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Best Presentation Software of 2024

Table of Contents

• Best Presentation Software
• Things To Consider When Buying
• How We Chose

Everyone has a message to share in some form. With presentation software, you can communicate that message a little easier and with more spark. If you don't have design and animation skills, don't worry; apps like Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint make it easy to craft a slideshow that helps people understand the concepts you're trying to convey.

Many of the apps in this buyers' guide are geared toward business presentations since that is often the primary use case. However, a few provide some slick tools for educators, entrepreneurs, community groups, and even family members to make a photo slideshow for a family reunion. Read on for the best presentation software available today.

• Best Overall: Google Slides »
• Most Compatible: Microsoft PowerPoint »
• Best For Mac Users: Apple Keynote »
• Most Flexible: Prezi »
• Best Budget: Visme »
• Best For Entrepreneurs: Slidebean »
• Most Powerful: Canva »

Best Overall: Google Slides

Highly integrated With Other Apps

Totally free

Not integrated with Microsoft products

Minimal support

When Google Slides debuted in 2006, it took the world by storm. That’s because it was integrated even back then with Gmail, Google Docs, and other popular Google apps many of us use in business, at school, and in our personal lives.

Google Slides is entirely free, and there are no hidden costs or upgrade plans. What’s surprising, though, about Google Slides is that it is a highly capable app for presentations – easy to use, with plenty of templates, fonts, animation options, and integrations.

Apart from that, the key feature here is real-time collaboration. Other users can join you as you create and edit slides. They can comment and make suggested changes, or simply start editing the slides on their own. (You can decide if other users can suggest changes or make them directly.) You also can view speaker notes on a laptop when you run the slideshow on an HDTV or projector. Google Slides integrates nicely into the online meeting app Google Meet, and it can open Microsoft PowerPoint files and export in that format as well.

Overall, Google Slides wins extra points because of how intuitive it is. There’s hardly any learning curve with the app, and since it runs in a browser window, everything you create and edit will be saved automatically. For business users, teachers, or just about anyone in a hurry to share a complex message, creating a Google Slides presentation is a snap – which is why it is our overall top pick.

Specifications:

• Operating systems are supported: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, Android, Linux
• Number of templates and designs available: 23
• Integrated apps: Adobe Creative Cloud, Dropbox, Box, LumApps
• Collaboration features: Live editing, suggested edits
• Multimedia supported: Photos, videos, audio, GIFs, and stickers
• Export options: PDF, PowerPoint, Webpage, JPEG
• Customer support options: Google Workspace only
• Added features: Google Duet AI
• Interface enhancements: Real-time editing and collaboration

Most Compatible: Microsoft PowerPoint

Highly compatible

Online and desktop versions

Easy to use

No free version

Templates are not as trendy

Microsoft PowerPoint is the app you want for compatibility with other apps and programs. Released in 1990, this presentation app is well-known in business circles and runs on just about any computer in the world. Because it’s so compatible, you will likely not have any trouble running the app on your phone or a tablet, in a browser, or even on seriously outdated PC laptops and desktops.

While apps like Prezi add slick animations and transitions that make a presentation come to life, PowerPoint is more like a trusted business partner; it works on just about any computer, the interface is well-known and straightforward, and it’s likely that everyone you know and collaborate with is already familiar with the app. Every other presentation app we reviewed also supports PowerPoint in terms of directly opening or importing the file, and exporting as a PowerPoint file.

You'll need a Microsoft 365 Personal Edition subscription to use PowerPoint. It may be an app that’s already installed and included with a new computer, at least for a trial period.

• Operating systems are supported: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, Android
• Integrated apps: Adobe PDF, Shutterstock, YouTube, and many others
• Multimedia supported: Photos, videos, audio
• Export options: PowerPoint, XML, PDF, JPEG, and many more
• Customer support options: Personal or business support
• Added features: Integrated live camera, Microsoft Teams integration
• Interface enhancements: Microsoft Copilot, speaker coach

Best For Mac Users: Apple Keynote

Exceptional designs

Desktop only

Graphic designers love Apple Keynote, mostly because the included templates and design options are so stellar. Your presentation will really come to life, helping you communicate about even complex subjects with flair and a trendy look.

Using the app feels a bit like you're the late Steve Jobs creating an award-winning presentation that will grab an audience. Jobs had a way of captivating those in the audience, and Keynote helps you do that with some of the best presentation templates around. For example, there are 40 templates to choose from, many of them full of color and using the trendiest fonts. Keynote also includes 100 transitions and animations to liven up a presentation. The app also includes 700 different shapes and icons that will help you enhance your slides.

Apple Keynote is powerful enough for any user, but it’s important to know the limitations. For starters, Keynote only runs on Mac computers. That makes it less compatible with Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint. You can export the presentation from Keynote as a PowerPoint file, which is fine, but it means no one can edit the Keynote slides directly; they will have to use PowerPoint.

Keynote also only runs as a desktop app. That means you won’t benefit from the live editing and commenting features of Google Slides, where you can collaborate with anyone in real time on the same file. Instead, Keynote is more static, as slideshows can't be edited as a group in a browser window. It’s still incredibly powerful and intuitive but with a few key downsides.

• Operating systems are supported: Mac, iOS
• Number of templates and designs available: 50
• Integrated apps: FaceTime, WebEx, Zoom, iCloud
• Collaboration features: Collaborate through iCloud
• Multimedia supported: Video, audio, images, 3D objects, stickers
• Export options: PDF, PowerPoint, Movies, animated GIFs, images
• Customer support options: Online help, support communities
• Added features: Cinematic transitions, Keynote Remote on iPhone
• Interface enhancements: Inspectors help with formatting

Most Flexible: Prezi

Unique concept

Trendy visuals

Unique design templates

Harder to learn

There’s something very compelling about Prezi, the presentation app that provides the most flexibility in terms of the message you are communicating. For starters, this is an app that knows it’s all about the message, whether you're an educator, business owner, entrepreneur, or even a scientist or engineer. Instead of a slideshow, you create a “canvas” with topics and subtopics. Think of it as a way to augment what you are saying with animated annotations, swoosh effects, and charts.

Prezi is the best at guiding you to the most powerful design features and giving you the tools to make even a complex subject more interesting and easier to understand. Part of this extreme flexibility has to do with how you're not creating slides at all, but enhancing a topic. Another way to think of Prezi is more like an animated whiteboard; when you show a presentation, it can come to life as you speak through a webcam.

All of this flexibility means you aren't limited to a boring slideshow, although there may be times when you are asked to make a slideshow and nothing more. For example, a school assignment or a boss might dictate that you need to create basic slides, not an animated whiteboard session. This is where you have to decide if Prezi matches the goals of the message you are communicating about.

• Pricing options and plans: Standard ($7/month), Plus ($15/month), Premium ($19/month)
• Operating systems are supported: Windows, Mac, Linux
• Number of templates and designs available: 210+
• Integrated apps: Google Drive, Slack, Canva, Zoom
• Collaboration features: Real-time editing, comments
• Multimedia supported: Photos, icons, video, GIF
• Export options: PNG, JPG, PDF, GIF, and MP4.
• Customer support options: Knowledgebase, online support
• Added features: Offline mode, analytics
• Interface enhancements: Broadcast link, tool tips

Best Budget: Visme

Free version available

Added visual tools

Good overall value

It takes more time to learn

Expensive pro plans

Visme is the best budget option because there is a free version that still provides many of the features you might need. It’s also a good value, because (similar to Canva) you can access all of the graphic design features to create infographics, brochures, logos, and rich documents all without paying for the premium version.

Even more important, Visme is a good value if you do choose the Starter or Pro plans because you can then unlock advanced features you might only find in Adobe Visual products. For example, at the Pro level, you can create an entire brand kit for a company including logos, brochures, and flyers that all have the same look.

While it's called an all-in-one marketing design platform and has hints of Canva, the first tool you would likely use is for creating presentations (e.g., It's the most prominent tool listed on their site). Because everything is geared more toward marketing and sales, Visme templates emphasize things like growth metrics, charts, and bullet points used to explain a product or service. Visme is also meant more for a group of business users. You can collaborate in real-time, leave comments on presentations, and even follow a workflow to mark presentation tasks as in progress or done.

Like Canva, because the Visme app is part of a suite of visual design products, it might take a little more time to learn all of the added tools. The presentation tool is just one of many included, even if this tool alone is easy to learn.

Visme is an extensive product with an upgrade path that unlocks more templates, customer support, and more supported file formats. Overall, it’s a good value because you can still create presentations without having to pay extra.

• Operating systems are supported: Mac, PC, iOS, Android
• Number of templates and designs available: 13,000
• Integrated apps: Google Drive, Vimeo, Dropbox, Survey Monkey, and many more
• Collaboration features: Real-time collaboration, assign tasks
• Multimedia supported: Photos, videos, audio, GIFs, 3D graphics
• Export options: JPEG, PNG, PDF, MP4, GIF, PPTX, HTML5
• Customer support options: Email, chat, in-app
• Added features: AI features, forms
• Interface enhancements: Tool tips, video training

Best For Entrepreneurs: Slidebean

Design for entrepreneurs and salespeople

Unique features

Not as powerful as some

Not as well-known

Most presentation software is flexible and powerful enough for any message and for any purpose. However, Slidebean focuses on a more narrow segment. The app is designed to create a “pitch deck,” which is something an entrepreneur or salesperson uses to pitch a product.

For example, let’s say your company sells a new widget. Using Slidebean, you can explain the features and benefits, include a slide about pricing, and use the tools that are intended more for selling a concept than perhaps merely explaining it.

Once you finish creating the pitch deck, you can share it as a link for others to view. You can then measure how much time people spend viewing the slides, including time spent on specific slides in the presentation. Another major differentiator with Slidebean is that you can work with professional designers and writers (for a fee, of course) who will create the pitch desk and write all of the copy for you.

• Operating systems are supported: Windows and Mac browsers
• Number of templates and designs available: 160
• Integrated apps: None
• Collaboration features: Editing (not simultaneous), sharing
• Multimedia supported: Images, icons, GIFs
• Export options: PPT, PDF, and HTML
• Customer support options: Knowledgebase
• Added features: Consult with experts, finance templates
• Interface enhancements: Startup video lessons

Most Powerful: Canva

Thousand of templates

Integrates with other Canva tools

Limited export options

Known as an “online graphical design platform” for everyday users, Canva provides plenty of tools for creating logos, brochures, postcards, and presentations.

Because these tools are all integrated, Canva is powerful enough for any message you want to communicate. It’s ideal for business, personal use, and schools. If you decide to build a presentation, you can also incorporate logos, fonts, clip art, and animations that are built into Canva. It means the palette for creating a presentation is more flexible because all of the other design tools are right at your fingertips. Let’s say you want to create a pitch deck about a new startup. You can create the logo, choose the colors and fonts, and then create the slideshow. Most presentation apps in our buyers' guide other than Visme don’t provide this level of flexibility and power in one online app.

Canva lets you run the presentation from within Canva itself, or you can export the slides and use them in Microsoft PowerPoint. There are thousands of templates available. Once you select a look and feel for your presentation, you can pivot and use those same graphics, fonts, and designs in a brochure or other material.

With all of this power in terms of visual design software comes a slight learning curve. Canva is intuitive and the interface is well-designed, but there are so many tools available that it takes some time to learn them all.

• Operating systems are supported: PC, Mac, iOS, Android, browser
• Number of templates and designs available: Thousands
• Integrated apps: Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, HubSpot, and many more
• Collaboration features: Real-time editing, whiteboards
• Multimedia supported : Photos, icons, graphics, data visualizations, media elements
• Export options: PDF, JPG, PNG, PPTX, MP4
• Customer support options: Email
• Added features: Magic Switch, Magic Write, Magic Animate
• Interface enhancements: Search for designs, generate with Magic Design

The Bottom Line

If you're short on time and just need to create a presentation without a lot of hassle, Google Slides is the app for you. It’s completely free without any trial versions of “pro” upgrades, yet it's also quite powerful and intuitive to learn. Google Slides is also our top pick because it integrates into other Google apps like Gmail and Google Docs, is widely used and highly compatible, and still gets the job done when the main goal is to finish a slideshow and share your message.

Things To Consider When Buying Presentation Software

Features and functionality: When it comes to presentation software, it’s all about the templates. As you are considering which app to use, it’s a good idea to evaluate which templates are available and if they meet your needs. We’ve also noted how many templates are included with each app. Beyond that, look for the supported file formats since that will determine who can use and open the presentation. Collaboration features are also important, making it easier to work on a presentation within a group and make comments for everyone to see.

Ease of use and user interface: Creating a presentation shouldn't feel cumbersome. When you start the app, it should be easy to create the first slide from a template, add more slides, fill in the text and images, and finish the entire project without having to learn complex features. Apple Keynote is a good example of an app that's intuitive at first, and then you can always explore more advanced features later on.

Compatibility with different file formats: The most well-known presentation app is Microsoft PowerPoint. So it’s important that the app you choose supports the popular PowerPoint format. Beyond that, look for software that also supports PDF files in case you want a printed version of your slideshow or to share it online.

Collaboration and sharing capabilities: With presentation software, being able to work on a slideshow with a group of people all at the same time can be a time-saver but also produce better results. It should also be easy to leave comments for others to review. Once you're done with the presentation, it should also be easy to share the file or an online version of the presentation with others.

Customization options for design and branding: Visme and Canva allow you to customize the graphics and even make logos and experiment with a variety of fonts. All presentation apps provide ways to edit graphics, resize photos, and even incorporate video into your slideshow. Not every app makes it as easy to edit graphics as Google Slides does, however.

Availability of templates and pre-designed layouts: As with many software programs, templates save time and effort. An app like Microsoft PowerPoint includes pre-designed templates and graphics you can use to enhance a slideshow. Visme is a good example of an app with extensive templates (it has thousands built-in). While Apple Keynote doesn't have as many templates, the ones that are included tend to be more well-designed and trendy.

Pricing and licensing: Most presentation apps offer a monthly subscription to help you get started making a slideshow. In some cases, such as Visme and Slidebean, there’s a basic free version to help you experiment with the app right away. Only Google Slides is entirely free with no extra pricing options. Microsoft also offers a fully licensed version of PowerPoint as opposed to paying for a monthly subscription. The full licensed version costs $159.99.

Customer support and training resources: Microsoft is arguably one of the best companies to choose if you're interested in customer support. Because the product costs a little more – especially if you purchase the full licensed version – it includes extensive technical support. That said, even though Google Slides is free and customer support can be hit or miss, there are so many people using that product that you can usually find answers to questions by doing a simple Google search or asking on public support forums. Also, training videos are more readily available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint because they're both so popular.

