Quark Software changed owners again in 2026. Zax.ai announced on April 7, 2026 that it had bought the company, including QuarkXPress and the enterprise Quark Publishing Platform, according to Martechvibe's report on the deal. QuarkXPress itself carries on: the QuarkXPress product page lists version 2027 for current macOS and Windows 11, sold as a yearly subscription or a perpetual licence.
Most people searching for Quark alternatives mean QuarkXPress, the page layout app, so the picks below are layout tools for print and digital publications. If you came here for Quark Publishing Platform, the enterprise content automation system, see the FAQ at the end. Microsoft Publisher is left out because it is gone from Microsoft 365 as of October 2026, and support for perpetual copies ended on October 13, 2026.
Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe InDesign | The industry standard for print and publishing | US$22.99 a month (annual plan) | Windows, Mac |
| Affinity | Free professional layout with vector and photo tools | Free with a Canva account | Windows, Mac |
| Scribus | Open-source layout on Linux too | Free, open source | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| VivaDesigner | A free desktop edition with optional web publishing | Free edition; paid licences in euros | Windows, Mac, Linux, web |
| Canva | Quick brochures, social posts and templates | Free; Pro US$119.99 a year | Web, Windows, Mac, mobile |
| Swift Publisher | Cheap Mac layout for flyers, labels and booklets | US$19.99 | Mac |
| Marq | Locked brand templates for teams | Free (3 projects); Pro US$10 a month billed yearly | Web |
Adobe InDesign
InDesign is the tool most print shops, publishers and agencies expect files from, and the obvious first stop for a QuarkXPress user. Long documents, master pages, styles and preflight are all there, and the files travel well between studios.
On its own it costs US$22.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, per the InDesign plans page. Creative Cloud Pro, which adds Photoshop, Illustrator and the rest, is US$69.99 a month, and team licences cost US$37.99 a month for InDesign. The individual trial lasts 7 days.
Best for: Designers who exchange layout files with printers, publishers or agencies.
Pricing:
- InDesign: US$22.99 a month, annual plan billed monthly
- Creative Cloud Pro: US$69.99 a month
- InDesign for teams: US$37.99 a month per licence
- 7-day free trial
Watch out for:
- Adobe sells InDesign only by subscription, so there is nothing like Quark's pay-once perpetual licence.
Official site: Adobe InDesign.
Affinity
Affinity is now one free app. At the end of October 2025 Canva merged Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher into a single program with Vector, Pixel and Layout tabs, and the company says the core app has no feature limits.
It runs on Mac and Windows and needs a free Canva account to download, per MacRumors' report on the relaunch. Owners of Affinity V2 licences can keep using V2 without the Canva link. Microsoft's own Publisher retirement page mentions Affinity as an option that may import Publisher files.
Best for: Freelancers and small studios who want pro layout tools without a subscription.
Pricing:
- Affinity app: free
- Canva AI tools inside Affinity (Generative Fill, Expand & Edit, Remove Background): paid Canva Premium plan
Watch out for:
- You need a Canva account to use it, and the AI image tools need a paid Canva plan.
Official site: Affinity.
Scribus
Scribus is the long-standing open-source layout program, and one of two picks here with a Linux build as well as Windows and macOS. The 1.6 series added footnotes and endnotes, cross-references, text variables and orphan and widow control, which matter for book and magazine work.
The latest stable release, 1.6.7, came out in October 2026 with security and bug fixes, six months after 1.6.6, per UbuntuHandbook's release notes. It is free for any use.
Best for: Writers, nonprofits and Linux users who need print-ready PDFs at no cost.
Pricing:
- Free and open source
Watch out for:
- The 1.6 line now gets mostly fixes; 1.6.7 brought security and bug fixes rather than new layout features.
Official site: Scribus.
VivaDesigner
VivaDesigner is a German layout program that feels closest to classic desktop publishing. The VivaDesigner page lists a lifetime free edition of version 11 for Windows, macOS and Linux, which includes a time-limited trial of the full Commercial Edition, plus a web edition for browser-based work.
Paid licences are sold in euros, either bought for life with upgrades extra or rented monthly or yearly with upgrades included, according to the same page. It puts the server version, VIVA SaaS, at 299 euros a month on a one-year contract, and also lists InDesign import.
Best for: Teams that want desktop and web layout from one vendor, on Linux as well.
