# Microsoft Publisher Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Microsoft Publisher the right Content Management solution for you? Explore 238 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/233254/Microsoft-Publisher/reviews --- Microsoft Publisher 4.4 (238) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/233254/Microsoft-Publisher/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 June 10th, 2026 # Reviews of Microsoft Publisher Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews GC Georges Attino C Journaliste International MultimediaTelecommunications, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Microsoft Publisher was particularly useful for creating communication materials such as brochures, posters, or flyers.“ June 9, 2026 KS Kaitlyn S Executive DirectorNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It feels outdated compared to newer design tools, with limited advanced layout and typography options.“ March 26, 2026 JS Jill S DirectorChild Day Care Services, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I use it mainly for my monthly newsletters, but have also used Publisher for more creative projects such as invitations to our pre-k graduation or events at the center throughout the year.“ October 25, 2024 KS Kaitlyn S Executive DirectorNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It’s also not ideal for digital-first design, and exporting for web or social media requires extra steps.“ March 26, 2026 SM Sannah M Sales AdministratorArchitecture & Planning, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Microsoft publisher is a good software that gives you the option to work with a few different templates to bring your ideas to life. Whether these are postcards, leaflets, posters, there is a good variety on here.“ May 19, 2025 CB Cooper B Director of Media MinistriesNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “For a half MacOS and half Windows staff, this makes it so difficult to transfer files from one another.“ February 6, 2025 FM Freyxa M Onboarding and training supervisorMental Health Care, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “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“ June 2, 2025 CB Cooper B Director of Media MinistriesNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Publisher is a great software, but the compatibility on Macs is lacking which really makes the usability hurt!“ February 6, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 238 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Naveen C. Senior Technical Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Publishing application to create printed or digital documents" January 5, 2025 5.0 Used this application to create digital documents (brochures) Pros Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application with User Friendly Interface which used to create printed or digital documents like brochures, flyers, newsletters, posters. It optimizes the documents and make the documents print ready. Cons This tool doesn't offer as many professional-grade design tools also the tool is not designed for modern web development. Review Source Antoine Q. Project Manager Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Publisher performance" August 3, 2025 4.0 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 GAC Georges Attino C. Journaliste International Multimedia Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Simple Design for Communication" June 9, 2026 3.0 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 KS Kaitlyn S. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Simple to Use" March 26, 2026 4.0 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 FM Fiona M. Clinical Audit Officer Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software with many functions to create documents." April 22, 2026 5.0 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 AN Anthony N. Lead Pastor Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Not for Mac" October 20, 2025 3.0 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 Joshua O. Instructional Designer Facilities Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy tool with limited customization " December 1, 2025 3.0 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 AZ Adriana Z. Patient Services Coordinator Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "i love Microsoft !!!!!" April 11, 2025 5.0 I’ve loved everything Microsoft has and offers their customers! Pros I’ve loved the ability to easily adapt to a new software that is also compatible with all of my other software platforms. Cons I haven’t had a bad experience with any Microsoft products Review Source JB Jeff B. Veterans Project Director Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good For Beginners" January 31, 2025 2.0 From my experience with Microsoft Publisher I would say that it is a very basic program, with relative ease of use but low versatility compared some of the other software available today. Pros As a beginner, it was a good stepping stone. Cons The more I used it, the more I realized the lack of versatility. Review Source DC Daniel C. Benefits and Compliance Manager Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Publisher review" May 2, 2026 3.0 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 GM Grace M. Front Desk Receptionist Manager Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Microsoft Publisher is great for its design simplicity. " December 4, 2024 4.0 Overall, the system is easy to use and worked well for the many years we used it for student newsletters at our university. Pros Organization is extremely efficient with this system. Cons For years we have used Microsoft Publisher for student newsletters. One thing I would suggest is adding more design features and customization options. Review Source JK Justin K. ELA Teacher and Tech Coach Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Basic, Easy Publication Design" December 31, 2024 4.0 I've used this product for 20 years. Basic is better. It's no frills, but it's more intuitive and easier to manipulate basic layouts than just about any other product out there. Pros I like how easy it is to create documents from scratch. There's no more simple way to make greeting cards, bulletins, and brochures. Cons I don't like that it's not always built in to basic MS Office packages. This makes it hard to share items universally. Review Source PS Paige S. Creative Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Simple Design Made Easy" October 3, 2024 4.0 Pros For simple design work, I love Microsoft Publisher. It's easy to use and offers a wide range of templates for a number of different design jobs. I love how easily it integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps too. A very cost-effective solution for simple but high-quality design. Cons I wouldn't use Microsoft Publisher for larger projects, this software is better suited to meet simple requirements. Definitely not a replacement design software for a professional graphic designer. It's also not available on Mac, which makes it tricky to collaborate with all members of the team. Review Source MC Mihaela C. Head Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great product for making visual materials." August 15, 2024 5.0 Favourite tool when creating a flyer, an infographic or some good visual materials. Pros The premade templates make it a great tool and ease the workflow and help inspire creations. Cons The abundance of options makes it hard to choose and can be time consuming. