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Affinity Publisher

Score8.5 out of 10

31 Reviews and Ratings

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What is Affinity Publisher?

Affinity Publisher replaces the former PagePlus desktop publishing application, from Serif Europe headquartered in Nottingham.

Categories & Use Cases

Reviews

What users are saying about Affinity Publisher.
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Cost effective

Incentivized
Verified User
Employee (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In our team, I use Affinity for all things design, graphics, and formatting, working on both print and eBooks. It’s my go-to tool for making sure each book looks polished and market-ready, from cover art to page layouts. With Affinity, I can control the entire book design process – setting up clean, consistent chapter layouts, placing images, and making the text flow just right.For print books, Affinity Publisher is super handy for keeping everything looking sharp on the page. When it comes to eBooks, it’s easy to tweak the design so it translates smoothly across different devices. Plus, the one-time cost is a big bonus, saving us from subscription fees while giving me all the tools I need. Overall, it’s a reliable, creative solution that helps me produce high-quality books readers will love.

Pros

  • Lets me get text, images, and graphics lined up just right for a clean, polished look.
  • Has tons of options to style text, so layouts feel unique and easy to read.
  • Syncs seamlessly between desktop and iPad, making it easy to edit images or adjust designs on the go.

Cons

  • Could improve universal integration with other popular software for smoother file sharing and compatibility.
  • Some features feel a bit complex and could use more intuitive tools or guidance for easier use.

Return on Investment

  • The one-time purchase model has saved us approximately 50% compared to subscription software, freeing up budget for other critical business needs.

Usability

Other Software Used

Figma, ClickUp, Zapier, Google Workspace, Vellum, Canva, Metricool

Value for less mney

Incentivized
Brian KearyView profile
Owner and CEO at BKThemes (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Affinity Publisher to create all kinds of items to print. For example, I create business card templates for clients. They then in turn take that to the publisher of their choice and get their cards made. Letterheads and envelopes are also big sellers. I don't honestly know where I would be without it.

Pros

  • drag and drop functionality to create faster
  • Ability to save in multiple formats
  • Costs way less then the others

Cons

  • Help is a little lacking in some areas.

Most Important Features

  • publishing
  • drag and drop

Return on Investment

  • Low price allows me charge less thus bringing more business.
  • Professional quality results, minimal effort

Alternatives Considered

Affinity Photo

Affinity Publisher is a worthwhile tool no matter the budget

John Bergmann, MSMView profile
Business Owner in Professional Services at Bergmann Photography (1-10 employees employees)

Pros

  • Master page templates
  • File and resource handling
  • Compatibility with other software files

Cons

  • Menu differences can be an impediment to new users from other softwares
  • Some functions are not in places I would expect

Most Important Features

  • Price
  • Inter-functionality with the other Affinity programs
  • Generally simple to use and figure out
  • Good training materials and references

Return on Investment

  • Concern over support as versions are released

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Publisher

Other Software Used

Odoo, Microsoft Teams, Adobe PhotoShop

Affinity Publisher, desktop publishing and design made easy

Incentivized
Paul GullyView profile
Director at Elevated Online (1-10 employees employees)

Pros

  • Quick start up and get going on projects.
  • Great tools and features.
  • Works well with all file types.

Cons

  • How it handles opening some file types.
  • Full compatibility with Adobe files would be fantastic (maybe not possible though).
  • Auto resizing of picture frames if you adjust the spread size would be amazing.

Most Important Features

  • Professional features for desktop publishing.
  • Being able to export in a range of different file types and formats.
  • Wide range of picture and text tools.
  • Speed and ease of use.

Return on Investment

  • It has greatly improved productivity.
  • Allows us to work alongside other design programs.
  • Cuts costs as a great alternative.

Alternatives Considered

Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe PhotoShop

Other Software Used

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Spark, Canva

Create classy documents with text and images

Incentivized
George FreemanView profile
Associate Professor in Engineering at University of Waterloo (1001-5000 employees employees)

Pros

  • Easy to place and control fixed items like images or graphics.
  • Easy to create linked boxes of flowed text.
  • Nice control over alignment with global grid so text in different boxes looks right.
  • Handy to switch personas to Affinity Photo or Designer for editing components
  • Easy to add a table of contents.

Cons

  • Complex interface takes a while to get comfortable with (training book helps with this).
  • The actual page being worked on is crowded in the interface (but fine if you have a second monitor).
  • I find the color selector non-intuitive and it seems to not remember previous choices.

Most Important Features

  • Low cost, not a subscription.
  • Relatively easy to learn and use.
  • Creates high-quality output.

Return on Investment

  • Has allowed me to create some classy-looking documents.