Integration with other software and tools: Integration is key when it comes to presentation software because you want to be able to access important graphics, photos, and videos easily. Canva is perhaps the most integrated option for that reason alone. It's a graphics platform for creating graphics and other design materials, so when you make a presentation, you can easily find what you need.

Security and privacy features: Security and privacy might not be the first concern when it comes to presentation software, since you might be making a simple how-to for employee orientation or a photo slideshow of your vacation. However, for a business creating a new product or for a new startup that has not launched yet, be sure there is a way to protect your presentation from prying eyes.

How We Chose The Best Presentation Software

Our contributor John Brandon poured over specifications and features for the best presentation software around. He’s used presentation apps since the debut of Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. He also consulted with business owners who have started companies and need to communicate about their firms. This includes David Ciccarelli, an entrepreneur who started a company called Voices (an audio and video tech startup) and is the CEO of Lake , a vacation rental business. He also tapped Stephen Gagnon, a web designer with the search engine optimization company Web Scour , who has visual design and branding experience.

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?

John Brandon worked in the corporate world for 10 years, often creating presentations for large teams and at corporate functions. He worked as an Information Design Director at Best Buy Corporation. Since then, he has tested and reviewed thousands of tech products including presentation apps, Wi-Fi routers, televisions, office products, and everything in between. His writing has appeared in Wired magazine, Inc. magazine, FoxNews.com, LAPTOP magazine, and many others.

For anyone who wants to communicate about a new product or service, help new employees with onboarding, or even share photos from a recent vacation, presentation software helps you communicate visually. The basic idea is that you can create a slideshow that augments and enhances what you have to say.

Presentation software is designed to help you communicate a message to an audience, either in a classroom, a conference room, or at home. You create a slideshow, insert graphics, photos, and videos, and then run the slideshow full-screen. When you run the presentation, you can click the mouse button or press the arrow keys on a computer to go back and forth in the slideshow.

Most modern presentation apps charge a monthly fee, usually around $8 or $12 per month. Google Slides is the exception to this rule since it is entirely free. Typically, with higher costs for the pro and premium plans, you gain access to more templates, more graphics, and the ability to export in more file formats, such as HTML or video files. At the high end, Microsoft PowerPoint also offers a fully licensed version, as opposed to a monthly charge.

The classic, tried-and-true presentation apps like Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote are available as a desktop version you install. In most cases, you will sign up for the app and then download the installation file and run that installer. However, more modern apps like Google Slides and Canva run in a browser window and don't require any installation.

PowerPoint is sometimes included on a Windows laptop. However, if you're looking for a fresh start with new templates and features for animation and video that go beyond PowerPoint and Keynote, you might consider upgrading. Also, presentation tools are now included in apps like Canva and Visme, making them more integrated.

U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.

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Blog Graphic Design

12 Best Presentation Software for 2024

By Krystle Wong , Jan 12, 2024

Whether you’re a student, professional or entrepreneur, having access to the right presentation tools can make all the difference.

When you craft a well-executed presentation , your message becomes more memorable. You’re not just sharing information; you’re weaving a story, painting a picture and leaving a lasting impact on your audience’s minds. 

We’re living in the age of information overload, where attention spans are shorter than ever. A good presentation slide takes this into account, breaking down complex information into bite-sized chunks. It guides your audience through a logical flow, allowing them to digest information effortlessly and retain key points without feeling overwhelmed.

To help you stay ahead of the game, I’ve compiled a list of the 12 best software for presentations. These PowerPoint alternatives offer a combination of user-friendly interfaces, stunning visuals, collaboration features and innovative functionalities that will take your presentations to the next level. 

Let’s dive in and explore these top presentation software picks!

1. Venngage 

Allow me to be a little bit biased here but my top pick is none other than, you guessed it — Venngage! Venngage goes beyond just presentations to focus on data visualization and transforming complex information into visually appealing and engaging visuals. 

One of the standout features of Venngage as a presentation software is the extensive library of infographic elements. Gain access to a wide range of pre-designed elements such as icons, charts, maps as well as illustrations to simplify the process of creating data-driven and visually appealing presentations.

You don’t have to be a pro when designing with Venngage. Venngage’s drag-and-drop interface allows you to customize your presentations by simply dragging and dropping elements onto the canvas. You can tweak sizes, colors and layouts with ease, making your presentations visually cohesive and personalized, even if you’re not a design wizard. 

Just so you know, some of our features and templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign-up is completely free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor. Here’s how Venngage’s presentation maker can become your secret weapon in the quest for presentation success.

Vast selection of templates

Venngage boasts an extensive library of professionally designed templates, catering to a wide range of industries and presentation purposes. Whether you’re creating a marketing report, educational presentation or business pitch, Venngage’s presentation tool offers templates that provide a solid foundation for your designs. 

Save 20+ hours of designing with Venngage’s fully customizable, pre-designed infographic templates. These presentation templates provide a good foundation with well-structured layouts and visually appealing aesthetics. 

Data visualization made easy

Venngage simplifies the process of data visualization, making it accessible to users of all backgrounds. With a few clicks, you can transform dull statistics into visually engaging charts and graphs that tell a compelling story.

Seamless real-time in-editor collaboration tools

Venngage brings teamwork to the next level with our seamless collaboration tools designed to foster collaboration across teams, departments and the entire organization. Whether you’re in the same room or across the globe, Venngage enables real-time collaboration that makes working together becomes a breeze. 

Consistently brand your designs with smart Autobrand features

Effortlessly infuse your presentation slides with your brand’s colors, fonts and logos with Venngage’s My Brand Kit . Upload your brand assets and create engaging presentations by applying your branding to any template you create on Venngage.

Who is it for

Marketers, designers, educators and businesses that require data-driven and visually appealing presentations.

Key features 

Infographic elements, data visualization tools, collaboration options, customizable templates.

Create your first 5 designs with Venngage for free and upgrade to a premium or business plan for $10 USD/month per user and $24 USD/month per user to enjoy premium features. For larger teams who need extra support, controls and security, the enterprise plan starts from $499 USD/month for 10+ seats.

Additionally, there are also plans available for classrooms priced at $99 USD/year for up to 35 students per instructor. Non profit organizations can also apply for a nonprofit discount to any Venngage plan.

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

Source: Screenshot from Microsoft PowerPoint

Even with dozens of presentation software and tools out there, PowerPoint presentations have stood the test of time as one of the best presentation software. In fact, 89% of people still use PowerPoint presentations over competitor services . 

Whether you’re a student, teacher, business professional or just a creative soul, PowerPoint’s user-friendly interface allows both beginners and experienced users to create presentations with ease.

PowerPoint delivers captivating and engaging presentations through its advanced animation and transition effects. You can create interactive PowerPoint presentations by captivating your audience and guiding them through your content with seamless transitions and eye-catching animations. 

Seamless integration with other Microsoft Office tools is another significant advantage of PowerPoint as a presentation software. As part of the Microsoft Office suite, PowerPoint effortlessly integrates with other familiar applications such as Word and Excel. This integration allows you to incorporate charts, graphs and written content from these tools directly into your presentation. 

However, collaboration features in PowerPoint can be somewhat limited compared to dedicated collaboration platforms. While you can share and co-edit presentations with others, the collaboration options may not be as robust as those offered by specialized presentation tools.

Suitable for individuals, students, educators and businesses of all sizes.

Customizable templates, multimedia support, extensive slide editing options, robust animations and transitions.

You can subscribe to PowerPoint as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription with various plans tailored for businesses, ranging from $6 to $22 USD/month. Additionally, there is also the option to purchase an unbundled PowerPoint account separately, priced at $159.99 USD.

3. Google Slides

Source: Screenshot from Google Slides

Unlike PowerPoint which requires file sharing and manual syncing for teamwork, Google Slides enables real-time collaboration and easy access from any device with an internet connection. 

Google Slides shines in its seamless collaboration capabilities. Multiple users can work on the same presentation simultaneously, enabling real-time editing and fostering efficient teamwork. The integrated commenting feature on Google Slides allows for shared feedback and discussions, enhancing collaboration even further.

Google Slides’ cloud-based storage and auto-saving feature ensures that your work is constantly saved, minimizing the risk of losing progress or important changes. No more panicking over unsaved slides and changes. 

But that also means that Google Slides heavily relies on an internet connection for full functionality and access is more limited compared to desktop-based software. Although an offline mode is available, Google Slides has certain limitations and may not provide the same level of functionality as when connected to the internet.

Templates and customization features-wise, Google Slides also have fewer design options compared to other presentation tools. This may limit the level of visual creativity and flexibility for those seeking intricate designs or specialized effects.

Ideal for remote teams, educators, students and anyone looking for easy collaboration and access from any device.

Real-time collaboration, shared commenting, offline mode and built-in sharing options.

Google Slides is accessible to all individuals with a Google account at no cost, providing all users with access to its full range of features. However, for businesses and teams looking for additional organizational capabilities, there are subscription plans available ranging from $6 to $18 USD/month.

4. Keynote (for Mac users)

Source: Screenshot from Keynote

For Apple users, Keynote is a presentation tool designed exclusively for your Apple devices and is available on macOS, iOS and iPadOS. Keynote is known for its sleek and intuitive interface, reflecting Apple’s design aesthetics. 

It offers visually appealing templates, animations, and transitions, allowing users to create polished and modern-looking presentations. Keynote users can seamlessly incorporate images, videos, audio files and interactive elements into their presentations. The presentation software also includes a wide range of animations and transitions, enabling smooth and cinematic effects that bring slides to life.

Keynote presentations is known for its seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem. It works effortlessly with other Apple applications, allowing users to combine different elements and data from various sources. Presentations created in Keynote can be easily shared and accessed across Apple devices, ensuring a consistent experience for both the presenter and the audience.

Additionally, Keynote as a presentation software offers collaborative editing capabilities, enabling multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously. Users can share their presentations with others, who can then provide feedback, make edits and contribute to the project in real-time.

That said, since Keynote is exclusively designed for Apple devices, it may not be accessible or fully compatible with non-Apple platforms. Hence, sharing presentations created in Keynote with users on different platforms may require exporting or converting the files to a compatible format, which can lead to potential formatting issues or loss of certain features.

Mac users, creatives, professionals, educators and anyone who wants visually stunning presentations.

Elegant templates, advanced multimedia options, cinematic transitions and collaborative editing.

Keynote is available for free on Apple devices, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. As it comes pre-installed with these devices, users can access and use Keynote without any additional cost.

Source: Screenshot from Prezi

Known for its distinctive zooming presentation style, Prezi revolutionizes the way you create presentations by offering a visually engaging and non-linear approach. 

One of Prezi’s renowned features is its unique zooming and transition effects, allowing presenters to navigate through a virtual canvas seamlessly. This dynamic presentation style enhances engagement by creating a sense of movement and spatial relationship between ideas.

Moreover, Prezi offers cloud-based collaboration, making it easy for multiple users to collaborate on a presentation in real-time. This feature facilitates seamless teamwork, enabling users to collectively develop and refine their presentations regardless of their physical locations.

Prezi presentations also include interactive elements, such as embedded videos, images and hyperlinks. Utilizing these elements would allow presenters to create interactive presentations and engage their audience on a deeper level.

However, Prezi has a steeper learning curve compared to more traditional presentation tools. Users may require some time and practice to become proficient in navigating the canvas, creating smooth transitions and effectively utilizing all of Prezi’s features.

Creative professionals, educators and individuals who want to create visually captivating and non-linear presentations.

Zooming presentation style, interactive elements, cloud-based collaboration and reusable templates.

For individuals & business professionals

Basics: Create and share up to 5 visual projects for free

Standard: Starting at $5 USD/month

Plus: Starting at $12 USD/month

Premium: Starting at $16 USD/month

Teams: Starting at $19 USD/month per user (billed annually)

For Students & Educators

EDU Plus: Starting at $3/month

EDU Pro: Starting at $4/month

EDU Teams: Enquiry required with Prezi sales team

Source: Screenshot from Canva

One of the great things about Canva as a presentation tool is its user-friendly interface, which makes it super easy to use even if you’re not a design pro. You can simply drag and drop elements to create your presentation slides without breaking a sweat.

Canva’s vast collection of pre-designed templates caters to various purposes and occasions. The availability of these templates allows users to jumpstart their design projects with professional-looking layouts, saving valuable time and effort.

For businesses or educational institutions working on group projects or marketing campaigns, Canva also offers collaboration features that enhance teamwork and co-creation. Users can invite team members or clients to collaborate on a design project, enabling real-time feedback and efficient design processes. 

While Canva does offer some basic slide transition effects, the range and customization options for transitions may be limited compared to dedicated presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. 

Individuals, students, small businesses and startups seeking professional-looking marketing materials and presentations.

Extensive template options, intuitive drag-and-drop interface, ability to share presentations as downloadable files or online links and built-in multimedia support for adding videos , images, and audio to slides.

The free version of Canva provides a wide range of features and resources, with the only limitations being the use of premium resources that can be acquired either through separate purchases or by subscribing to the Canva Pro plan. The Canva Pro plan is available for $12.99 USD per month or $119.99 USD per year.

For collaborative purposes, Canva Teams is available at a price of $14.99 USD per month, with an additional charge of $14.99 USD per month for every team member beyond the initial five.

7. Adobe Express

Source: Screenshot from Adobe Express

As part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Adobe Express is a presentation software that offers a simplified and user-friendly interface. With its intuitive interface, Adobe Express allows users to create visually stunning presentations with ease. Users can access both design professionals and individuals without extensive design experience.

One of the notable advantages of Adobe Express is its seamless integration with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. This integration enables users to leverage the power of these industry-standard design tools within their presentations, providing access to advanced design features and a vast library of high-quality assets. 

Adobe Express is also great for creating interactive presentations. Its extensive multimedia support, allowing users to incorporate videos, audio files and interactive elements to keep your audience engaged.

That being said,  some of its advanced features may require familiarity with other Adobe tools, which can be challenging for beginners who are not already familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem.

Designers, creative professionals, individuals and businesses seeking professional-grade presentation design.

Professional design options, multimedia support, easy integration with other Adobe products and cloud-based collaboration.

While the free version for Adobe Express includes all the core features, users can gain access to premium templates and features when they upgrade to the Premium subscription for $9.99 USD/month. 

For businesses and teams, Adobe provides tailored plans that include additional features like collaboration tools, centralized license management and enterprise-level support. The pricing for these plans depends on the number of licenses and the specific needs of the organization. It’s best to consult with Adobe or their authorized resellers to get accurate pricing information for business plans.

8. Haiku Deck

Source: Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is all about visual storytelling, offering a simple and minimalist approach to designing presentations. With its clean and minimalist templates, Haiku Deck makes it a breeze to create presentations that focus on eye-catching images.

