--- title: "Page 2 | QuarkXPress Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Page 2 - Is QuarkXPress the right Graphic Design solution for you? Explore 201 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/178598/QuarkXPress/reviews/?page=2" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- QuarkXPress 4.4 (201) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/178598/QuarkXPress/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of QuarkXPress ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 201 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use MC Mark C. Director Printing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quark 2026 is huge speed & Quality Improvement over flaky Quark 2025" December 16, 2025 5.0 Have been using Quark since the early 1990s from Quark 3.11 era to now. Also use InDesign for specific jobs that need an Interactive PDF, but Quark is the GoTo for most of my Print work on a daily basis. Picture and Text placement is just faster and I prefer the Box system over Indesign's free placement. It's just fabulous, does absolutely everything I need from it, is super stable in MacOS 26.2 Tahoe on Mac Studio M1 Ultra, and it'll be my preferred choice 'til I die. Pros Fantastic placing and cropping of boxed images, far faster and better than InDesign, not to mention Picture Usage / Font Usage menu which has always been better. Also like the Quick Access bar which is a throwback to Quark 3.31 era in the late 1990s with Quark Xpert Tools plug-ins. The expansion of the Picture Content Shapes is now so easy. Typography and Picture Usage I still prefer over InDesign (and I use both daily). Being able to convert a Quark file to an IDML Indesign template is fantastic, as is making native Quark objects from an imported PDF or graphic image. Cons Bezier Pen Tool has never been as good or as intuitive as Adobe's Pen Tool. Adobe's export and usage of PDF is far superior to Quark's. The Subscription model I wasn't happy with, and think it's too expensive compared to buying outright and keeping a version for years. Not so happy about their Customer Support though, especially with Flaky Font Auto-Activation. They washed their hands of the problem with Quark 2025, were unhelpful and had no solutions but go back to RightFont who were brilliant. Looks like the old 1990s arrogance is back unfortunately when "the family" owned Quark. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your detailed review Mark! ME Melinda E. Designer, owner Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Powerful, Reliable Tool for Professional Publishing" December 15, 2025 5.0 Overall, my experience with QuarkXPress has been very positive. The software is reliable, powerful, and well-suited for both print and digital publishing. It offers strong layout and typography tools, flexible export options, and the ability to handle complex projects such as books and interactive publications with ease. Pros QuarkXPress is a powerful, professional desktop publishing tool that continues to be relevant for designers and publishers who want control, flexibility, and the choice between perpetual licenses and subscriptions. Its strengths lie in layout precision, book and flipbook export capabilities, and robust design tools — with generally positive customer support and a mature feature set. Cons One limitation is the lack of deep integration with other creative software. While QuarkXPress is very capable on its own, users who rely heavily on multi-app ecosystems may find the workflow less seamless. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 We appreciate your feedback Melinda! GP Gerd P. Mediendesigner Printing Used the software for: 2+ years ### ""Hilfreich über Jahrzehnte hinweg"" December 16, 2025 5.0 Für mich ist ein Layoutprogramm immer noch das was es war. Je einfacher die Nutzung umso besser das Ergebnis. Da hat QuarkXPress immer noch die Nase vorn. Pros Dauerhaft hilfreich über Jahrzehnte hinweg. Habe Quark seit Version 1 auf Disketten. Besitze auch Adobe Gesamtpaket. Tatsächlich nutze ich INDESIGN nur wenns unbedingt sein muss. Erfreulicher Weise ist die Kommunikation zwischen den beiden Programmen besser geworden. Allerdings da sehe ich noch viel "Luft" nach oben. Cons Kann man so gar nicht beantworten. Früher mußte man für jede Option zusätzliche Software kaufen. Heute ist vieles inkludiert. Am meisten problematisch sind für mich Schriften, die ich nicht mehr einbinden kann. Wirklich genervt hat mich in der Vergangenheit nur der Support. Da hat plötzlich die komplette Philosophie gewechselt. Weg von Europa, kein Alternatives considered [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress Habe beide Programme im Gebrauch, Sowohl Quark wie Indesign. Wobei bei mir persönlich Quark klar bevorzugt wird. Weil Layouts über Jahre stabil bleiben. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your review Gerd, appreciate your feedback. DB Dan B. Owner and Creative Director Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best Desktop Publishing Program On The Market!" December 15, 2025 5.0 I've always considered QuarkXpress to be the best desktop publishing app, bar none. My experience with QuarkXpress has been a love affair from day one. Pros It's the best, purest standalone desktop publishing app on the market! I prefer it over Adobe InDesign because it's very intuitive and uncompromising, where as InDesign is forced to conform to and perform like other Creative Cloud apps, making it more clunky. Cons There really isn't anything I dislike about QuarkXPress, except for its marketing. They need to find a way to get more people to use the product. Maybe if they came out with comparable apps like Adobe did with photoshop, illustrator, ect., they'd be able to bundle the apps with QuarkXpress. If they don't develop these other apps themselves, they should have outside sources develop and pitch their apps, from which Quark can incorporate and the best ones. Apple did this with their computers around the year 2000, when they were in a slump. They had different computer makers made computers for Apple. Apple chose the best system to incorporate into their own computers moving forward (Intel?). The process allowed Apple to learn from the best developers, and then incorporate what they learned into their computers. