# Microsoft Publisher Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra

> With the help of Capterra, learn about Microsoft Publisher Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Content Management products and more.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/233254/Microsoft-Publisher

---

# 

 Microsoft Publisher Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on June 10, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Users](#users)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

Microsoft Publisher

## What is Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing solution designed to help businesses generate layouts, manage content and add images.

## What is Microsoft Publisher used for?

[Content Management](https://www.capterra.com/content-management-software/)[Document Management](https://www.capterra.com/document-management-software/)

Top alternative

Featured

Overall rating

Based on 238 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

89%

Neutral

9%

Negative

3%

### Starting price

Free trial not available

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## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### Microsoft Publisher

4.4 (238)

VS.

[4.7 (2,904)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/reviews/)

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Starting Price

$39

Flat Rate, Per Month

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

4.4 (238)

Ease Of Use

4.7 (28,978)

Value For Money

4.4 (174)

Value For Money

4.5 (20,543)

Customer Service

4.3 (151)

Customer Service

4.5 (18,575)

## Microsoft Publisher alternatives

[4.6 (6,072)](https://www.capterra.com/p/147657/monday-com/reviews/)

Starting price

$9.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

94%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.4 (1,011)](https://www.capterra.com/p/123400/revver/reviews/)

Starting price

$25.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

88%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Google Docs](https://www.capterra.com/p/160756/Google-Docs/)

[4.7 (29,055)](https://www.capterra.com/p/160756/Google-Docs/reviews/)

Starting price

$6.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

97%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

Highest Rated

[Google Drive](https://www.capterra.com/p/161425/Drive/)

[4.8 (28,542)](https://www.capterra.com/p/161425/Drive/reviews/)

Starting price

$7.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

98%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/233254/Microsoft-Publisher/alternatives/)

## FAQs about Microsoft Publisher

Overview

### What problems does Microsoft Publisher solve?

Microsoft Publisher solves the problem of turning basic content into print-ready flyers, brochures, cards, newsletters, and signage without advanced design skills or expensive publishing software. Small businesses, educators, administrative staff, libraries, and marketing teams use it to speed document layout, reuse templates, control print formatting, and produce polished materials quickly.

Answer based on 131 reviews

Overview

### Which roles and teams benefit most from Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft Publisher is most used by freelancers, small business owners, educators, and administrative teams that need simple desktop publishing. Marketing-minded managers, directors, and designers use it to create flyers, newsletters, brochures, and event materials, while assistants and students rely on it for polished documents, school projects, and basic brand communications.

Answer based on 237 reviews

Talk to an expert

### More questions?

Ask our experts

Overview

### What company size and industries is Microsoft Publisher built for?

Microsoft Publisher is built mainly for small businesses, which make up 73% of reviewers, with Education Management leading at 10%. It also serves enterprises at 16% and midsize businesses at 11%, with use across Computer Software at 8% and Information Technology and Services at 4%, often for content management.

Answer based on 237 reviews

Features and Usability

### What are the key features of Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft Publisher includes template creation and document creation tools for brochures, flyers, cards, newsletters, and other professional publications. Core features cover content publishing options, document management, document storage, and full text search. Reviewers also highlight its easy-to-use interface, short learning curve, and basic collaboration through Microsoft app integration.

Answer based on 84 reviews

Integrations

### Which third-party tools and platforms does Microsoft Publisher integrate with?

Microsoft Publisher integrates with Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Outlook, Canva, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. These connections center on document creation, office productivity, file storage, and sharing, with reviewers most often highlighting its tight alignment with the broader Microsoft app ecosystem.

Answer based on 73 reviews

Getting Started and Support

### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft Publisher is generally quick to onboard for teams already familiar with Microsoft Office, with templates, built-in wizards, help documentation, and many users relying on video tutorials. Beginners, students, and nontechnical staff often learn basic tasks fast, while true beginners and teams handling complex layouts usually need more guided practice.

Answer based on 54 reviews

Features and Usability

### How good are Microsoft Publisher templates?

Microsoft Publisher offers practical templates that help small businesses, schools, and churches create flyers, brochures, and newsletters quickly. The layouts feel familiar to Microsoft Office users and are easy to customize, though some templates look dated, include placeholder text, and can create sharing or PDF export issues across mixed-device teams.

Answer based on 84 reviews

Features and Usability

### Is Microsoft Publisher easy to use?

Microsoft Publisher feels easy to learn for many Office users because the interface resembles Word and PowerPoint. Small business staff, educators, and administrative teams often pick it up quickly for basic print projects, though deeper settings, hidden tools, Mac limitations, and weaker collaboration can make advanced or shared work harder.

