Affinity Publisher Vs InDesign

Affinity Publisher is part of the Affinity Design package produced by Serif; Publisher produces professional pages suitable for both print and digital media.

Adobe InDesign is industry-standard publishing software used to create a wide range of media that is suitable on many platforms.

Whilst both are suited for a variety of design needs, they definitely have some differences; during this professional publishing tools comparison we will discuss which software is right for you!

Objectives:

• Differences
• Affinity Publisher: Pros and Cons
• Adobe InDesign: Pros and Cons
• Verdict

Differences:

Two desktop publishing softwares with similar uses and products; so how are they different and how do you decide which is best for you?

Affinity products are widely regarded as easier to learn, making it more accessible for new learners.

Affinity Publisher integrates with Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, meaning you can easily edit images and add graphics within your layout. By using the same file formats you can include vectors from Affinity Designer, edit an image in Affinity Photo and then use them in your layout in Affinity Publisher. You can also see your changes being made in real time whilst switching between the platforms by linking files instead of embedding them, so any edits made to a photo or vector in one of the other Affinity softwares will be reflected automatically!

Publisher also allows for greater collaboration, you can package your document alongside all of your resources and send it to a colleague; like one big book with all of the needed information inside.

Adobe InDesign is known for its industry standard-features such as auto-style; simplifying the process of styling your pages so they fit your theme. InDesign also offers generative expand, this automates complex edits by extending your images and filling in missing areas based on surrounding pixels. InDesign Interactive also allows you to create PDFs that have multimedia elements, as well as working buttons and links!

Affinity Publisher: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Cost; To use Affinity Publisher on your desktop or on an iPad it will cost you a one-time payment of £67.99 or £17.99 respectively.
• User-friendly; Affinity software is known for being straightforward which makes it accessible for beginners and students.
• Integration; Being able to utilise both Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo improves workflow efficiency.

Cons:

• Not industry standard; As a newer piece of software, Affinity Publisher isn’t the industry standard and professionals may find it easier to use an industry favourite, as this means more resources and community support.
• Fewer options; Affinity Publisher has fewer template options than other software. With an emphasis on print and static pages, interactive users have less options.
• Export options; Publisher has fewer export options than its competitors, so some users will find that they can’t create exactly what they want to.

Adobe InDesign: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Interactive documents; The InDesign software supports interactive PDFs, ePub exports, and digital products.
• Industry standard; InDesign has many resources and community support as it is the industry. It will also be most commonly used, so for those wanting to work professionally it is an important tool to use.
• Integration; A major advantage to InDesign is its integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, being able to easily incorporate work created in Photoshop and Illustrator makes your design life much easier!

Cons:

• Cost; InDesign is the more expensive of the two publishing tools, with a monthly subscription of £21.98 /month.
• Learning curve; Adobe Indesign can be challenging for beginners as it has extensive features and a more complicated user-interface which can feel overwhelming.
• Resource intensive; Older or less powerful computers could be slowed down by the InDesign software.

Verdict:

Throughout this publishing software comparison we have seen that Affinity Publisher and Adobe InDesign both have elements that make them first-class tools, but which is the best?

Well, if you’re a beginner or a freelancer looking for easy-to-use software, then Affinity Publisher is the best choice for you. The ease of use and cost effectiveness lend itself to those working in a more casual manner.

However, if you are a seasoned pro or looking to break into the corporate side of the industry, then the industry-standard InDesign would be your best bet!

Ready to master your skills? Take a look at our available courses, suitable for all learning levels, taught by industry professionals!

by Josie Daniel | 07 Jan 25