Adobe InDesign is the industry standard desktop publishing software for graphic designers. It's commonly used to create posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books and ebooks, social media images and more, by marketing professionals and newspaper, magazine and book publishers. Scribus is a free desktop publishing software. It is specially designed to publish.
When it comes to creating print media, posters, and publications, one can only think of Adobe InDesign. It is a well-known typesetting and desktop publishing software for all, including production artists and professional graphic designers. This tool helps you a lot if you are running image-related ventures.
Adobe InDesign enables users to create works like posters, flyers, newspapers, presentation, brochures, magazines, books, and other things. However, if you are looking for the best InDesign alternative, we have got your back. In this article, you will get to know about the top free InDesign alternatives along with their detailed description, including pros and cons. So, let’s get started with our list of the ten best InDesign alternatives for Windows & Mac!
PS: If you would like to know how to insert images in InDesign as well as how to resize an image in InDesign, this is just for you. Also, here is the detailed information on InDesign vs. Publisher.
Top 10 InDesign Alternatives for Windows & Mac
Some of the best InDesign alternatives for Mac are listed as follows!
1. Scribus
Scribus is a publishing application for desktops. It is designed especially for producing flexible layouts to prepare files. This tool allows users to create interactive PDFs and animation. All of these striking features make Scribus an InDesign alternative for Mac.
Scribus features an easy-t0o-user interface. It comes with impressive features like bitmap formats, flexible page templates, ICC color management, PDF creation, spot colors, and CMYK colors. This tool even supports markup languages like Lilypond and Latex.
Pros
- Available for free
- Supports bitmap formats
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- No support for INDD files and Pantone colors
- No print feature
- Needs scripts for performing several functions
Compatibility: Linux, Mac, and Windows
2. PDFelement
PDFelement is the best InDesign alternative for Mac. This ODT2PDF converter tool was designed especially to deliver premium PDF experience. It even works perfectly with Mac OS 10.14 version. What makes PDFelement incredible is its superb features.
The amazing features of this PDF Page Remover tool help users to produce professional PDF files. Some of its features include OCR function and various editing tools. It is even capable of converting, extracting, protecting, and sharing files.
Pros
- User-friendly and simple interface
- Improved OCR experience to convert scanned PDFs to searchable and editable text
- Product and turn PDFs into other formats
- Annotate and edit PDFs like word processors
- Protect PDFs with digital signatures, permissions, redaction, and passwords
- 24/7 customer support along with an online forum
- It can convert PDF to Midi file and convert or add text to PDF
Cons
- Noted no cons so far
Compatibility: Up to MacOS 11 and Windows 10
3. VivaDesigner
VivaDesigner is another powerful InDesign alternative. It comprises of all the striking features that you get with InDesign. Undoubtedly, this tool is really powerful than InDesign. The best part is that VivaDesigner is so simple and easy to use.
This application offers amazing features like CMYK and master pages optimization. This makes the printing and assembling of documents a lot easier. With the integrated word processor of VivaDesigner, you can edit and write articles directly.
Pros
- Intuitive user interface
- Enhanced collaboration among users
Cons
- Expensive InDesign alternative
Compatibility: Mac
4. QuarkXPress
It is another great InDesign alternative. QuarkXPress is designed especially for editing and developing complex files. It even works perfectly in a WYSIWYG setting with intricate files. With this tool, you can create editable PDF files.
The most recent version of QuarkXPress allows you to publish in 36 different languages other than English. It enables users to enjoy control over shapes, text, opacity, images, and shapes. QuarkXPress works great with a wide variety of file formats. The tool helps you in producing advertisements, magazines, brochures, catalogs, books, newspapers, mobile apps, flipbooks, etc.
Also, click here to find out how to see the word count in InDesign.
Pros
- Supports almost all devices
- Available for use in WYSIWYG environments
Cons
- Advanced user-interface
- Expensive InDesign alternative
Compatibility: Mac and Windows
5. Canva
Canva is a very popular graphic design application for non-designers and beginners. This InDesign alternative comes with a user-friendly interface. Here, users can select from a wide range of graphics, design visuals, document templates, and fonts. It enables users to produce a web-ready version of any design product.
This platform features various adders and icons. The amazing thing about this tool is that it is available for free. However, there are in-app purchases for layouts, templates, and photographs. Otherwise, this tool works fine without even paying a penny.
Best Publisher For Mac
Pros
- Drag-and-drop and simple interface
- Available for free
- Advanced features available
- Comes with lots of features
Cons
- The problem persists while billing
Compatibility: Mac and Windows
6. Affinity Publisher
Affinity Publisher comes with a revolutionized desktop publishing. This InDesign alternative comprises a lot of exciting features. Some of these features include photo editing tools and altered graphic design. It works on both Windows and Mac systems.
With Affinity Publisher, it is really easy to update spreads, master pages, and contents. The “Sections” tab allows you to allocate mater pages and control design in an intuitive way. One can simply edit the master layer on a single page with this tool. Its editing styles are really easy to control and work similarly to MS Word.
