Adobe InDesign vs QuarkXPress
Adobe InDesign
adobe.comQuarkXPress
quark.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe InDesign | QuarkXPress |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Graphic Design Software | 9.2 (#10) | 8.6 (#44) |
| Spec score · Design tools | 9.2 (#10) | 8.6 (#43) |
| Spec score · Brochure Makers | 9.2 (#2) | 8.0 (#12) |
| Spec score · Desktop Publishing Software | 9.2 (#4) | 8.1 (#12) |
| Spec score · Flyer Makers | 9.2 (#3) | 8.0 (#10) |
| Spec score · Book Formatting Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.1 (#5) |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Mobile app | No | No |
| Presentation design | Yes | No |
| Publishing formats | Adobe says InDesign can create and publish brochures, digital magazines, eBooks, posters, and presentations. | The product supports exporting to multiple print and digital formats. |
| Purpose | InDesign is a professional page layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. | QuarkXPress is desktop publishing and page layout software for creating print and digital designs. |
| Support | Adobe’s InDesign Help Center provides tutorials, technical requirements, troubleshooting articles, and product documentation. | The annual subscription includes technical support while active, and new perpetual licenses include 12 months of maintenance and support. |
| Typography | The app supports Adobe Fonts, OpenType and variable fonts, kerning, tracking, character styles and paragraph styles. | Variable Fonts controls include weight, width, and slant adjustments. |
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
QuarkXPress
- Perpetual LicensePrice not published
- Prepaid Annual SubscriptionPrice not published
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.
QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress is desktop publishing and page layout software for creating print and digital designs. It exports to multiple formats, including print, PDF, HTML5, web, XML, tablet, and mobile apps. Variable Fonts controls adjust weight, width, and slant, while built-in LaTeX and MathML support lets users edit equations for print and digital output. The product lists IDML import and export, more than 1,500 Google fonts, and full Pantone Color Libraries. Quarky can generate text, suggest titles, summarize, paraphrase, correct grammar, and translate, but AI tools require a subscription or perpetual license with active maintenance and support. The seven-day trial restricts saving, printing, and exporting. Supported systems for QuarkXPress 2026 include macOS 14, 15, and 26, plus 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. Annual subscriptions include technical support while active; new perpetual licenses include 12 months of maintenance and support. The annual subscription starts at $18/user/mo (annual).