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Adobe Acrobat vs. Affinity Publisher vs. QuarkXPress

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe Acrobat

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AAdobe Acrobat DC is the current version of the well-established document / PDF management solution, part of the Adobe Document Cloud (the other part being Adobe's eSign services based on technology acquired with EchoSign in 2011).

    $29.99

    per month per seat

    Affinity Publisher

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AAffinity Publisher replaces the former PagePlus desktop publishing application, from Serif Europe headquartered in Nottingham.

    $24.99

    QuarkXPress

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AQuarkXPress from Quark Software headquartered in Denver introduces modern responsive web design with Flex Layouts, reimagined Tables, and productivity-boosting design features.

    $279

    per year

    Pricing
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Editions & Modules
    Acrobat Pro for Individuals
    $19.99
    per month
    Acrobat Pro for Teams
    $23.99
    per month per user
    Acrobat Studio for Individuals
    $24.99
    per month
    Affinity Publisher
    $24.99
    QuarkXPress Subscription License
    $279
    per year
    QuarkXPress Perpetual License
    $629
    one-time fee
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Free Trial
    YesNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Considered Multiple Products
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe Acrobat
    Acrobat and Kofax Power PDF are largely very similar, though I do have a preference for Kofax when creating forms. Kofax is also much cheaper than Acrobat. From a cost perspective, I certainly recommend Kofax over Acrobat. However, I prefer the user interface of Acrobat as I …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe Acrobat
    Websites like PDFCandy.com and other free PDF editing programs have been tried out. There are so many garbage PDF editing add ons and extensions out there nowadays that it's getting easier and easier to just open Acrobat DC.
    Incentivized
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    Chose Affinity Publisher
    The features in Affinity Publisher easily stack up against the much more expensive Adobe suite of products. With the ability to open all file types it is a bit of a workhorse for all things. We have been using it for social media template designs as well as client booklets and …
    Incentivized
    Chose Affinity Publisher
    Affinity Publisher is a more cost effective way to achieve the same goals as InDesign and Quark. I'm sure there are various differences that Affinity may lack, however we have yet to run into one that our business has needed, or even recognized. It has completely replaced any …
    Incentivized
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    897 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    768 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    899 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    594 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    683 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Small Businesses
    M‑Files
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    GIMP
    Score8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Esker
    Score7.4 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe Illustrator
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Tungsten Capture
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe PhotoShop
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (967 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    9.9
    (6 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.9
    (46 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (382 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    8.6
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    5.2
    (11 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.6
    (64 ratings)
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.9
    (16 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.7
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    3.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.2
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    5.7
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe AcrobatAffinity PublisherQuarkXPress
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    In my opinion there isn't a better document program that works with everyone. In a previous role; I had advocated for staff across departments to get Adobe Acrobat licenses because they kept sending every little thing to me since I had the main Adobe license. It really made their departments (sales & finance) run much smoother for a very minimal cost.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    If you are looking to get started using a publishing / creation application, Affinity Publisher is the one to go for. With a quick learning curve on all the basic functions, you'll be flying in no time. And then there is a whole heap of great features to get into as you become more comfortable with the software. The only down side is if clients are using Adobe programs, there are sometimes problems working with imported layers, but this is minor compared to the ease of use and features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    I used QuarkXPress to maintain a proper page layout for the UI which I receive from a UIUX developer. I develop Graphic Illustrations on the digital canvas to create creative content on the page design set and to develop designer headlines and sub-headlines where writers and editors can amend the text and place the copped images.
    Read full review
    Pros
    Adobe
    • It is easy to sign and send a document.
    • It makes it easy to scan and save a document.
    • It is easy to add text to any document.
    • You can create an editable PDF form for others to complete based on the questions you include.
    • You can create and send a secure document to a client for their signature.
    • It is easy to add photos to any document.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    • Supports just about any format you'll need for your project.
    • The variety of templates makes startign projects simple.
    • The program is just really powerful and fairly priced.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    • Excellent project conversion into PDFs and digital formats.
    • Incredibly user friendly and intuitive to use.
    • Works seamlessly with our Adobe Suite of programs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Adobe
    • I wish the backward compatibility was a little more friendly. PDFLyer had to be updated sooner that we would like when we updated from Adobe 2017 to Adobe 2026.
    • I wish it had list processing like Excel where it could remove duplicates, change formatting, etc.
    • Sometimes after an update we lose our plugins and have to restablish the connection to the plugin or reinstall.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    • Menu differences can be an impediment to new users from other softwares
    • Some functions are not in places I would expect
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    • Currently does not have a way to open really old archived QuarkXPress files.
    • Text manipulation could be expanded upon (ie be able to warp or distort text).
    • Be able to output files in InDesign format.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Adobe
    Adobe Acrobat works seamlessly with the other Adobe products we use that are industry-standard. We will certainly continue to use Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, meaning it will always be convenient to work seamlessly with Adobe Acrobat for our organization. We are happy with the performance of Acrobat and it's meets our expectations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Adobe
    I would say overall, the product is great and as someone who has used it for many years now, I'm quite familiar with the ins and outs of the application. However, we found that when users were shown it for the first time and a bit after, they would feel a bit overwhelmed by the options and what everything meant. I think the UI could be simplified or an option to have a simplified mode and an advanced mode added.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    It offers a user-friendly interface and powerful design tools that make creating high-quality graphics and layouts straightforward. However, some features can feel complex, especially for new users, which may require a bit of a learning curve. The integration between desktop and iPad is excellent, but improving compatibility with other popular software could enhance collaboration and efficiency even further. Overall, it’s a robust tool that balances functionality and ease of use quite well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    This is an industry standard. It is intuitive and pretty simple. I have been using it for 40 years and by no means do I use its potential, rather it does just what I want it to do.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Adobe
    We have not had availability issues with Adobe Acrobat, or at least none that I am personally aware of. Some may encounter crashes of the software during outages of electricity in their city or neighborhood, which no one can plan for, but with generators in our organization, we have been lucky not to have outages
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Adobe
    One of the best features of Adobe Acrobat is its speed and stability. When dealing with massive multi-page files, having to reload a crashed program over and over again would slow down progress unnecessarily. And expanding on that, having the table of contents generated allows me to skip to different pages with ease, a necessary feature with exceptionally long files. word searches are even more helpful with text recognition.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Adobe
    For a while, Acrobat DC crashed pretty frequently. I contacted Adobe Acrobat support about the problem. At first support was unable to provide a solution. After about a month Adobe's software engineers provided a fix. I just wish it had taken less than a month to solve the problem.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    Our team typically uses other online resources instead of contacting developers/manufacturers for support. That being said, there is a forum and a growing, vibrant community of users available to answer questions and "make the switch." A simple "whatever function we used to use in Adobe InDesign," followed by "Affinity," usually gets us on the right track to an answer. YouTube and their forums are our team's go-to sources for help.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Adobe
    Answered basic questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Adobe
    I was not involved with the implementation process, so I cannot answer this question. However, when it was installed on my computer system, they did so virtually. I just sat there while they took control of my computer over the network and watch them install it, lickety split
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    Adobe Acrobat has the most premium features that other software can't offer. The seamless UI is consistent on any device, and the ease of use. The security and the advanced AI features are what you won't get on any other platforms or apps.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    Affinity Publisher is a more cost effective way to achieve the same goals as InDesign and Quark. I'm sure there are various differences that Affinity may lack, however we have yet to run into one that our business has needed, or even recognized. It has completely replaced any desktop publishing for our organization without issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    QuarkXPress simply blew the competition out of the water when it came to pricing and scalability in our business. Every employee that uses Quark always speaks very highly about using the software. We are not a large company but, the amount of money saved on the cost of each license was about 60% when compared to the competitors' products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Adobe
    I am not responsible for sales or purchasing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Adobe
    I find that many users aren't aware of many features of the software they use, nor may they be comfortable with learning multiple-step processes. For the simplest of PDF purposes (scanning, downloading, exporting), it gets a thumbs-up. For anything involving electronic signatures, meh--causes eyes to glaze over, or forgetting what all is involved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Quark Software Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • Definitely a positive ROI when I can receive clear notes/direction on edits for a PDF via Acrobat's comment system, rather than chicken scratch on a printed document.
    • The ability to password-protect my PDFs so I can make sure only the workforce I want to see the information has been priceless!
    • As I mentioned before, a huge positive impact is the ability to edit PDFs without having to return to the original file's native software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    • I wish we could push it out to all staff but we can't quite afford the cost.
    • Amount of features can be overwhelming for first time users and take more time.
    • This program will save time once employees figure it out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Quark Software Inc.
    • On different computers, it does crash.
    • Issues with accidental (program) photo overrides.
    • Corrupted photo formats.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Adobe Acrobat Screenshots