Pros
- Easy to navigate and intuitive interface
- Offers various templates
- Comprises all the InDesign functions
Cons
- Inadequate typography tools
- Only available for beta users
Compatibility: Mac and Windows
7. Swift Publisher
Swift Publisher is a desktop publishing and plain page layout software. This InDesign alternative comes with impressive features. One can use these amazing features for creating professional documents like catalogs and brochures.
The template gallery of Swift Publisher offers more than300 options for advertisements, flyers, restaurant menus, and catalogs. Using the section “Electronic Media,” you can even design Twitter and Facebook covers. To manage multipage documents, you can use several options present on the window, including layout tools and toolbar.
Pros
- Comes with 300 templates for various desktop publishing requirements
- Affordable tool
- Really easy and simple to use
Cons
- Not available for Windows
- Just key tools for importing and creating graphics files
Compatibility: Mac
8. PageStream
PageStream is a great desktop publishing tool. This InDesign alternative was launched initially under the tag “Publishing Partner,” which made its way in the market in 1986. PageStream works exactly like InDesign on Mac systems. Users can easily manage the work using the interesting features of this software.
The tool enables users to incorporate powerful and smooth graphics features into projects. Hence, you do not have to switch between tools to attain that illustration appeal. There are lots of tools available for promoting flexibility and speed in the design parameters.
Pros
- Inexpensive InDesign alternative
- Works across several operating systems
- Easy to use interface
Cons
- Bad customer support
- No OCR feature
Compatibility: Linux, Mac, Amiga OS, and Windows
9. SpringPublisher
It is a free desktop publishing tool that helps in creating posters, brochures, flyers, books, magazines, presentation, newsletters, etc. This InDesign alternative is really easy and simple to use, which makes it perfect for beginners. One can use this tool for creating simple designs, adding texts, codes, and vector shapes.
With SpringPublisher, you can even work with layers and layouts. It even works great for editing images using a wide variety of available templates. Using its free version, you can save designs with a maximum of 180 DPI output.
Pros
- Lots of amazing templates and layouts
- Available for free
- Great for beginners
Cons
- No premium version available
Compatibility: Mac and Windows
10. Lucidpress
Lucidpress is a tool that users use to create and design various document layouts. This web-based software is great for print. It even carries out dynamic work when it comes to working with digital formats. The incredible features of this software make it the best InDesign alternative.
Lucidpress comes with a lot of amazing features, which are really easy to manage. Using these features, users can seamlessly work without facing an issue. It works efficiently as a graphic designing application. Just register on the application and start working on your documents.
Pros
- Works perfectly with all browsers
- No need to download any app
- Protected with SSI through AES-25bit encryption
Cons
- Its free version allows publishing to just three pages
- Complex user-interface
Compatibility: Mac
Here, ends our list of the best ten alternatives to InDesign. All of these applications come with several pros and cons. Here, each and every application comes with its own amazing features. If you are looking for the best alternative to InDesign, you need to consider the above-mentioned tools. Check out the features, pros, and cons of every InDesign alternative before settling on a tool.
So, you can go with the desired InDesign alternative based on your needs and requirements. Choose any of the applications from the options given above and download the best InDesign alternative to get rid of the complex interface of InDesign! Also, click to find out how to wrap text in InDesign and learn more about the Architecture Cover Letter Sample and Tips.
Scrivener for MAC: Made for OS X Bigots
First off, I'm going to be right up front with you—I'm a Scrivener for MAC bigot, I'm an affiliate for their software, and even if you don't buy MAC Scrivener via this site, if you're a serious author, go buy it … please. You'll thank yourself later, trust me.
More full disclosure—I regularly maintain a Scrivener Coupon Discount Code post on this site. It contains coupons ranging from 20-25% off of Scrivener and sometimes more.
For Scrivener's birthday, Literature and Latte even ran a 40% off discount on the retail price of Scrivener, so check that post if you like to save a buck like I do.
There I said it. Now, let me tell you why, especially if you're a MAC bigot like me, you'll love Scrivener for MAC OS X.
You Will Love Scrivener for MAC
First, the software was designed and tailored for MAC platform users. Scrivener is a native Mac application designed by the Mac-lovers at Literature and Latte and, according to L&L built using Apple’s Cocoa frameworks.
Writers of all kinds, creeds, habits, and quirks use Scrivener. According to L&L, it's used by Novelists, short story writers, screenwriters, playwrights, comedians, lawyers, academics and students alike. The list of ways you could use Scrivener to write are probably endless.
Self Publishing Software Mac
And since it was designed for the MAC platform, the Scrivener MAC version has some sweet features that the Scrivener for Windows version, sadly, is missing. I know the folks at L&L are working to catch the Windows version up, but that's another post...
This post barely scratches the surface of all of the awesomeness in the MAC version of Scrivener.