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your review Dan! CL Claudio L. Publisher Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rock-Solid Publishing Tool for Print-Quality Layouts (25+ Years of Daily Use)" December 15, 2025 4.0 We have been using QuarkXPress for over two decades to design, update and manage a wide range of editorial products, including tourist guides, art books and magazines. It is a tool built for publishers who value precision, consistency and control. QuarkXPress is not about shortcuts or visual gimmicks; it is about getting the job done correctly, efficiently and without surprises. Pros Professional typographic control: precise handling of kerning, tracking, styles and color management, essential for high-quality print publishing. Efficiency in complex layouts: ideal for books, guides, magazines and multi-page publications with recurring structures. Print-oriented workflow: excellent PDF export, predictable pre-press behavior and strong compatibility with professional printing standards. Versatility: supports both print and digital outputs (PDF, ePub, HTML), allowing hybrid editorial projects without changing tools. Long-term stability: a mature and solid platform that has remained dependable across decades of daily professional use. Cons Learning curve: advanced features require experience; it is clearly designed for professional users rather than beginners. Less ecosystem visibility: compared to some competitors, fewer third-party templates and tutorials are available online. Alternatives considered [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress We are used to Quark Xpress, and we like it Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thank you for sharing your experience Claudio! DC Dorian C. Marketing Consultant Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Master of its Craft" December 15, 2025 5.0 I've been using it for over 35 years. It's my go to layout program. I know others have switched to InDesign to only come back to Quark. I feel that my skills have grown with the program. I've been working in publishing since 1985. Pros I've been using Quark for all of my 35+ years professional life. Each version keeps getting better and better. Love all of the updates and new useful tools. Cons At times the program takes too long to open. Not enough text box or picture shapes. Would also like it easier to curve text and manipulate text in non straight lines. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Your support means a lot - thank you for sharing your experience Dorian! JW John W. Director of Design Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Simple the Best" December 15, 2025 5.0 I have used QuarkXPress for over 30 years in all that time it has remained at the forefront with cutting edge developments and state of the art software that remained constant through the years. The latest 2024 edition is by far the leader in this area, I have tried others but none compares to the flexability of QuarXPress. Pros Simple the best why choose others, like many I have tried other software brands but nothing touches the eas of use, the simple transparent interface and quality that is unrivaled. Cons Nothing to date has put me off using this software, other have come along to attempt to emulate the ase of use but Quark is by far the best Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 We appreciate your feedback, thanks John! RR Rachel R. Book design and layout Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent book layout app" December 15, 2025 5.0 I've had no major problems with Quark in years, and quite good customer support options--both of major importance. Pros Gives me excellent control--MUCH finer control over typography than InDesign. Still has option for permanent license, which is extremely important for any freelancer. And has very good customer support--again, a stark contrast with Adobe. Cons The price is on the high side, considering the price of stand-alone InDesign (which does come with access to a free font library, which Quark does not). Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for your feedback Rachel! AA Anthony A. Color Operations Manager Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quark review" December 15, 2025 3.0 Overall we like using Quark for our magazine layouts. We have quark files of each issue from 2006 until now, and being able to open the oldest files with the current version instead of a separate converter first is much better. Pros We are able to open our current and older quark files and ALL the fonts we used previously are still available. Cons The bugs, because Quark freezes up saying not responding when we look at the app after clicking force quit on the mac, and then have to force quit and restart it. It happens more with this version than our previous version (2019). Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for the review Anthony! MD Martin D. Chairman Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Indispensable helper for typesetting my music score books" December 15, 2025 4.0 I have stuck to QX ever since I had started using it in 2018. It was not always an easy decision due to the price and me using only fractions of its functionality. But I feel quite attached to it and would hat having to abandon it. Pros I use QX for typesetting books of music scores which I embed as PDF. The software helps me in getting out a consistent layout, automating things (like conditional formats triggered by my own conditions). I really like the way i can organise external resources (like the PDFs) in the fire system and keep them separate from the actual document which is practical for automating management of my projects (avoiding redundancy etc.). Cons For a nonprofessional user the product is rather expensive. Also I really dislike being pressed into a subscription model. Owning a perpetual license currently practically requires a maintenance plan which is substantionally more costly than the subscription model. I think a good remedy would be "editions" (see e.g. Cubase with "Elements", "Artist" and "Pro"), so that for nonprofessional users not yet using QX it could become a realistic options. