Adobe InDesign vs Xara Page & Layout Designer
Adobe InDesign
adobe.comXara Page & Layout Designer
xara.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe InDesign | Xara Page & Layout Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Desktop Publishing Software | 9.2 (#4) | 7.3 (#24) |
| Purpose | InDesign is a professional page layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. | Combines word processor and desktop publishing text and page layout features with image editing tools to create documents. |
| Security | Adobe says it integrates security activities across its software development practices, processes, and tools, and provides product security bulletins and advisories. | Xara says its online store is completely secure. |
| Support | Adobe’s InDesign Help Center provides tutorials, technical requirements, troubleshooting articles, and product documentation. | The stated purchase price includes technical support, and Xara links users to a Page & Layout Designer knowledgebase. |
| Trial | The seven-day trial is the full version and converts to a paid Creative Cloud membership unless canceled before it ends. | The trial enables all features for 7 days and can be extended to 30 days on registration; only a selection of templates can be edited. |
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
Xara Page & Layout Designer
- Page & Layout Designer 11$89.99, 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.
Xara Page & Layout Designer
Xara Page & Layout Designer has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.