InDesign alternative

The InDesign alternative for proposals that look designed, without the layout work

InDesign is the best layout tool there is, and we wrote our own proposals in it for years before we built Nusii. But every proposal needs someone who knows InDesign, the layout breaks when the words change, and the PDF goes quiet once it's sent. Nusii keeps the polish: set your brand once, write, and see when it's read, signed and paid.

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The short version

InDesign
INDD InDesign is the industry's layout tool: total control over every page, font and image, and print-ready PDFs. But it's a desktop app that takes real training, every change means fixing the layout and exporting again, and once the PDF is attached to an email, you can't see what happens to it.
Nusii
Nusii is built only for proposals. Set your logo, fonts and colors once, and every proposal from everyone on your team comes out designed. Nusii emails it from your own address, tells you when it's opened, and your client picks options, signs and pays a deposit on the same page.

Stick with InDesign for print, brochures and one-off pitch books designed page by page. Choose Nusii if you send proposals every week and want them to look designed without anyone laying out each one.

With Nusii I can get a proposal out the door in 20 minutes and they look far better than the templates I was creating with InDesign, it’s almost annoying!

Laura WilliamsFounder, client-portal.io

Why switch

Why people look for an alternative to InDesign

InDesign is made for designing pages. A proposal needs to look good too, but it's written for one client, changes until they say yes, and has to get signed.

  1. 1

    Every proposal needs a designer

    Only someone who knows InDesign can change a proposal, so a new client, price or case study waits until they're free.

  2. 2

    Layouts that break when the words change

    A longer paragraph runs out of its frame, the prices get pushed onto the next page and the images need nudging again.

  3. 3

    Exported, attached, then silence

    Export a PDF, attach it to an email and wait. An attached PDF can't tell you when your client opens it.

  4. 4

    Signing and paying happen elsewhere

    InDesign has no e-signatures, so it's Acrobat, another tool, or print, sign and scan. And there's no way to take a deposit.

Putting it together

Looks designed, without anyone laying out pages

The same proposal, put together twice

Design

Your brand, set once, for everyone on your team

In InDesign, the design lives in each file: parent pages, paragraph styles and frames that someone has to look after. A new client, a longer case study or one more line item means opening the file, fixing what moved and checking every page before it goes out.

In Nusii, design is one settings page: your logo, a Classic or Modern layout, header and body fonts and your colors. Set it once and every proposal from everyone on your team comes out on brand, on any screen. Sections grow with what you write, so there's nothing to fix.

I’ve been a user of Nusii for almost a decade and it is one of the core tools I leverage as a solopreneur. Nusii takes the guesswork out of designing a nice proposal so that you can focus on what matters: providing services worth paying for. I’ve closed over $400K in new business since becoming a user and I plan to stick with the small team behind it for years to come.

Jay Turner, Owner & Consultant at LibraryHR

Point by point

InDesign vs Nusii, point by point

InDesign is better at designing pages and anything that goes to print. Nusii is better at everything that happens once a proposal goes to your client.

