The Best Open Source Adobe InDesign AlternativesTop Desktop Publishers and other similar apps like Adobe InDesign

The best open source alternative to Adobe InDesign is Scribus. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe InDesign and four of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Adobe InDesign are Aktivisda, Laidout and Passepartout.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe InDesign alternatives are mainly Desktop Publishers, but if you're looking for Graphic Design Tools or Vector Graphic Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Free, Linux, Mac, Android, iPad and Chrome OS. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe InDesign.
More about Adobe InDesign
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Adobe InDesign alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Scribus icon

    Scribus

     411 likes

    Open-source desktop publishing software offering flexible layouts and typesetting, professional image setting, CMYK support, interactive PDFs, vector tools, and wide format support, perfect for creating newspapers, brochures, and more on Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD.

    26 Scribus alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Oracle Solaris
    • Flatpak
    Scribus screenshot 1
     
    |
    13
    130
    Comments about Scribus as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    Comment summary: Scribus is viewed as a competent alternative to Adobe InDesign, praised for its comprehensive features and ability to produce professional work, especially for users valuing free software. However, it attracts criticism for its outdated user interface and occasional usability issues, such as difficulties in performing basic tasks and a lack of alignment features. While some find it suitable for small projects, others struggle with its more complex functions in comparison to InDesign.
    Top Positive Comment
    maurosoft391
    3

    depsite it's poorly designed, scribus is somewhat easy to use. the font problem can be fixable by writing in the internal editor

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    15

    absolute pain in the $$$ to work with. lacks basic functionality like showing up the font you select in the actual page

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    It's very basic, and needs a lot of work to do even the simplest of things properly.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    Adobe InDesign Icon
    Scribus icon

    • Most users think Scribus is a great Adobe InDesign alternative.

    • Scribus is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • Scribus is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • Scribus is Free and Open SourceAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Scribus is Lightweight and Privacy focusedAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  2. Aktivisda icon

    Aktivisda

     11 likes

    Aktivisda is a web application to facilitate the creation of visuals that use the graphic charter of an organization, and the spreading of this graphic charter.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    Aktivisda screenshot 1
     

    • Aktivisda is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Adobe InDesign.

    • Aktivisda is Free and Open SourceAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Laidout icon

    Laidout

     5 likes

    Laidout is desktop publishing software, particularly for multipage, cut and folded booklets, with page sizes that don't even have to be rectangular. The whole page view can be rotated to any angle. Warping is implemented.

    16 Laidout alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Laidout screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    8
    Comments about Laidout as an Alternative to Adobe InDesign
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    1

    it's poorly designed and looks like a program from the 1990s

    Adobe InDesign Icon
    Laidout icon

    • Most users think Laidout is a great Adobe InDesign alternative.

    • Laidout is Free and Open SourceAdobe InDesign is Paid and Proprietary
    • Laidout is LightweightAdobe InDesign is not according to our users
  5. Passepartout icon

    Passepartout

     4 likes

    Passepartout is a desktop publishing system that is based on the idea of automatic typesetting of streams of XML based text documents.The project was started back in 2002 to facilitate a particular task — creating a newspaper. These days the project is somewhat dormant.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Passepartout screenshot 1
     
4 of 4 Adobe InDesign alternatives