Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe PhotoShop
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Photoshop is the best known graphics product on the market.
$20
per month
Microsoft Publisher
Score 8.3 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
Scribus
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Scribus is open source desktop publishing software.N/A
Pricing
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Editions & Modules
Single App
$20.00
per month
Microsoft Publisher
$139
one time purchase
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Free Trial
NoNoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Considered Multiple Products
Adobe PhotoShop
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Canva is a great tool to use for creating your own designs but there is a lot more that you can do when it comes to image editing with photoshop. If you are looking to edit images in different ways then it is better to use a tool such as photoshop.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Photoshop is leap years ahead of their competition.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Canva is easier to use, but Photoshop is meant for professionals, so it can do so much more if you know how to use it.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Each adobe tool really is created to stand alone for different purposes. I don't think I can compare Adobe PhotoShop with other tools simply because they do different things. As far as Canva goes, I do enjoy using Canva, but there are at times more complicated things I need to …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe PhotoShop has so much more functionality and features compared to Canva and Canva Pro. There are so many more options in editing and designing. Many Canva designs can end up being repetitive because of the lack of options and Photoshop opens up a lot more possibilities …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
There is no comparison needed. Each of these apps has a place in one's production tasks. You don't compare a donut to a glass of orange juice. They both taste pretty good. One is for fun (and fat). The other is for thirst-quenching and health benefits. Adobe Photoshop is for …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
A lot of the newer, younger staff, have worked extensively in Express and/or Canva. Some things in those platforms, like one-button background removal, have made it very easy for them to quickly do mock ups. But if they have to do something a bit more complex, Adobe PhotoShop …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I've used Gimp a little bit but not enough to really compare. It's certainly a contender and improving all the time. If I didn't have the budget for a pro tool like PhotoShop I would likely use it more. I've also heard good things about Krita and Affinity but haven't tried them.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Krita has been open-source and around for a while, though lacks many of the key features that Adobe PhotoShop has as standard and the easy usability. Krita lacks UX friendliness often leading to greater confusion when trying to learn the software. Krita has not been in …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I used all of these for different reasons. For a quick job that is a duplicate of previous efforts, Canva can get the job done. For actual illustration, Clip Studio Paint is a better choice for drawing. Adobe PhotoShop is the all-arounder, though, that can accomplish any of the …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
photoshop has more capability to edit fine details
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
There is no comparison. It’s far more advanced and has higher capabilities.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Sometimes PhotoShop just gives that extra edge when it comes to functionality when you have to edit a very detailed picture. PhotoShop has a lot more tools and is thus great for creating visuals that you can later use in print settings, for example; we want this tablecloth to …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Every software has its kind of users, and Photoshop is ranked as one of the most competitive softwares and is used mainly by professionals. Figma is great for working in collaboration and designing Ui/Ux interface. Illustrator is great for vector-based work, such as logos and …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I selected Adobe PhotoShop over other as it is more useful and convenient then other platform,It helps in giving a pro touch in every images and it helps to adjust each and every single element in a photo as we can manually adjust that how much exposure is needed our how much …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe stands out for the quality of the results of the work it provides. You will of course have to be well trained but Adobe is complete and has all the assets
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe photoshop is flexible with simple tool. The user interface is not clumpy but very clean. You can customize the canvas to what you like and set your own shortcuts key to keep the software accustom to yourself. Photoshop is unmatched when it comes to images manipulate and …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I'd say there are different use cases for each tool. PhotoShop is a beast at image editing, I haven't used anything else for this purpose. But with the other tools, they serve different purpose - Canva is good for templated stuff, illustrator is good for anything …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
every software work is different ... indesign is good for making multiple pages like magazine booklet and illustrator is good in picking colors and directly fill them in object just clicking ... Adobe Photoshop can do everything but every software has its own speciality.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
PS is a notable device for a long time and I have been a client since before they utilized the CS part.For the adaptability the device has and every one of the capabilities, I never "totally" changed to different apparatuses, I utilize different devices for different things. …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Photoshop is definitely way more comprehensive than Canva when it comes to creating complex designs. For simpler design needs, we use Canva's free version
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Photoshop is really best if we compare this software with other graphic designing software. There are several reasons, but the most important reason is the difference in tools and features because Adobe Photoshop offers a number of incredibly professional tools that allow …
Microsoft Publisher
Chose Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher is more predictable than Canva for more experienced users. There are fewer issues with someone having something unexpected happen. With that being said, Canva has advantages over Microsoft Publisher. They are two distinct programs with different strengths …
Chose Microsoft Publisher
The ability to run locally and share files easily through our Dropbox integration is the primary reason.
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 …
Chose Microsoft Publisher
It works better than PowerPoint if it is one-page sharing content or poster, as opposed to a full presentation.
It doesn't have as much functionality as Canva, but is more cost effective as it is included with the MS Office 365 Suite.
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. …
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 …
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 …
Chose Microsoft Publisher
Not sure [why] it has a different name, but I briefly tried to create on my MacBook at home and used its version of Microsoft Word and was able to do similar things as in Publisher.
Chose Microsoft Publisher
I have also used Adobe PageMaker for desktop publishing and simple design work but have found Publisher to be so much simpler to use. The navigation is easy, the interface is clean and the program is intuitive for even the most novice of users. The templates that come along …
Chose Microsoft Publisher
I think Microsoft Publisher a correctly used to create invitation cards, flyers, and newsletters with the ability to choose from various templates. This feature is not available in Adobe Acrobat DC.
Chose Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher has a powerful editing program. I would consider it Microsoft word and outlook came together. Microsoft Publisher offers many unique features that aren’t found in either Microsoft Word or Outlook. Being able to automate templates and save email list have …
Scribus

