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SPECIFICTION
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Adobe InDesign vs Microsoft Publisher

Adobe InDesign

adobe.com

Microsoft Publisher

microsoft.com

Side by side

FigureAdobe InDesignMicrosoft Publisher
Price from$19.99/mo—
Free plan——
Free trialYes—
Open source——
WindowsYesYes
macOSYes—
APIYes—
Self-hostedYes—
Plans published92
Spec score · Poster Design Software9.2 (#2)6.0 (#39)
Spec score · Desktop Publishing Software9.2 (#4)6.0 (#29)

Plans

Adobe InDesign

  • Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers$19.99 a month
  • InDesign$22.99 a month
  • InDesign$22.99 a month
  • Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
  • Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
  • InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
  • InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
  • Creative Cloud Pro for teams$99.99 a month
  • InDesign annual prepaid$263.88 a year

Adobe InDesign pricing →

Microsoft Publisher

  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard (no Teams)Priced on request
  • Microsoft 365 Business StandardPriced on request

Microsoft Publisher pricing →

In their own words

Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a professional page-layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. It can produce brochures, digital magazines, eBooks, posters, and presentations, with precise typography controls and access to Adobe Fonts. Adobe describes layout and AI features including Flex Layout, layout-aware Rewrite, PDF-to-InDesign conversion, generated alt text, and Generative Expand. InDesign integrates with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, and includes tools for sharing assets, receiving feedback, and collaborating with stakeholders. It runs on macOS and Windows as a desktop app, not a mobile app, and is available only through a membership plan. A seven-day trial provides the full version but converts to a paid Creative Cloud membership unless canceled before it ends. The InDesign plan includes 100GB cloud storage and 25 monthly generative credits; Creative Cloud Pro plans include access to 20+ apps. For versions 21.3 and later, Adobe lists at least 8GB RAM and an internet connection for activation, subscription validation, and online services.

Visit adobe.com

Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft Publisher has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit microsoft.com