Adobe InDesign vs The Print Shop
Adobe InDesign
adobe.comThe Print Shop
printshop.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe InDesign | The Print Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Desktop Publishing Software | 9.2 (#4) | 7.0 (#27) |
| Purpose | InDesign is a professional page layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. | The Print Shop is desktop publishing software for home office, creative, advertising, and small-business design projects. |
| Support | Adobe’s InDesign Help Center provides tutorials, technical requirements, troubleshooting articles, and product documentation. | The product page says forum moderators can assist with questions; the store lists phone support at 1-800-395-0277, Monday through Friday, 8am–4:30pm CST. |
| System requirements | InDesign 21.x requires Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, at least 8GB RAM, AVX2 and an internet connection; macOS 12 or newer is required for current versions. | The listed system requirements specify Windows 11, Windows 10, or Windows 8, plus 4 GB RAM, 4 GB disk space, and broadband internet access. |
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
The Print Shop
- The Print Shop Deluxe 8$69.99, paid once
- The Print Shop Professional 8$99.99, paid once
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.
The Print Shop
The Print Shop has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.