If you’re looking for a free, open-source alternative to InDesign, we can recommend checking out Scribus. Can’t import files from InDesign or QuarkXPress
A licence for the 2021 version starts at $828, although that's often reduced by around 40 per cent. We suspect the makers of the software know that since pricing seems to be more aimed at the corporate market. That said, the brutal truth is that the main reason to buy Quark nowadays is that you’ve used it before and prefer it to InDesign, or that you’re applying for a job or project that requires it. It can be used to create everything from posters and flyers to brochures, catalogues, and magazines, as well as ebooks and web and mobile apps. There’s a lot of impressive functionality for both print and digital design, so it seems a little unfair that’s it's been so eclipsed by InDesign.Īvailable for PC or Mac, it continues to be updated on an annual basis, usually around late spring/early summer. First launched in 1987, the reliable and feature-packed software can do almost everything that InDesign can do, and, importantly, it can import InDesign files. Back in the 1990s, QuarkXPress was the king of desktop publishing, and many designers, publishing houses and corporations who started using it before InDesign arrived have continued to do so.
