7 Best Microsoft Publisher Equivalents for Mac [Free and Paid Alternatives]

With its lush array of features and simple design, Microsoft Publisher lowers the bar of online publishing for prospects across the board. 

It helps just about anyone to whip up professionally-looking print and web media materials, from flyers to banners, pamphlets, etc. Its unparalleled array of functions and unmatched UI/UX makes it the go-to publishing toolset for millions of users across the world.

However, for reasons best known to the company, Microsoft has declined from releasing versions of the software for other operating systems, including Mac, unlike the policies it’s for most of its other apps. 

But thankfully today, if you’ve had to make a switch from PC to Mac, you won’t need to sweat it to find a publisher alternative for Mac. 

In this piece, we’ve assembled a list of the best Microsoft Publisher alternatives. We scoured through the App Store in search of these alternatives using criteria like UI/UX, price-to-value ratio, ease of installation/use, etc.

What are the best free Mac alternatives to Publisher?

Some of the best Mac alternatives to Publisher that are made available for free on MacUpdate are:

• Scribus
• Pages
• Lucidpress
• LibreOffice Draw

Scribus

 

Released in 2003, Scribus is a long-standing publishing software relied upon by millions of professionals across the globe. 

It comes with powerful publishing tools that help bring publications to life without copious efforts on your part. It’s gained pride of place among the crème-of-the-crop publishing tools and is a worthy Mac equivalent of Publisher.

One setback that we found quite frustrating about Scribus is the complexity of its installation process. After you install the main software, you’ll need to install additional plugins to get the app running in its full capacity. 

However, once we scaled the installation hurdle, the rest of our user experience was a smooth sail. 

The software has a General Public License, which makes it available for free to the public. It has versions for both Mac and PC.

Pages

 

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so you can expect Pages, Apple’s in-built publishing app, to give you the best publishing resources Apple has to offer. 

Pages was released in 2005 as the desktop publishing component of Apple’s iWork productivity suite.

The software provides you with a publishing toolbox that’s nearly as comprehensive as that of Microsoft Publishers. It boasts an impressive array of templates, layouts, and writing tools that allow you to create professional-looking files in a jiffy. 

LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice Draw allows you and your team members to collaborate in creating diagrams and graphs with professional finesse. 

It’s not originally a diagramming tool, but its toolset can easily be deployed in making diagrams. Its support for page sizes of up to 300cm by 300cm makes it all the more ideal for creating a wide range of graphic files, from flowcharts to technical drawings, posters, and infographics.

What are the Paid Alternatives to Microsoft Publisher for Mac?

MacUpdate also offers Mac users some paid alternatives to Microsoft Publisher. They are the following:

• Swift Publisher
• iStudio Publisher
• Adobe Creative world
• Affinity Publisher

Swift Publisher

 

Swift Publisher is designed to take the grunt work out of the creation of simple and complex publications, from simple graphs to pamphlets, brochures, manuals, and other printed publications. With over 200 hundred templates and a massive trove of over 2,000 royalty-free images, Swift provides you with all you need to get your publication locked and loaded. 

Perhaps its most coveted feature is its drag and drop mode of operation, which allows you to piece together your publication without a fuss. It’s also integrated with third-party apps like maps and calendars to help you easily add data from these sources to your publication.

iStudio Publisher

 

iStudio also offers desktop publishing and page layout features that make the software similar to Microsoft Publisher. 

In addition to its highly intuitive user interface, the creators also put together video tutorials and a Quick Start Guide to help users get a quick hang of the toolset. This allows users to create their desired content hassle-free. 

Another thing we like about iStudio is the wide latitude of format choices it offers users, which include PDF, PSD, BMP, AI, and lots more.

Affinity Publisher

 

Affinity Publisher provides you with a rich variety of publishing tools for assembling files containing images, graphics, texts, and other elements. Its array of advanced layout and typography tools include image frames with intelligent scaling options, custom table formats, wrapping text around objects with finesse, custom and regular shapes, advanced guides, grids and snapping, plus more. 

Users can also generate indexes and tables of contents with a few clicks, organize documents with a section manager, and customize keyboard shortcuts. To further expedite the creation of publications, the software is also integrated with an ecosystem of Affinity apps that facilitate swift professional publications.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is a flagship product of a digital publishing powerhouse. 

Its range of tools can be appreciated by both pros and amateurs, and they support both offline and online publishing. 

Newbies and professional publishers won’t break a sweat to create high-quality, interactive, and immersive content for marketing, edutainment, invitations, etc.

Conclusion

You can download and install any of the MS Publisher alternatives on MacUpdate.

They all come with a sleek user interface and highly-precision tools that allow you to create and fine-tune your publications without steep technical expertise.

 

Written by Shola Mercy

A Mac software expert with over 3 years of experience in applying solutions to Mac software issues. My speciality is ensuring an easy-switch from Windows to macOS for new Mac users.