Haiku Deck is a user-friendly presentation software that offers a straightforward and intuitive interface. It’s designed to be easily accessible on both computers and mobile devices, giving you the flexibility to create quick and practical presentations on the go.

Plus, the presentation tool seamlessly integrates with image search engines, making it a piece of cake to find and add high-quality visuals that enhance the overall look and feel of your presentation.

However,if you’re looking for advanced features like complex animations or interactive elements, you might not find them here. While the clean and minimalist templates are gorgeous, they don’t offer as much flexibility for customization.

Educators, individuals and professionals who appreciate the power of visual storytelling and minimalist design.

Image-focused templates, easy-to-use interface, cloud-based collaboration and seamless image search integration.

Haiku Deck offers a free trial that allows you to experience the software with one presentation. If you decide to upgrade, they have different pricing plans available. Additionally, Haiku Deck also offers special pricing to qualifying nonprofit organizations, students and educators.

The Pro plans are available at $9.99 per month with annual billing or $19.99 per month with monthly billing. For those seeking advanced features, the Premium plans are priced at $29.99 per month.

Source: Screenshot from Ludus

Ludus brings together the best of both worlds by offering the traditional slide deck format along with interactive and multimedia elements that take presentations to a whole new level.

The presentation software is rich in multimedia capabilities, allowing users to seamlessly integrate videos, audio and elements to create interactive presentations that captivate the audience.

Ludus offers unique presentation tools that enable users to incorporate interactive elements like clickable buttons, hover effects and embedded web content, enabling a more dynamic and engaging presentation experience. 

This makes Ludus a great choice for designers, creatives, marketing professionals, and anyone who wants to create interactive and visually appealing presentations that leave a lasting impression. Collaboration is another area where Ludus excels. The software offers collaborative editing, allowing multiple users to edit presentations simultaneously. 

However, it’s worth mentioning that Ludus has relatively limited templates compared to some other presentation software options. While the customization options are vast, users might find themselves starting from scratch or investing more time in creating the initial design. Additionally, for individuals new to the platform, there might be a learning curve involved in fully harnessing all of Ludus’ features and capabilities.

Designers, creatives, marketing professionals and anyone looking for interactive and visually appealing presentations.

Interactive and multimedia elements, collaborative editing, extensive design customization, real-time comments and feedback.

Ludus offers a starting price of $14.99 USD/month per user for teams consisting of 1-15 members with all features included. For larger teams requiring additional licenses, Ludus encourages reaching out for more information on pricing. It’s worth noting that Ludus provides a 30-day free trial, allowing users to explore the platform and its features before committing to a subscription.

10. Slidebean

Source: Screenshot from Slidebean

Slidebean offers a unique approach to slide design by automating the process and simplifying the creation of well-designed presentations. With its automation features, Slidebean streamlines the design process, saving users valuable time and effort.

The highlight of Slidebean is its automated slide design functionality. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the software generates visually appealing slide layouts based on the content provided. Slidebean also offers collaboration options, allowing multiple team members to work on a presentation simultaneously. 

Another advantage of Slidebean is its AI-powered content suggestions. The software intelligently analyzes the presentation content and provides helpful suggestions for improving the messaging and overall flow. This feature ensures that users can effectively communicate their ideas and engage their audience. 

Unlike Ludus, Slidebean may not cater to users who prefer extensive customization and control over their slide layouts. Certain advanced features are only available in premium plans, which may require an upgrade for those seeking more advanced functionality.

Startups, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals who want to create polished presentations quickly.

Automated design, content suggestions, collaboration tools and pitch deck-specific templates.

The free version offers limited functionalities, but it provides a sufficient opportunity to experience Slidebean’s capabilities and understand its workflow. However, to export your presentation and access advanced features, upgrading to a higher plan is necessary. 

The all-access plan is available at $228 USD/year, while additional services such as startup expert consultations and pitch deck and financial model services are available for separate purchase. 

11. Beautiful.ai

Source: Screenshot from Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai aims to simplify the process of creating visually stunning and professional-looking slides with minimal effort. One of the notable strengths of the presentation software is its collection of smart templates and design suggestions. 

Their templates are intelligently designed to provide visually appealing layouts, saving users valuable time and effort in creating presentations. Unlike other types of presentation software, the platform leverages AI-powered technology to offer layout optimization, ensuring that slide elements are positioned optimally for maximum impact.

Beautiful.ai also offers time-saving features that streamline the presentation creation process. The software automatically adjusts the layout and formatting as users add or modify content, eliminating the need for manual adjustments. 

As the software provides smart templates and design suggestions, customization options may be somewhat limited. Users may find that certain design elements or layout adjustments are not as flexible as they would like. 

Individuals, startups and professionals who want visually impressive presentations without extensive design skills.

Smart templates, automated design suggestions, AI-powered layout optimization and easy slide customization.

Beautiful.ai provides two subscription options for users. The Pro plan is available at a monthly cost of $12 USD /month, while the Team plan is priced at $40 USD/month. Both plans are billed annually. You can also subscribe to the monthly subscription for ad hoc projects and gain access to all pro features for $45 USD/month (billed monthly). 

There is a 14-day free trial period that allows users to thoroughly test and explore the features and capabilities of the tool before committing to a subscription.

Source: Screenshot from Pitch

Pitch is a modern video presentation maker that stands out with its collaborative and iterative approach to presentation creation.

One of the key strengths of Pitch lies in its collaborative features. The presentation software provides robust collaboration tools that allow team members to work together in real-time. This makes it easy for users to collaborate on presentation content, provide feedback and make revisions collectively.

Pitch boasts an extensive slide library, offering a wide range of professionally designed templates to choose from. These templates serve as a foundation for creating visually stunning presentations while providing a starting point that saves time and ensures a polished look.

The availability of diverse templates caters to different industries, topics and presentation styles, allowing users to create presentations for their needs.

Seamless integration with project management tools is another advantage of Pitch. The software integrates well with popular project management platforms, enabling users to streamline their workflow by syncing tasks, deadlines and other project-related information with their presentations. 

For teams, startups and businesses that value collaboration, feedback and the ability to iterate on their presentations

Collaboration tools, version control, project management integration and template library.

Users can create unlimited presentations and enjoy the starter plan for free or upgrade to Pro for $8 USD/month, billed annually. 

There you have it — the top 12 best presentation tools for the year! Whether you value simplicity, collaboration, automation, design versatility or data visualization, these presentation software examples have a solution out there for your future presentations.

Got your mind set on your to-go presentation software? Great! Now it’s time to start creating your slides and ace that presentation. 

The best presentation software

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

The latest presentation apps have made it easier than ever to format slides and create professional-looking slideshows without giving off a "this is a template" vibe. Even standard PowerPoint alternatives have updated key features to make it easier than ever to collaborate and create presentations quickly, so you can spend more time prepping for your actual presentation.

If, like me, you've been using Google Slides unquestioningly for years, it's a whole new world out there. The newest crop of online presentation tools go way beyond the classic slideshow experience, with new features to keep your audience's attention, streamline the creation process with AI, and turn slide decks into videos and interactive conversations.

I've been testing these apps for the past few years, and this time, I spent several days tinkering with the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

Beautiful.ai for AI-powered design

Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations

Powtoon for video presentations

Genially for interactive, presenter-less presentations

Pitch for collaborating with your team on presentations

Zoho Show for a simple presentation app

Gamma for generative AI features

What makes the best presentation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

When looking for the best presentation apps, I wanted utility players. After all, slideshows are used for just about everything, from pitch decks and product launches to class lectures and church sermons. With that in mind, here's what I was looking for:

Pre-built templates. The best presentation tools should have attractive, professional-looking templates to build presentations in a hurry.

Sharing and collaboration options. Whether you plan to share your webinar slides later, or you just want to collaborate with a coworker on a presentation, it should be easy to share files and collaborate in real-time.

Flexibility and customization options. Templates are great, but top presentation apps should enable you to customize just about everything—giving you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Affordability. Creating compelling presentations is important, but you shouldn't have to bust your budget to make it happen. With capable free tools on the market, affordability is a top consideration.

Standalone functionality. There's no reason to use multiple tools when one can do it all, so I didn't test any apps that require and work on top of another presentation app like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Familiar, deck-based UI. For our purposes here, I only tested software that uses slides, with the familiar deck-based editor you expect from a "presentation" tool (versus, for example, a video creation app).

While many apps now offer AI features in one way or another, I found many of these features to be lacking still—they're often slow, struggle to pull in relevant imagery, and yield wildly inconsistent designs. For that reason, I opted not to make AI features a strict requirement (for now!), and I've still included apps that don't offer AI. (Of course, if you opt for one of those, you can still easily get AI-generated images from a separate tool and copy them into your presentation app of choice.)

Beyond that, I also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides. (And I opted not to test any brand new apps that are still in beta, since there are so many established options out there.)

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

I created a new deck, scanning through all available templates, noting how well-designed they were (and which were free versus paid).

I added new slides, deleted slides, edited text and images, and played around with other content types.

I changed presentation design settings, like color schemes and background images.

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

After my first round of testing, I went back into the top performers to test any unique or niche features like AI, brand settings, interactive content, and more. With that, these are the best presentation apps I found—each one really brings something different or radically easy to the table.

The best presentation software: at a glance

The best free presentation software, canva (web, windows, mac, android, ios).

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The Magic Design AI tool is still inconsistent and not super impressive

Canva offers one of the most robust free plans of all the presentation apps I tested. The app delays account creation until after you've created your first design, so you can get started building your presentation in seconds. Choose from an almost overwhelming number of beautiful templates (nearly all available for free), including those designed specifically for education or business use cases.

Anyone who's accidentally scrolled too far and been bumped to the next slide will appreciate Canva's editor interface, which eliminates that problem altogether with a smooth scroll that doesn't jump around. Choose from a handful of preset animations to add life to your presentations, or browse the library of audio and video files available to add. And Canva also has a number of options for sharing your presentation, including adding collaborators to your team, sharing directly to social media, and even via QR code.

Present directly from Canva, and let audience members submit their questions via Canva Live. Once you share a link to invite audience members to your presentation, they can send questions for you to answer. As the presenter, you'll see them pop up in your presenter view window, so you can keep the audience engaged and your presentation clear. Alternatively, record a presentation with a talking head bubble—you can even use an AI presenter here—to share remotely.

Canvas has added a number of AI-powered tools , but I wasn't super impressed by them yet. When I asked the Magic Design tool to generate a presentation from scratch, for example, the result was a bunch of unrelated images, inconsistent design, and surface-level copy. These features will likely improve in time, but for now, you're better off starting from one of Canva's many great templates.

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $119.99/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

Beautiful.ai (web, mac, windows).

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

Generative AI features aren't great yet

If you're like me, editing granular spacing issues is the absolute worst part of building a presentation. Beautiful.ai uses artificial intelligence to take a lot of the hassle and granular design requirements out of the presentation process, so you can focus on the content of a presentation without sacrificing professional design. If I needed to make presentations on a regular basis, this is the app I'd use.

Many apps have recently added AI design features, but Beautiful.ai has been doing it for years—and they've perfected the UX of AI design, ensuring the tool's reign as the most streamlined and user-friendly option for AI design.

The editor is a little different from most presentation apps, but it's still intuitive—and you'll start off with a quick two-minute tutorial. When creating a new slide, scroll through "inspiration slides" to find a layout you like; once you choose, the app will pull the layout and automatically adapt it to match the design of the rest of your presentation.

With 10 themes, several templated slides, over 40 fully-designed templates, and 23 different color palettes to choose from, Beautiful.ai strikes a perfect balance between automation and customization.

While Beautiful.ai doesn't offer a free plan, paid plans are reasonably priced and offer sharing and collaboration options that rival collab-focused apps like Google Slides. And speaking of Google, you can connect Beautiful.ai with Google Drive to save all your presentations there.

Note: I did test the newly released generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) and felt it wasn't much to write home about. It's great for adding individual slides to an existing presentation—automatically choosing the best layout and matching the design to the rest of the deck—but as with most other apps, it struggled to generate a quality presentation from scratch.

Beautiful.ai pricing: Plans start at $12/month for unlimited slides, AI content generation, viewer analytics, and more. Upgrade to a Team plan for $40/user/month to get extra collaboration and workspace features and custom brand controls.

If you're a founder looking for an AI presentation tool for your pitch deck, Slidebean is a great Beautiful.ai alternative for startups. The app offers a number of templates; a unique, content-first outline editor; and AI design help that you can toggle on or off for each slide. I didn't include it on the list mainly because of the price: the free plan is quite limited, and the paid all-access plan starts at $228/year.

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

Prezi (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

Prezi Video lets you display a presentation right over your webcam video

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

Struggling to squeeze information into a basic, linear presentation? Give Prezi a try. Unlike nearly all other presentation apps on the market, Prezi Present doesn't restrict the structure of your presentation to a straight line. The editor focuses on topics and subtopics and allows you to arrange them any way you want, so you can create a more conversational flow of information.

With the structural flexibility, you still get all the same customization features you expect from top presentation software, including fully-editable templates. There's a learning curve if you're unfamiliar with non-linear presentations, but templates offer a great jumping-off point, and Prezi's editor does a good job of making the process more approachable.

Plus, Prezi comes with two other apps: Prezi Design and Prezi Video. Prezi Video helps you take remote presentations to a new level. You can record a video where the presentation elements are displayed right over your webcam feed. Record and save the video to share later, or connect with your video conferencing tool of choice (including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet) to present live.

Prezi pricing: Free 14-day trial and a free plan that includes up to 5 visual projects; paid plans start at $5/month and include additional features like private presentations and Prezi Present.

The best presentation app for video presentations

Powtoon (web, ios, android).

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

Powtoon makes it easy to create engaging videos by orienting the editor around a slide deck. Editing a Powtoon feels just like editing a presentation, but by the time you finish, you have a professional video. 

You can edit your slides at any time, and when you hit play, a video plays through your deck—the feel is almost like an animated explainer video. Each slide includes the animations you choose and takes up as much time as is needed based on the content on the slide. Powtoon figures the timing automatically, and you can see in the bottom-right of the editor how much time is used on your current slide versus the total presentation. If you ever want to present as a slide deck, just toggle between Slideshow and Movie.

You'll likely need to subscribe to a paid plan to get the most out of Powtoon—like creating videos longer than three minutes, downloading them as MP4 files, and white-labeling your presentations—but doing so won't break the bank. Plus, you'll unlock tons of templates complete with animations and soundtracks.

One of my favorite Powtoon features is the ability to orient your video: you can choose horizontal orientation (like a normal presentation) or opt for vertical (for mobile) or square (for social media). When your presentation is ready, you can publish straight to YouTube, Wistia, Facebook Ads, and any number of other locations.

