Microsoft Publisher vs. QuarkXPress

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Publisher
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application available with an Office 365 subscription, or as a standalone download.
$139
one time purchase
QuarkXPress
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
QuarkXPress from Quark Software headquartered in Denver introduces modern responsive web design with Flex Layouts, reimagined Tables, and productivity-boosting design features.
$279
for the first year ($259 each year thereafter) per user
Pricing
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Editions & Modules
Microsoft Publisher
$139
one time purchase
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Publisher
Chose Microsoft Publisher
At the time I was not impressed with Quark Xpress. I always disliked PageMaker. I always considered it over-rated. I like InDesign and have always liked InDesign, if I have a need for more complex documents I'll go with InDesign over Publisher or Quark Xpress in a heartbeat. …
QuarkXPress

No answer on this topic

Best Alternatives
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign
Score 8.9 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(10 ratings)
9.9
(6 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft PublisherQuarkXPress
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft Publisher is well suited for almost any situation. It is something that I'm sure has far more advanced tools than I use or am aware of, but it is also very simple for entry-level users to create professional documents quickly. I have used it for very involved brochures in real estate scenarios and I have also used it for very simple "Construction Zone" signs at a job site under construction. There are so many uses for this program!
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Quark Software Inc.
I used QuarkXPress to maintain a proper page layout for the UI which I receive from a UIUX developer. I develop Graphic Illustrations on the digital canvas to create creative content on the page design set and to develop designer headlines and sub-headlines where writers and editors can amend the text and place the copped images.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • Design of my quarterly full color magazine: (usually 28-56 pages in length)
  • Design of the quarterly planning system used by me and others in the annual conference.
  • Design and layout of any document that requires graphics/photos.
  • Simple to use with ample flexibility and strength of features
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Quark Software Inc.
  • Excellent project conversion into PDFs and digital formats.
  • Incredibly user friendly and intuitive to use.
  • Works seamlessly with our Adobe Suite of programs.
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Cons
Microsoft
  • Formatting in general. It's a pain to refine a layout in Publisher in my opinion.
  • Microsoft is so invested in their approach to software and making it look and feel like an Office 365 application that they inadvertantly cripple applications like Publisher.
  • Earlier versions of Publisher gave you a lot more latitude and creative freedom. They were also much easier to work with. Not everything has to look like it's part of Office 365. They did the same ... thing to Access.
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Quark Software Inc.
  • Currently does not have a way to open really old archived QuarkXPress files.
  • Text manipulation could be expanded upon (ie be able to warp or distort text).
  • Be able to output files in InDesign format.
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Usability
Microsoft
I would like to give it for the functionality and working as it can do almost all the jobs, but you is much needed to improve as we have multiple design designing tools available on website with very much modern UI and layout also template and stock images. Library should be updated and it lacks multiple materials to use.
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Quark Software Inc.
This is an industry standard. It is intuitive and pretty simple. I have been using it for 40 years and by no means do I use its potential, rather it does just what I want it to do.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
While I have not directly used support for Microsoft Publisher, I have used their help files and found them to be useful. I have also found that most answers that I need can be found through simple web searches and chat platforms. In all though, there are very few times when the preloaded help files have not given me the answers that I need.
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Quark Software Inc.
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Microsoft Publisher is more for beginners, or for basic needs, anyone with some familiarity with the Microsoft suite should be able to use it easily. If you’re looking to create something more graphic and advanced, you’d probably want to look into something like InDesign, which is not as user friendly if you’re not familiar with it at all. For basic needs the average employee should be able to use Microsoft Publisher with ease.
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Quark Software Inc.
QuarkXPress simply blew the competition out of the water when it came to pricing and scalability in our business. Every employee that uses Quark always speaks very highly about using the software. We are not a large company but, the amount of money saved on the cost of each license was about 60% when compared to the competitors' products.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • I have been able to create flyers and brochures that in the past we sent out to a marketing company and spent a ton of money on something I was able to do myself in minutes.
  • The quick and simple user experience has allowed us to create signs that are designed to keep people safe on our job sites. This is important because we take safety very seriously and sometimes need to be able to produce these signs in a matter of minutes so that the superintendent can safely mark off areas to avoid.
  • The program has taken the place of Word and Excel in many cases to make documents like proposals look more balanced and professional.
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Quark Software Inc.
  • On different computers, it does crash.
  • Issues with accidental (program) photo overrides.
  • Corrupted photo formats.
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ScreenShots

QuarkXPress Screenshots

Screenshot of macOS Sequoia CompatibilityScreenshot of AI-Powered Text Editing with Quarky AIScreenshot of AI-Powered Font PairingScreenshot of Easily Ideate and Apply Colors with New Colors TabScreenshot of Create Multiple Font CollectionsScreenshot of Import and Manage Markdown Language