Best Microsoft Publisher Alternatives For Mac 2026 (Free & Tested)

By now, you’ve probably realized that there is no version of Microsoft Publisher for Mac. That might seem strange but Microsoft doesn’t always release Mac versions of its products.

However, the good news is there’s some excellent alternatives to Publisher on macOS and we’ve reviewed the best ones in 2026.

In our research and testing, we found the excellent Apple Pages is the best replacement for MS Publisher on Macs, especially for those that want a free, native macOS desktop publishing software.

However, we also looked at a range of other free and paid options from beginner level to professional DTP programs that offer features and tools similar to Microsoft Publisher.

All the tools we’ve covered here are suitable for creating various publications including newsletters, brochures, booklets, magazines, newspapers, leaflets, eBooks, flyers, banners, invitations and more.

Microsoft Publisher For Mac Replacements Compared

Software	Pricing	Templates	Collaboration Tools	Best For
Apple Pages	Free with macOS	Excellent although limited	Yes (iCloud sync)	Simple desktop publishing, easy document sharing
Adobe InDesign	$22.99/month (CC)	Extensive library	Yes	Professional publishing, print industry standard
Swift Publisher	$19.99 (one-time)	200+ built-in	No	Home publishing, CD/DVD labels, quick print layouts
Canva	Free plan available / Canva Pro from around $12.99 per month	Extensive	Yes (real-time)	Beginners, home users, schools, small businesses, quick Publisher-style layouts
Scribus	Free (open source)	Yes	No	Professional pre-press, open-source DTP on a budget
Marq	$10+/month	500+ templates	Yes (real-time)	Cloud-based design, real-time team collaboration
Affinity Publisher	$69.99 (one-time)	Limited	No	Designers using other Affinity apps, budget InDesign alternative

1. Pages (Best Free Alternative)

Apple Pages is Apple’s free word processor for macOS and one of the best free alternatives to Microsoft Publisher on a Mac.

Since Microsoft Publisher isn’t available for macOS, Pages fills a similar role for creating flyers, brochures, newsletters, posters, and other layout-heavy documents.

Originally part of Apple’s iWork suite, Pages now comes preinstalled on most Macs and can also be downloaded free from the Mac App Store.

While it’s often used as an excellent alternative to Microsoft Word, Pages also includes a solid set of desktop-publishing-style tools, including page layout mode, text boxes, image placement, alignment guides, and a wide range of professionally designed templates.

For Mac users who need to produce Publisher-style documents without paying for software, Pages is an accessible and capable option, especially for home users, students, and small businesses.

You can read our full review of Apple Pages for more details.

Pricing: Free with macOS

Pros:

• Free and developed by Apple for macOS
• Good alternative to Microsoft Publisher for basic publishing tasks
• Combines word processing and page layout in one app
• Large selection of ready-made templates
• Clean, Mac-friendly interface

Cons:

• Lacks professional prepress features
• No CMYK, bleed preview, or color separations
• Not suitable for professional print production
• Layout tools are less advanced than dedicated DTP software

2. Adobe InDesign (Best Professional Alternative)

Adobe InDesign is easily the best professional desktop publishing software for Mac by some distance and a great option for those that need something more powerful.

It’s used professionally for everything from creating stationary, flyers, annual reports, calendars and posters to professional magazines, online interactive digital publications and e-books.

InDesign has become far more accessible to the average user too with an easier to use layout that’s closer to the Microsoft Office style ribbon interface and toolbox.

Adobe has simplified InDesign a lot to appeal to a wider market and there are also plenty of easy to follow InDesign video tutorials to help you get to grips with the software.

More recently, Adobe has added its amazing Firefly AI text-to-image capabilities to InDesign which allows you to conjure any image you want by giving it a description. We recently tried this in Adobe Express and were amazed at the way it turns any non-graphic designer into a pro.

If you need professional print capabilities, InDesign also uses a clever “PreFlight” system to check documents for issues to meet the requirements of commercial printing.

You can also check our full review of Adobe InDesign for a more in-depth look.

Pricing: Free trial / $22.99/m or 60% off with Creative Cloud Educational Discount.

Pros:

• Industry standard app for desktop publishing
• Incredibly powerful at creating layouts
• Thousands of professional templates
• Creates amazing offline and interactive online publications
• Mac desktop app and can be used offline and online
• Uses Adobe Firefly AI text-to-art generator

Cons:

• Limited PDF editing options
• Subscription pricing

3. Swift Publisher (Best Value Alternative)

If you want something that looks and feels like MS Publisher, then Swift Publisher is a user-friendly replacement for it.

