Adobe InDesign Reviews & Product Details

Indesign is awesome for creating both print and digital catalogues, magazines, flyers and books. I particularly like how you can add interactive buttons, hyperlinks and page transitions, and QR codes. These elevate a basic PDF document, and make them actually fun to flip through. (Plus Illustrator and Photoshop don't have these options).

I also recently discovered the paragraph and character style options, which are SUCH a time-saver for making bulk edits. Similarly, the Find/Change feature allows you to bulk update text rather than manually edit each word.

Also, there are heaps of templates available on Adobe Stock that are great to browse through for inspiration, or download and edit. The stock library has business cards, catalogues, menus, brochures and more.

The layout is easy to navigate, and you can customise the dashboard/panels to your liking. I also like that you can edit the shortcuts, and choose what keys to assign to a shortcut. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I encountered a steep learning curve when first learning Indesign. As an avid Illustrator and Photoshop user, I found some features (like image frames) very frustrating to adjust to. I also found the difference between shortcuts to be frustrating, like the 'Paste in place' option, which is triggered by different keys in each program.

To use Indesign to it's full ability, you need a powerful computer (especially if your project contains lots of images), otherwise it will quickly become laggy and crash.

The standard plan provides 100GB of cloud storage, which is handy for collaborating with other users, but can be quickly exceeded if you’re working on a lot of projects. So it’s important to have alternative storage options, and only save files to the cloud if necessary.

Indesign is quite costly, so if you're on a budget, I recommend opting for an Illustrator subscription instead, because you can still create magazines, brochures etc, and this way, you can take advantage of Illustrator's other features (although Illustrator don't have all of the same features that Indesign offers). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have been using InDesign for around 4–5 years, and what I like most is how professional my work looks when I prepare layouts. As an architecture student, I need to create portfolios, project boards, presentations, and reports, and InDesign helps me arrange everything neatly. The grid system and alignment tools make it easy to keep drawings, text, and images in proper order. Master pages save me a lot of time when I have to make multi-page documents with the same style.

Another thing I like is the export quality. I can make high-resolution PDFs for printing, or smaller files for sharing online, without losing clarity in the drawings. Over the years, I have also found the integration with Photoshop and Illustrator very useful. I usually edit my renders in Photoshop, then place them directly in InDesign. If I change the render later, the InDesign file updates automatically, which saves me time and keeps the layout consistent. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

In the beginning, it was not easy to learn because there are so many tools and panels. It took me time to understand styles, layers, and master pages properly. Even now, when I work with large files full of images and renders, the software slows down or lags sometimes. Also, some advanced features are hidden deep in menus, so I had to spend time exploring before I got comfortable. The biggest drawback for students is the cost, since it needs a subscription. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love the flexibility with InDesign. I am able to create quick designs for a lot of our editorial projects and can quickly whip up simple graphics if needed right in the program without using multiple programs. I use this program for the majority of my graphic design work daily and love how easy it is to implement changes across team. I utilize this program mostly for editorial assets like email banners, pdf packets, social media posts, zoom banners, zoom backgrounds, one-pagers, pendo guide templates, and so much more. The review integration is great for others that do not use InDesign but need to make comments on the projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing I am not a fan of is the customer support at Adobe. I had an issue I was trying to figure out and an employee pretty much told me that he couldn't help because it was ran through another company...but the offer was through Adobe. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

InDesign is my go-to for client print projects, whether it’s a 20 to 40 page catalogue, a brochure, or a flyer. I use it weekly and it saves a ton of time because I can set up templates, master pages, and styles that keep everything consistent. Preflight checks make sure files are press-ready, and packaging files for printers is simple since fonts, links, and assets are bundled automatically. It integrates smoothly with Photoshop and Illustrator so dropping in images or vector work is painless. The feature set is deep, from typography controls to layout grids, and once you know your way around, it’s pretty easy to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The learning curve is tough for new users and the interface looks old compared to modern tools. If you’re just starting out, implementation is not intuitive. It’s amazing for print, but I’ve seen people try to force it into social graphics or emails, and that’s just not what it’s built for. Large files can also drag. Even on my 2021 MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip, a 25 page catalogue with heavy images will slow down. Customer support is basically digging through forums or watching tutorials online because you don’t get much direct help from Adobe. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The updates to grids and paragraph styles make long documents easier to wrangle, and the interface feels cleaner than past versions. Also, I would like to mention that the interface is still one of the cleanest among design software, so even when I’m juggling text, images, and grids, everything stays organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The 2025 release has felt somewhat rough around the edges. I’ve experienced crashes when deleting pages or exporting files, and the recovery system doesn’t always work as expected. Performance sometimes lags more than it should, and the most recent updates often seem unreliable, introducing bugs and even causing lost presets. While it remains usable for daily tasks, I don’t always feel confident trusting the very latest build due to these stability issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

InDesign is incredibly powerful and reliable for any kind of layout work. Its real strength lies in the final output stage. The ability to package a project, gathering all fonts and linked images, is flawless and essential for working with printers. Exporting high-quality, print-ready PDFs is straightforward and dependable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I feel InDesign is falling behind in the AI race. I'm waiting for smart features like an AI-powered layout generator that could suggest creative compositions. An intelligent system to parse PDF comments and apply edits would transform the revision process. The current generative AI for images inside InDesign also feels like a limited version of what Photoshop can do, which interrupts a smooth workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Adobe InDesign is perfectly suited for print and layout design. I use it every day as a marketing designer. There are no better programs that I know of that are optimized with a variety of features to support print production and editorial work. It also integrates beautifully with other Adobe products, as do many programs in Adobe CC. Like other CC programs, it's constantly being updated with new features to improve workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I consider InDesign to be one of the most difficult Adobe products to learn, on par with Adobe Acrobat. I think the learning curve is worth the investment, however, and some of the important specialized features can make ease of use difficult for people who aren't used to pre-production processes. The improvements to InDesign also seem to be less frequent or impactful compared to programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Express, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about Adobe InDesign is its balance of creative freedom and structured control. The ability to use master pages and styles to keep documents consistent while still designing with flexibility makes it my go-to for professional layouts. It’s especially powerful when handling multi-page documents like reports or brochures, and I really appreciate how seamlessly it integrates with Photoshop and Illustrator in my workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

“What I dislike about Adobe InDesign is that it has a steep learning curve for beginners, which can make it intimidating at first. Also, very large, image-heavy files sometimes slow down the software. That said, once you get comfortable with the tools and maintain a good workflow, these challenges become manageable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use InDesign almost daily, and it's one of my favorite Adobe programs. I love the professional layout capabilities, perfect for milt-page documents and print ready materials. It's also great for brand consistency. Having master pages, paragraph/character styles, and libraries allows my team and I to reuse branded elements with ease. Lastly, I appreciate the precision and control the program gives me when adjusting typography, alignment of text and graphic elements, and spacing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Though I love this program, there are a few cons. I think that there is a pretty steep learning curve for beginners with this program, especially when it comes to the document set up. Additionally, because this is considered a "heavy software", it can be slow or buggy at times with larger files or on older machines. This can slow down the design process immensely. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The platform's collaboration tools are a cornerstone for agency environments. Features like real-time co-editing in documents, easy file sharing for feedback, and version history tracking simplify the review and approval process. This is particularly beneficial when working with multiple stakeholders and remote team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page and projects move forward smoothly. The recent integration of AI-powered features through Adobe Sensei and Firefly further enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks and offering innovative creative possibilities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Considerable time it takes for the applications to open and for new apps to install. This sluggishness can be a major source of frustration and a disruption to an efficient workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.