisher | Serif Europe  | 2.3.0 30 November 2023; 2 years ago (2023-11-30)[1] | 2019 (2019) | Proprietary
Apache OpenOffice Writer | Apache Software Foundation and others  | Error: first parameter is missing. () | 2002 (2002)[2] | Apache License 2.0 (Apache OpenOffice 3.4 and later)
Canva | Canva Pty Ltd  | Rolling updates  | 2013 (2013) | Proprietary SaaS
Collabora Online[3] | Collabora | Error: first parameter is missing. () | 2016 (2016) [4] | MPL-2.0 and others
CorelDRAW | Corel | 24.5 September 18, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-09-18) | 1989 (1989) | Proprietary
InDesign  | Adobe | CC 2024 20.0 October 2024; 1 year ago (2024-10) | 1999 (1999) | Proprietary Trialware
LibreOffice Draw[5] | The Document Foundation | Error: first parameter is missing. () | 2011 (2011) | LGPL v3
LyX | The LyX Team  | Error: first parameter is missing. () | 1995 (1995) | GPL v2[6]
Marq | Draper | Rolling updates  | 2013  | Proprietary SaaS
Microsoft Publisher | Microsoft Corporation  | 2021 October 5, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-10-05)[7] | 1991 (1991) | Proprietary Trialware
Pages  | Apple Inc. | 13.2 September 21, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-09-21)[8] | 2005 (2005) | Proprietary
QuarkXPress | Quark, Inc.  | 2024 20.0.0 November 14, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-11-14) | 1987 (1987) | Proprietary
Scribus | The Scribus Team  | 1.6.4[9] 20 April 2025; 15 months ago (2025-04-20) | 2003 (2003) | GPL
The Print Shop | Broderbund | 23.1 2009; 17 years ago (2009)[lower-alpha 1] | 1984 (1984) | Proprietary
VivaDesigner  | Viva Vertrieb GmbH  | 11.4.0.9212 18 July 2025; 12 months ago (2025-07-18)[10] | 1992 (1992) | Proprietary
Desktop publishing software  | Developer(s)  | Latest stable version | Initial release  | License

## OS and Online support

This table shows Operating System (OS) compatibility with the latest version of the desktop publishing applications, there are five possibilities:

* No indicates that it does not exist or was never released.
* Partial indicates that the application lacks important functionality and it is still being developed.
* Beta indicates that while a version of the application is fully functional and has been released, it is still in development (e.g. for stability).
* Yes indicates that the application has been officially released in a fully functional, stable version.
* Dropped indicates that while the application works, new versions are no longer being released for the indicated OS; the number in parentheses is the last known stable version which was officially released for that OS.

Application names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.

Desktop publishing software  | Android  | ChromeOS  | iOS  | iPadOS  | Linux  | MacOS  | Windows  | Web, Online, Cloud  | Other OS

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Affinity Publisher | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No[11]
Apache OpenOffice Writer | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes[lower-alpha 2] | Yes  | No  | Yes[12][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4]
Canva | Yes[lower-alpha 5] (App[13] and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes[lower-alpha 5] (App[14] and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes  | No[15]
Collabora Online | Yes[lower-alpha 5] (App[16] and Online)  | Yes (App[17] and Online)  | Yes[lower-alpha 5] (App[18] and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes (App[19] and Online)  | Yes (App and Online)  | Yes  | Yes[lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 4]
CorelDRAW | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No[20]
InDesign  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No[21]
LibreOffice | No  | Yes[22][lower-alpha 4] | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes[lower-alpha 6]
LyX | No  | Yes[23] | No  | No  | Yes[24] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | OS/2, Haiku
Marq | Yes[lower-alpha 5][25] (Online)  | Yes (Online)  | Yes[lower-alpha 5][26] (Online)  | Yes (Online)  | Yes (Online)  | Yes (Online)  | Yes (Online)  | Yes  | No
Microsoft Publisher | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | No
Pages  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes[27] | No  | No  | No
QuarkXPress | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes[28] | Yes  | No  | No
Scribus | No  | Yes[29] | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | OS/2 Warp 4, ArcaOS, eComStation, OpenIndiana, Solaris, Haiku
The Print Shop | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | No
VivaDesigner  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No
Desktop publishing software  | Android | ChromeOS | iOS | iPadOS | Linux | MacOS | Windows | Web, Online, Cloud  | Other OS

## Input format

This table gives a comparison of the file formats that can be opened or imported.

Desktop publishing software  | PDF  | EPS  | SVG  | HTML  | OpenDocument ODT  | Microsoft DOCX  | Other

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Affinity Publisher | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes[30]
Apache OpenOffice Writer | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | Yes[31]
Canva | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | PNG, WebP, audio, video, fonts, others[32]
Collabora Online | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | PUB, TeX/LaTeX, WebP, others[33][34]
CorelDRAW | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | others[35]
InDesign  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | WebP, others[36]
LibreOffice | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | PUB, WPD, TeX/LaTeX, RTF, others[37]
LyX | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | CSV, TeX/LaTeX, others[38]
Marq | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | PNG
Microsoft Publisher | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | RTF
Pages  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | RTF[39]
QuarkXPress | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | PSD, AI, SWF, PNG PDF, RTF
Scribus | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | PUB, TeX/LaTeX, others List
The Print Shop | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No
Desktop publishing software  | PDF | EPS | SVG | HTML | OpenDocument ODT  | Microsoft DOCX  | Other

## Output format

This table gives a comparison of the file formats each software can export or save.

