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I've been using LaTeX for a while (even tough I'm far from being a pro), and I would like to ask expert users whether they prefer LaTeX or InDesign.

Obviously, one is open source and the other not.

Assuming that one could have both on her pc, sometimes I find that LaTeX is really time consuming: the overall outcome is usally good, but I wonder if using InDesign, as many friends from other studies always tell me, would generate similar results with less pain for packages clashes, wrong error line suggestions etc. The only point which I have no idea about in InDesign is the management of the bibliography and formulas formatting.

I am looking for people having relevant expertise in both software usage.

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    from your experience, what is you standpoint? Isn't that opinion-based?
    – Johannes_B
    Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 9:45
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    Why don't you ask your friends? They could show you how a bibliography is created in indesign and how formulas are done. Even better: They could let you try out InDesign for a day.
    – Ulrike Fischer
    Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 9:49
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    Someone who hasn't used InDesign but LaTeX 'only' will point you to ... LaTeX and vice versa.
    – user31729
    Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 9:54
  • I do not know anything about InDesign, but if the main issue is the friendliness for the non-expert, may be you should compare InDesign with LyX (freeware) or BaKoMa (shareware) rather than with plain LaTeX.
    – Fran
    Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 10:31
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    I used to use InDesign a lot for making posters, but then gave up because of continuous version compatibility problems effectively forcing you to buy a new version. But InDesign has no built-in method for dealing with bibliographies at all, nor with math, although there are extra plugins for math that you can buy (I haven't used them). InDesign is IMO not really designed for producing academic type documents at all; its strengths lie in wrapping text and graphics seamlessly. It's great for posters, and producing newsletters, but I would never use it for a book or an article.
    – Alan Munn
    Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 12:44

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