Pricing:
- Free edition: lifetime, Windows, macOS and Linux
- Commercial and education licences: buy or rent, prices in euros by edition
- VIVA SaaS: 299 euros a month net, one-year contract
Watch out for:
- Bought licences do not include upgrades, so a lifetime licence can still cost money when version 12 arrives.
Official site: VivaDesigner.
Canva
Canva is not a QuarkXPress replacement for a 300-page catalogue, but it handles most of what small businesses once laid out in Quark: brochures, flyers, menus, posters and social posts from templates, edited in a browser or app.
Canva Pro costs US$12.99 a month or US$119.99 a year for up to 5 people, with extra members at US$7 a month or US$5 a month on yearly billing, per the Canva Pro page. There is also a free plan.
Best for: Marketers and small businesses making short, template-based print pieces.
Pricing:
- Free plan
- Pro: US$12.99 a month, or US$119.99 a year, up to 5 people
- Extra members: US$7 a month, or US$5 a month billed yearly
Watch out for:
- The Pro trial needs a credit card to start.
Official site: Canva.
Swift Publisher
Swift Publisher is a low-cost Mac layout app from BeLight Software for newsletters, flyers, labels and booklets. It has master pages, text that flows across pages, mail merge from Apple Contacts, CMYK export with bleed and booklet imposition.
It costs US$19.99, with a US$9.99 Extras Pack and a 30-day money-back guarantee, per the Swift Publisher site. Version 5.7.8 was released on July 22, 2026 and needs macOS 10.12 or later.
Best for: Mac users who made flyers and labels in Quark and want something cheap and simple.
Pricing:
- Swift Publisher 5: US$19.99
- Extras Pack: US$9.99
- Free trial; 30-day money-back guarantee
Watch out for:
- Mac only, and it is built for short documents rather than books or magazines.
Official site: Swift Publisher.
Marq
Marq is a browser layout tool for companies that want staff to produce on-brand layouts from locked templates rather than hire designers for every flyer.
Pro costs US$15 a month, or US$10 a month billed yearly at US$120, for one user. Team is US$12 a month per user, or US$10 a month per user billed yearly, for 2 to 20 licences, and Enterprise is quoted, per the Marq pricing page.
Best for: Marketing teams that hand brand templates to sales and regional staff.
Pricing:
- Free: 1 user, 3 projects, 2 GB, 72 dpi export
- Pro: US$15 a month, or US$10 a month billed yearly (US$120)
- Team: US$12 a month per user, or US$10 a month per user billed yearly, 2 to 20 licences
- Enterprise: custom quote
Watch out for:
- Free exports are screen quality at 72 dpi, which is not usable for print.
Official site: Marq.
How to choose
| If you need | Pick |
|---|---|
| Files a commercial printer or publisher expects | Adobe InDesign |
| Professional layout at no cost on Mac or Windows | Affinity |
| Free layout on Linux | Scribus |
| Desktop and web layout from one vendor | VivaDesigner |
| Template flyers and social posts | Canva |
| Cheap Mac labels, flyers and booklets | Swift Publisher |
| Brand templates for a whole team | Marq |
When to stay with Quark
Stay on QuarkXPress if you own a perpetual licence and your templates, styles and archives live in it. The Quark shop says a perpetual licence includes one year of Maintenance and Support, and you need that plan only to receive new feature releases. Quark's product page lists support for macOS 15 to 27 and Windows 11 in version 2027, so current machines are covered.
Frequently asked questions
Is QuarkXPress still available?
Yes. Quark's product page lists QuarkXPress 2027, sold as an annual subscription or a perpetual licence with a 7-day free trial. Quark Software is now owned by Zax.ai, which announced the purchase on April 7, 2026 and promised continued support for customers.
What is the best free alternative to QuarkXPress?
Affinity, if you work on Mac or Windows: it is a full professional layout app and free with a Canva account. Scribus is the free, open-source choice that also runs on Linux, and VivaDesigner has a free lifetime edition on all three systems.
What replaces Quark Publishing Platform?
Quark Publishing Platform NextGen is an enterprise system that automates the content lifecycle for regulated, structured documents, and it is still sold under Zax.ai. The layout apps on this page do not replace it. Teams looking elsewhere compare component content management and content automation systems, which are priced by quote.
What should Microsoft Publisher users switch to?
Publisher is gone from Microsoft 365: subscribers lost access on or shortly after October 1, 2026 and cannot open their files in it. Microsoft's Publisher retirement page suggests Word and PowerPoint for simple pieces and mentions Affinity as a third-party option that may import Publisher files. Save old .pub files as PDF if you still have a working copy.
