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Adobe InDesign vs. Microsoft Publisher vs. vjoon K4

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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

    Microsoft Publisher

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application available with an Office 365 subscription, or as a standalone download.

    $139

    one time purchase

    vjoon K4

    N/AN/Avjoon K4 is a crossmedia editorial system with an integrated workflow management system from the Hamburg-based company vjoon GmbH. vjoon K4 enables small teams and large business units with thousands of users to deliver more quality content faster and across multiple digital channels or in print. It offers features that promote efficient teamwork and lean production. Content for print, mobile, social and web – created, optimized and managed in one system. vjoon K4 customers are able to use…N/A
    Pricing
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    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)
    Microsoft Publisher
    $139
    one time purchase
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeRequired
    Additional DetailsSubscription, Rent and Purchase are available.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    Considered Multiple Products
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    • Microsoft Word is probably the most popular word processor, and I've been using that since I was a little kid, but InDesign gives you all the word processing tricks and then some with the ability to arrange every small part of your layout.
    • Microsoft Publisher is another product …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    First, Microsoft products are notoriously difficult to work with, so the bar is already set pretty low. In my limited experience with MS Publisher in the past, the tools were not intuitive and the files did not save / share well outside of MS platforms. It has been many years …
    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
    This product sits head-and-shoulders above a product like Microsoft Publisher. The layout of Adobe InDesign is far more intuitive, the functionality of the tool is far more robust, and the sheer efficiency of it's interface is lightyears ahead of what Publisher offers. As just …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    InDesign is simply put, the best out there for the design of print and e-docs.

    Canva and Microsoft Publisher both have great features and benefits, but they don't have quite the robust tools and features that are sometimes necessary when designing an item. If you need something …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    Adobe InDesign is a more cohesive program with stronger features and control. It is best used for more indepth presentations and publications. I use it primarily because it allows for more creative and personalized layouts which is useful for showcasing the work I present to …
    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
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    Adobe InDesign may have a steep learning curve and advanced interface, but the functionality it provides is more advanced that Publisher.

    I used Publisher briefly for some brochures and flyers, and it is a good software for simple, quick solutions that do not require a lot of …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    Publisher is something that we as an organization used to use at the beginning phase of our organization, and, as we grew and the team grew bigger and the needs increased, we needed a more professional tool. That's where Adobe InDesign came in. With Publisher, there was limited …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe InDesign
    Publisher and Quark both work, but they don't play well with Adobe products, which makes you waste a lot of time converting Illustrator and Photoshop files into bitmaps for use in them. This can lead to issues with image quality, on top of wasting time and energy. The …
    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
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Publisher
    At the time I was not impressed with Quark Xpress. I always disliked PageMaker. I always considered it over-rated. I like InDesign and have always liked InDesign, if I have a need for more complex documents I'll go with InDesign over Publisher or Quark Xpress in a heartbeat. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Publisher
    Publisher wins hand down. To be honest, In-Design can do things with more precision and perhaps a somewhat better final design. However, the learning curve is WAY too steep for In-Design. I have been using computers and publishing programs since the mid 80's. Publisher melds …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Publisher
    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 …
    Incentivized
    vjoon GmbH
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    75 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    69 Answers
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    72 Answers
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    Small Businesses
    Affinity Publisher
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 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
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (101 ratings)
    8.4
    (13 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.5
    (11 ratings)
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (64 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe InDesignMicrosoft Publishervjoon K4
    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
    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!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    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
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    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
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Microsoft
    We use this product 2-3 times a month and have not been able to find a comparable alternative.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    Microsoft
    There are a few quirks with Microsoft Publisher that make some functions a little tricky for new users at first, but most of our employees are able to figure out the quirks and work around them to use the product for their job. It is relatively high on the scale of usability.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    Adobe
    I've needed Adobe InDesign team very little which is a bonus in and of itself.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    Adobe
    Attending Adobe MAX each year is extremely valuable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Adobe
    Implementation was smooth and easy.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Adobe
    Working in a cloud environment makes it easy to scale and share resources.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    vjoon GmbH
    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
    Microsoft
    • we have invested on our Microsoft license for our team and that has made a very big productivity for making banners and holdings for our projects as making it from third party would cost much higher and the return is very well over the comparison with third-party vendors
    • Functionality is very easy, so we don’t have to train much to get it in production and use it efficiently so we don’t have to invest much on training and learning things and we can work on it directly with a very basic knowledge as well
    • It has functionality to get stored and share things directly to the OneDrive and using curated links, which is very secure and reliable to transfer files without losing picture and banners quality and share them in lossless quality.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    vjoon GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    ScreenShots