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Scribus Logo

Open-source desktop publishing tool for publication industry

Table of Contents

Scribus - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

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All user reviews are verified by in-house moderators and provider data by our software research team.  Learn more

Last updated: March 2026

Scribus overview

What is Scribus?

Scribus is an open-source desktop publishing (DTP) software designed to help organizations create documents for print publications using a page layout system. It enables agencies to manage online content for various operating systems such as Linux, Windows, Solaris, OpenIndiana, Debian GNU/Hurd, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, eComStation, and Haiku.

Scribus allows professionals to configure and modify CMYK or spot colors, convert documents into PDF files, manage workflows, and create vector drawings via a unified platform. The application lets users recover damaged documents, import or export files across systems, and view and access documents in XML format. Features of Scribus include multi-lingual interface, file management, collaboration, data visualization, document storage, and more.

Scribus helps employees streamline color management operations by configuring the color display and conversion processes. It also enables organizations to monitor various types of color blindness and analyze the effect of different color choices on individuals with color vision deficiencies.

Starting price


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Scribus’s user interface

Ease of use rating:

Scribus reviews

Overall rating

4.4

/5

19

Positive reviews

95

%

Rating breakdown
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend8.37/10
Rating distribution

5

4

3

2

1

11

7

0

0

1

Pros
“What I like most about this software is its ability to seamlessly handle different types of content such as images, text, tables, and graphs.”
CF

Cheikh F.

Multimedia Content Creator

“Scribus is one of the best desktop publishing software in the publishing and print media and it's totally free to everyone. The user interface of this software is pretty cool and very lightweight.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Md F.

UI/UX Designer

“Overall, my experience with Scribus has been generally positive. I'm impressed with the features of this desktop publishing software.”
CF

Cheikh F.

Multimedia Content Creator

Cons
“Words are separated with no logic or properly placed hyphen when a sentence comes to the end of a text frame. I've spent way too much time researching and trying to "fix" this.”
DF

Debbie F.

creative

“Firstly, there are times when images don't display correctly, which can be quite frustrating. Additionally, the exporting process can take some time, which can slow down the workflow.”
CF

Cheikh F.

Multimedia Content Creator

“Some things that are straightforward in the GUI require some trickery to automate.”
NR

Nick R.

Sole proprietor

Who uses Scribus?

Based on 19 verified user reviews.

Company size

Small Businesses

Enterprises

Midsize Businesses

Top industries

Publishing
Media Production
Accounting
Civic & Social Organization
Others

Use cases

Publishing and Subscriptions

Scribus's key features

Most critical features, based on insights from Scribus users:

Subscription management
Collaboration tools
Data visualization
Activity tracking
Newspapers
Circulation management

All Scribus features

Features rating:

API
Document storage
Magazines
Newsletters

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Scribus pricing

Value for money rating:

Starting from

Free

Pricing details
Subscription
Free trial
Free plan
Pricing range

User opinions about Scribus price and value

Value for money rating:

To see what individual users think of Scribus's price and value, check out the review snippets below.

“What I like most about this software is its ability to seamlessly handle different types of content such as images, text, tables, and graphs.”
CF

Cheikh F.

Multimedia Content Creator

“Scribus is one of the best desktop publishing software in the publishing and print media and it's totally free to everyone. The user interface of this software is pretty cool and very lightweight.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Md F.

UI/UX Designer

Scribus support options

Typical customers

Freelancers
Small businesses
Mid size businesses
Large enterprises

Platforms supported

Web
Android
iPhone/iPad

Support options

Email/Help Desk
Phone Support

Training options

Documentation

Scribus FAQs

Q. Who are the typical users of Scribus?

Scribus has the following typical customers:
Freelancers, Mid Size Business, Small Business

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Q. What languages does Scribus support?

Scribus supports the following languages:
English


Q. Does Scribus offer an API?

No, Scribus does not have an API available.


Q. What level of support does Scribus offer?

Scribus offers the following support options:
Email/Help Desk, Phone Support

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