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Comparison of desktop publishing software

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 12 min
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The following is a comparison of major desktop publishing software.

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] Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary
Apache OpenOffice Writer Apache Software Foundation and others Error: first parameter is missing. () Script error: No such module "Date time".[2] Apache License 2.0 (Apache OpenOffice 3.4 and later)
Canva Canva Pty Ltd Rolling updates Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary SaaS
Collabora Online[3] Collabora Error: first parameter is missing. () Script error: No such module "Date time". [4] MPL-2.0 and others
CorelDRAW Corel 24.5 September 18, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-09-18) Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary
InDesign Adobe CC 2024 20.0 October 2024; 1 year ago (2024-10) Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary Trialware
LibreOffice Draw[5] The Document Foundation Error: first parameter is missing. () Script error: No such module "Date time". LGPL v3
LyX The LyX Team Error: first parameter is missing. () Script error: No such module "Date time". 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] Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary Trialware
Pages Apple Inc. 13.2 September 21, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-09-21)[8] Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary
QuarkXPress Quark, Inc. 2024 20.0.0 November 14, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-11-14) Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary
Scribus The Scribus Team 1.6.4[9] 20 April 2025; 8 months ago (2025-04-20) Script error: No such module "Date time". GPL
The Print Shop Broderbund 23.1 2009; 17 years ago (2009)[lower-alpha 1] Script error: No such module "Date time". Proprietary
VivaDesigner Viva Vertrieb GmbH 11.4.0.9212 18 July 2025; 5 months ago (2025-07-18)[10] Script error: No such module "Date time". 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

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%20requirements. 
  12. ↑ "System requirements". https://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs.html#:~:text=The%20following%20platforms%20are%20supported,X%20(x86%2D64%20only)title=System%20requirements. 
  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%20install%20Scribus%2C%20you%20can,when%20the%20installation%20is%20complete.. 
  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%20system%20requirements&text=An%20iPhone%20with%20iOS%2016.0,computer%20and%20a%20supported%20browser. 
  28. ↑ "Getting Started with QuarkXPress 2023". https://www.quark.com/documentation/quarkxpress/2023/english/Getting%20Started%20with%20QuarkXPress%202023/_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%20install%20Scribus%2C%20you%20can,when%20the%20installation%20is%20complete.. 
  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%20or%20.,in%20PDF%20or%20EPUB%20formats.. 
  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%20with%20a%20transparent%20background,and%20Canva%20for%20Nonprofits%20users.&text=Set%20your%20background%20color%20to,the%20toolbar%20above%20the%20editor.. 
  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%20or%20.,in%20PDF%20or%20EPUB%20formats.. 
  52. ↑ "Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress 2022". https://www.quark.com/documentation/quarkxpress/2022/english/Digital%20Publishing%20with%20QuarkXPress%202022/_339c7525-6885-45ed-b6e6-3c0578a00e6b.html. 



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