Comparison of desktop publishing software

The following is a comparison of major desktop publishing software.

Overview

This table provides general software information including the developer, latest stable version, the year in which the software was first released, and the license under which it is available.

Desktop publishing software	Developer(s)	Latest stable version	Initial release	License
Affinity Publisher	Serif Europe	2.3.0 30 November 2023; 14 months ago (2023-11-30)[1]	2019 (2019)	Proprietary
Apache OpenOffice Writer	Apache Software Foundation and others	4.1.15[2]  22 December 2023; 13 months ago (22 December 2023)	2002 (2002)[3]	Apache License 2.0 (Apache OpenOffice 3.4 and later)
Canva	Canva Pty Ltd	Rolling updates	2013 (2013)	Proprietary SaaS
Collabora Online[4]	Collabora	24.04.11.4[5]  16 January 2025; 21 days ago (16 January 2025)	2016 (2016) [6]	MPL-2.0 and others
CorelDRAW	Corel	24.5 18 September 2023; 16 months ago (2023-09-18)	1989 (1989)	Proprietary
InDesign	Adobe	CC 2024 20.0 October 2024; 4 months ago (2024-10)	1999 (1999)	Proprietary Trialware
LibreOffice Draw[7]	The Document Foundation	25.2.0[8]  6 February 2025; 0 days ago (6 February 2025)	2011 (2011)	LGPL v3
LyX	The LyX Team	2.4.3[9]  16 January 2025; 21 days ago (16 January 2025)	1995 (1995)	GPL v2[10]
Marq	Draper	Rolling updates	2013	Proprietary SaaS
Microsoft Publisher	Microsoft Corporation	2021 October 5, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-05)[11]	1991 (1991)	Proprietary Trialware
Pages	Apple Inc.	13.2 September 21, 2023; 16 months ago (2023-09-21)[12]	2005 (2005)	Proprietary
QuarkXPress	Quark, Inc.	2024 20.0.0 November 14, 2023; 14 months ago (2023-11-14)	1987 (1987)	Proprietary
Scribus	The Scribus Team	1.6.1[13] 7 January 2024; 12 months ago (2024-01-07)	2003 (2003)	GPL
The Print Shop	Broderbund	23.1 2009; 16 years ago (2009)[a]	1984 (1984)	Proprietary
Desktop publishing software	Developer(s)	Latest stable version	Initial release	License

OS and Online support

This table shows Operating System (OS) compatibility with the latest version of the desktop publishing applications, there are five possibilities:

• No indicates that it does not exist or was never released.
• Partial indicates that the application lacks important functionality and it is still being developed.
• Beta indicates that while a version of the application is fully functional and has been released, it is still in development (e.g. for stability).
• Yes indicates that the application has been officially released in a fully functional, stable version.
• Dropped indicates that while the application works, new versions are no longer being released for the indicated OS; the number in parentheses is the last known stable version which was officially released for that OS.

Application names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.

Desktop publishing software	Android	ChromeOS	iOS	iPadOS	Linux	MacOS	Windows	Web, Online, Cloud	Other OS
Affinity Publisher	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No[14]
Apache OpenOffice Writer	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[b]	Yes	No	Yes[15][c][d]
Canva	Yes[e] (App[16] and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes[e] (App[17] and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes	Yes (App and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes	No[18]
Collabora Online	Yes[e] (App[19] and Online)	Yes (App[20] and Online)	Yes[e] (App[21] and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes (App[22] and Online)	Yes (App and Online)	Yes	Yes[f][d]
CorelDRAW	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No[23]
InDesign	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No[24]
LibreOffice	No	Yes[25][d]	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes[f]
LyX	No	Yes[26]	No	No	Yes[27]	Yes	Yes	No	OS/2, Haiku
Marq	Yes[e][28] (Online)	Yes (Online)	Yes[e][29] (Online)	Yes (Online)	Yes (Online)	Yes (Online)	Yes (Online)	Yes	No
Microsoft Publisher	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Pages	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes[30]	No	No	No
QuarkXPress	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[31]	Yes	No	No
Scribus	No	Yes[32]	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	OS/2 Warp 4, ArcaOS, eComStation, OpenIndiana, Solaris, Haiku
The Print Shop	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Desktop publishing software	Android	ChromeOS	iOS	iPadOS	Linux	MacOS	Windows	Web, Online, Cloud	Other OS

Input format

This table gives a comparison of the file formats that can be opened or imported.

Desktop publishing software	PDF	EPS	SVG	HTML	OpenDocument ODT	Microsoft DOCX	Other
Affinity Publisher	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[33]
Apache OpenOffice Writer	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes[34]
Canva	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	PNG, WebP, audio, video, fonts, others[35]
Collabora Online	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	PUB, TeX/LaTeX, WebP, others[36][37]
CorelDRAW	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	others[38]
InDesign	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	WebP, others[39]
LibreOffice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	PUB, WPD, TeX/LaTeX, RTF, others[40]
LyX	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	CSV, TeX/LaTeX, others[41]
Marq	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	PNG
Microsoft Publisher	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	RTF
Pages	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	RTF[42]
QuarkXPress	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	PSD, AI, SWF, PNG PDF, RTF
Scribus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	PUB, TeX/LaTeX, others List
The Print Shop	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Desktop publishing software	PDF	EPS	SVG	HTML	OpenDocument ODT	Microsoft DOCX	Other

Output format

This table gives a comparison of the file formats each software can export or save.