Answer based on 57 reviews

Features and Usability

### What features does Microsoft Publisher offer?

Microsoft Publisher provides the core desktop publishing features many teams need for print materials, including templates, layout tools, typography controls, drag-and-drop editing, and Office integration. Educators, freelancers, and small business users like the creative flexibility, but some find image editing, collaboration, multimedia support, and advanced design options too limited.

Answer based on 38 reviews

## Who uses Microsoft Publisher?

Based on Capterra reviews from the past 4 years

Talk to a software expert

to get a free software list  
tailored to your business needs

Company size

Based on 183 reviews

100%

75%

50%

25%

Smallbusiness

Midsizebusinesses

Enterprise

Top job functions

Based on 183 reviews

Administrative

30%

Administrative

30%

Education & Learning

13%

IT & Software Development

11%

Creative & Design

7%

Others

40%

Top industries

Based on 183 reviews

Education Management

35%

Non-Profit Organization Management

19%

Hospital & Health Care

16%

Religious Institutions

15%

Other

15%

## Features

Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.

Document Management

4.6 (87)

63.22% of 87 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Microsoft Publisher offers you straightforward document creation, saving, and editing. Reviewers appreciate how easy it is to manage, customize, and export various document types, noting its efficiency and reliability for organizing and updating files.

Content Publishing Options

4.5 (81)

64.20% of 81 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

It gives you a wide range of publishing and export choices, including PDF creation and multiple templates. Users think the variety of output formats and templates makes publishing simple, though some mention limited cloud collaboration compared to other tools.

Full Text Search

4.6 (71)

69.01% of 71 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

With this capability, you can quickly locate and edit specific text within documents, which reviewers find valuable for proofreading and making revisions. Some users highlight its usefulness for multilingual documents, while others note they rarely need it for shorter files.

Document Storage

4.6 (71)

67.61% of 71 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Store and organize documents in a centralized system

Document Capture

4.4 (55)

67.27% of 55 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Scan, move or upload electronic files within the software's repository

Microsoft Publisher 5 features

It gives you a wide range of publishing and export choices, including PDF creation and multiple templates. Users think the variety of output formats and templates makes publishing simple, though some mention limited cloud collaboration compared to other tools.

Scan, move or upload electronic files within the software's repository

Microsoft Publisher offers you straightforward document creation, saving, and editing. Reviewers appreciate how easy it is to manage, customize, and export various document types, noting its efficiency and reliability for organizing and updating files.

Store and organize documents in a centralized system

With this capability, you can quickly locate and edit specific text within documents, which reviewers find valuable for proofreading and making revisions. Some users highlight its usefulness for multilingual documents, while others note they rarely need it for shorter files.

Get Advice

We can help you find the software with the features you need.

Features

4.4 (238)

4.4

Based on 238 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.4 (174)

### Starting price

Free trial not available

Value for money

4.4 (174)

4.4

Based on 174 reviews

## Integrations

[

Microsoft PowerPoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/141633/PowerPoint/)[

Microsoft Word](https://www.capterra.com/p/227146/Microsoft-Word/)

Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

4.3 (151)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

4.3 (151)

4.3

Based on 151 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.4

Based on 238 reviews

Filter by rating

5(135)

4(76)

3(21)

2(5)

1(1)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

GA

Georges Attino C.

Journaliste International Multimedia

Telecommunications

### "Simple Design for Communication"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

June 9, 2026

Pros

Microsoft Publisher was particularly useful for creating communication materials such as brochures, posters, or flyers. It offered simple templates to use, which made page layout easier.

Cons

However, its features remain limited compared to more professional software for a professional activity.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

DC

Daniel C.

Benefits and Compliance Manager

Hospital & Health Care

### "Publisher review"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

2.0

2.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

5/10

May 2, 2026

The layout being similar to Microsoft products is a benefit, but otherwise I think Publisher does not set itself apart the way Word and PowerPoint does.

Pros

Microspft Publisher has a decent selection of templates that users can choose from in order to design promotional materials.

Cons

Convering files to PDFs from publisher is not as simple as it is to do so from Word and it hinders editing capabilities.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

FM

Fiona M.

Clinical Audit Officer

Hospital & Health Care

### "Great software with many functions to create documents."

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

April 22, 2026

I have no complaints. I've been using the software for over 20 years and has always been easy to use.

Pros

It's easy to use to create documents such as posters, notices, newsletters etc. The features are great and user friendly. There is help options if you are unsure how to produce something and the templates are easy to adapt. I have no issues.