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your review Martin! gbC gordon bruce C. owner CD Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software for all your design needs" December 15, 2025 4.0 Overall, the usability is quite smooth, very rarely crashes and produces great results. I've been using quark for over 30 years and the current version is the best. Pros I'm easily able to create anything from large projects such as annual reports, magazines, museum exhibits and packaging to small items such as flyers, business cards and social media ads. Cons I would rather buy the software and not rent it yearly. Adobe does the same thing so you're not alone with this criticism. Switched from [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) I switched from Adobe Pagemaker in 1990. Quark had more precise controls than Pagemaker Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for your review Gordon! JD Julia D. Owner Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rating QuarkXPress" December 15, 2025 4.0 Overall, I like working in QuarkXPress. II've been using it for about 20 years now. Tt works well with bringing in images and creating magazine layouts. My only issue has always been with using font programs that never seem to work smoothly with QuarkXPress. Pros I've used QuarkXPress for years and am comfortable with it, especially when there are upgrades. I've been creating magazine layouts for over twenty years and find this program to be well suited for that. Cons Working in QuarkXPress I've always found there to be issues with font programs and QuarkXpress. There seems to be a lack of compatibility . Alternatives considered [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress Because I've been using it for years and didn't have time to learn a new program. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your review Julia! PC Pauline C. President Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quark, an excellent tool for almost 30 years" December 15, 2025 5.0 I have used Quark for almost 30 years and Quark is essential to my work, from correspondence (word documents) to graphic designs. Pros It is an intiutive program, easy to manipulate type and edit images according to the designs I envision Cons Sometimes I can't save a document - the alert says I do not have permission, so I just change the name of the document. Quark support has helped me anytime I had an issue Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thank you for sharing your feedback Pauline! PD Patsy D. Office Manager Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User friendly" December 15, 2025 5.0 A positive experience and we as a business have chosen to stay with Quark when offered the option to use InDesign instead. Pros The staff enjoy how easy it is to use. Every upgrade has been worthwhile and we're pleased with the program. Cons Clipping paths and background transparency could be more advanced. Every man and his dog can drop out a background now and it would be good to integrate that into image placement. Alternatives considered [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress Price and staying with what the staff already know how to use Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thank you for your kind words Patsy! JM Jason M. Director Designer Printing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quark all day every day!!!" December 15, 2025 5.0 Excellent - could live without it. I have a full Adobe package but spend 90% of my design time using Quark. Have done for nearly 30 years. Pros Ease of use, flexibility and precision when laying out certain forms etc. Also a very stable package - rarely gives any trouble. Cons Would like to be able to edit EPS files, shapes etc. Make more curved lines and shapes available and editable. Alternatives considered [Adobe Creative Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/48969/Adobe-Creative-Cloud/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress Ease of use and the level of consistency it provides. Produce a lot of business ruled forms and Quark is brilliant on these too. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thank you Jason! PH Pamela H. owner designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "QuarkXPress fan" December 19, 2025 5.0 Have happily used it for long years. My works requires that I also have the Adobe package, but I'm always defaulting to Quark when I don't have to use the other. Pros Works smoothly creating multi-page documents with lots of text, images. Very intuitive. Always quick and easy to set material up and make changes. Much happier cropping images in this program. Cons Not a fan of the subscription service. I never found a need to upgrade constantly and would prefer to use it as is for at least a couple years Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks Pamela for your review! MM Maria M. owner Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Makes life run so much smoother" December 15, 2025 4.0 We've been using Quark for over 26 years and our company productivity has improved each year. It seems to be a good fit for our business. Pros Quark XPress has been user friendly and a great value for the production of our monthly publication. Cons Wish our graphics team had more time for additional training to learn all of the tools and short cuts. Wish the cost wasn't so expensive. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for your review Maria! WM William M. CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Another satisfied customer" December 15, 2025 5.0 Clearly, I am a satisfied customer. I have dabbled with other products over the years, but I have never found anything that works as well. Pros I love the creative freedom it gives me. I have been using Quark since the 90s and it rarely disappoints. Cons Updates over the years have left me scrambling to find tools that have either been relocated or eliminated. Switched from [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/) I felt limited in terms of tools and options. A publisher friend suggested I try it. