Affinity Publisher vs. Xara Designer Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Affinity Publisher
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Affinity Publisher replaces the former PagePlus desktop publishing application, from Serif Europe headquartered in Nottingham.
$24.99
Xara Designer Pro
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Xara, headquartered in Berlin, offers Designer Pro, a desktop publishing application.N/A
Pricing
Affinity PublisherXara Designer Pro
Editions & Modules
Affinity Publisher
$24.99
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Affinity PublisherXara Designer Pro
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Affinity PublisherXara Designer Pro
User Ratings
Affinity PublisherXara Designer Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Affinity PublisherXara Designer Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
Honestly, I thought our department would use this more for creating documentation for our staff and doing some mock-ups and layouts to envision future projects. I also run the social media for us, and I didn't expect to come to rely on Publisher for some of my social media layouts. There are other apps and subscription services that can streamline some social media posts, but with a bit of usage I've come to like using Publisher, as well.
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Really great for on-the-fly images for social media, blog posts, websites. It is extremely easy to use and new employees do not need to spend any time with training since its really intuitive. Less appropriate for graphic design like removing backgrounds, etc.
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Pros
  • Supports just about any format you'll need for your project.
  • The variety of templates makes startign projects simple.
  • The program is just really powerful and fairly priced.
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  • Graphic art
  • Social media imagery
  • blog post images
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Cons
  • Menu differences can be an impediment to new users from other softwares
  • Some functions are not in places I would expect
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  • load times
  • windows not opening
  • glitching when copying objects
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Usability
It offers a user-friendly interface and powerful design tools that make creating high-quality graphics and layouts straightforward. However, some features can feel complex, especially for new users, which may require a bit of a learning curve. The integration between desktop and iPad is excellent, but improving compatibility with other popular software could enhance collaboration and efficiency even further. Overall, it’s a robust tool that balances functionality and ease of use quite well.
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Support Rating
So far, when we've needed support, it has been top tier. However, I rate it an 8 because sometimes searching for things within the application hasn't yielded answers I've hoped for, so I've had to turn to YouTube or other outside sources. Thankfully there's a fantastic community that surrounds Affinity and their various apps that's been quite beneficial
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Alternatives Considered
The features in Affinity Publisher easily stack up against the much more expensive Adobe suite of products. With the ability to open all file types it is a bit of a workhorse for all things. We have been using it for social media template designs as well as client booklets and case studies. It's a very versatile program.
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I like both and use both but for different things. Canva, I think has more templates overall. Support is better with Xara and my templates are already built in Xara. Also, detail attention is better in Xara. I have built very meticulous charts in Xara and even mocked up product designs here.
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Return on Investment
  • The one-time purchase model has saved us approximately 50% compared to subscription software, freeing up budget for other critical business needs.
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  • Less time on boarding interns
  • Easy to copy templates for uniformity across the brand
  • Quick downloads
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ScreenShots