Who can make one
InDesign: Someone with InDesign installed who knows how to use it. It's a professional layout app that takes real training.
Nusii: Anyone on your team, in the browser. If you can write an email, you can write a Nusii proposal.
Starting a proposal
InDesign: Open last client's file, change the names, dates and prices by hand, then check every page still lines up.
Nusii: Pick a template and a client. Their name, company and details fill themselves in.
Reusing content
InDesign: Snippets and CC Libraries hold reusable text and graphics, but pasted text still has to fit its frames.
Nusii: Save any section and drop it into any proposal, already styled. The page makes room for it.
Layout and print
InDesign: Total control over every page, frame, font and image, and print-ready PDFs with bleed and color profiles.
Nusii: A theme with your logo, layout, fonts, colors and cover image. Made for screens, not for a print shop.
Getting feedback
InDesign: Share for Review: reviewers comment on the layout in a browser.
Nusii: Your client can ask a question from the proposal, but there are no comments on the page.
Sending it
InDesign: Export a PDF and attach it to an email, or share it through Acrobat.
Nusii: Nusii emails it for you, from your own address, with a link that reads well on a phone.
Knowing it was read
InDesign: Nothing from an attached PDF. Acrobat can show when a PDF shared through it is viewed.
Nusii: A notification when they open the email and when they view the proposal, and on what kind of device.
Making changes
InDesign: Fix the layout, export again and send version 2, then hope they open the right one.
Nusii: Edit the proposal and the link they have updates. It locks once it's signed.
Pricing options
InDesign: A fixed table in the PDF. If your client wants the extra, you change the layout and export again.
Nusii: Optional sections and line items they can tick, with a total that updates as they choose.
Signing
InDesign: Not in InDesign. Send the PDF through Acrobat or another tool, or print and scan.
Nusii: Legally binding e-signatures on every plan, right in the proposal. Nothing to set up.
Getting paid
InDesign: A separate invoice once it's signed.
Nusii: Connect Stripe and collect a deposit as soon as they sign.

After you send it

InDesign stops at the PDF. Your deal doesn’t.

Tracking

Know when it’s read, and follow up at the right moment

Attach an InDesign PDF to an email and you find out it was read when your client replies. Acrobat can show when a PDF you share through it is viewed, but that's one more app, and one more link to send.

With Nusii you get an email when your client opens your email and when they open the proposal, and every view lands in its activity with the kind of device they used. So you call while it's fresh in their mind. And when a proposal is still waiting after a few days, Nusii reminds you to check in.

I can see when a prospective client opens the email and views the proposal, which is really useful for following up. And getting that notification when they accept? Yippee! That never gets old.

Russell Brown, Owner & Director at Digital Stream
Changes

Change it without exporting version 4

In InDesign, a new price or a changed date means opening the file, checking nothing moved, exporting again and emailing a new PDF, then hoping your client opens the right one. In Nusii you change the proposal, and the link you already sent shows the new version, totals and all.

Once your client signs, the proposal locks, so nobody can change what was agreed.

Pricing options

Let your client choose, and watch the total add up

A pricing table in an InDesign PDF is fixed: if your client wants the extra, they email you, and you change the layout and export again. In Nusii, extras go in optional sections or line items. Your client ticks what they want and the total updates right there.

The upsell happens while they read, instead of in a week of back-and-forth.

Great way to templatize your proposals. If your service offering is like Tetris pieces and you have to mix and match and keep track of, account for, and do all the math to track each one, Nusii is your solution. Give it a shot!

Mark Heninger, President at 11 Amps
Signing

Signed and paid on the page they’re reading

InDesign has no e-signatures. You'd send the PDF for signing through Acrobat (two requests a month with the free Acrobat Reader, unlimited with Acrobat Standard or Pro), use another tool, or ask your client to print, sign and scan. Either way, there's no way to take a deposit when your client says yes.

In Nusii, signing comes with every plan. Your client types their name or draws a signature right in the proposal, clicks accept and you get the email straight away. Connect Stripe and they can pay a deposit right after.

My clients really enjoy being able to sign electronically instead of printing, scanning, or emailing documents back and forth.

Janelle Hardin, Founder at Dingo Integrated Marketing
API and AI

Your AI assistant, working on real proposals

InDesign now has an AI Assistant in beta, and Adobe's connector for Claude lists InDesign among its tools. But a layout file doesn't record whether your client opened it, signed it or paid, so an assistant can't tell you which proposals are still waiting, or how many you won this quarter.

Nusii MCP connects Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot to your proposals themselves, on every plan. Ask for a draft from your template, change the pricing in a sentence, then review and send it in Nusii. Assistants only work on drafts: sending is always done by you.

See the Nusii API, the CLI and Nusii MCP.

The same in ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot

What it costs

InDesign is already paid for. Your time isn’t.

