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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe InDesign

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AAdobe InDesign supports creating digital and print documents such as flyers, stationary, posters, and other types of media, with rich graphics, images, and more. Adobe InDesign is available standalone or as part of the Adobe Creative Suite collection of media management and creation products.

    $31.49

    per month

    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

    Pricing
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Editions & Modules
    Monthly Plan
    $31.49
    per month
    Annual Plan, Prepaid
    $239.88 ($19.99)
    per year (per month)
    Annual Plan, Paid Monthly
    $251.88 ($20.99)
    per year (per month)
    Affinity Publisher
    $24.99
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Considered Both Products
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    I have previously used Quark Xpress, but as Adobe InDesign became the leader for professional designers, I transitioned to [Adobe] InDesign. I find Adobe InDesign a lot easier to work with. I have tried Affinity Publisher, but I have not [gotten] very far with trying it out. I …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    The others do not include the robust features of Adobe InDesign. Some of the subscription or pricing models are not affordable or would be an additional cost. Adobe has the most flexibility in regards to pricing. Microsoft Publisher is the least recommended product and is not …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress and Affinity Publisher work similarly in the big picture. The newest on the market, Affinity Publisher takes many cues from its predecessors but still remains a less sleek product. Still, I use Publisher on my own and find it to have great …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    InDesign is the most widely accepted layout software in the world. It has plugins for extending its abilities and has had a vast industry lead since Dethroning Quark almost two decades ago. Publisher is a Microsoft train wreck and just isn't cut out for heavy lifting. Affinity …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    InDesign's real benefit is it's integration with the other Adobe products, allowing you to work fairly seamlessly with multiple types of design file on a project. The creative cloud allows you to store and use assets quickly and efficiently on multiple projects and really …
    Incentivized
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    Chose Affinity Publisher
    Affinity Publisher has a comparable feature set to Adobe InDesign, but for a fraction of the cost. You can technically create print graphics in Illustrator and Sketch (and some of our people still do), but you have to worry about converting pixels to inches pretty regularly to …
    Incentivized
    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
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    75 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    69 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    72 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Small Businesses
    Affinity Publisher
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (101 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.5
    (11 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (64 ratings)
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe InDesignAffinity Publisher
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    Adobe InDesign is very well-suited to creating professional-looking page designs. If you want a newspaper or magazine to have attractive pages that go beyond simple templates, InDesign is the best option out there, to my knowledge. It's less suited to scenarios where people without page design skills are responsible for creating pages, as it requires some training and skills to use effectively.
    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
    Pros
    Adobe
    • Customization - With Adobe InDesign, as well as many other applications in the Adobe Creative Suite, I can fully customize my workspaces and save different workspaces. This makes it easy to navigate through my project and have the panels and tools I need easily accessible and configured based on my project needs.
    • Styles - Adobe InDesign has character styles, object styles, and tables styles. This speeds up my workflows and allows me to easily apply the same format across multiple elements. This is super helpful, especially when working with length documents.
    • File compatibility - I can easily export my files into so many different file types.
    • The Book feature - This feature is really helpful when creating books or very long documents with multiple sections.
    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
    Cons
    Adobe
    • Not naturally a WYSIWYG display (this is an option, and doesn't always work as intended)
    • Moving images and photos around while holding an additional key
    • Layers or objects are not easily clickable behind other objects.
    • Adobe InDesign does require some fair system resources to work smoothly
    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
    Likelihood to Renew
    Adobe
    I've had great experiences with the product and plan to continue to use it. It has been my go-to product for designing and creating materials. I have had great luck with it and have been able to create all of the needed marketing materials that have been requested for our company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Adobe
    If you know what you are doing it is an amazingly granular and powerful application. You can control pretty much any aspect of the design and layout of your documents and make changes globally and rapidly. But, if you don't know what you are doing...you will be staring at your screen in bewilderment for a long time. You can learn it, but be ready for a hefty time investment.
    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
    Reliability and Availability
    Adobe
    I've needed Adobe InDesign team very little which is a bonus in and of itself.
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Adobe
    One of the advantages of Adobe InDesign is it is faster and less glitchy than Microsoft Word.
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Adobe
    Adobe support is ok but not great. Chat support often doesn't initially understand the question at-hand and it takes awhile to get to the right agent. Phone support has long wait times, and though I've had more luck there, it does take quite a time investment if you are looking for help. However, Adobe does have some online learning solutions available as well as a knowledgebase for frequently asked questions. If you're looking to learn how to use the platform, there are lots of resources which can typically be found in a few Google searches. If you have a technical issue with the system, that's going to be a bit more of a time investment as far as getting a tech's assistance to resolve 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
    In-Person Training
    Adobe
    Attending Adobe MAX each year is extremely valuable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Adobe
    The online training works well and is not wholly necessary as it is user-friendly and you can learn by doing.
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Adobe
    Implementation was smooth and easy.
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    Microsoft products do not match the aesthetic tools that [Adobe] InDesign offers, cannot support the customizable options available for export, and do not produce documents with as high a degree of accessibility. That said, they do have their place in collaboration in a team- I'd consider Office to be the first step and [Adobe] InDesign to be the final product.
    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
    Scalability
    Adobe
    Working in a cloud environment makes it easy to scale and share resources.
    Read full review
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • A great ROI for time in my small architectural practice, [especially] when a design has been updated and a report needs to be submitted. We can be submitting many reports that all look similar, clean and beautiful. We just save as the file and replace the images with more updated images. This way the client finds it easy to navigate updated reports, as many as they can be.
    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
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