Cons

I believe I read that it was being discontinued which is a great shame. It's been around since I was at school so it's my go to software to use for most things.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Ann B.

Public Information Supervisor

Health, Wellness and Fitness

### "Better Options Available--Especially Since Publisher is Being Discontinued"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

2.0

2.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

1/10

March 26, 2026

It's a little frustrating that I will have to recreate forms I have used for decades because MS Publisher is being discontinued in October 2026.

Pros

I am familiar with the tools and capabilities of the program and many standard forms I use were created in Publisher.

Cons

At this point, I can easily do anything--and much, much more--I could do in Publisher in Canva for less cost.

Alternatives considered

[QuarkXPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/178598/QuarkXPress/)

Reasons for choosing Microsoft Publisher

Familiar with the product, Microsoft a reputable company.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

KS

Kaitlyn S.

Executive Director

Non-Profit Organization Management

### "Simple to Use"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

7/10

March 26, 2026

Overall, my experience has been positive. It’s a reliable, easy-to-use tool for creating flyers, newsletters, invitations, and other print materials quickly. While it lacks some modern design features and collaboration tools, it’s efficient for straightforward projects and works well for organizations that need clean, professional layouts without a steep learning curve.

Pros

I liked how easy it is to create polished flyers, newsletters, and event materials without advanced design skills. The drag-and-drop layout, built-in templates, and simple text/image formatting make it quick to produce professional-looking documents. It’s especially useful for small organizations because it’s straightforward, familiar to anyone using Microsoft Office tools, and great for print-ready layouts.

Cons

It feels outdated compared to newer design tools, with limited advanced layout and typography options. Collaboration is difficult since files don’t work as smoothly across teams, and compatibility can be an issue when sharing with people who don’t have the software. It’s also not ideal for digital-first design, and exporting for web or social media requires extra steps.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Joshua O.

Instructional Designer

Facilities Services

### "Easy tool with limited customization "

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

December 1, 2025

Easy to use and a great tool for pushing out quick job aids or reference guides or flyers in a pinch.

Pros

I like the easy of use. I think publisher makes it easy to create designs and to make modifications and changes to objects

Cons

It’s not the most versatile or creative. It’s very limited in what it can do with object placements and interactions

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AN

Anonymous User

Formateur Technique

Professional Training & Coaching

### "Logiciel de publication et conception"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

October 21, 2025

Pros

Outils de conception visuel et simple d'utilisation grâce à de nombreux modèles pré-définis. Fonctionnalités multiples facilitant la conception.

Cons

Le peu d'évolutions depuis quelques années, publisher reste aussi assez basique dans certains cas. Un utilisation "complexe" demande du temps.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AN

Anthony N.

Lead Pastor

Religious Institutions

### "Not for Mac"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

October 20, 2025

Publisher was my go-to software for our all our church printing needs for over 10 years. Most of the time, it got the job done, but older files where not always compatible with new updates.

Pros

Publisher is laid out very similar to Word, so if you are competent in one, you will enjoy the experience in the other. There are many templates for anything you desire to print, so it is easy to find just the right size for the job at hand.

Cons

I recently switched to a Mac environment. Publisher did not make the switch with me. It also is not overly easy to collaborate with others. Cloud-based sharing has made improvements, but things still get lost in translation when sharing between users.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Antoine Q.

Project Manager

Airlines/Aviation

### "Publisher performance"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

August 3, 2025

It stays in a basic manner but I really liked working with it, the only thing is that this becomes dificult to translate in any other tool.

Pros

You can be very creative in this tool, this is a lot more open than word for example, a perfect tool for a CV creation with a lot of different features.

Cons

This tool is not easy to handle, you need to know a lot about it before starting to do really powerfull things.

Switched from

[Microsoft Word](https://www.capterra.com/p/227146/Microsoft-Word/)

I found this tool more powerfull in order to do a nice presentation for a CV for example, ideal for a one pager.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

FM

Freyxa M.

Onboarding and training supervisor

Mental Health Care

### "Try it first"

2.0

Overall Rating

2.0

2.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

2.0

2.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

5/10

June 2, 2025

Is useful for creating printed training materials, but it feels updated for modern on boarding practices

Pros

It has a single drag and drop sign to, and it’s really useful for creating visual content, it can be also there for producing printable materials for in person sessions

Cons

It’s really limited on the collaboration features and it’s not ideal for teens working on the same dock, it’s also only PC, Mac users are excludeD

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/233254/Microsoft-Publisher/reviews/)

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