Desktop publishing software  | PDF  | EPS  | PNG  | SVG  | WebP  | EPUB  | HTML  | Other

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Affinity Publisher | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | Yes, others[40]
Apache OpenOffice Writer | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | [41]
Canva | Yes  | No  | Yes[lower-alpha 7][42] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | JPEG, Video:GIF, MP4, others[43]
Collabora Online | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | ODF, others[44][45]
CorelDRAW | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | PSD, AI, SWF, WPD, others[46]
InDesign  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | JPG, RTF, others[47]
LibreOffice | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | ODF, JPEG, RTF, other[48]
LyX | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | PS, ODF, TeX/LaTeX, DOCX, others[49]
Marq | Yes  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | No  | JPEG, GIF, MP4, others[50]
Microsoft Publisher | Yes  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | JPG, TIFF
Pages  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | RTF[51]
QuarkXPress | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Kindle[52]
Scribus | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | List, TeX/LaTeX
The Print Shop | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No
Desktop publishing software  | PDF | EPS | PNG | SVG | WebP | EPUB | HTML | Other

## See also

* List of desktop publishing software
* List of office suites
* Comparison of office suites

## Notes

1. ↑ release date not stated on vendors web page
2. ↑ Rosetta 2 emulation is required to run on all current Apple macOS hardware which use Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3...). Native CPU support remains for previous Intel based macOS devives.
3. ↑ Build your own application from source code
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 unsupported
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 not supported on mobile web browsers.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Online or Build your own application from source code
7. ↑ The free version of Canva does not support transparent backgrounds. Canva Pro or Enterprise have an option to “Remove Background” from images