Powtoon pricing: Limited free plan available; paid plans start at $20/month and include white-labeling, priority support, additional storage, and more.

The best presentation app for interactive presentations

Genially (web).

Genially pros:

Don't need a presenter (it's interactive)

You can set universal branding guidelines

Unlimited creations on the free plan

Genially cons:

Free plan has some limitations worth looking into (e.g., can only make public presentations)

While many presentation apps are built for presenter-led decks, Genially 's interactive features and animated templates make it easy to build a self-led presentation. A variety of interactive buttons allow you to show viewers additional context on hover, have them skip to any page of your deck, and let them navigate to external links.

This presentation program offers a bunch of searchable templates, including some for business proposals, reports, social media presentations, and more (though most of those are available on premium plans only). Genially also includes Smart blocks —templated blocks of content for elements like data visualizations and image galleries.

My favorite feature is the brand settings. Premium users can set universal branding guidelines that include your logo, color scheme, fonts, images, and backgrounds, among other options. Think of them like a custom template, created and customized by you, that the whole team can use. Once set, your team can easily create on-brand presentations that automatically apply your brand settings, without even thinking about it.

Plus, Genially supports additional content like training materials, infographics, and interactive images—all subject to your brand presets.

Genially pricing: Free plan available with unlimited creations and views and access to templates; paid plans start at $7.49/month and include additional download options, privacy controls, offline viewing, premium templates, and more.

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

Pitch (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Start live video calls straight from decks

Pitch cons:

User interface is a little different than you're used to

Need to collaborate on presentations with your team? Pitch is a Google Slides alternative that gets the job done. As far as decks go, Pitch includes all the beautifully-designed templates, customizability, and ease of use you expect from a top-notch presentation tool. But the app really shines when you add your team.

The right-hand sidebar is all about project management and collaboration: you can set and update the status of your deck, assign entire presentations or individual slides to team members, plus comment, react, or add notes. Save custom templates to make future presentations even easier and faster.

You can also invite collaborators from outside your company to work with you on individual decks. And if you opt for a paid plan, Pitch introduces workspace roles, shared private folders, and version history.

The "Go live" feature is a personal favorite—with just a click on the camera icon in the top-right, you can start a live video call. Any team members who open the presentation can hop in and collaborate in real-time. 

Pitch pricing: Free plan offers unlimited presentations, custom templates, and live video collaboration; paid plans start at $8/user/month for additional workspace features, presentation analytics, and more.

The best simple presentation app

Zoho show (web, ios, android, chrome).

Zoho Show pros:

Simple and easy to use

Version history and ability to lock slides

Completely free

Zoho Show cons:

Templates are pretty basic

If you're looking for a simple, yet capable presentation app that's a step up from Google Slides, Zoho Show is a great option. It's completely free to use, offers a clean, intuitive editor, and includes a number of great templates.

While the handful of "Themes" offered are on the basic side, Zoho templates boast a more modern and professional design than much of what Google Slides or PowerPoint offer. And I love that you can set the font and color scheme for the whole template, right from the start.

The app doesn't skimp on collaboration or shareability either. You can invite collaborators via email or shareable link, and comments and version history make it easy to work together on presentations. Once you're ready to share, you can even broadcast your presentation to a remote audience right from within Zoho. Plus, you can one-click lock slides to prevent any more editing or hide individual slides to customize your presentation for different audiences.

You can even connect Zoho Show to Zapier , so you can do things like automatically create a presentation when something happens in one of the other apps you use most.

Zapier is the leader in workflow automation—integrating with 6,000+ apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Use interfaces, data tables, and logic to build secure, automated systems for your business-critical workflows across your organization's technology stack. Learn more .

Zoho Show pricing: Free

The best presentation app for generative AI

Gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

I tested a lot of apps claiming to use AI to up your presentation game, and Gamma 's generative features were head and shoulders above the crowd.

Simply give the app a topic—or upload an outline, notes, or any other document or article—approve the outline, and pick a theme. The app will take it from there and create a fully fleshed-out presentation. It's far from perfect, but Gamma produced the most useful jumping-off point of all the AI presentation apps I tested. 

Here's the key: Gamma is much more geared toward the iterative, chatbot experience familiar to ChatGPT users. Click on the Edit with AI button at the top of the right-hand menu to open the chat, and you'll see suggested prompts—or you can type in your own requests for how Gamma should alter the presentation.

Once you've done all you can with prompts, simply close the chat box to manually add the finishing touches. While you do sacrifice some granular customizability in exchange for the AI features, you can still choose your visual theme, change slide layouts, format text, and add any images, videos, or even app and web content.

Gamma pricing: Free plan includes unlimited users, 1 custom theme, 400 AI deck credits, and basic view analytics; upgrade to the Pro plan ("coming soon," as of this writing) for $10/user/month to get additional AI credits, advanced view analytics, custom fonts, and more.

What about the old standbys?

You might notice a few major presentation players aren't on this list, including OGs Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides. These apps are perfectly adequate for creating basic presentations, and they're free if you have a Windows or Mac device or a Google account.

I didn't include them on the list because the presentation space has really developed in the last several years, and after testing them out, I found these behemoths haven't kept pace. If they weren't made by Microsoft/Apple/Google, I might not even be mentioning them. They're pretty basic tools, they're behind the curve when it comes to templates (both quantity and design), and they don't offer any uniquely valuable features like robust team collaboration, branding controls, video, and so on.

Some of these companies (think: Microsoft and Google) are openly working on some pretty impressive-sounding AI features, but they haven't been widely released to the public yet. Rest assured, I'm watching this space, and the next time we update this article, I'll retest tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides to see what new features are available.

In any case, if you're reading this, you're probably looking for an alternative that allows you to move away from one of the big 3, and as the presentation platforms featured above show, there's a ton to gain—in terms of features, usability, and more—when you do.

Related reading:

8 Canva AI tools to improve your design workflow

The best online whiteboards for collaboration

How to share a presentation on Zoom without sharing your browser tabs and address bar

This post was originally published in October 2014 and has since been updated with contributions from Danny Schreiber, Matthew Guay, Andrew Kunesh, and Krystina Martinez. The most recent update was in May 2023.

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Kiera Abbamonte

Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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Best free presentation software of 2024

Find an alternative to PowerPoint

Best overall

Best for speed, best for functionality, best for collaboration, best user interface.

• How we test

The best free presentation software makes it simple and easy to create presentations as an alternative to subscribing to Microsoft PowerPoint.

1. Best overall 2. Best for speed 3. Best for functionality 4. Best for collaboration 5. Best user interface 6. FAQs 7. How we test

While PowerPoint is the market leader when it comes to presentation software, some people may be unwilling to subscribe to a Microsoft 365 subscription, especially if they don't expect to need to use it very often.

However, there are plenty of great alternatives to PowerPoint available for free that you can use. While these won't have the same advanced features as PowerPoint, they still offer a very competent platform to design most any presentation that you need.

To help you choose, we've listed below the best free presentation software currently available.

Add images to your presentations using the best free photo editor .

<a href="https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html" data-link-merchant="gsuite.google.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Google Workspace : Collaboration + productivity apps There are many different presentation software packages but Google Workspace formerly known as G Suite remains the original cloud office software and one of the best business office suites, offering a huge range of features and functionality that rivals can't match, especially when it comes to presentation software. <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html" data-link-merchant="gsuite.google.com"" data-link-merchant="gsuite.google.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Try it free for 14 days .

The best free presentation software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Prezi turns the traditional approach to presentations on its head. Instead of creating slide after slide, this presentation software gives you a single giant canvas. You can add blocks of text or images, or even create miniature slides. During your presentation, you can seamlessly fly around the canvas and zoom in to look at individual chunks of content.

For how complex Prezi seems, it’s impressively simple to use the platform. The only major divergence from Microsoft PowerPoint is that you need to add animated paths from one part of the canvas to another. The tools for this are fairly straightforward, especially if you’ve ever used an animation or video editing software.

Of course, this type of presentation structure isn’t always ideal. Prezi makes it hard to visualize structured data like financials, which can make it difficult to use in business applications. Some viewers also might not appreciate the fly-around animation style that’s inherent to the presentation software.

Read our full Prezi review .

• ^ Back to the top

Canva is perfect for making speedy presentations right in your web browser. This software offers a handful of free layouts to help you get your slideshow started, and it’s easy to customize the templates to fit your needs. There isn’t a huge variety of content elements to add to your presentation, but Canva makes up for this with a searchable library of more than 1 million images you can use.

Your Canva presentations live online, which makes it extremely easy to collaborate. You can invite colleagues to edit your slideshow (although simultaneous editing is not supported) or seamlessly share your finished presentation. However, beware that Canva can’t import presentations from Microsoft Powerpoint or export finished work to a Powerpoint-editable format.

Read our full Canva review .

3. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and it includes a Powerpoint equivalent called Impress with nearly all of the same functionality. The only big difference you’ll find between the two slideshow creation tools is the LibreOffice lacks some modern features like built-in collaboration and integration with Microsoft OneDrive.

However, Impress does have a few advantages of its own. The software can import files from Keynote, the default presentation software on Mac computers. Plus, there are hundreds of free templates that you can download for free. Even better, there’s no limit on what fonts you can use with Impress, so it’s easy to change the look of your presentation from what Powerpoint typically allows.

On the whole, LibreOffice Impress is about as close as it gets to simply replicating Microsoft Powerpoint for free.

Read our full LibreOffice review .

4. Google Slides

Google Slides is part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), and it does a nice job of matching a number of PowerPoint’s capabilities. This free presentation software supports embedding videos, creating diagrams, and adding animations to your slides. While the selection of templates is somewhat limited, you can easily import hundreds of additional templates for free or create your own.

Even better, Google Slides supports the collaboration tools users have come to expect from Google. Multiple people can work on a slideshow simultaneously, and there’s a built-in group chat so you can keep track of what everyone is doing. It’s also nice that you can play your presentation in presenter mode, which allows you to preview how it will look to your audience and rehearse timing.

The only downside to Google Slides is that bloated slideshows can experience some loading delays. Also beware that while you can move between Slides and Powerpoint, the conversion often messes with the layout of your slides.

Read our full Google Slides review .

5. WPS Office Free

WPS Office Free is a Microsoft Office look-alike that fully support PowerPoint files without any layout issues during import. The WPS Presentation tool has all of the same capabilities of PowerPoint, including tons of animations, slide transitions, content effects, and video embedding. The selection of included presentation templates is also very impressive for a free software.

One of the best things about this presentation software is that the user interface will feel incredibly familiar if you’re coming from Microsoft. All of the tools are displayed in a top ribbon, with your slides shown on the left side of the screen for easy navigation. It’s simple to display your presentation right from WPS Presentation, which means there’s no unexpected troubleshooting when it’s time to show off your work.

There’s not much to dislike about WPS Presentation. However, keep in mind that the software is supported by ads. Some users find the ads annoying, but they’re not overly in the way.

Read our full WPS Office Free review .

We've also featured the best free office software .

Best free presentation software FAQs

Which alternative to powerpoint is best for you.

When deciding which alternative to PowerPoint to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free platforms may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require.

How we test the best free presentation software

To test for the best free presentation software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .  

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Michael Graw is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Bellingham, Washington. His interests span a wide range from business technology to finance to creative media, with a focus on new technology and emerging trends. Michael's work has been published in TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Business Insider, Fast Company, Salon, and Harvard Business Review. 

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Best presentation software of 2023

Let’s put on a slideshow.

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Whether you’re a student or a working professional, everybody has to make presentations from time to time and that usually involves presentation software. But when you’re frantically Googling around to refresh your PowerPoint knowledge, it’s only natural to wonder what is really the best presentation software out there. Yes, everybody knows that Microsoft’s the biggest player in the slideshow game but there are actually a lot of alternatives to explore. If you expand your horizons, you may find another app that makes more sense for you. Expand your office app horizons and see how the best presentation software can make your job a little easier.

Best overall: Microsoft PowerPoint

Best for professionals: canva, best for zoom: prezi.

• Best for Mac: Apple Keynote  

Best for students: Beautiful.ai

Best budget: google slides, how we chose the best presentation software.

As a journalist with over a decade of experience, I know how to present information to all sorts of audiences effectively and efficiently. Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of clients to craft copy for presentations, as well as the slideshows themselves. I’ve used the best software in the business, as well as quite a lot of the bad stuff, so I know what will work for you and your needs. 

In making this list, I relied on my own firsthand experience with presentation software, as well as consulting professional tutorials and critical reviews. I also personally created a number of sample slideshows using prebuilt templates and custom layouts of my own in order to put the programs through their paces. I used both the stalwart software suites that everyone knows, as well as a number of lesser-known alternatives that have emerged over the past few years. If an impressive new program hits the block, we will update this list accordingly once we get some hands-on time with it.

Things to consider when buying presentation software

There has been an explosion of presentation software over the past few years, and each of the program’s developers has their own pitch to lure people away from PowerPoint. The most important things to consider when choosing presentation software will vary from person to person. A small business owner putting together a professional presentation with original branding may need different tools to make an appealing pitch, versus a student building a last-minute slideshow for a group project to present the results of their research in Econ class.

There are a wide variety of bells and whistles that presentation building programs boast as their killer features, including brand kit integration, easy social media sharing options, offline access, seamless collaboration, AI suggestions, and analytics. These extra features will seem very helpful to enterprise customers, but the average person should realistically prioritize more traditional factors like ease-of-use, customizability, and cost. There are, however, a few elements that every single person who uses presentation software needs, so let’s walk through the fundamentals.

Ease of use

No one wants to spend hours learning how to make a basic slideshow. While all of these programs take time to master, some of them are easier to pick up quickly than others. An intuitive piece of software grabs your attention and allows you to perform basic actions like adding slides and assets without time-consuming tutorials. The more professional-grade programs out there might take a little more time to master, but they’re rarely difficult to use.

Prebuilt templates

The number one thing that you want from a presentation software is a good-looking final product, and templates help you achieve that goal quickly and easily. All of the competitive presentation software suites out there have a library of pre-built templates that let you plug in information quickly. Quality and quantity separate the good programs from the great ones, though. Some apps have more templates than others, and some templates look better than others. On top of that, some programs lock their best templates behind a premium subscription, which leaves you relying on the same basic structures over and over. 

The truly professional-grade software also includes a selection of prebuilt art assets to help you bring a personal touch to the presentation. If a program doesn’t have an impressive set of templates, it isn’t worth using.

Customizability

While most people want to start building their presentations with a template, you need to change some things around if you want to keep things looking fresh. Professionals, in particular, will probably want to customize every aspect of their slideshows, from the color of the background to the exact pixel position of images. This obviously increases the amount of time it takes to craft a presentation, so it’s important that the systems for making those tweaks are intuitive and easy to use. Not every user is going to need the level of customizability, but it’s definitely something worth considering.