Most studios that use InDesign already pay for it, often as part of Creative Cloud, and keep it for design work. Nusii is a subscription on top. But if three people make proposals, that's three InDesign subscriptions ($103.47 a month, month to month), where Nusii's Agency plan covers three people for $49. And the biggest cost is the hours: laying out each proposal, exporting, sending and chasing.

The software
InDesign: InDesign is $34.49 a month per person, month to month, or part of Creative Cloud. Plans for teams are sold yearly only.
Nusii: Freelancer $29 a month (1 user, 5 active proposals), Agency $49 (3 users, 20 active proposals), Business $129 (5 users, 50+). Extra users are $19 a month on Agency and $29 on Business.
E-signatures
InDesign: Not in InDesign. Acrobat Pro is $29.99 a month, month to month, or part of Creative Cloud Pro. The free Acrobat Reader allows two requests a month.
Nusii: Included on every plan.
Tracking
InDesign: None on an attached PDF. Acrobat shows views of PDFs shared through it.
Nusii: Included on every plan.
Deposits and reminders
InDesign: A separate invoice, and your own calendar.
Nusii: Stripe deposits and automatic follow-up reminders on Agency and Business.
Your time
InDesign: Laying out, exporting, attaching and chasing, for every proposal.
Nusii: Templates, reusable sections and variables do the repetitive part, and your theme does the layout.

The time is the real cost. Strategica Partners measured theirs: sending proposals through Nusii saved them an average of 2 hours per proposal. At 10 proposals a month, that's 20 hours back for the price of the $49 Agency plan.

Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Compare the plans

Instead of spending hours formatting documents and creating proposals from scratch, I can put together polished, professional proposals in much less time.

Shaikh SaqibFounder & CEO, House of Smart Services

Which should you use?

An honest answer: it depends on how you sell

INDD Stick with InDesign if…

  • You design for print: brochures, reports, books or packaging.
  • Each proposal is a one-off pitch book, designed page by page.
  • A designer lays out every proposal, and you send a few a year.

Good fit: A design studio that sends a handful of bespoke, print-ready pitch documents a year.

What InDesign does well

  • Total control over every page, font and image
  • Print-ready PDFs, with bleed, marks and color profiles
  • The industry standard that every designer knows
  • Share for Review, so reviewers comment in the browser

Choose Nusii if…

  • You send proposals every week and need to know which ones are being read.
  • People on your team who aren't designers write proposals too.
  • Work only starts once the client has signed.
  • You offer packages or extras and want clients to pick them.

Good fit: An agency or studio that sends proposals every week and wants them to look designed, without a designer laying out each one.

The trade-offs

  • Themes and covers instead of a free-form page layout
  • Made for screens, not for a print shop
  • A monthly subscription, on top of Creative Cloud if you keep it

Switching

Moving from InDesign to Nusii

Your InDesign proposals come with you as content, not layouts. Copy the best one in once and Nusii turns the parts you repeat into templates and reusable sections, styled by your theme.

What comes with you

Your best proposal
Copy its text into Nusii once and save it as a template. Every new proposal starts from there.
Your boilerplate
About us, case studies and terms become reusable sections you drop into any proposal.
Your look
Your logo, brand colors, header and body fonts and a cover image appear on every proposal you send.

What works differently

The layout
Nusii uses themes rather than frames on a page. Nothing breaks when the words change, but a hand-built layout won't carry over exactly.
Print
Keep InDesign for anything that goes to a print shop. Nusii's PDF copy is made for reading.
Your designer's job
They set the brand and design the cover image once, instead of laying out every proposal.

How we help

  • Most people are set up within a day.
  • Free proposal templates to start from if you'd rather not bring your own.
  • Our support team answers by email at support@nusii.com.

Start from a free proposal template or see how templates work.

I love how I can reuse and reorder sections inside a single window. No more fooling around with typesetting, converting documents, and stressing about layout!