    Screenshot of where to create, edit, convert, and share PDF files all from within Microsoft Teams – as part of Acrobat integrations with Microsoft 365 apps.Screenshot of Liquid Mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, where users can read PDFs on phones and tablets without having to pinch and zoom. Navigate lengthy documents with intelligent outline and search tools, while maximizing readability and comfort with font size and line spacing that are adjustable.Screenshot of where to fill and sign PDF forms from anywhere and on any device. Here, users can collect signatures, digitally track progress, and automatically archive the signed document.Screenshot of the Adobe Scan mobile app, used to capture and convert documents into high-quality, interactive PDF documents that can be filled out, signed, and shared. This eliminates the hassle of finding a printer, filling a form by hand, and scanning it again.

    QuarkXPress Screenshots

    Screenshot of QuarkXPress 2026 is compatible with the latest macOS® 26.x (Tahoe), macOS® 15.x (Sequoia), macOS® 14.x (Sonoma).Screenshot of the Welcome Screen in QuarkXPress 2026, which has had a fresh redesign. Here, users can create new projects, find ready-to-use project size presets, use customized workspaces and quickly access built-in tutorials and useful resources.Screenshot of where to adjust typography with Variable Fonts in QuarkXPress 2026 to enhance creative freedom. With a single font file, users can adjust font characteristics like weight, width, slant, and more with sliders.Screenshot of the Paste Into feature. Users can display content creatively by masking images or grouping items through placing them inside container shapes.Screenshot of built-in support for LaTeX and MathML, so that there's no need for external tools or plugins for advanced mathematical equations. This is ideal while working in STEM or Academia, as it enables quick and accurate editing of math equations across print and digital formats.