Adobe Express vs. Microsoft Publisher

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark) is a task-based, web and mobile product used to create and share rich multimedia content – from social media posts and stories to invitations to marketing materials like logos, flyers and banners.
$0
Microsoft Publisher
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application available with an Office 365 subscription, or as a standalone download.
$139
one time purchase
Pricing
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Editions & Modules
Free
$0.00
Premium
$9.99 / $99.99
per month
Teams
$9.99
per month per user
Microsoft Publisher
$139
one time purchase
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsContact Adobe directly for Enterprise pricing plan details.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Considered Both Products
Adobe Express

No answer on this topic

Microsoft Publisher
Chose Microsoft Publisher
I have used Canva and multiple other tools like Adobe Express for creating same type of graphics, designing and banner designing, and it had outcome with very well and defined result, and it can compete with Publisher, and both can be stack up against each other very …
Best Alternatives
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Small Businesses
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.9 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.9 out of 10
Canva
Canva
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.9 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(234 ratings)
7.5
(11 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.8
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(18 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(11 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
9.5
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe ExpressMicrosoft Publisher
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
I would definitely recommend Adobe Express to students in my university as they have the free access to it as our university provides the free Creative Cloud Suit in which they have all the premium Adobe product access for free
Read full review
Microsoft
Microsoft Publisher is well suited for almost any situation. It is something that I'm sure has far more advanced tools than I use or am aware of, but it is also very simple for entry-level users to create professional documents quickly. I have used it for very involved brochures in real estate scenarios and I have also used it for very simple "Construction Zone" signs at a job site under construction. There are so many uses for this program!
Read full review
Pros
Adobe
  • Brand Kit: provides quick access to approved fonts, logos, colors, and other assets
  • Libraries: syncs will with other Adobe Tools
  • Animation: provides a decent collection of modifiable motions for objects in the design
  • Social Media-ready Layouts: being able to design graphics of multiple sizes/Layouts within the same document is a GOD-SEND
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Design of my quarterly full color magazine: (usually 28-56 pages in length)
  • Design of the quarterly planning system used by me and others in the annual conference.
  • Design and layout of any document that requires graphics/photos.
  • Simple to use with ample flexibility and strength of features
Read full review
Cons
Adobe
  • It could have a search bar which searches through other Adobe products (esp for Stock images, videos, audio) from within Adobe Express.
  • It could make it so switching between Adobe products from within Adobe Express almost like a tab function is smooth.
  • It could partner with other companies to allow for company specific events in exchange for valuable products or programs.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Formatting in general. It's a pain to refine a layout in Publisher in my opinion.
  • Microsoft is so invested in their approach to software and making it look and feel like an Office 365 application that they inadvertantly cripple applications like Publisher.
  • Earlier versions of Publisher gave you a lot more latitude and creative freedom. They were also much easier to work with. Not everything has to look like it's part of Office 365. They did the same ... thing to Access.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
I give it a 10 because Adobe Express has become an essential part of our daily workflow. It allows us to design faster, stay on brand, and produce high-quality content without needing multiple tools. The AI features, templates, and easy collaboration make it a platform we rely on for client work, training, and internal operations.
Read full review
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Usability
Adobe
The overall usability of the software was strong. The application, especially relative to other Adobe services like Photoshop that can demand a lot of knowledge and skill, was highly easy to use. At the same time, that also speaks to the somewhat limited amount of customization opportunities that allow content designers to truly create content that is dynamic, engaging, and different than the standard stuff that floods our vision every day.
Read full review
Microsoft
I would like to give it for the functionality and working as it can do almost all the jobs, but you is much needed to improve as we have multiple design designing tools available on website with very much modern UI and layout also template and stock images. Library should be updated and it lacks multiple materials to use.
Read full review
Support Rating
Adobe
Because adobe is so widespread the community support is amazing. I have never actually used adobe support short of their website, but I go to youtube a lot to get my questions answered. You can google any problem you have and not have any issues finding an answer. In my opinion, community support is much more meaningful and helpful than support directly from the company
Read full review
Microsoft
While I have not directly used support for Microsoft Publisher, I have used their help files and found them to be useful. I have also found that most answers that I need can be found through simple web searches and chat platforms. In all though, there are very few times when the preloaded help files have not given me the answers that I need.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
I think Express is a great tool for quick edits or creation. As someone who works in the more robust platforms, I do not always enjoy going into Express because of the more limited features.
Read full review
Microsoft
Microsoft Publisher is more for beginners, or for basic needs, anyone with some familiarity with the Microsoft suite should be able to use it easily. If you’re looking to create something more graphic and advanced, you’d probably want to look into something like InDesign, which is not as user friendly if you’re not familiar with it at all. For basic needs the average employee should be able to use Microsoft Publisher with ease.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
Adobe Creative Cloud Express is included with an Adobe Creative Cloud account. Our company has a corporate team membership so it is nice to have a professional and powerful tool that anyone on our team can use for free. The pricing structure of giving the tool away for free will be fundamental to users utilizing the tool. Similar tools, such as Canva, cost significantly more but do not offer the same features
Read full review
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Adobe
The professional services for Adobe Creative Cloud Express is top notch and should be highly commended. I am thoroughly impressed with how far Adobe has come. In the past, I had several issues with how something were handled, but in the past few years things have been better than ever and they get no complaints from me
Read full review
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Positive: Time and working for a nonprofit with minimal staff this is essential.
  • Negative: There are certain features that I need to find in other Adobe products like layer masking.
  • Positive: It makes content creation less intimidating for our newer staff.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • I have been able to create flyers and brochures that in the past we sent out to a marketing company and spent a ton of money on something I was able to do myself in minutes.
  • The quick and simple user experience has allowed us to create signs that are designed to keep people safe on our job sites. This is important because we take safety very seriously and sometimes need to be able to produce these signs in a matter of minutes so that the superintendent can safely mark off areas to avoid.
  • The program has taken the place of Word and Excel in many cases to make documents like proposals look more balanced and professional.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Adobe Express Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of