Maurice CherryFounder, 3eighteen media

Customers who switched

From laying out pages to sending proposals

Back then, I was sending sponsorship proposals that I created in Canva. And while my conversion rate wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t near as good as what Nusii did for me. The integrated payment processing with Stripe means I don’t have to chase after my sponsors for their money.

Dale L. RobertsAuthor & Video Creator, Self-Publishing with Dale

I have been using Nusii for about 3 years now and it’s the most professional and easy to use proposal software I have come across. In a world where everybody sends ugly PDF proposals, using Nusii makes you stand out.

Roberto CornejoFounder & CEO, Start-Ops Mexico

For the first couple of years, we struggled to send, format, and track proposals. We tried a few options, then happily settled on Nusii.

Colin GillespieCTO, Jumping Rivers

Frequently asked questions

InDesign vs Nusii: your questions

Can you make business proposals in InDesign?

Yes, and designers often do, because it gives total control over the layout. The trouble is everything around the design: changing names and prices without breaking the layout, exporting a new PDF for every change, finding out whether it was read and getting it signed. Proposal software takes care of exactly those steps.

Is Nusii easier to use than InDesign?

For proposals, yes. InDesign is a professional layout app that takes real training, and only people who know it can change a proposal. In Nusii you write in sections and your theme does the layout, so anyone on your team can put a proposal together.

Will my proposals look as good as InDesign designs?

InDesign gives you total control over every page, and nothing beats it for layout freedom. Nusii gives you a theme with your logo, layout, fonts and colors, plus a cover image, so every proposal looks polished without anyone laying it out. If each proposal has to be designed page by page, InDesign is the better tool.

Can I see when a client opens an InDesign PDF?

Not from InDesign. Attach the PDF to an email and it can't tell you anything. Share it through Acrobat and you can see when it's viewed. Nusii tells you when your client opens the email and when they view the proposal, with the kind of device they used, and keeps it all in the proposal's activity.

Does InDesign have e-signatures?

No. To get the PDF signed you'd use Acrobat (two requests a month with the free Acrobat Reader, unlimited with Acrobat Standard or Pro), another e-signature tool, or print and scan. Nusii includes e-signatures on every plan: your client signs right in the proposal they're reading, and can pay a deposit straight after.

Does everyone on my team need an InDesign license?

Everyone who edits the file does. InDesign is $34.49 a month per person, month to month, and its plans for teams are sold yearly. Nusii's Agency plan includes 3 users for $49 a month, and each extra user is $19.

Is Nusii a replacement for InDesign?

Only for proposals. For brochures, books, magazines or anything that goes to print, you still want a layout app. If that's what you're after, InDesign is the standard, and Affinity (now part of Canva) is free for individuals.

Can I keep using InDesign alongside Nusii?

Yes. Plenty of studios keep InDesign for print and design work and use Nusii for proposals. Design your cover image in InDesign or Photoshop, add it to your Nusii theme, and write the proposals in Nusii.

What about InDesign’s AI Assistant, or Claude and ChatGPT?

InDesign now has an AI Assistant in beta, and Adobe's connector for Claude lists InDesign among its tools. The result is still a layout file that doesn't know whether it was opened, signed or paid. Nusii MCP connects your assistant to your proposals themselves: it can tell you what's waiting on a signature, draft a proposal from your templates and update the pricing on a draft. Sending is always done by you, in Nusii.

Do my clients need any software?

No. Clients open a link in any browser, on a phone or a computer, and sign online. Nothing to install and no account to make.

Can I still download my proposals as PDFs?

Yes. Your clients get a link to the web version of your proposal, and both you and they can download a PDF copy at any time.

Can I reuse my InDesign proposals in Nusii?

Yes, as content. Copy the text in once, save the parts you use often as reusable sections and turn your best proposal into a template. Most people are set up within a day, and our support team is happy to help.

Comparing other tools? See how Nusii compares with sending PDFs, Word, Google Docs, Proposify and Qwilr, or see our comparison of the best proposal software.

Your next proposal, without the layout work

Set your brand once, write the proposal and see when it's read, signed and paid in the browser.

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