Who’s it for?

Every presenter needs to build a slideshow for their audience. They should probably ask that question when they pick which presentation software to use as well, as it can help determine what software they should use. Students might need the expansive collaboration tools of certain platforms but might not need the pinpoint design controls in others. While the presentation software listed below can all make a great slideshow with enough time and effort, your own use case and the intended audience will have a big impact on your choice.

Cost & affordability

Very few presentation builders have a simple, one-time price tag. Most operate on a subscription model, where you can buy a month’s use for a certain amount, or save money by buying a year at a time. A few are free, though many appear to only offer a free trial or stripped-down version that will allow you to put together something basic before quite literally buying in.

If you’re looking to build just one or two presentations a year, it’s probably best to stick to one of the free options. However, if you have to build slideshows on a regular basis, it’s probably worth sinking your money into a subscription to the program you really like.

Generally speaking, as you might expect, the more impressive and in-depth software costs more than the more traditional fare. However, because many of the most popular programs in the space (such as Microsoft PowerPoint) come as part of a suite, you will need to weigh the benefits of not only the presentation software but also the other programs that come along with it. If you’re a die-hard Microsoft Word user, for example, you’re already paying for the Microsoft Office suite, but the calculus gets more complicated if you prefer Google Docs.

The best presentation software: Reviews & Recommendations

By now, you probably have a good idea of what you should be looking for in presentation software, so now we’ll get into the interesting part. As mentioned above, we’ve broken down our picks based on a few common use cases, as well as the criteria we mentioned above. Regardless of which one you decide on, all of these programs are powerful tools that can produce a slick slideshow with a little time and effort, and you’d be well served by any of them.

MobiSystems

Why it made the cut: Whether you’re a broke student or a busy professional, Microsoft PowerPoint can do whatever you need. It’s also reasonably priced.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
• Suite or standalone: Microsoft Office 365 Suite
• Special features: Designer, MS Office integration
• Free version: Yes
• Well-known interface imitated by competitors
• Powerful and accessible
• Good templates
• Part of a popular software suite
• Slight learning curve

Even after testing more than a dozen programs, Microsoft PowerPoint remains the go-to presentation software for most people. Setting the industry standard, it offers great templates, an accessible interface, an impressive library of prebuilt art assets, and plenty of tools for building a slick slideshow. It also supports real-time collaboration, offline editing, and third-party content embedding. At $70 a year, PowerPoint is significantly cheaper than most of its competitors and it’s part of Microsoft Office, a software suite that most companies pay for and workers can’t live without. 

Of course, it isn’t perfect. PowerPoint makes it very easy to make a basic presentation, but it will likely take you longer to make something that looks polished and professional in PowerPoint than with design-forward programs like Canva or Prezi. Even top-flight presentations are achievable, though, in a reasonable timeframe. PowerPoint might not be the best presentation program for every situation, but it’s certainly the best for the average person.

Why it made the cut: Canva creates beautiful, professional-grade presentations faster than its rivals, and it’s easier to use than most.

• Platforms: Web, Windows, iOS, Android
• Suite or standalone: Standalone
• Special features: Amazing templates, very customizable
• Excellent free version
• Extremely easy to use
• Makes beautiful presentations fast
• Eye-catching templates
• Harder-to-use advanced features
• Limited offline use

If you need to make a striking business presentation in an hour, Canva is absolutely the software for you. Designed from the ground up for business professionals who don’t want to have to use another program (i.e., Photoshop or GIMP) to create visually compelling content, Canva delivers on this promise in spades. 

Canva’s gorgeous templates are the best of any of the programs we tested, and its free version is far more robust than you’d expect for a costless trial. Unlike many of these other programs, it creates virtually any marketing material you can imagine, including videos, logos, social media posts, and even resumes. It also includes splashy features that most people won’t use, like brand kit support and easy sharing to social media.

Canva’s simplicity has drawbacks, too, though. It can be a bit difficult to get it to make complicated charts, tables, or diagrams, and it lacks the familiar (but clunky) customizability of PowerPoint. However, if you’re looking to make the most beautiful presentation you can, Canva is a great choice for your business.

Why it made the cut: Prezi is a strong program that structures its basic features in a completely different manner than its competitors. It also has very good Zoom integration.

• Platforms: Web
• Special features: Zoom integration, unique structure
• Free version: No (Two-week free trial)
• More creative structure than competitors
• Intuitive interface
• Expansive feature set
• Doesn’t work for everyone
• Must pay more for advanced features

If you’re really tired of the straight-line structure mandated by other presentation software, Prezi gives you a little more freedom to build things your way. Prezi uses a topic-oriented form that allows you to easily string your ideas in an order that makes sense to you. The basic idea behind Prezi is that you create bubbles of individual content, and then you thread a path through those ideas to create a presentation with a physical form that’s more enticing and conversational than just a linear succession of slides.

While this unique approach makes Prezi a worthy alternative on its own, the app also boasts plenty of specialized features you’d want in a premium program, including a large asset library, social media integration, and collaboration support. 

Though any presentation software can work with Zoom via the screen-share function, Prezi features a very useful video call-focused mode, Prezi Video, which allows you to build a presentation as an overlay that appears in your Zoom window so people can see you and your slides.

Prezi’s freeform structure isn’t going to work for everyone, but if Powerpoint feels stifling, it might open new doors for you.

Best for Mac: Keynote

Why it made the cut: Apple’s answer to PowerPoint might not be as popular as its competitor, but it’s still pretty powerful in its own right.

• Platforms: macOS, iOS, Web
• Suite or Standalone: Apple Software Suite
• Special features: iCloud support, multiple formats
• Free version: Yes (with an Apple account)
• Familiar to most Mac users
• Better asset library than most
• No-frills feature set
• Lacks unique selling points

If you’re a Mac user , you’ve probably at least considered using Keynote to put a presentation together. While all of the other programs on this list work on a Mac as web apps, Keynote is the only app made specifically for the platform.

Like PowerPoint, Keynote is a wide-reaching program designed to help anyone make a sharp-looking presentation, from students to professionals. It has a more robust feature set than other PowerPoint competitors–including better default templates, a bigger asset library, and desktop support. It doesn’t quite have the versatility of enterprise-facing apps like Canva, but you can put together a great-looking slideshow for school or a recurring meeting.

On the other hand, it can be a little tricky to pick up: The interface isn’t quite as intuitive as Google Slides, which is also free. If you have access to both, you get a choice: Build a more striking presentation in Keynote, or put something together quickly in Slides.

Beautiful.ai

Why it made the cut: Beautiful.ai’s AI-powered presentations allow you to make a sharp slideshow in no time flat, and its generous free trial gives time to try it out.

• Special features: AI integration
• Clean interface
• Modern features
• Simple and effective
• Expensive for what it is
• Limited assets and templates

Looking to build a clean, modern presentation in as little time as possible? Beautiful.ai uses AI to help you build a visually stunning presentation in no time flat. While it’s less of a household name than our other picks, it’s the choice of many tech companies for its uncluttered interface, eye-catching templates, and overall no-fuss approach. 

Compared to PowerPoint or Canva, Beautiful.ai does not have a rich feature set or an infinite variety of template options. What the content library lacks in volume, it makes up for in style, though. Its appealing, elegant content elements lend themselves to clean, modern presentations. More importantly, the program’s AI assistant knows how to use those assets. It automatically tailors your slideshow’s design to fit the information you want to present, so you’ll wind up with something thoughtfully prepared before you know it.

Why it made the cut: Google Slides is not only an excellent presentation program—it’s also one of the only ones actually free with no strings attached.

• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
• Suite or standalone: Google Workspace
• Special features: Easy collaboration, Google integration
• Free for anyone with a Google account
• Familiar interface
• Easy to share and collaborate
• Decent templates
• Somewhat basic in functionality
• Clunky for some users

When it comes to software, there’s “free to use,” and then there’s free. Most of the software on this list offers either a restricted free mode or a time-limited trial. Google Slides is actually free, fully free, for another with a Google account. And it holds its own, even compared to its premium competitors.

Google Slides feels like a simplified version of PowerPoint. It’s a little easier to learn the basics, but also offers fewer templates, screen transitions, and content. It also lacks a built-in asset library to fill dead space, though the program’s Google Drive integration makes it easy to add your own. Like most Google programs, it also supports add-ons that give it enhanced features, like the ability to solve equations within the slideshow.

If you’re looking to make an extremely sharp presentation, Google Slides will take a bit more effort than most. If you need to make a basic slideshow and you grew up on earlier versions of PowerPoint, you’ll feel right at home using Slides.

Q: What are the three most popular presentation software options?

Based on our research, the three most popular programs are Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote, roughly in that order. PowerPoint is far more popular than the other two, though. All three are good options, depending on what you’re looking for. All things being equal, though, we recommend PowerPoint.

Q: How much does presentation software cost?

Generally, most of the programs listed here cost between $7 and $15 a month for their premium packages. However, Google Slides and Keynote are free, so we recommend those for customers on a budget.

Q: Is Canva better than PowerPoint?

Canva and PowerPoint are both great programs that offer about equal value. It’s much easier to create a beautiful, eye-catching presentation in Canva, but PowerPoint’s advanced features give you more options. If you need to make slick-looking professional presentations on a frequent basis, we recommend Canva for its superior ease-of-use.

Q: Does Adobe have presentation software?

Adobe had its own competitor to PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter. The company recently ended support for Presenter on June 1, 2022.

Final thoughts on the best presentation software

While everyone wants to use the best program for the job, the truth is that all presentation builders have a lot in common with each other. If you’re familiar with one, it often makes sense to stay put. Despite all the similarities, it can take some time to learn a new system. If you’re constrained and frustrated, or are using presentation software for the first time, you should consider a wide range of options beyond PowerPoint.

Though alternatives like Beautiful.ai, Canva, or (especially) Prezi cost a bit more, they each have strong features that may work better for your purposes. That said, sometimes the most popular presentation software options are the best. If you don’t have specific expectations or need to clear a high bar for design, PowerPoint and free options like Google Slides should work well, and have the benefit of wide adoption in corporate workplaces.

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• Presentation Design

The 10 Best Presentation Software for 2023: Complete Guide

There are literally hundreds of presentation software tools in the market today and keeping track is getting increasingly hard. Most of them have been optimized for a specific purpose or type of user from a wide range of possibilities, and it's very likely that THE ideal tool for you is actually one that you've never heard of.

We've created this best presentation software list to shed some light and to give you a comprehensive presentation software list to ensure you make the right call in the platform you select. This article is the result of several weeks of research and review of 50+ presentation tools currently available on the web.

What is a presentation software?

A presentation software is defined as an application built to display information in the form of a slide show. Any presentation tool must have three fundamental functions:

• ‍ A text editor: to input the contents of the presentation.
• ‍ An import function: to insert and manipulate images and other content.
• ‍A slide-show or presenter mode: that displays the content in a nice, formatted way, sometimes synced in real time with the presenter across devices.

Slide shows often consist of a combination of text, video, images and charts. Their primary function is displaying clear, readable and summarized data to an audience.

Most presentations are shared and presented on a larger screen or through a digital projector. In rare occasions, slide presentations are printed out as a replacement for text documents, but this is a really inefficient way to review data, that Garr Reynolds calls ‘ PresDocs ’ (Garr Reynolds is the author of Presentation Zen, one of the most important go-to reference for successful presentations).

Related Read: What Makes Up the Best Presentation Templates?

What makes a good presentation tool?

The functions and results of presentation programs have evolved significantly in the past decades, since the original launch of ‘Presenter’ (the PowerPoint predecessor) in 1984. In 1987 PowerPoint 1.0 was released for the Macintosh and it started a revolution in the way we prepare and consume content in meetings.

For the purposes of this article we are going to classify all presentation tools using 3 variables that we consider extremely important:

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This rating looks at the learning curve, or time required to learn to use the platform. An easy to use interface is fundamentally important to ensure that users feel confortable working with the platform and doesn’t require complex training to take advantage of its features. This also accounts for the average time it takes to build a presentation.

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The ability to customize a presentation to the smallest details. This varies depending on the number of advanced features in the platform, like the ability to set different transitions to each slide, the ability to add customized elements or to design/code the final outcome of the slides to the last font size and color code.

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This indicator looks at the outcome of a finished presentation, assuming the user is an average person with basic design skills and intermediate knowledge on the tool itself.

Best PowerPoint Alternatives (Death by Power Point)

As we mentioned before, PowerPoint is the most used presentation builder in the market today. It is distributed by Microsoft as part of their Office Suite, which is estimated to have over 500 million users worldwide. Microsoft has also revealed that approximately 35 Million presentations are delivered every single day, that’s a staggering 400 presentations per second.

But still, PowerPoint’s popularity has decreased significantly in the past few years. Their boring presentation templates, the large learning curve and complexity as well as the terrible slides many users end up making have started the Death to PowerPoint movement.

What presentation software is better than PowerPoint?

For this section, we summarize the top PowerPoint alternatives and examples, that is, presentation tools that work in a fairly similar manner and that provide similar (but significantly better) results. If you are an avid PowerPoint user, then migrating to these platforms should be rather easy for you.

Best 10 presentation software alternative list for 2023

(Updated December 2022)

• Keynote presentation
• Google Slides

1- SLIDEBEAN PRESENTATION SOFTWARE

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Slidebean is an online presentation tool that uses artificial intelligence to design beautiful slides. Simply add content blocks to your presentation without worrying about formatting. Slidebean’s AI finds the best possible design for every element on your slide. This level of automation allows you to create a professional looking presentation in a fraction of the time it normally takes on PowerPoint.

When comparing it to PowerPoint, Slidebean’s interface is much easier to learn and work with, and it lets you create fantastic looking presentations really fast. The platform is web based and allows you to export to both PowerPoint and PDF format. It also lets you track viewer interactions and activity from people you share your slides with!

Slidebean also has a unique advantage which is a rich gallery of presentation outline templates. These are pre-filled decks that work for numerous purposes, like business proposals, classroom decks, thesis presentations and even startup pitch decks : all you need to do is import them and fill in your content.

You can sign up free for Slidebean here

SIGN UP FREE

2- apple keynote.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Keynote is what PowerPoint should have been all along. Apple's version of the popular presentation tool has improved significantly in the last few years, and has recently included a cloud version that works on any browser on any computer (as long as you have at least one Apple device).

Keynote is basically an improved PowerPoint, it offers the same approach to creating slides, but offers nice and clean customizable templates, a simple interface and great details like smart guides.

The biggest issue with Keynote is the long learning process that it requires. Similar to Microsoft's tool, you'll need to sit down for a few hours to learn to use the platform, and another larger set of hours to make a professional presentation.