## References

1. ↑ "Latest Affinity V2 releases on each platform by store". 8 November 2022. https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/170203-latest-affinity-v2-releases-on-each-platform-by-store/.
2. ↑ "The Apache OpenOffice Project Announces Apache OpenOffice 3.4" (Press release). Apache Software Foundation. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
3. ↑ "Create great flyers, newsletters, brochures and more with open source software". https://opensource.com/alternatives/microsoft-publisher.
4. ↑ "Collabora Productivity releases Collabora Online 1.0 "Engine" for Hosters and Clouds" (Press release). Collabora Productivity. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016. "Collabora Productivity, the driving force behind putting LibreOffice in the Cloud, has released the first production grade version of Collabora Online, its flagship cloud document suite solution."
5. ↑ "Create great flyers, newsletters, brochures, and more with open source software". https://opensource.com/alternatives/microsoft-publisher.
6. ↑ "License". https://www.lyx.org/License.
7. ↑ "See what's in Office 2021". Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20230330103316/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/get-started-with-office-2021.
8. ↑ "Pages on the Mac App Store". June 13, 2023. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/pages/id409201541.
9. ↑ "1.6.4 Release". https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/1.6.4_Release.
10. ↑ "History Version 11 - VIVA". https://viva.systems/history-version-11/.
11. ↑ "System requirements". https://affinity.help/photo/en-US.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Appendix/system_requirements.html?title=System requirements.
12. ↑ "System requirements". https://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs.html#:~:text=The following platforms are supported,X (x86-64 only)title=System requirements.
13. ↑ "Canva: Design, Photo & Video". https://play.google.com/store/search?q=canva&c=apps.
14. ↑ "Mac App Store Preview". https://apps.apple.com/au/app/canva-design-photo-video/id897446215.
15. ↑ "Technical requirements". https://www.canva.com/en_au/help/technical-requirements/.
16. ↑ "Google Play Store". https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.collabora.libreoffice&hl=en_AU&gl=US. "Collabora Office - LibreOffice based editor for Microsoft Office, LibreOffice and OpenOffice docs."
17. ↑ "Collabora Office 6.4 Launches For Android, iOS & Chrome OS". KYM Know Your Mobile. 2020-12-02. https://www.knowyourmobile.com/news/collabora-office-6-4-launches-for-android-ios-chromeos/. "...it works on desktop and mobile, and it will sync up between devices too, so you can start something on your desktop PC and then pick it up later on your phone and/or tablet."
18. ↑ "Apple App Store". https://apps.apple.com/us/app/collabora-office/id1440482071. "Collabora Office - This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone and iPad."
19. ↑ "Collabora Office Enterprise-ready Office Suite for Windows, MacOS and Linux". https://www.collaboraoffice.com/collabora-office/.
20. ↑ "Product Info Sheet". https://www.coreldraw.com/en/pages/product-info-sheet/.
21. ↑ "InDesign system requirements". https://helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/system-requirements.html.
22. ↑ "3 alternatives for Microsoft Publisher on your Chromebook". 17 August 2020. https://chromeunboxed.com/3-alternatives-for-microsoft-publisher-on-your-chromebook/#:~:text=To install Scribus, you can,when the installation is complete..
23. ↑ "How to setup Lyx on a Chromebook". https://wiki.lyx.org/Chrome/Chrome.
24. ↑ "Step-By-Step Installation of Lyx on Linux, macOS, and Windows". 14 August 2023. https://www.baeldung.com/cs/lyx-installation.
25. ↑ "System requirements". https://help.marq.com/system-requirements.
26. ↑ "System requirements". https://help.marq.com/system-requirements.
27. ↑ "Pages User Guide for Mac". https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/pages/tan72489eaa/mac#:~:text=Minimum system requirements&text=An iPhone with iOS 16.0,computer and a supported browser.
28. ↑ "Getting Started with QuarkXPress 2023". https://www.quark.com/documentation/quarkxpress/2023/english/Getting Started with QuarkXPress 2023/_f51cb2db-ae89-4578-9354-0a3e6060c9c9.html.
29. ↑ "3 alternatives for Microsoft Publisher on your Chromebook". 17 August 2020. https://chromeunboxed.com/3-alternatives-for-microsoft-publisher-on-your-chromebook/#:~:text=To install Scribus, you can,when the installation is complete..
30. ↑ "Import and export file formats". https://affinity.help/designer/en-US.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Appendix/fileformat.html.
31. ↑ "File Formats". https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/OOoAuthors_User_Manual/Getting_Started/File_formats.
32. ↑ "Upload formats and requirements". https://www.canva.com/help/upload-formats-requirements/.
33. ↑ "interoperability with over 100 third party documents formats". https://www.collaboraoffice.com/libreoffice-from-collabora/.
34. ↑ "Which formats can the programs of Collabora Online read?". https://sdk.collaboraonline.com/docs/faq.html.
35. ↑ "Supported file formats". https://product.corel.com/help/CorelDRAW/540111147/index.html?app=CorelDRAW&lang=en#/l2TOC481.
36. ↑ "Supported file formats for InDesign". https://helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/using/supported-file-formats.html.
37. ↑ "Working with File Formats, Security, and Exporting". 18 January 2023. https://books.libreoffice.org/en/GS74/GS7410-FileFormatsSecurityExporting.html.
38. ↑ "UserGuide, see IMPORT". https://wiki.lyx.org/LyX/Manuals.
39. ↑ "Pages User Guide for iPhone". https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/pages-iphone/tancdeedb11c/ios#:~:text=doc or .,in PDF or EPUB formats..
40. ↑ "Import and export file formats". https://affinity.help/designer/en-US.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Appendix/fileformat.html.
41. ↑ "File Formats". https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/OOoAuthors_User_Manual/Getting_Started/File_formats.
42. ↑ "Download design with transparent background". https://www.canva.com/help/transparent-background/#:~:text=Downloading with a transparent background,and Canva for Nonprofits users.&text=Set your background color to,the toolbar above the editor..
43. ↑ "Supported download file types". https://www.canva.com/help/download-file-types/.
44. ↑ "interoperability with over 100 third party documents formats". https://www.collaboraoffice.com/libreoffice-from-collabora/.
45. ↑ "Which formats can the programs of Collabora Online read?". https://sdk.collaboraonline.com/docs/faq.html.
46. ↑ "Supported file formats". https://product.corel.com/help/CorelDRAW/540111147/index.html?app=CorelDRAW&lang=en#/l2TOC481.
47. ↑ "Supported file formats for InDesign". https://helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/using/supported-file-formats.html.
48. ↑ "Working with File Formats, Security, and Exporting". 18 January 2023. https://books.libreoffice.org/en/GS74/GS7410-FileFormatsSecurityExporting.html.
49. ↑ "UserGuide, see EXPORT". https://wiki.lyx.org/LyX/Manuals.
50. ↑ "Download export settings". https://help.marq.com/download-export-settings.
51. ↑ "Pages User Guide for iPhone". https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/pages-iphone/tancdeedb11c/ios#:~:text=doc or .,in PDF or EPUB formats..
52. ↑ "Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress 2022". https://www.quark.com/documentation/quarkxpress/2022/english/Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress 2022/_339c7525-6885-45ed-b6e6-3c0578a00e6b.html.

* v
* t
* e

Desktop publishing software

Free software|

* Scribus
* LyX
* LibreOffice Draw

Software freeware|

* PagePlus SE
* PDF-XChange
* Fatpaint (Cloud-based)

Proprietary software|

* Acrobat
* FrameMaker
* InDesign
* PageMaker
* Calamus
* Corel Ventura
* MadCap Flare
* Microsoft Publisher
* PagePlus
* Pages
* PageStream
* QuarkXPress
* Timeworks Publisher

See also|

* Web design
* Mobile publishing
* Electronic publishing
* Printing
* List of PDF software
* Comparison of e-book readers

* Category
* Comparison
* List

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