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Manager Food Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A user-friendly publishing tool." October 20, 2023 5.0 I produce professional business cards and programs with Microsoft Publisher. Its simplicity and integration with other Microsoft applications make the job a walk in the park for me. The image editing tools allow me to make quick adjustments and the end result is always a professional-designed document. Pros I like how I quickly got the hang of it thanks to its intuitive and user-friendly interface. Its rich library of customizable templates helps save time and effort. Cons While its rich template library and user-friendly interface make it the perfect choice for small businesses and individuals, it's pretty basic and not meant for design professionals. If you're seeking advanced design capabilities, then you need to consider other powerful software. It needs a steeper learning curve to work with complex designs like other high-end software options currently in the market. Review Source SS Scott S. manager Veterinary Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Streamlined " June 22, 2023 4.0 I have found MS publisher to be a great took for quick document creation. I often don't use it for in depth reports or flyers- but on the fly it works great. Pros Because it's Microsoft you know it will seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft products, including one drive. Cons Because it's Microsoft, if you are trying to use a non-microsoft product with it, it will often make it more difficult. Reason for choosing Microsoft Publisher not a lot of competition right now Review Source SE Stephen E. Company Director Investment Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Microsoft Publisher " November 15, 2022 5.0 I have used this software for many years and always update the software when necessary. Im the always happy with the production of the document's. It is an 'in house ' for a wide range of documents. It's useful for students and businesses alike. Pros The software is easy to use. The templates cover a wide range of documents. Everything you would need. I also love the multiple layer feature. It is straightforward to create highly complex documents. I write enhanced eBooks with the software and magazines. Cons I have not found anything that I least like with this software Reason for choosing Microsoft Publisher Because Microsoft Publisher covers a wide range of documents and the software helps to produce a professional finish. I can create professional cover with Publish my Wall and drop those into publisher. Review Source zmel J. ceo Animation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "good advertising tool" August 11, 2022 5.0 Pros There are a lot of templates I can use in Publisher so inserting new content is a simple process being able to spell check and correct grammatical errors in Publisher is a very big advantage Cons The Microsoft Publisher templates are based on my internal design and having limited control over the size of the files provided personally annoys me Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Associate Director of Foundation Relations Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Microsoft Publisher--Fine in a Pinch, but there are Better Document Layout Tools Available" November 12, 2021 3.0 Microsoft Publisher is the first document layout tool I used. It is fine enough to make basic layouts, but it lacks the flexibility and functionality to create anything beyond the basic. Publisher struggles with complicated layouts and autoformats things in such a way that it is often hard to predict how it will react to changes to the layout. While I was able to create basic layouts with Publisher, once I transitioned to more fully featured layout tools like InDesign, I never looked back. Pros The best part about Publisher is the ease of use and user-friendly approach. Anyone familiar with Microsoft Office products can create workable documents in it. That it integrates into the Microsoft Office family of products is valuable. Cons Microsoft Publisher has vastly fewer features and is far less powerful than competitor document layout tools like InDesign. Clunky object snaps, unintuitive layering, and limited font design capabilities hamstring it as anything more than a basic layout tool. What's more, the vast majority of Publisher's functionality is replicated within Microsoft Word. As such the need for a separate tool like Publisher within the Office family is largely obviated. I recommend sticking with Word for your basic layouts. For anything more complicated, use a tool like InDesign. Review Source VG Valerie G. Food service manager Food Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This is a way to get a project done" November 4, 2023 5.0 I love Microsoft publisher when I was first introduced I did not think I was going to ever need this but now I never use word and just use Microsoft publisher. Pros There's so many different things that you can use Microsoft publisher for. You are the editor and you control the editing there is so many different features that can be done to your project Cons Sometimes I don't like the fonts that are available and do not want to have to purchase any fonts either Review Source Joel B. Administrative Secretary Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An "Okay" Tool For Publishing Newsletters, Business Cards" March 3, 2023 4.0 In the beginning, we used it to create our business cards and flyers but as our operations have scaled a bit we use more advanced software. Pros It is really not expensive compared to the other desktop publishing software available. Also, because it is part of the Microsoft suite of products, it is easy to integrate it. Cons Even though it is relatively cheaper, it has some limited features like an auto layout and cloud sharing. Review Source AS Aria S. Design Consultant Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Integrated Solution For Personal and Corporate" September 13, 2022 5.0 As described, this software is an "all in one" solution for publishing matter. It can export the result to many formats and can import document contents in many formats too. Pros This software is just like "all in one" solution when it comes to publishing matter. I work with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint. Using Microsoft Publisher can combine document contents way too easy for everyone. Cons Some features are depend on internet connection, and it's not every time I'm working inside the grid. Review Source DF Donna F. Administrative Assistant Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "my goto for creating flyers and documents" November 21, 2023 5.0 I really enjoy using Microsoft Publisher for creating and designing. It is simple and easy to use and helps me to create nice brochures, flyers, invitations, etc... Pros I like the feature of using the entire workspace. I can keep images, text boxes, and other items available for use as I design and create. The drag and drop feature of the workspace is easy to work with. Cons Sometimes connecting text boxes gets a little confusing when the text extends longer than the box. Review Source BG Benjamin G. Accounts Administrator Medical Practice Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for beginners and making basic advertising materials" June 16, 2023 4.0 Positive. Does what I need it to and does it well without being too complex. Pros How simple and accessible it is. If you have experience using other Microsoft Products such as Word and PowerPoint, it's very easy to pick up and use as the layout and core features are similar. However, this has templates for posters, leaflets etc and is much better for those. When make information heavy leaflets, there's usually a template to fit your aesthetic and content type and it's just a matter of filling in your copy and selecting aesthetic options. Cons It's ultimately quite limited on what you can achieve using it. You have les precision and control compared to products such as Adobe InDesign, but then this is more of the final stage where you'd assemble designs taken from other apps. At the price-point and accessibility however, it's not really a complaint, but something to be aware of. Review Source Catherine C. Content Moderator Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Microsoft Publisher " November 5, 2022 4.0 Good experience. The app is useful and helpful to users. The user can make documents like posters, banners, etc. And given the features mentioned, the app provides enough features to do its main function. Pros The app has intuitive user interface which makes the user use the app without any complication. It has enough features and content which makes the user engage in using the app. It has a simple yet clean visual design. Creating a project or document using the app is easy plus the user's imagination, it can make a good output. Cons If the developer could make the app available via web so it would become cheaper or even free of use. 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