More info about Apple Keynote is available here

Final result: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Visme is a web based platform for building presentations. Their familiar interface is similar to PowerPoint, but they have successfully simplified a complex UI to a nicer and more understandable navigation. Still, you'll need to spend a few hours to get a good grasp of where all the customization options can be found.

The platform offers an interesting (but certainly limited) gallery of images, but they succeed at delivering beautiful infographic elements (which they call ‘Charts and Graphs’) that you can use to add some color and make your slides much more dynamic.

You can read more about them here . ‍

4- GOOGLE SLIDES

Customization: ★ ★ - Passable

Google's version of PowerPoint is hosted as part of the Google Apps suite, that you can access from Google Drive or from Google Apps for Work. Sadly, their presentation builder feels like a limited version of PowerPoint, with less features, limited fonts and very little customization options.

Still, Google's platform is available for free, has a lot of integrations and probably one of the best online collaboration systems out there. Checking it out is easy, just visit your Google Drive.

You can find a more detailed review here .

5- FLOWVELLA

Ease of use: ★ ★ - Passable

Customization: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Flowvella is available on the Mac App Store as a desktop application. It provides a simple interface (certainly cleaner than Microsoft PowerPoint and somewhat similar to Apple Keynote) and some very nice design templates, which set good grounds so you can start building a nice looking set of slides on top of them. This is by far their biggest strength! If you want to start from scratch, however, you might feel a little lost creating something that looks good.

We found, however, that the oversimplified interface makes some basic options hard to find, like changing the color of a shape. Also, while running as a desktop app it still requires an Internet connection to download some elements, which can lead to a slower performance than a 100% desktop tool.

Update: We also read recently that they launched a tvOS app for the new AppleTV, making them, as far as we know, the first presentation tool to leverage the new platform.

You can find more details here .

Customization: ★ ★ ★ -

Pitch offers an innovative solution for fast-paced teams looking to quickly create effective, stylish presentations. With a combination of productivity features and design elements, Pitch makes it easy to get professional results—quickly

You can find more information about them here .

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good!

The premise of Canva is an ‘amazingly easy graphic design software'. It lets you create anything from print design to banners and presentations. They provide an easy to use interface with a huge selection of pre-built designs that you can modify to your liking.

These pre-built elements let you quickly draft a nice presentation even if you have no design skills, but it does require you to drag and drop and arrange the content of your slide, which can become time consuming.

Canva has been gaining significant popularity in the last few years, especially after they hired Guy Kawasaki as a Chief Evangelist. Their platform is beautiful, you can find more about them here .

8- HAIKU DECK

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Haiku Deck launched as an iPad app in 2011. They made a big bet towards mobile productivity and came up with a solid iPad application that allowed you to create slides in less time than the then-only alternative of Keynote for iOS.

Haiku Deck has a nice set of custom templates that you can use as a guideline for your slides, and their content input system is clear and easy to learn.

Still, we believe their approach that focused on mobile devices could only take them so far and they've since been working on a web version of their platform that works for any computer. As we mentioned, the personal computer continues to be a much more efficient productivity platform.

'Slides' is a nice website that lets you create and share presentations online. Formerly slides(dot)io and slid(dot)es, they finally settled for slides(dot)com. This startup was founded by Hakim El Hattab and Owen Bossola in Stockholm, Sweden, and it makes use of the reveal.js framework that we mentioned above.

Slides has a nice web interface that encourages you to create a nice and clean presentations, however, it still depends on the user’s ability to manipulate the elements and arrange them in a nice style. Still, their pre-defined formats and their grid system help guide you to a better result.

The platform also allows for custom HTML and CSS coding, which lets experienced users with coding skills, customize their templates even further.

Some more info about them here .

Ease of use: ★ - Bad

Prezi has been around for years and they have had a huge head start compared to any other online presentation tool out there. Their unique zoom styling makes it immediately obvious to the audience that they are looking at a Prezi deck.

Prezi has the advantage of allowing you to create really stunning interactive presentations if you know how to leverage their zoomable, infinite canvas. However, this can become a double edge sword if users overuse the feature and come up with a presentation that is literally capable of making people dizzy.

Still, Prezi's biggest weakness is on its ease of use. There's a long learning curve towards dominating their interface and even if you do, you need to be a designer to make a great presentation on the platform.

This is a huge company that is not going away anytime soon. With 50+ million users, they have proven the world wants and needs a PowerPoint alternative, and we have huge respect for them for doing so.

More information about them here .

‍Which one to pick?

In the world of presentation software, there's a big bunch to pick from. It's kind of like a crowded market with lots of options. And guess what? The best one for you might not even be on your radar.

Our list is here to help you out. We've put together this bunch of presentation software choices after digging into over 50 of them on the internet. We're here to give you the scoop on what's out there, so you can pick the one that suits you best.

Now, remember, presentation software is like your helper to make cool slideshows. These slideshows could be for showing stuff to people, like at school or work. These helpers, or software, should be good at a few things: putting words and pictures on slides, making things look nice, and showing your stuff in a cool way on a screen.

The options we've found have different things they're good at. Some use fancy computer thinking (AI) to make your slides look great without you doing much. Others let you customize your slides a lot, which is nice if you want them to look exactly like you want. And finally, how your slides look when you're done is super important too.

Picking the right presentation tool is a bit like picking the best tool for a job. You wouldn't use a hammer to write a story, right? So, whether you want something easy, something that lets you be creative, or something that gives you good results, our list has got you covered. Your choice will help you make cool presentations that people will remember. Our recommendation is to give Slidebean a try, but is up to you to consider the options. So, pick smart and happy presenting.

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The Best Presentation Software

Beyond powerpoint, our top-rated presentation apps make slideshows (animated videos, q&as, and collaborative brainstorming sessions) easy to create and a pleasure to consume..

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Google Drive (for Work)

You can trust our reviews, deeper dive: our top tested picks, bottom line:.

• Ubiquitous professional cloud storage available in most platforms.
• Seamless integration with Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, and Microsoft Teams.
• Outstanding mobile app support.
• Short on existing integration options.
• Must use desktop application for offline access.
• Creates engaging presentations
• Helps non-artistic types make professional materials
• Ample selection of beautiful templates
• Easy to use
• Templates don’t allow for a lot of customization
• Collaboration support could use improvement
• Limited export options; best when used online
• Doesn't restrict storage for more than five users.
• Offers offline and document management capabilities.
• Provides solid integration with numerous non-Google solutions.
• Works best when paired with other Google apps.
• Needs to add task management capabilities.

Buying Guide: The Best Presentation Software

How to choose the right office suite.

Let's say you have a whole bunch of information, and you need to convey it to a group of people. Maybe those people are in your office or classroom, in the boardroom of a company you're going to visit, or scattered throughout the world, connected by the internet. Presentation apps can handle the whole process. First, they let you put your material into a format that's right for sharing with others, usually—but not always—a slideshow. Then, they enable you to present the material, whether that's using a projector and screen onsite; or offsite with a portable projector ; or online in real time; or even online but asynchronously, at the leisure of each audience member. A few of the very best apps even have tools for taking questions from the audience and tracking how many people online watched your presentation.

The term "presentation app" used to be synonymous with Microsoft PowerPoint, a part of the Microsoft Office suite. While PowerPoint is still one of the strongest players in the field, many other apps have entered the space, bringing with them innovative ways for changing how we format and present information. This subclass of productivity apps , which used to be best known for inducing snoring during meetings, has grown tremendously to give presentation creators new ways of making their information more palatable, easily digestible, and sometimes downright entertaining.

The Best Slideshow Creation Apps

The slideshow format is the classic presentation option, and the best two apps in this category are Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote, which is a part of the former Apple iWork suite (the apps are now only available separately). Both are Editors' Choice apps.

PowerPoint has by far the most, well, everything. It has the most effects, transitions, supported formats, and so forth. You can use it as a desktop app or in a web browser. It supports real-time collaboration, though with some limitations, as I'll explain later. PowerPoint has a lot of features, even a few that help people who are bad at laying out slides do it better.

PowerPoint, for all its glory, has a few weaknesses, and price is a big one. Apple Keynote is an excellent alternative for Mac users, and one that costs a lot less. In fact, it comes preinstalled on new Macs purchased on or after October 1, 2013, meaning most users pay nothing extra for it. If you have an older Mac and do need to buy it, the price is a low one-time fee of $19.99—less than a fifth of the cost of PowerPoint's $109.99.

The Most Innovative Presentation App

PowerPoint and Keynote are slideshow apps, and some people find that format inherently limiting. They pigeonhole you, the argument goes, into thinking about the information you have to present in a linear way. In fact, many people can't imagine a presentation that isn't a linear slideshow. But that's not your only choice.

The best alternative for getting you thinking differently is Prezi, another Editors' Choice among presentation apps. It's by far the most innovative presentation tool. Prezi is a cloud-based service that completely ditches the idea of sequential slides. Instead, what you create with Prezi is a giant canvas of ideas and information. You present your work by zooming in and out on different areas of the canvas, as if directing a camera. The effect is surprisingly dynamic and engaging, and its price is reasonable, at $10 per month.

Prezi also doubles as a collaborative brainstorming space. One alternative use for this app is to have multiple people share their ideas in real time on the canvas. Whether the final results ever have to be shown to anyone else is entirely up to you.

Another app that throws slide decks to the wind is PowToon. Instead of slides, you create animated scenes so that the final product looks more like a video than a standard presentation. You don't have to have any high-tech animation skills to use it, though you do need deep pockets, as it is expensive, at $89 per month. There's a free version, but it's very limited.

The Best Free Presentation App

While PowerPoint has a limited free version and Keynote is often free for Mac owners, there's a free presentation app that I like perhaps even more: Google Slides. Google Slides, a third of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides suite of office apps (which is in turn part of Google Drive (Try it Free at Google Store) ), is free for anyone with a Google account. It's only available as a Web app, but it's stable and quick, nonetheless. One feature I especially like in Google Slides is the ability to generate a link where audience members can submit questions to a presenter in real-time. It adds a wonderful interactive component to your pitches.

Best Collaborative Presentation App

The aforementioned Google Slides is only available as a Web app, and, partly for that reason, it handles collaboration better than other presentation apps. Because your Google Slides presentations are always saved to Google Drive by default, they're always available to share. That's not the case with PowerPoint and Keynote, two apps that also support collaboration (Keynote's collaborative features are in beta as of this writing). With those apps, you have to make sure you take the extra step to save your presentation to a cloud storage space, such as Microsoft OneDrive ($5.00 Per User Per Month at Microsoft 365 Business) or Apple iCloud Drive ($9.99 - Try DropBox, Rated Excellent at Dropbox) , for the collaborative features to work. It can get confusing if you've been saving the file locally with the desktop app and now have to make a copy to share.

Collaboration in Google Slides works the same as it does in other G Suite apps. The familiar interface is there. When two or more people simultaneously edit a file, you'll see your collaborators' cursors on screen, color-coded to their name and picture (or initials) in the upper right corner. Prezi is also one of the best presentation apps for collaboration, largely because it mimics the G Suite implementation and design.

PowerPoint and Beyond

Presentation apps are a critical piece of any office suite , and there's a good chance that most anyone who needs to convey information to a group of people—whether it's other employees, potential customers or clients, a university class, or any other group of people—will need to give the occasional presentation. Whether you love standing up and giving a live talk, or you'd prefer to let people consume your prerecorded wisdom via the internet, there's a tool for you. There's no denying that PowerPoint is the king of the hill, but that doesn't mean it's your only choice.

Check out the table above, read the capsule reviews below and click through to the full reviews to learn more about your choices for presentation apps. Do you have a strong opinion about one of the apps listed here (or one that we missed)? Let us know in the comments.

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• Top Free Software Picks: Presentation Software

About Jill Duffy

I've been contributing to PCMag since 2011 and am currently the deputy managing editor for the software team. My column, Get Organized , has been running on PCMag since 2012. It gives advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, email, and other technology that can make you feel like you're going to have a panic attack.

My latest book is The Everything Guide to Remote Work , which goes into great detail about a subject that I've been covering as a writer and participating in personally since well before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

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On average a presentation takes up to 20 minutes and experts say we make an impression within the first 30 seconds. That is why it’s important to “dress” our great product/idea with an equally exciting design. Most often, presentations are cooked up by non-designers, which creates a specific need – for powerful presentation software, which can help communicate a message beautifully, effectively, and to suit any user’s skill level. We hand-picked 15 of the best presentation software for 2021 , which will help you create presentations online, share them, while shining in your best light. In the meanwhile, check out some useful ideas tips to spice up your presentations .

A web-based presentation tool, which means you can access your presentations wherever you are, with an internet connection. It is known for its animations, cartoons, and infographics, which help the user to create more interactive presentations and explainer-style videos.

Example by Focusky

Best Features:  Very interactive; you can create a unique to your story by combining different “frames” (slides); create your own animations within the presentation Price:  Free, but heavily subscription-based Learning curve:  Very intuitive, nicely organized by categories, but it would require some time to learn the animation controls Available for:  Online Perfect for: Marketing and education

To summarize, this presentation tool is best for marketers and education, where the creator can get the most out of the cool animation and cartoons available. In the last years, there is an increased interest in Powtoon and RenderForest and we expect that more and more people will use them in 2021. No surprise – if you look at our article about Graphic Design Trends in 2022 , everything is moving towards animation, cool 3D-s, cartoons, and illustrations – and these are all things that this software can offer for your presentation.

Prezi is an online presentation software, which resembles a mind map. In comparison, PowerPoint offers a linear way of presenting, whereas Prezi allows you to better show relationships between different elements of your presentation, show details, zoom in and zoom out and show an overall view of your topic. Compared to PowerPoint is more interactive, but with fewer functionalities and a choice of templates.

Example by PreziBase

Best Features:  Interactive presentations and interesting transitions, zoom in/out details Price:  The very basic features are free, but most of the interesting ones are paid, starting from $3/month and reaching up to $59/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  it requires learning and going through a lot of menus and functionalities, similar to PowerPoint Available for:  Online / Limited use for iOS and Android (only viewing, not creating and editing) Perfect for: teachers, businesses, more experienced designers, and specific presentations needs, but not recommended for newbies

Prezi is best in showing relationships between different parts of your presentations. There are some challenges in editing, and viewing across devices and its best features are paid for. We recommend it for quick, mind-map-like presentations without the need for ultra-special design.

3. RenderForest Presentation Maker

RenderForest is an online presentation tool, which is famous for its explainer style and whiteboard animations. The presentation templates often offer various motion/video backgrounds, which helps to grab your audience’s attention. Currently, the company is working on releasing its Graphic Design Software, which will allow users to create printables and beautiful designs for social media. This shows that RenderForest’s team knows the market well and does its best to cater to its needs!

