What Should You Use Instead of Publisher for Newsletters?
Short answer: it depends what your newsletter actually needs. If you mail it to a list, Word's built-in mail merge makes it the practical pick. If it's more visual than text-heavy, Canva will serve you better.
The right tool depends on what your newsletter actually does
Mailing to a list? Word wins
Multi-column layouts and native mail merge cover most newsletter needs, already included in the Microsoft 365 subscription you have.
Mostly visual? Canva wins
Photo-heavy or single-page newsletters are usually faster to design in Canva's modern template library.
Years of past issues? LibreOffice can reopen them
LibreOffice Draw opens your old .pub newsletters directly, and Writer handles mail merge for free.
Most newsletters actually use two tools
Design in one, mail merge in another — that's normal, not a sign you picked the wrong tool.
Three tools that can replace Publisher for newsletters
Word
Multi-column text layout plus native mail merge to your subscriber list — no cost beyond the Microsoft 365 subscription you already pay for.
Compare Word to PublisherCanva
Modern templates and easier team collaboration — the better pick when photos matter more than dense text.
Compare Canva to PublisherLibreOffice
Opens existing .pub newsletters directly via Draw, and Writer's mail merge is free forever — no subscription required at all.
Compare LibreOffice to PublisherHow to actually make the switch
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Decide what matters more: the mailing list, or the visuals
That single question decides your primary tool — Word if the mailing list matters most, Canva if the design does.
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Export your current newsletter to PDF today
Do this from Publisher while you still have access — it's your safety net regardless of which tool you switch to.
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Rebuild the layout using that PDF as your reference
For a multi-page newsletter, budget more time than you would for a single-page flyer — plan on a real working session, not a quick pass.
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Set up your mailing list once, then reuse it every issue
If you need mail merge, build the recipient list one time in Word or LibreOffice Writer — each future issue just reuses that same setup.
Newsletter questions people actually ask
Should I use one tool for the whole newsletter, or split it?
It's completely normal to split it — design visually in Canva or LibreOffice Draw, then handle the mail merge to your subscriber list separately in Word or LibreOffice Writer. Publisher combined both jobs in one program; most replacements don't.
Does Canva do mail merge for a mailing list?
No — for mailing a newsletter to a list of names and addresses, use Word or LibreOffice Writer's mail merge instead, even if you designed the newsletter itself in Canva.
Can we keep our multi-page newsletter layout?
Not automatically, but you can rebuild it using your existing issue as a reference. Multi-page rebuilds take longer than a single flyer, so budget accordingly for your first issue in the new tool.
What if we send our newsletter by email, not print?
All three tools export to PDF or image for an email attachment. If you want the newsletter to render natively inside the email itself rather than as an attachment, a dedicated email tool like Mailchimp is usually a better fit than any of these three.
Do we need to pay for anything?
Word is included if you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Canva's free plan and LibreOffice are both completely free on top of that.
Still not sure which tool fits your newsletter?
The Publisher Retirement Kit includes a decision guide made for exactly this kind of call — no guessing required.
Get the Retirement Kit