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your review William! RN Robin N. Sole Trader Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Quark XPress Experiance" December 15, 2025 5.0 I have used Quark for the past forty plus years for all my document production needs and it the very best to use when creating documents. Pros Quark is the most important document production software that exists. Using it makes the production of documents have the correct style and presentation that shows that a professional job has been achieved. It has the ability to move pages around which no other software is able to do , this means that if a page is in the wrong place then it is so easy to move it, plus having a list showing all the pages means it is possible to keep track on the overal size of the document. Cons The new 2025 Version layout has been made more complicated to find the various features that are need to produce a document, previous access to facilities was far easier to find and use. Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks Robin! Appreciate your review. CK Caroline K. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The power of QuarkXpress " September 3, 2025 5.0 Offers a high level of control and precision, especially in typography and page layout. Its interface is customizable, letting you arrange tools and palettes to fit my workflow. It helps me produce professional, print-ready output with reliable color management. The software also supports both print and digital design, giving flexibility for projects ranging from magazines and books to interactive content. Overall, it combines power and flexibility, making it a strong tool for me as I value detail and creative control. Pros QuarkXPress features a clean, customizable interface that streamlines creative workflows. Its intuitive palettes and precise layout tools balance power with ease of use, giving designers flexibility and efficiency. Cons While offering powerful control and precision, feels more traditional and less streamlined than newer design software. Its learning curve can be steeper for those used to Adobe tools, and the limited integration with widely used platforms makes collaboration and file sharing less smooth. Review Source Response from Quark Software September 4, 2025 Thanks Caroline for your feedback. We appreciate it! MT Michel T. Art diector artist Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Art director, photographer, artist, creator" December 15, 2025 1.0 très décevant ! ce n'est plus pour les professionnels mais pour des assistés ! perte de temps pour des fonctions qui ne servent jamais Pros bonjour, honnêtement, je préférais les anciennes versions de Xpress des années 2000 moins assisté, plus simple et plus efficace et qui était mieux que Indesign, j'utilise Xpress depuis le tout premier, aujourd'hui, il est très lent, ... Cons je n'aime plus Xpress. vous n'avez pas pris en compte l'avis des professionnels pour concevoir cette version ! Review Source BJM Barbara Jean M. CEO Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Worth the price. Great support." December 15, 2025 5.0 Very good. I've been using Quark since the first edition. It was tough to learn in the beginning but it makes sense after you figure it out. It's much more professional than any other program. Pros Easy to use once you learn it. The updates typically make sense, especially if you've been using it since the first edition (decades ago!). Cons Some of the stuff they used to have, like certificate borders, are gone. Those were very handy. There are some things they took out that shouldn't have been taken out but i can work around those. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for the positive review Barbara! IG Ian G. Managing Director Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quark Express - QED" December 24, 2025 5.0 I have always found Quark Express intuitive to work with plus great "personal" customer service available if needed. Pros Quark Express has always been the standard design software in my view and always has been, it really works well for designers that want to think for themselves rather than being lead by increasing AI tech. Cons The save button being to close to the don't save button as with one slight misjudgement all can go wrong embarrassingly quickly! Review Source Response from Quark Software January 5, 2026 Thanks for your feedback Ian! RL Roman L. CEO Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Zu faul, um zu wechseln" December 15, 2025 4.0 Ich bin ein User der ersten Stunde. Das Programm basiert auf einer handwerklichen Denkstruktur. Das hilf mir beim Entwurf. Pros Kontinuität, keine zu großen Änderungen. Logischer Aufbau bei der Bedienung. Programm für Profis, die Wert auf Typografie legen. Cons Umwandlung in PDF. Das Ergebnis beim generieren von PDFs ist oft reine Glücksache. Das Farbmanagement ist zu kompliziert. Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for your review Roman! NA Nick A. Director Printing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Support" December 15, 2025 5.0 Great! Support Staff - Exceptional! The updates can become a little annoying sometimes. Its usually my go to app every day. Pros The Customer Support is fantastic. I also like the value for money. As I use it most days. Very easy to use. Cons The only thing i do not like about QuarkXpress is the Data Merge process. I also you Adobe indesign, everything seems simpler on there. Alternatives considered [Adobe InDesign](https://www.capterra.com/p/233314/Adobe-InDesign/) Reason for choosing QuarkXPress I use both as some of the features are easier in one than the other Review Source Response from Quark Software December 16, 2025 Thanks for the review Nick! Similar Products Featured