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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    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

    Pricing
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft Publisher
    Editions & Modules
    Affinity Publisher
    $24.99
    Microsoft Publisher
    $139
    one time purchase
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft 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
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft Publisher
    Considered Both Products
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    Chose Affinity Publisher
    Only useful on the Windows platform. Perhaps it is just fine, but the plug-in style function of the Affinity photo and designer attached to Publisher makes the Affinity solution more robust. The Microsoft product is also attached to a subscription platform, where the Serif …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft Publisher
    Small Businesses
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Adobe InDesign
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft Publisher
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    8.4
    (13 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Affinity PublisherMicrosoft Publisher
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    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
    Pros
    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
    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
    Cons
    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
    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
    Likelihood to Renew
    Serif Europe Ltd.
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    We use this product 2-3 times a month and have not been able to find a comparable alternative.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    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
    Support Rating
    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
    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
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    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
    Return on Investment
    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
    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
    ScreenShots