Desktop publishing software	PDF	EPS	PNG	SVG	WebP	EPUB	HTML	Other
Affinity Publisher	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes, others[43]
Apache OpenOffice Writer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	[44]
Canva	Yes	No	Yes[g][45]	Yes	Yes	No	No	JPEG, Video:GIF, MP4, others[46]
Collabora Online	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	ODF, others[47][48]
CorelDRAW	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	PSD, AI, SWF, WPD, others[49]
InDesign	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	JPG, RTF, others[50]
LibreOffice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	ODF, JPEG, RTF, other[51]
LyX	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	PS, ODF, TeX/LaTeX], DOCX, others[52]
Marq	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	JPEG, GIF, MP4, others[53]
Microsoft Publisher	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	JPG, TIFF
Pages	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	RTF[54]
QuarkXPress	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Kindle[55]
Scribus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	List, TeX/LaTeX]
The Print Shop	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Desktop publishing software	PDF	EPS	PNG	SVG	WebP	EPUB	HTML	Other

See also

• List of desktop publishing software
• List of office suites
• Comparison of office suites

Notes

1. release date not stated on vendors web page
2. Rosetta 2 emulation is required to run on all current Apple macOS hardware which use Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3...). Native CPU support remains for previous Intel based macOS devives.
3. Build your own application from source code
4. unsupported
5. not supported on mobile web browsers.
6. Online or Build your own application from source code
7. The free version of Canva does not support transparent backgrounds. Canva Pro or Enterprise have an option to “Remove Background” from images

References

1. "Latest Affinity V2 releases on each platform by store". Affinity Newsroom. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
2. "Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15". 22 December 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
3. "The Apache OpenOffice Project Announces Apache OpenOffice 3.4" (Press release). Apache Software Foundation. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
4. "Create great flyers, newsletters, brochures and more with open source software". opensource.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08.
5. "Collabora Online 24.04 Release Notes".
6. "Collabora Productivity releases Collabora Online 1.0 "Engine" for Hosters and Clouds" (Press release). Collabora Productivity. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016. Collabora Productivity, the driving force behind putting LibreOffice in the Cloud, has released the first production grade version of Collabora Online, its flagship cloud document suite solution.
7. "Create great flyers, newsletters, brochures, and more with open source software". opensource.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08.
8. https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/02/06/libreoffice-25-2/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "[lyx-announce] LyX 2.4.3 Released". 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
10. "License". Lyx. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
11. "See what's in Office 2021". Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30.
12. "Pages on the Mac App Store". Mac App Store. June 13, 2023.
13. "Scribus 1.6.1 Released". scribus.net.
14. "System requirements". Affinity. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
15. "System requirements". Apache_Software_Foundation_and_others. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
16. "Canva: Design, Photo & Video". Google Play. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
17. "Mac App Store Preview". Apple. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
18. "Technical requirements". Canva. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
19. "Google Play Store". Google Play. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-01-20. Collabora Office - LibreOffice based editor for Microsoft Office, LibreOffice and OpenOffice docs.
20. "Collabora Office 6.4 Launches For Android, iOS & Chrome OS". KYM Know Your Mobile. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-01-15. ...it works on desktop and mobile, and it will sync up between devices too, so you can start something on your desktop PC and then pick it up later on your phone and/or tablet.
21. "Apple App Store". App Store. Archived from the original on 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2021-01-20. Collabora Office - This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
22. "Collabora Office Enterprise-ready Office Suite for Windows, MacOS and Linux". Collabora Productivity. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
23. "Product Info Sheet". coreldraw. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
24. "InDesign system requirements". Adobe. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
25. "3 alternatives for Microsoft Publisher on your Chromebook". chromeunboxed. 17 August 2020.
26. "How to setup Lyx on a Chromebook". Lyx. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
27. "Step-By-Step Installation of Lyx on Linux, macOS, and Windows". Baeldung. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
28. "System requirements". Marc. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
29. "System requirements". Marc. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
30. "Pages User Guide for Mac". Apple. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
31. "Getting Started with QuarkXPress 2023". QuarkEXpress. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
32. "3 alternatives for Microsoft Publisher on your Chromebook". chromeunboxed. 17 August 2020.
33. "Import and export file formats". Affinity. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
34. "File Formats". Apache Software Foundation and others. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
35. "Upload formats and requirements". Canva. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
36. "interoperability with over 100 third party documents formats". Collabora Productivity. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
37. "Which formats can the programs of Collabora Online read?". Collabora Online. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
38. "Supported file formats". CorelDRAW help. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
39. "Supported file formats for InDesign". Adobe. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
40. "Working with File Formats, Security, and Exporting". LibreOffice Productivity. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
41. "UserGuide, see IMPORT". Lyx. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
42. "Pages User Guide for iPhone". Apple. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
43. "Import and export file formats". Affinity. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
44. "File Formats". Apache OpenOffice. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
45. "Download design with transparent background". Canva. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
46. "Supported download file types". Canva. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
47. "interoperability with over 100 third party documents formats". Collabora Productivity. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
48. "Which formats can the programs of Collabora Online read?". Collabora Online. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
49. "Supported file formats". CorelDRAW help. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
50. "Supported file formats for InDesign". Adobe. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
51. "Working with File Formats, Security, and Exporting". LibreOffice Productivity. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
52. "UserGuide, see EXPORT". Lyx. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
53. "Download export settings". Canva. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
54. "Pages User Guide for iPhone". Apple. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
55. "Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress 2022". QuarkEXpress. Retrieved 2024-04-02.