Ways to open and edit .pub files, compared
Last checked: 5 November 2026
Since Microsoft retired Publisher, several free tools can open .pub files. They are good at different things. This table compares them on what most people need. Information about other tools comes from their own websites and may have changed since we checked.
| Pubwork | stillPUB | LayoutSplat | LibreOffice Draw | Online converters (Zamzar, Aspose…) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free, with limits |
| Install | Nothing: works in the browser | Nothing: works in the browser | Nothing: works in the browser | Program to install | Nothing: website |
| Is your file uploaded? | No, it stays on your device | No, it stays on your device | Not stated | No, it stays on your computer | Yes, it is sent to their server |
| Opens .pub files | Yes | Yes | Yes (they advise checking each page) | Yes | Converts only |
| Edit text and pictures | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Phones and tablets | Yes (iPhone, iPad, Android) | Computers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Not stated | No (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Yes |
| Interface languages | 6 (English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian) | English | English | More than 100 | Many |
| Save as | PDF, Word, PowerPoint, LibreOffice Draw, XPS, web page, e-mail, JPG, PNG, SVG, Scribus, InDesign (IDML) | PDF, JPG, PNG | PDF, PNG, JPEG, SVG, IDML, Scribus, HTML | PDF, LibreOffice formats, pictures | PDF, pictures and others |
| Templates | More than 150 | 8 | 123 | Few for page layouts | None |
| Mail merge | Yes, from CSV or Excel, with photos and one e-mail per person | Not stated | Yes, from CSV, TSV or Excel | In Writer, not for .pub layouts | No |
| Print booklets, posters, labels | Yes, all three, plus folded cards | Labels (Avery 5160) | Labels (29 Avery sheets) | By hand | No |
| Convert many files at once | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | With command-line tools | Varies |
| Works offline | Yes, after the first visit | Yes, after the first visit | Not stated | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes (MPL 2.0) | Not stated | Can be self-hosted | Yes | No |
| Saves back to .pub | No | No | No | No | No |
Which one should you use?
- Pubwork: if you want to open, change, print and convert .pub files in any browser, including on a phone or tablet, in your own language, with mail merge, booklets and labels.
- LibreOffice Draw: if you prefer a program installed on your computer, as part of a full free office suite.
- stillPUB: a simple browser editor that can also bring in Word documents and PDFs.
- LayoutSplat: another browser editor, with many Avery label sheets and the option to host it yourself.
- An online converter: if you only need a quick PDF and don’t mind your file being uploaded.
No tool can save back to .pub, because Microsoft never published how to write the format. Keep your original .pub files, and save your changed version as PDF, Word or the tool’s own file.