No answer on this topic

Best Alternatives
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.5 out of 10

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
GIMP
GIMP
Score 7.9 out of 10

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

Enterprises
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.5 out of 10

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
4.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe PhotoShopMicrosoft PublisherScribus
Likelihood to Recommend
Photoshop is a useful tool for everything from creating social media graphics to editing and sizing photos. There is a bit of a learning curve, so you need to have a bit of experience to master it and use it for a variety of tasks. You also need to have a good sense of file organization so you can find files quickly without losing track of them.
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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!
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Pros
  • The fact is that you may quickly pick things up on your own by spending time without using any other resources.
  • It is the program that brings the phrase "to make PhotoShop" to almost all languages. It's not just a photo editing program.
  • Practical and beautiful results are filtered by filtering the desired work without drowning in details.
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  • Microsoft Publisher is just like Word, but Publisher, give much more features like multi page printing of single image and banner
  • We have faced very much difficulties for picture control in Microsoft Word, but Microsoft Publisher has much advanced picture. Control features with multiple alignment and distortion correction function.
  • We are also using Publisher for big banners for streets for promotion of our products, which is helping us on a very large scale advertisement with in-house design, designing, and printing of large banners easily
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Cons
  • Expensive - It is too expensive to buy Photoshop alone, and hence leading the user to purchase the entire Creative Cloud Package though he/she is not even aware of half of those apps.
  • High System Spec - Requires high system specifications to run the application smoothly, and to use it at its best.
  • Process lag - When it comes to large-sized files, the application becomes laggy taking much time even to render a single layer.
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  • 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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014 is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud family of software products. Therefore, when you get a license to use Adobe Photoshop for a monthly fee, you are constantly up-to-date on any upgrades or new releases of the software. So, if you are using the product, you never have to renew and you are always using the latest version of the software, for perpetuity.
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We use this product 2-3 times a month and have not been able to find a comparable alternative.
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Usability
I've used it for a long time and would consider myself a Pro user at this point. I know where everything I need is, have custom actions set up to make common actions faster, and have my workflows automated so much that everything is easy. Occasionally, a new version of Photoshop will change a common usability feature which will slow things down for a short time before I'm able to adjust, but generally I really like my setup. However, if you're new to Photoshop, it is likely going to take you a while to figure out how you can best use the features.
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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.
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Reliability and Availability
Adobe Photoshop is very reliable, but is never 100%. There have been times when Adobe Photoshop has had trouble opening, but nothing a little computer restart couldn't fix. I use Adobe Photoshop on a Mac for both work and at home on a daily basis, and I would be lost without it.
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Performance
Speed can be an issue when you are dealing with large files for large format printing or billboards. When working on web images, speed is not an issue.
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Support Rating
While I never contacted Adobe directly, there is so much content out there in the form of YouTube videos, Lynda/LinkedIn learning that almost any issue, including bugs, can be worked around (and this method is generally faster as there's no turnaround time involved).
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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.
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In-Person Training
So, I received the training at the HQ and it was train the trainer training. A good time, I spent a week at their campus
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Implementation Rating
I took a course so it really helped. I didn’t take the course until much later after beginning to use it, so I wish work would have sent me right off the bat. It would have alleviated a lot of frustratinon
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Alternatives Considered
I used all of these for different reasons. For a quick job that is a duplicate of previous efforts, Canva can get the job done. For actual illustration, Clip Studio Paint is a better choice for drawing. Adobe PhotoShop is the all-arounder, though, that can accomplish any of the tasks you need for image editing.
Read full review
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.
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Scalability
It seems expensive compared to the free/cheap programs now available
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Return on Investment
  • I think Photoshop does help make a lot of things faster, as one can quickly try things in Photoshop before actually executing a layout.
  • It has actively shared tutorials on the new features that it has been adding with each update.
  • Apart from graphic design, it helps other design departments like motion, 3D, and space design too.
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  • Don't really have a way to measure ROI in my industry (Religious organization), but let me say, Publisher is at the heart of the way that I do things. If I did not have it, then my productivity would be crushed and the ability to communicate with individuals within the annual conference would be greatly diminished.
  • Publisher allows me to produce quality, sometimes complex, documents in a simple and efficient manner.
  • It has been my go-to program for the majority of my communication needs for more than 10 years. It would be difficult to do my job without Publisher.
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ScreenShots