If monthly or annual subscriptions are not for you, Swift Publisher is excellent value for money too for just a one off purchase fee of $19.99.

It doesn’t require lots of learning like professional DTP software but produces slick results with minimal effort.

It also includes many professional features you get in expensive DTP software such as Master pages, guide lines, grid layers, tables and more.

It’s ideal for producing booklets, bulletins, flyers or brochures and makes rearranging elements such as images, tables and text very easy.

Swift Publisher has an extensive range of over 200 professional looking templates which you can customize and create layouts quickly.

There are also more advanced touches like the possibility to define bleeds and configure correct DPI for print publishing.

If you want an easy to use DTP app that’s similar to MS Publisher but without a steep learning curve or monthly subscription fees, then Swift Publisher is an excellent, value for money tool.

You can read our full Swift Publisher review here.

Pricing: Free Trial. Starting from $19.99.

Pros:

• One time purchase
• Easy to learn for beginners
• Similar interface to Microsoft Publisher
• Impressive professional level DTP layout tools
• Lots of templates
• Good value for money

Cons:

• Lacks professional desktop publishing tools
• Not suitable for complex layouts
• No stock photography or video integration

4. Canva (Best For Beginners)

Canva is one of the easiest Microsoft Publisher alternatives for Mac users and in 2026 it’s a popular choice for anyone that wants to create flyers, newsletters, brochures, posters and simple publications without using professional desktop publishing software.

Canva is available both in a web browser and via a native Canva desktop app for Mac, and everything is done using a simple drag-and-drop editor. There’s very little learning curve, especially for users coming from Microsoft Publisher.

One of Canva’s main strengths is its huge range of templates covering most of the types of documents Publisher users typically create. These can be quickly customized with your own text, images and branding, making it easy to produce good-looking results in a short amount of time.

Canva also supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same design at once, which makes it useful for small teams, schools and organizations.

For print work, Canva can export high-resolution PDF Print files, but it lacks professional prepress tools such as full CMYK control, color separations and advanced bleed settings. Because of this, it’s better suited to casual or small business publishing rather than professional print production.

Pricing: Free plan available / Canva Pro from around $12.99 per month

Pros:

• Very easy to use
• Huge selection of templates
• Native Mac app and browser-based version
• Real-time collaboration

Cons:

• Limited print and prepress controls
• Requires an internet connection
• Not suitable for complex or professional DTP layouts

5. Scribus (Best Open Source Alternative)

Scribus is a free open source layout software and although it’s not the most polished product out there, it is 100% free to use.

Scribus is popular among amateur authors for creating books but can also be used to create magazines, brochures, newsletters and posters.

If you’ve used a desktop publishing program before, the interface to Scribus will look familiar but you really have to feel your way around it.

Note that at the moment, only the development version of Scribus 1.5.5 or newer works on 64 bit versions of macOS including Sonoma and it can be unstable and crash randomly.

There is still no officially supported, stable Apple Silicon-native version of Scribus, although experimental builds exist that use Rosetta to run it on M-series Macs.

You can check out our full review of Scribus for more.

Pricing: Free

Pros:

• Free open source desktop software
• Surprisingly powerful layout tools
• Great for book publishing

Cons:

• Not suitable for professional publishing
• Only development version works on Apple Silicon Macs

6. Marq (Best Online Alternative)

Marq (previously known as Lucidpress) promotes itself as a “brand templating platform” and is an easy to use online desktop publishing software.

The platform is extremely user friendly and helps you to create extremely professional looking print and digital publications including magazines, newsletters, posters, flyers, reports, digital magazines and more.

There’s nothing to download with Marq as it’s all cloud based and the basic version is free to use although way too limited for serious publishing work.

Marq allows you to easily drag and drop elements, import text from Google Docs, add tables, buttons and insert interactive media such as YouTube videos.

Templates are optimized for high quality 300dpi printing although this is only available in the Professional Plan of Marq.

You can even import Adobe InDesign files into Marq although the results often aren’t perfect and you’ll find a lot of elements missing.

You can check out out full Marq Review for more.

