How to open .pub files on a Mac (2026): every option compared

Short version

• Just need to look at it, one page, right now: LibreOffice (free) or PubHarbor (free). Both are fine for single-page flyers.
• Multi-page newsletter or bulletin: PubFile (ours) is the only Mac app on this list that keeps the text in order across pages; every free and cheap option shares the same parser bug and will jumble it. See the multi-page problem.
• Need to keep editing it: you need IDML (for Affinity or InDesign). PubFile at $29.99 after three free conversions on your own files; or Markzware at agency prices.
• Sensitive content (member lists, pupils' names): do not use an online converter.

The comparison

Prices checked 14 September 2026 on each vendor's site or the Mac App Store. App Store ratings are read from the store app, which does not expose them on the web.

The multi-page problem, explained once

LibreOffice and PubHarbor read .pub files with libmspub, an open-source library reverse-engineered from the format by the LibreOffice project. It is a genuine achievement and it handles single-page documents reasonably. But Publisher newsletters use linked text boxes: a story starts in a box on page 1 and continues in a box on page 2 or 3. libmspub has never implemented the link. It fills every linked box with the whole story. Result: pages 1-3 each contain the full article stacked on top of whatever else is on the page, and the last page is blank.

That is LibreOffice bug 67299, "text is repeated on all pages", open since 2013. Any app on stock libmspub inherits it. It is also why reviews of the paid Mac apps say things like "stacks words from other pages" and "only exports one page".

How to tell if a document is affected: it has more than one page and body text that continues from one page to the next. Flyers, posters, certificates and business cards are usually fine. Newsletters, bulletins, booklets and programmes usually are not.

PubFile (ours; free for three files, $29.99 one-time)

PubFile is a Mac App Store app (1.0, in App Review), built specifically for the multi-page problem and for editable output. It opens and previews .pub files (with Quick Look), converts to IDML and PDF, and writes a report per file that shows how much of each story landed on each page and what was substituted or dropped. The free version converts three files at full quality so you can judge it on your own documents. Full details

LibreOffice Draw (free)

LibreOffice opens .pub files in its Draw module: File → Open, pick the .pub file. You can then export to PDF (File → Export As → PDF), or edit the objects as a drawing.

From the Terminal you can also convert in bulk without opening the app:

/Applications/LibreOffice.app/Contents/MacOS/soffice --headless --convert-to pdf:draw_pdf_Export *.pub

PubHarbor (free, in-app purchases)

PubHarbor (Eutopix Labs, 2026) is a viewer for Mac, iPhone and iPad with Quick Look, thumbnails, text search, and PDF/PNG export; batch export on Mac. Files never leave the device. Its site is candid: "a viewer and archive converter, not a Publisher editor", "conversion is best effort".

We tested it on the file from bug 67299. Its own compatibility note reports "Rendered locally with libmspub 0.1.5", i.e. the stock library, and the exported PDF had the full story repeated on pages 1-3 with page 4 empty, while the compatibility report showed zero serious warnings. It also has no editable (IDML/DOCX) output.

PUB Reader : for MS Publisher ($29.99)

PUB Reader (RootRise Technologies) has been on the Mac App Store since 2015 and is still updated (v4.0, January 2026). It opens .pub files and exports PDF and images. The same developer sells PUB Converter for $39.99.

At the time of writing it has 3.9 stars from 109 ratings. The one-star reviews cluster on two things: multi-page documents ("stacks words from other pages", "only exports one page": the same symptom as bug 67299, still described in a December 2025 review of v4.0; we have not inspected which parser PUB Reader uses) and the lack of a trial ("how do I get a refund"). The five-star reviews are from people with single-page files who were relieved anything opened them at all.

Online converters (free to $5 per file)

Searching "pub to pdf" turns up a dozen upload sites. Some run LibreOffice on a server (same bug); a few run actual Publisher on Windows and produce faithful PDFs. Either way you are handing the document to a third party. For a public flyer that is fine. For a parish directory, a school newsletter with children's names, or anything with addresses, it is not. Check the site's retention policy before uploading; many do not have one.

Markzware OmniMarkz SE ($469 per year, Windows) and conversion service

Markzware is the established professional answer for desktop-publishing conversion, with its own engine rather than libmspub. Publisher input is in OmniMarkz SE for Windows; the macOS OmniMarkz lists InDesign, QuarkXPress and PDF input only, so on a Mac it does not open .pub files (checked on the product pages, 20 September 2026). Mac users can use their per-file conversion service instead: upload the .pub, $39 for files under 20 MB, up to $199 for very large ones, returned as IDML by a technician.

What to move to once the file is open

If you want to keep editing your documents, the destination in 2026 is Affinity, which is free and imports IDML. See Publisher alternatives for churches and schools for the full reasoning, including where Word, Pages and Canva fit.

Sources

• LibreOffice bug 67299, bugs.documentfoundation.org
• libmspub, github.com/LibreOffice/libmspub
• PubHarbor, pubharbor.app; our test notes are available on request
• PUB Reader, Mac App Store listing
• Markzware, OmniMarkz store, conversion service
• Affinity IDML import, support.serif.com