Scrivener for MAC is a One-stop Writer's Workbench
Most of us authors are more than just writers. We research, make notes, outline, rearrange and edit text, documents, chapters, sections, and multiple books in a series. Maintaining all of that information, I can tell you first hand, is seriously challenging.
I like to call Scrivener for MAC an author's workbench in a box.
I use Scrivener for MAC OS X to:
- Gather, store and organize research
- Outline chapters, sections and multiple books in a non-fiction series
- Outline, plot, and create the four part story structure for my novels
- Write uninterrupted in Scrivener for Mac's full-screen writing focus mode
- Drag and drop documents, scenes, chapters, sections and even entire books to rearrange ideas and events in the binder (Outline section)
- I even share my Scrivener files with co-authors, editors, and reviewers in Dropbox
- And so many other indispensable features I can't list them all.
Also, don't forget that you can download to some ready to use templates for your scrivener program which really helps out a lot when getting organized and ready to write.
Scrivener for MAC is Great for Organizing and Research
As both a fiction and non-fiction author, I love having all of my research, notes, and inspiration right next to where I'm writing my book or novel.
From my entire outline, including chapters that I can drag to rearrange in the binder, to storing book cover images, character inspiration images, and research documents in folders outside of published book's folder, the Scrivener for MAC's binder is insanely useful as an organization and brainstorming tool.
If I want a new chapter, I simply create a new folder. A new scene in a novel, I create a new document. An entire new book in the series is as easy as creating a new top-level folder in the binder.
In fact, I've created a four part story structure template for myself that I simply duplicate in the binder at the beginning of any new novel project. That alone saves tons of time.
Scrivener for MAC Makes Writing a Breeze
Let's be honest, you can write in any text editing program. What you can't do with those is skip all of the steps of copying, pasting, editing, and compiling to the many formats that ebook publishers require.
Inside Scrivener I can write on one scene at a time in Scrivenings mode or I can work on an entire chapter by selecting them on in the binder. In full-screen mode I can write for hours uninterrupted by social media distractions.
And all of that work is already in my self-publishing tool, ready for me to edit, compile and publish it, ready to go.
Let's be honest, how many of us authors have a foolproof system set up to make sure that we never lose any of our hard written words?
Not many. Even as a 20 year IT veteran, I've been bitten by this one. (Lost my entire laptop—It's another story)
Best Free Desktop Publishing Software For Mac
Now, religiously, in Scrivener for MAC I set up my project backups to happen automatically. And in the Scrivener preferences you can set automatic features like:
- Backup on project open
- Backup on project close
- Every time you manually save you can force a backup (though this is a little overkill in my ex IT opinion)
- And now, with the new IOS version, you can back up locally before syncing with your Scrivener IOS devices.
- You can tell Scrivener where to keep your backups (I recommend another drive outside the one that your Scrivener project file reside on. I've made that mistake—not funny)
- And you can tell Scrivener how many of the most recent backups to hang onto.
Scrivener for MAC Will Help You Edit Faster
Let me tell you what I used to do before I started using Scrivener for MAC's pretty powerful editing features.
First I would write my draft in Scrivener, then I would export it to a Word doc, because that's what most editors were used to editing in. They would make their 'track changes' edits, then I'd go into that doc, accept all the changes and then hand cut-paste all those back over my individual scene documents inside Scrivener.
The horror!
So one day, my writing buddy, Lise, and I decided to require our editors to edit directly inside Scrivener for MAC. Needless to say there was some resistance. 'How will we track changes?” was the most common objection.
Well, Scrivener has a thing called snapshots. It works on a document by document basis. That means we can take a snapshot of every one of our documents before an editor edits them. And for them to make changes we have them use a revision mode and a color specific to them to edit with. For deleting, we have them format with a strikethrough.
When we get our edits back from the editor, we snapshot the entire directory structure of the book again, and that way we have a before and after document level backup that we can roll back or forward to if something goes wrong.
Now, editing and reviewing changes is faster than ever and we shave tons of time off of our production schedule.
Scrivener for MAC is a Self Publisher's Dream
Though the lines are blurring quite a bit, us indie authors are still very much SELF publishers. And what that means is that we have to do the heavy lifting of delivering our manuscripts to the various ebook publishing houses ourselves.
Honestly, I don't know how any indie author does that without Scrivener for MAC. Unless they have Scrivener for Windows.
Now, don't get me wring, compiling in Scrivener for MAC isn't as easy as pushing buttons. However, once you get the hang of it, you can spit out fully packaged ebook, epub, .mobi, .pdf, even .doc files for the various ebook publishing houses.
Scrivener for MAC is a Show Pony
Here's a small list of some of the awards that Scrivener for MAC has won:
Buy Scrivener for MAC!
If you already went and got one of the Scrivener Coupons on that post, then here's the direct link to purchase the MAC version of Scrivener from Literature and Latte's store.
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