Pricing: Free for 3 documents / Plans start at $10 per month

Pros:

• Works on all platforms including Mac online
• Very easy to use
• Lots of templates
• Excellent for brand building
• Limited free version

Cons:

• Too basic for complex layouts
• No Mac desktop app
• InDesign import tool doesn’t work well

7. Affinity Publisher (Best One Time Purchase)

Affinity Publisher is a slick desktop publishing software for magazines, marketing material, flyers, brochures, newsletters, social media templates and more.

It has become a popular option for all those Mac users that want a one-off purchase desktop publishing software as there are no subscriptions involved.

Affinity Publisher is suitable for professional DTP work on a Mac and is also integrated into Affinity’s suite of graphic design software which includes Affinity Designer for graphic design and Affinity Photo for image editing.

It also includes professional touches like Pantone support, end-to-end CMYK and ICC Color management making it a far more powerful alternative to MS Publisher.

The Affinity Suite, including Affinity Publisher can also be used on iPad to edit on the move or when you’re away from your Mac although the iOS app costs extra.

It also works on Windows so if you want to collaborate on desktop publishing projects with PC users it’s easy to share files and edit them together.

Pricing: $69.99 one-time purchase

Pros:

• One time purchase
• Professional level desktop publishing software
• Pantone, CMYK and ICC support
• Excellent iPad app
• Works across macOS and Windows

Cons:

• Does not support major formats like .docx, .txt or .rtf
• Interface can be quite overwhelming for beginners
• No free trial

FAQ

Is Microsoft Publisher available for Mac?

No. Microsoft has never released a Mac version of Publisher, and it has never been included in Office for Mac or Microsoft 365 on macOS.

Microsoft Publisher is also being discontinued in October 2026, after which it will no longer be supported or updated even on Windows.

What should Microsoft Publisher users switch to after 2026?

That depends on how you use Publisher:

• For simple layouts (flyers, newsletters, brochures): Swift Publisher or Canva
• For professional print and publishing work: Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher
• For free, basic publishing: Apple Pages or Scribus

Microsoft itself recommends using Word, PowerPoint, or Designer, but these are not true desktop publishing replacements.

Can any Mac apps open Microsoft Publisher (.PUB) files?

No Mac desktop publishing software can open Microsoft Publisher’s native .PUB file format.

The only practical workaround is to:

1. Open the file in Publisher on Windows
2. Export it as PDF or XPS
3. Import the exported file into a Mac publishing app

Even then, formatting issues are common.

Can you convert Publisher files automatically on a Mac?

No. There is no reliable tool that can fully convert Publisher files into editable Mac-native formats such as Pages, InDesign, or Affinity Publisher.

PDF conversion is the only viable option, and results vary depending on layout complexity.

Can you run Microsoft Publisher on a Mac?

Yes, but only by running Windows on a Mac.

The most practical way to do this is by using a virtual machine rather than dual booting. Publisher itself runs well in a VM, but this approach is best reserved for users that must keep access to existing Publisher files.

What is the closest alternative to Microsoft Publisher on Mac?

For most users, Swift Publisher and Canva are the closest replacements in terms of ease of use, templates, and layout flexibility.

They are far simpler than professional tools like Adobe InDesign and better suited to typical Publisher-style tasks.

What is the best professional alternative to Microsoft Publisher?

Adobe InDesign is the industry standard for professional desktop publishing and print production.

If you prefer a one-time purchase instead of a subscription, Affinity Publisher is the best professional alternative on macOS.

What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Publisher on Mac?

• Apple Pages – best for simple layouts and casual publishing
• Scribus – best for advanced layouts if you’re willing to deal with a steeper learning curve

Neither is a direct replacement for Publisher, but both can handle basic publishing tasks.

Which Publisher alternatives work best on Apple Silicon Macs?

Swift Publisher, Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher, Pages, Canva, and Marq all run natively on Apple Silicon Macs.

Scribus currently relies on Rosetta or experimental builds and is less reliable on newer macOS versions.

Can these Publisher alternatives collaborate in real time?

Yes, but only some of them:

• Canva: Yes (real-time collaboration)
• Marq: Yes (real-time collaboration)
• Adobe InDesign: Yes (via Creative Cloud)
• Swift Publisher, Pages, Scribus, Affinity Publisher: No real-time collaboration

Which alternatives are best for print-quality publishing?

For commercial or professional printing, the best options are:

• Adobe InDesign
• Affinity Publisher
• Scribus

Tools like Canva, Pages, and Swift Publisher are better suited to home, education, and small business use rather than high-end print production.