Example by Renderforest

Best Features:  Video holders with text on shapes, cool transitions Price:  There is a free version, the paid ones start at $20.34 per user/month Learning curve:  Relatively easy to use, the simple interface helps the user Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  Education and business

Although not one of the cheapest solutions, it allows you to create engaging and interactive presentations with lots of cool animations. That makes RenderForest a great choice for more educational and marketing explainer-type videos/presentations.

4. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a very interesting online presentation software. It allows your audience to engage with your presentation in real-time and you can create polls, ask questions, which are then displayed to your presentation. The answers from the audience remain anonymous so people are even more encouraged to participate.

Example by Mentimeter

Best Features:  Launch live, interactive polls, surveys, quizzes and create things like word clouds in real-time Price:  It has a free version, but the paid plans offer most of the attractive features – the basic plan costs $9.99 per user/month and the more advanced plan is $24.99 per user/month Learning curve:  Easy to use; might need to explain to a less tech-savvy audience how to connect to your presentation Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  Educators, speakers, business and competitions

An excellent choice for educators, speakers, and businesses who want to engage the audience in real-time and display the results immediately. Clean, simple designs, that help you focus on the content.

5. Libre Office Impress

Libre Office is free presentation software, an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. As you can expect from a free product, it offers only the main features of its “big brother”, but it’s a good solution for people used to Microsoft’s productivity suite. The interface is very similar to PowerPoint, which again makes it comfortable to use for a certain audience. Users who need collaboration on presentations, clean interface, and more creative design solutions should steer away from this free presentation software because it will simply not cover their needs.

Example by Theodoros Bousios

Best Features:  Free, compatible with older versions (Windows XP for example) Price:  Free Learning curve:  It will take some time to go through all the options and to get familiar with the interface; Available for:  Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS. Perfect for:  people who want to use a free product and people with older operation systems

To summarize, Libre is free, compatible with older versions, it can cover your basic needs for a presentation, but the options are too many and available templates too little.

6. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is also an online presentation software, which has a very friendly user interface and great collaboration features. There are many functionalities, which help you create a beautiful design, but require some time and design knowledge to get it right. The premade templates are limited and this presentation software needs an internet connection to be able to edit and present.

Image by Zoho

Best Features:  Live broadcasting a presentation with live chat and commenting Price:  Zoho Show is free for personal use. For business users, Zoho Show is included in the Zoho Docs enterprise pricing packages – €5 or €8 per user/month Learning curve: Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  non-profits, start-ups, personal use, teachers

To summarize, Zoho offers great collaboration features, but you need a connection to edit and present. It is suitable for quick, non-pretentious presentations, where you need some kind of collaboration.

7. ClearSlide Presenter

ClearSlide is a sales engagement platform, including an online presentation tool. Another online tool – SlideRocket, was acquired by ClearSlide and one of the differences is that ClearSlide is more costly and targeted at larger businesses. It’s a great platform for very specific needs – collaborating between sales and marketing teams, to achieve the company’s goals. It’s clear even by the interface:

Image by ClearSlide

Best Features: Analytics for costumers’ engagement, video conferencing, screen sharing Price:  They offer a free trial and you can see more about the payment plans here. Learning curve:  Clear and simple interface, but it requires some time to get used to the tools Available for:  Online Perfect for: Sales/business, managers (for coaching); not suitable for newbies, teachers, students

To summarize, ClearSide is perfect for presenting sales pitch , graphics, collaborate in larger teams. It is somehow restrictive for a non-designer because the templates are specific.

8. Piktochart

Piktochart allows you to make infographics, presentations, and printables quickly. Primarily known for its easy customizable infographics, Piktochart also has simple presentation templates and the company is constantly trying to update its library.

Example by Piktochart Knowledge Base

Best Features:  Turning data-heavy content into simple visuals; nice transitions between slides Price:  There is a free version and a paid one, starting at $29 per user/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  It requires time to get used to the options available and to navigate through Available for:  Online Perfect for:  Designers, teachers; it does not offer collaboration options, which might be needed by teams, students, etc.

Compared to other online presentation software is a bit costly and we could still ask a bit more from the presentation templates. We’d recommend it to someone who often uses infographics and wants to use a single platform to combine the infographics with a presentation. But why not check our free infographics as well?

Slides is online presentation software, initially aimed at developers and covering their presentation needs. Thus said, it does not offer offline editing, but you can present offline, after exporting your presentation.

Best Features:  It allows you to use your phone as a remote control; Live Present Mode allows you to control what your audience sees; drop in code, iframes, and SVGs with ease. Price:  Free, with paid plans starting at $7.00/month and $14-$18/month for pro and team packages. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  friendly interface, but too many functions and options, which might overwhelm the average user and beginner Available for: Online Perfect for:  developers, designers, a little bit too specific for newbies

To summarize, it’s a very cool tool, giving you complete design freedom, but that is also why we do not recommend it to teachers, non-designers, or marketers. Developers and design gurus will love it.

Canva is a web-based solution that started with a mission – to make beautiful designed content available to everyone. The whole platform is organized so that a person without any prior design knowledge can easily create graphs, images, and presentations to impress. Although it is not the best tool for data visualization, it scores high in any other category. Needless to say, it has become a popular choice amongst non-designers.

Image by Iconfinder

Best Features:  Plenty of beautiful templates to choose from and Canva school has plenty of tutorials and tips for free. It offers more free functionalities compared to other competitors. Price:  Free, the offer different subscription plans, starting at $9.95 per user/month Learning curve:  Very easy to use, most of the actions can be performed by drag-and-drop Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  newbies, marketers (who need a unified look across all their social media), non-profits, and teachers

Canva is becoming one of the most popular tools amongst non-designers for creating beautiful unified content. You can create entire presentations, flyers, and other materials with a single drag and drop.

11. Slidebean

Slidebean is the go-to online presentation software for last-minute projects, that look original and professional. Slidebean offers clean and easy-to-use templates and keeps track of your audience’s engagement.

Source Slidebean

Best Features:  It allows you to arrange your content with the help of AI, which saves time creating a beautiful layout. You just pick a template, upload content, and let the AI offer you a nice layout. Premade animations, effects, and alignments are automatically applied to your content and create a cohesive look. Price:  Free, paid versions starting from $8/month Learning curve:  very easy to use since everything is made to fit the premade templates Available for:  Windows / Mac / Android / iOS Perfect for:  financial, academic, pitch, marketing, sales; everything quick with a clear structure

To summarize, if you are in a hurry, Slidebean will offer several layouts for your slides and speed up the process of creation. The platform targets primarily sales, marketing, and financial fields, and the available templates reflect that.

12. Google Slides

Google Slides is part of the G Suite business application. Its popularity has increased in the last years since it’s a web-based platform, allowing you to store, edit, and share your presentation, without the need of installing presentation software on your computer. All you need is a Google account and you are good to go.

Image by G Suite Updates blog

Best Features:  It’s free for personal use, and offers great paid features for business – for example, seamless collaboration and commenting on a presentation, converting other presentations to Google Slides. Some other great features are the wide variety of fonts available (GoogleFonts, not need installing), easy embedding, plus it’s super intuitive and easy to use! Price:   It’s free for individual use. For business use, the price starts at $5/user/month and plans of $10 and $25/user/month, for unlimited cloud storage and extra features Learning curve:  Simple interface, but it will require some time to pick up. Similar to PowerPoint, only a bit lighter. Available for:  Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for:  businesses, freelancers, who need a user-friendly app with elementary features; great for collaborating teams, not so perfect for complex designs and tools, required by big enterprises

Perfect for personal use, well synchronized across different devices, similar to PowerPoint. Maybe you are a teacher and you like GoogleSlides because it is free and easy to use? Well, we’ve gathered some awesome FREE GoogleSlides and PowerPoint templates , specially made for education needs.

If you need something along the lines of PowerPoint but need the option for collaboration – a paid plan for GoogleSlides is your go-to choice.

13. Keynote

Keynote is an Apple product, very similar to Google Slides. All you need to do is create an iCloud account (similar to a Google account) and start using Keynote from there. Running Keynote on Windows also requires an internet connection and a modern browser. The latest version can also import and export PowerPoint formats if needed. All this sends Keynote higher in the list regarding the accessibility and shareability of this presentation software.

Image by Envato tuts+

Best Features:  Simplicity of design, great drag and drop functions, polished transitions and animations, easy image editing/cropping; works great with multimedia; design templates with better aesthetic than an average slide deck; Price:  Free for macOS and iOS Learning curve:  Pretty easy to use for Mac users, a bit of learning curve for users, having experience with other software. Available for:  Mac / Windows / Online Perfect for:  businesses, marketers, people with not much of a design experience

Bottom line, if you are a Mac user, you love the sleek design and you are looking for cool aesthetics – Keynote is simple to use and free, why not use it?

14. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a web and mobile-based media creation application, which helps you create social graphics, short videos, and web pages. What is immediately noticeable is the clean, crisp, simple, and modern designs, which focus you on the content. If you are looking for a funky, ornate design – Adobe Spark is not the right pick for you.

Example by Cikeys

Best Features:  Beautiful templates, user-friendly interface, step-by-step creation, you can add audio to your slides (narrating) Price:  There is a free version, the paid on starts at $9.79. The best templates, as with the competitors, are paid. They do not offer a free trial. Learning curve:  Easy to use Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  quick presentations, teachers, basic presentations without jamming them with too much cool stuff.

Adobe Spark eliminates the cluster of design options and leads you step-by-step in creating elegant, simple presentations. Ideal for basic presentations, not the best for sales and marketing.

15. PowerPoint

PowerPoint certainly is a “classic” – it’s has been the most popular tool for creating presentations so far. What first started as a component of the Microsoft Office suite, now has improved shareability and accessibility. It can be used on the web (as part of Office on the web), works with Android, and iOS, and there is a Mobile app, as well as presentation software for mac.

Example by Abris DC

Best Features:  Many people are familiar with the software, a wide variety of templates; improved accessibility across platforms; extensive tools and options Price: If you want to enjoy the full features of PowerPoint, you’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 – they have payment plans for personal or business use. The price for personal use starts at $5.99/month or $59.99/year, and business plans start at $12.50 per user/month with an annual commitment. You can find more information here . The mobile applications are completely free to use, of course with some limitations. You can compare the available features across different platforms  here. Learning curve: Due to the variety of options and the complexity of the menus, it might take some time to master all of its features. Something that could take a lot of time is editing the text, arranging the visuals, and picking the right transitions – overall, is time-consuming. Still, the interface remained easy to navigate over time and if you trust your design sense, you can achieve satisfying results. Available for: Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for: business, medical, accounting and students; creating concise presentations; but not so suitable for teachers, educators, start-ups and marketers who want to create more interactive and story-based presentations.

To this date, PowerPoint is keeping the lead as the most popular tool for creating presentations. Some of the downsides are that sometimes it can be time-consuming to come up with a good design and PP doesn’t offer collaboration tools and compared to other platforms. But we have a solution for at least one of your problems – we’ve selected 31 Modern PowerPoint templates to set the right tone for your presentation. 

We made a quick summary for you…

Ok, not that we’ve looked at the 15 best presentation software for 2021, we decided to go one step further and compare them by price and popularity. Let’s have a look first at the new-comers:

As you can see, the leaders from the uprising platforms are Canva and Mentimeter, with relatively low prices and with huge success amongst users . Powtoon, Piktochart, and Renderforest are a bit costly , but they are popular since they offer a lot of animation and interactive elements. Hey, but maybe some of the other tools are right for you? We encourage you to go on their websites, contact their support team, and see what they have to offer.

Then, let’s see how the veterans are ranking:

It’s no surprise that PowerPoint and Google Slides are at the top – people are used to their products, have familiar interfaces, and offer a lot of functionalities at a good price. Although, for quick, unpretentious results, their competitors are a very attractive solution.

Final words

We can conclude that there are many useful tools to help you create beautiful presentations. Some of them are well-known and have been here for a while, while others are uprising… No matter the case, we notice a trend for presentation tools catering not only to the designers’ needs but also to the newbies, marketers, and teachers. That way, enabling everyone to create stunning presentations in no time and share them easily.

We hope this presentation software list shed some light on different options out there and that we helped you evaluate quickly what would work for your situation best.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

• 12 PowerPoint Presentation Tips To Dramatically Boost Your Efficiency
• 35 Free Google Slides Infographic Templates to Grab Now
• 23 Online Collaboration Tools for Your Remote Team

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Bilyana Nikolaeva

Bilyana is an inspiring content writer and illustrator at GraphicMama with years of experience in art and design. When she’s not busy writing for the blog, you will usually see her working hard on new illustrations and graphic resources.

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• For professionals and small teams looking for better brand management.
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• Discounted plan for students, teachers, and education staff.
• Great causes deserve great pricing. Registered nonprofits pay less.

Presentations

The 11 Best Presentation Software to Use in 2023

The ability to effectively share ideas, illustrate a concept, and convince an audience is invaluable whether you’re a student or a C-level executive. These days, the presentation software you use to create presentations is just as important as your public-speaking skills.

On top of that, most companies have transitioned to remote work recently due to the current coronavirus situation, and now need to share their stories online through a virtual conference room with their distributed teams and external audience members.

That’s why we’ve come up with a list of some of the best presentation software available right now, so you can choose a compatible and innovative presentation maker that includes the best presentation tools to suit your specific needs.

Choose the best presentation software by weighing the pros and cons

You’ll see some of the most popular presentation apps: from free to paid subscription platforms, and slideshow applications to full-blown visual design presentation software with interactive features and more.

Each presentation software has its pros and cons, so it’s up to you to figure out which suits your needs best; consider the software learning curve, whether your company is made up of Mac users or Windows users and the software compatibility, if you need an enterprise account or free account, etc.

Let’s dive in!

1. Piktochart

Piktochart is a presentation software that can create a variety of design visuals, from infographics to social media stories.

An area in which Piktochart shines is crafting unique presentations. 

On Piktochart, users can choose from a wide range of professionally-designed presentation templates .

These custom templates include everything from monthly marketing reports to employee onboarding templates.

This broad selection of customizable templates is especially useful for those who don’t have much design experience or know-how but need to create a visually stunning unique presentation in a pinch. 

Piktochart’s presentation maker also makes it easy to edit presentations and include design elements such as lists, timelines, comparisons, graphs, and different types of charts through drag-and-drop tools.

You can even make visual maps and interactive charts to keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation. 

And if your company uses a Piktochart TEAM plan , you can enjoy the platform’s ability to store brand assets , color schemes, and bespoke templates. Here, replicating company-branded visuals is a breeze. 

Piktochart comes with a free version but with certain limitations. Active visuals are capped at five per month and published visuals have a Piktochart watermark.

