Al­tern­at­ives for InDesign: 4 free tools

The desktop pub­lish­ing program Adobe InDesign offers its users artistic quality and a high degree of creative freedom for the real­isa­tion of projects. However, it runs users around £25/month. Many freel­an­cers and private users can’t make such an in­vest­ment (or simply don’t want to). Luckily, there are some good, free InDesign al­tern­at­ives. We’ll take a look at four different options here.

Scribus

The most well-known and popular free InDesign al­tern­at­ive is Scribus. The extensive layout program is available for Windows, macOS and various GNU/Linux dis­tri­bu­tions. The project has very reliable de­vel­op­ment and is con­tinu­ally improved through regular updates. Even though the range of functions isn’t as large as that of the Adobe package, Scribus is a program with many useful features. It can be used for a variety of takes ranging from the com­pos­i­tion of simple ad­vert­ise­ments to the layout of entire magazines or books. You can also create in­ter­act­ive and animated PDF files and equip them with markers, links and other info panels.

The most important features that make Scribus almost on a par with InDesign are:

• Import and export of SVG and EPD files
• CMYK preview
• Templates and patterns

The range of page templates is almost as diverse as those offered by InDesign. One drawback of using this program is that the interface isn’t very intuitive. Some of the functions are also difficult to use. This mean that beginners will have to spend a con­sid­er­able amount of time fa­mil­i­ar­ising them­selves with the program.

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Marq (formerly Lu­cid­press)

You don’t need to download Marq in order to use the pub­lish­ing tool. You can simply access it through a browser. The web-based print and pub­lish­ing ap­plic­a­tion allows for the creation of brochures, news­let­ters and magazines. In contrast to Scribus, Marq has a much stronger emphasis on digital formats such as slideshows and news­let­ters.

Users can either choose a design template or create their own templates. A benefit of Marq over other programs like InDesign or Scribus is that it doesn’t take long to get used to. This is due in part to the smaller range of functions. The tool is com­pletely free, but there are sig­ni­fic­ant lim­it­a­tions placed on func­tion­al­ity and flex­ib­il­ity. In the free version, users can only create a up to three pages per document, and saving is capped at 25 MB.

Marq in its free version is not a suitable InDesign al­tern­at­ive for pro­fes­sion­al users. It is, however, a practical solution for the hobby user, who only needs it for one design task or sporadic small projects. If you want a larger range of functions or more memory, you must pay for Marq. For in­di­vidu­al users, the monthly rates are in the low double-digits. Marq is a purely online tool, so data pro­tec­tion can also be prob­lem­at­ic for pro­fes­sion­al users. Pro­tec­tion against idea theft is an important issue among creatives, so ap­plic­a­tions that are only available online should be used with caution.

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VivaDesign­er

Another free InDesign al­tern­at­ive is the free version of VivaDesign­er.

The layout and set program is available in both desktop and web versions. It can be accessed with any browser, and downloads are available for Windows, macOS and Linux. As with the other InDesign al­tern­at­ives, the free version is easily ac­cess­ible but operates in a limited capacity. To access the full version, you need to pay a fee.

Various features like spellcheck­er or Pantone and HKMS colour models are only available in the full version. The import and export function of PDFs is also not available to free users. The good news is the free version can be used for both private and com­mer­cial purposes. The interface is clearly struc­tured and easy to use, making it a good option for beginners.

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Canva

The program Canva is less focused on pub­lish­ing and is more a tool for designers. Canva helps with the creation of blog graphics, present­a­tions, Facebook cover photos, flyers, posters, in­vit­a­tions and more.

In the basic version, the user receives a free design tool that is easy to use. A free pro account is also available for non-profit or­gan­isa­tions. Apart from that, the program’s target groups are marketers, social media con­tract­ors and startups who want to quickly and easily create at­tract­ive graphic designs. Some Canva templates are even based on standard social media specs like Instagram images sizes and video formats.

Despite the large selection of colours, fonts and free stock photos in Canva’s free version, it is not a full-fledged DTP solution or com­pre­hens­ive al­tern­at­ive to InDesign. For online marketing, however, Canvas is a small, flexible and cost-effective solution that in most cases is able to do the job.

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InDesign al­tern­at­ives compared

Which InDesign al­tern­at­ive is best for you depends on what you want to use the software for. Users only in­ter­ested in oc­ca­sion­ally designing graphics or working on small web projects don’t need the extensive range of functions that InDesign offers. In this case, it would make more sense to use a free tool like Canva instead of investing in a powerful DTP solution with high licensing costs. On the other hand, if you need the full range of features that a pro­fes­sion­al DTP program offers, it’s best to go with Scribus, as the free version of VivaDesign­er is rather limited in its cap­ab­il­it­ies.