Publisher alternative in 2026

I've used WordPerfect for years for transcription. The companies I work with don't like Word, and neither do I. Just playing around with it briefly I was able to insert a photo and a news article by clicking insert, graphics/pictures, from file, and browsing folders to choose files. The objects were easy to move around. Dragging and pasting did not work.

Thanks, Susan Gordon, for this suggestion.

I would say this is very inaccurate. I have tried several times in preparation for the discontinuations to use the label feature in Word and it is so far away from easy. I have not successfully been able to mail merge and create labels with the design where I need it to be to print on the label sheets. Creating programmes for my school in Word isn't user friendly either.

If you were to offer it separately, I could understand but this puts many teachers, small businesses, and non-profits in a position of scrambling trying to figure out something.

I hope you keep Publisher in some form.

Hi Sophia,

I am hoping to use the new Designer to replace the banners and memes I create with Publisher. Currently, the inability to add new fonts and the presence of vertical text are preventing me from transferring all my creations to Designer. I have used it for other things since it was introduced, and I appreciate how it has evolved so far. There is a learning curve, and things I would like tweaked. I thought I would make you aware of my needs and hope that many features of Publisher can move to Designer. I would like to keep myself in the Microsoft family and not have to use a bunch of random apps or programs.

Thank you!

I have used Publisher for over 25 years. I felt it was a great tool to do what I needed (self-publish books, create newsletters, flyers, envelopes, menus, invitations, envelopes, etc.). I designed these for my customers. If you know Publisher and its capabilities (obviously whoever made this decision does not), you know that Word and PowerPoint cannot compare in versatility. I am currently looking for open-source software to replace it, because I still need it, or something that is similar. I only use Word for letters, and I stopped using PowerPoint years ago because I could do the same thing in Publisher. I won't miss Word or PowerPoint, but I will miss Publisher.

I wholeheartedly agree!