The following is a list of major desktop publishing software. A wide range of related software tools exist in this field including many plug-ins and tools related to the applications listed below.

Several software directories provide more comprehensive listings of desktop publishing software, including VersionTracker and Tucows.

Free software

This section lists free software which does desktop publishing. All of these are required to be open-source. While not required, the software listed in this section is available free of charge. (In principle, in rare cases, free software is sold without being distributed over the Internet.)

Desktop publishing software for Windows, macOS, Linux and other operating systems

• Collabora Online Draw^[1] and Collabora Online Writer. The applications for Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS are also known as Collabora Office.
• LibreOffice Draw^[1] and LibreOffice Writer^[1] for Windows, macOS, Linux, BSDs and others
• LyX for Windows, MacOS, Linux, UNIX, OS/2 and Haiku, based on the LaTeX typesetting system, initial release in 1995
• Scribus for Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, Unix, Haiku, OS/2, based on the free Qt toolkit, initial release in 2003

Online desktop publishing software

• Collabora Online Draw^[1] and Collabora Online Writer^[1]
• Scenari, open source single-source publishing tool with support for chain publication

Proprietary

Desktop publishing software for Windows

• XEditpro Automated Publishing Tool - DiacriTech, 1997
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe FrameMaker
• Adobe PageMaker, discontinued in 2004
• Affinity Publisher
• CatBase
• Calamus
• CorelDRAW
• Corel Ventura, previously Ventura Publisher, originally developed by Xerox, now owned by Corel
• FrameMaker, now owned by Adobe
• InPage - DTP which works with English + Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Pashto etc.
• MadCap Flare
• Microsoft Publisher
• PageStream, formerly known as Publishing Partner
• Prince XML, by YesLogic
• QuarkXPress
• RagTime
• Ready, Set, Go!
• Xara Designer Pro X
• Xara Page & Layout Designer

Desktop publishing software for macOS

• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe PageMaker, discontinued in 2004
• Affinity Publisher
• CatBase
• iCalamus
• iStudio Publisher – desktop publishing and page layout software for Mac OS X
• Pages, by Apple, Inc.
• QuarkXPress
• Ready, Set, Go!
• Print Shop, originally produced by Broderbund

Online desktop publishing software

• Canva
• Fatpaint
• Lucidpress – desktop publishing and page layout software that is web-based and collaborative.
• Piktochart
• Infogram

Retired

• AppleWorks for Mac and Windows
• Calamus - for Atari TOS-based computers
• geoPublish - for the Commodore 64
• Timeworks Publisher
• Impression and Impression Publisher - for the Acorn Archimedes
• Corel Ventura