Publisher alternative in 2026

It's a joke. Microsoft are leaving everyone who has been loyal and used Publisher for years swinging in the wind.

Canva does not have the functionality or ease of use that Publisher has. Neither does Word, Powerpoint, Scribus, Visme, etc etc. Affinity Publisher seems good but it takes up a huge amount of memory. The only thing that works for newsletter and annual reports is InDesign and surprise, surprise! I can't download InDesign on my pc because I am using Windows 10. Now I will have to go buy a new tower and install Windows 11 and who knows, maybe 12 and 13 and beyond by the time I buy one.

Microsoft!! Please listen to your loyal customers who have been using Publisher for years!

I got an email that states this

Microsoft is committed to improving your Microsoft 365 subscription. We regularly review how our subscribers use features within Microsoft products. This email includes details regarding features going away next year and reminders about current benefits included with your subscription.

Then it goes on to list all the features they are discontinuing. What a joke. How is this improving my subscription?

• Beginning March 03, 2026, you will no longer have access to 60 minutes of monthly Skype calls to mobile phones and landlines. Learn more in these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
• Beginning October 01, 2026, Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported as part of Microsoft 365. Many common Publisher scenarios are available in other Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer. 

Action Recommended: Before October 01, 2026, convert your existing Publisher files to PDF or Word format. After this date, you will no longer be able to open or edit these files with Microsoft Publisher.

What a ***** decision! Another reason to move away from Microsoft products.

Thanks Alex for your response. I am still hopeful that a way can be found to resolve this disastrous MS decision. Perhaps there is a company competitor (?) who could buy the 'programing rights' (I don't know the legal jargon here!) and reintroduce the program (as an upgrade?) under another umbrella. I also have two MS Publisher CD versions which I purchased some years ago. Maybe they could be utilised in some way, although not being a Technical 'Wizzbang' I don't know if that would be possible! Anyway, let's keep our disappointment to the fore.

Cheers,

Ray Fowke.

Thank God I closed my newsletter to my clients at the end of 2024 which I had been publishing monthly with MS Publisher for four years. Who knew MS was going to cut services but not subscription fees? Brilliant. I don't plan to start a new one, but if I ever do it will certainly not involve an MS product. Sabotage like this is exactly why I stopped paying for a yearly subscription for any online service several years ago; I saw too many times how customers were ripped-off mid-subscription, and never compensated. All their dissapointed customers ever got was a insincere apology and some happy talk. MS is no better. It's outrageous.