If you want features such as team template collaboration, project sharing, and annotated commenting, you’ll have to get a Team account. To sum it up:

• Lots of professionally-designed templates 
• Good for both design professionals and non-professionals 
• Easy to store brand assets and bespoke templates for future presentations
• Access presentation tools from anywhere via a web browser
• Free presentation app version available
• Might take some getting used to if you’re used to PowerPoint presentations

Present and collaborate with ease using Piktochart’s presentation templates.

You don’t have to worry about how your presentation will look like. Piktochart’s easy-to-edit templates will take care of the visual aspect for you.

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is often the first presentation software that comes to mind.

Once considered the “O.G.” and best presentation software available, it is still widely used and has a familiar interface—which means most users are comfortable with it. 

This presentation app has everything you need to create a presentation: from animated transitions for interactive presentations to pre-installed fonts and graphic elements.

Users can also upload their own fonts, graphics, and images into their finished presentation.

Lastly, it’s available as part of the Microsoft Office software package; and you can work on your presentations via the web and mobile devices, for offline viewing as well as online. 

However, PowerPoint is no longer considered the best presentation software, as it has very few templates to choose from, and these tend to fall quite flat compared to modern apps and software.

It’s easy to fall back into boring slideshow PowerPoint files if you don’t know what you’re doing.

And because most people use PowerPoint, you’re likely using the same template as the next guy. 

As standalone presentation software, PowerPoint is pricey at US$139.99—and accessible through only one device unless you upgrade your package.

And while PowerPoint is primarily a slideshow application and presentation maker, its strengths are limited to this category. 

So if you’re looking for the best presentation software, and bang for your buck for a robust presentation tool, you might want to look elsewhere. 

• Market leader in slideshow applications to create slides
• Widely used and familiar interface for the presentation process
• Reliable and usable on most devices as well as being a desktop app
• Flat templates
• Limitations with its standalone-presentation software price

3. Google Slides

Google Slides is a slideshow application that is very similar to PowerPoint.  But there are three main differences: it’s fully online (while also allowing for offline viewing), collaborative, and free. 

The great thing about Google Slides (besides the fact that it’s completely free for anyone with a Google account) is that you can log on via your browser or through its official app. 

You can access all Google Slides presentations from any device (mobile, tablet, and desktop), and share them with other people so you can collaborate in real-time. 

Google Drive allows all your presentations to live on the cloud, accessible to all marketing and sales teams, with unparalleled ease of use.

And there’s no need to worry about disruptions as all changes are saved as they happen, as long as you have an active internet connection. 

Additionally, anyone familiar with PowerPoint will be comfortable using Google’s iteration and likely be delighted by Google Drive and the slide library available. 

It’s also a lot simpler, so even those new to presentation-making will find it easy to navigate. 

However, some might find Google Slides too simple as it lacks the wealth of features available on PowerPoint. 

These include embedding videos from sources other than YouTube, plus adding audio tracks and sound effects, limiting the ability to create unique interactive presentations. 

Some users also encounter issues with downloading and exporting to different formats, including PowerPoint. 

Some slides may even turn out completely different from the original version. 

All in all, Google Slides is a great option for those who are looking for a free application and only need to create simple presentations. 

• The free plan supports professional presentations
• Web-based and collaborative to create presentations
• Simple and familiar interface for an online presentation software
• Too simple for advanced presentation making
• Difficult to export to other formats
• Limited templates and customization options for interactive content

You could say Keynote is Apple’s version of PowerPoint. It’s also a slideshow application—but in typical Apple fashion, it comes with a sleek, minimalist interface and is considered one of the best presentation apps on the market. 

There are 30 different themes to choose from, which serve as templates for those who need a quick fix. And it can do most of what PowerPoint can. 

Keynote’s main perk is that it’s part of the Apple ecosystem. 

That means it has built-in iCloud and Apple Watch support so users can control their presentation from their mobile device or even their wrists with just a click. 

This presentation app comes pre-installed on most Mac devices. Otherwise, you can purchase it from the Apple store for just US$9.99 for mobile and US$19.99 for OS X. 

The big downside is that Keynote is exclusive to Mac OS. 

Non-Apple users can create, upload, and sync their own Keynote presentations through their iCloud Drive, but this presentation app is only truly helpful only for those who use multiple Apple devices. 

And if you’re used to working on PowerPoint, you might find Keynote a bit confusing in the beginning, especially when editing presentations. 

• Sleek, minimalist interface 
• Free with most Apple devices
• No access for PC and Android devices except through iCloud

5. SlideDog

Sliding away from straightforward slideshow applications and other presentation apps, SlideDog is a web-based multimedia presentation tool that lets users combine different types of media to create and edit presentations. 

This includes everything from PowerPoint decks to videos and even PDFs that can all be played side by side without any awkward transitions. 

It’s also extremely easy to customize a SlideDog presentation. 

You just need to upload the files into the SlideDog web browser application, and then drag and drop them according to the order in which you want them to play. 

You can control your presentations and playlists from another device, and audience members can view your slideshow on their devices by clicking a link. 

SlideDog has a free presentation app version that provides all of the basic features. 

However, live sharing and premium support are only available with a Pro account that costs US$99 per year, and not via the free version alone.

While SlideDog is technically considered presentation software, you can’t actually create presentations on it. 

You can simply stitch together different pre-made presentations in various formats into what is essentially a playlist. 

Lastly, SlideDog supports only Windows devices, so Apple and Linux users can’t use it. 

• Supports a lot of different media
• Provides live-sharing
• More dynamic compared to the usual slideshow presentation
• Only collates media; doesn’t create them

6. Haiku Deck 

Ever come across presentations with size-eight fonts and blocks of indecipherable paragraphs on each slide? 

You can avoid such an unfortunate scenario with Haiku Deck. 

HaikuDeck is a web and mobile application that favors images over text. 

It works by limiting the number of words users can put on each slide, and allowing them to search for images on their platform related to the slide’s main idea. 

This makes it ideal for those who want to simplify their thoughts and let the images do all the talking. 

Users have over 40 million royalty-free photos to choose from, plus dozens of simple slide layouts on the platform itself. 

While this certainly simplifies the process of creating a visually rich presentation, it can be limiting for those who need to include more information into their slides. 

It’s a great option for someone giving a TED Talk, for example.

But for others who need to pass on more facts and figures, having a built-in word limit might be too restrictive.  

• Simple and easy to use 
• Access to millions of royalty-free stock images
• May be too simple for some
• No Android support
• Limited features

7. Prezi Business

Among the other presentation software on this list, Prezi Business might be one of the most unique presentation tools. 

Rather than offering a regular slideshow format, Prezi looks more like a 3D interactive mind map where viewers jump dynamically from one idea to the next. 

You can zoom in on one “slide” and then zoom out for the next. 

Prezi has over 100 templates to choose from and comes with a very simple interface and a drag-and-drop style of editing. 

It’s compatible with both Mac and PC desktops as well as smartphones. 

It’s also similar to a regular PowerPoint deck in that you can jump back and forth from one “slide” to the next. 

And like SlideDog, you can send viewers the link to the presentation as you’re presenting. 

Also, up to 10 people can work on a Prezi presentation at the same time, one of its main selling points. 

This is great for collaboration, but having so many hands-on deck at once can get messy. 

• Dynamic and immersive presentations
• Highly visual
• Easy to use
• May not be appropriate for all types of presentations

In a world of slides and presentations, standing out is the key. Ludus brings the flair of graphic design into the world of presentations.

At its core, Ludus is the bridge between presentation tools and design software. It enables users to infuse their slides with the kind of design elements you’d typically find in advanced design platforms.

Not only can you import assets from design giants like Adobe, but its seamless integration with tools like Unsplash and Giphy makes sourcing visuals a breeze.

It’s a fairly affordable tool for all its features compared to the other paid options in this list, as users pay 12.49 euros monthly (if billed annually).

However, while Ludus’ robust design capabilities can elevate the look of your presentation, those unfamiliar with design tools might find there’s a learning curve.

• Merges presentation creation with advanced design tools.
• Seamless integration with popular design platforms and visual databases.
• Offers a unique edge in presentation aesthetics.
• Might be a tad overwhelming for non-designers
• Can have a steeper learning curve for those used to more straightforward platforms

9. Slidebean

Crafting a compelling presentation demands not only compelling content but also a design that can captivate your audience. Enter Slidebean.

Slidebean offers an intelligent design solution, using AI to transform raw content into professionally styled presentations. This platform streamlines the design process, allowing you to focus on the message rather than fretting over aesthetics.

The basic plan is free and allows you to create a presentation. But if you want to share or download your presentations, as well as unlock the full suite of features, you’ll need to sign up for the All-Access plan priced at $199 per year.

While it provides a quick and efficient method to produce polished slides, it also offers features for sharing, collaboration, and viewer analytics, adding an edge to your presentation strategy.

However, for professionals who prioritize granular design control, the automated design might feel limiting at times.

• AI-driven design ensures visually appealing presentations.
• Features for collaboration and viewer insights.
• Efficient design process reduces time and effort.
• Might not offer the detailed design customization some users desire.
• Automated choices may not always align with specific branding or style preferences.

10. ClearSlide

Having great visuals to drive your point home can be the difference between getting a sale across the line or customers walking away. ClearSlide stands out in this area as a presentation tool for businesses laser-focused on boosting their sales and marketing game.

At its core, ClearSlide is all about leveling up business presentations. Whether you’re marketing a new product or tracking client engagement, it’s got tools that cater to every need.

Whether it’s a PowerPoint, a PDF, or something from Google Drive or Dropbox, ClearSlide makes it simple to upload and work with these files.

The unique edge? ClearSlide’s virtual meeting space pops open with just a click. It’s all about seamless, professional presentations without the hassle.

Beyond just slides, the platform dives deep into metrics and analytics, ensuring every presentation is backed by data-driven insights. And the tool is available for $35 per month, which isn’t too pricey for medium-sized businesses.

However, its complexity isn’t for everyone. For some, the variety of features might seem a tad overwhelming, and its focus on metrics might be a bit much for those just wanting a basic presentation tool.

• Seamless virtual meetings and presentations
• Integrates with popular platforms
• Offers insightful analytics for sales and marketing
• Might feel complex for some users
• Limited transition and design effects
• Mobile experience could be better

Stepping into the world of animation, Vyond, once known as GoAnimate, allows users to turn their narratives into professional animated videos. For those looking to elevate their content without diving deep into animation complexities, Vyond can be the go-to tool.

This platform is more than just drag-and-drop animations. It integrates AI capabilities with Vyond Go, which transforms text prompts into rough-cut videos.

Fancy a quick draft for your upcoming project? This AI assistant is up for the task. And if perfection is your game, take it to Vyond Studio, filled with an array of characters, templates, and backgrounds.

The Essential Plan at $25 per month is suitable for individuals on a budget. However, if you want to export videos at 1080p and above, have collaboration tools, or different export options, you’ll need to sign up for the Professional Plan at $92 per month.

As robust as the tool is, there are still some kinks to iron out. AI voiceovers might still need some tweaks, and detailed color customizations can be a bit tricky, but the tool’s strengths, especially for businesses, are undeniable.

• Hassle-free video creation for beginners to experts
• Generous library of pre-made assets
• AI-powered video and script creation with Vyond Go
• AI voiceovers might feel a bit robotic
• Some customization limitations for specific props and scenes

The best presentation software is…

 …completely up to you! 

When it comes to presentation software, the world is your oyster. 

Each of these tools either has a free or trial version for you to check out, so you don’t have to commit just yet. 

When it’s time to choose, consider the following aspects to find the right presentation software for you: 

• Ease of use. Is it easy for you to understand or will it require lots of training before you can start creating presentations? 
• Accessibility. Can you access your presentation software from any device or are you limited to carrying your laptop to every presentation? 
• Real-time collaboration. Can multiple people work on the same project or do you have to keep downloading and emailing drafts? 
• Create design tools. Can you create presentations with dynamic design elements or are you stuck with the same kind of slide each time? 
• Template availability. Is this tool only accessible to a design professional or can anyone create stunning presentations through pre-designed and updated templates? 

Piktochart , for example, would be a fantastic presentation software choice among the long list of PowerPoint alternatives for teams looking for a variety of eye-catching designs without requiring much technical know-how. Meanwhile, Microsoft PowerPoint might be the best presentation software for those who are just looking to play it safe. 

Hopefully, this best presentation software list sheds some light on the tools at your disposal. Choose wisely! 

Collaborate on presentations, reports, and more with Piktochart.

Watch this free demo to learn how your team can collaborate on visual content projects more effectively with Piktochart.

Robin Geuens is a writer turned SEO specialist. When he's not wondering what Google is up to next he's either reading, taking courses, playing video games, or wondering where to travel to next.

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8 Best Presentation Software Tools (Free and Paid) in 2023

Designing a presentation that’s engaging, informative, and aesthetically pleasing is challenging. If you’re a non-designer, you may find it even tougher to put together a visual slide deck using presentation software.

You’re not the only one either–– 45% of presenters find it difficult to design creative layouts for their presentations. But with intuitive templates, user-friendly interfaces, and effective collaboration, the whole creation process becomes easier.

To help you create effective presentations, we’ve made a list of the best presentation software available now.

What makes great presentation software?

Downloadable or cloud-based. Presentation software is no longer limited to downloadable desktop programs–today, many software options are available via your web browser. Whether you want to work offline or prefer to back your presentations up on the cloud, there are multiple options.

User-friendly. It can be easy to get caught up in all the creative possibilities of a software’s advanced features. Really, though, you need a software solution that will create professional-looking presentations and be easy for your team to use. Think about how tech-savvy the users are and which features will be most useful to them.

Device compatibility. Depending on where you’re giving your presentation, you may want the option of presenting from a tablet or mobile device. Some presentation software come with mobile-compatible apps too––enabling you to make edits on the go.

Content asset library. Top-quality images and graphics help ensure your presentation looks sharp and professional. Today, many presentation software tools come with stock image and video channel integrations to make it easier to include engaging visuals. After all, no one wants to see endless slides of black and white text.

Slideware vs. canvas-based. Conventional presentations usually follow a linear slide-by-slide presentation format. Increasingly though, presentation software tools are providing non-linear canvas-based presentation options which enable users to fly around a modular digital map. With canvas-based presentations, users are free to switch between topics without having to follow a set one-way route.

8 best presentation software options

1. zoho show.

Zoho Show is a cloud-based software that is part of Zoho’s office CRM suite. This is a top option if you’re looking for strong team collaboration features, easy-to-use design features, and robust formatting tools.

Its clean user interface is simple to navigate—making it easier to focus on building your presentation. Choose from 100+ presentation templates and quickly insert tables, charts, images, and text boxes.

Top features:

• Integrations enable users to add videos via YouTube and audio via Soundcloud
• Reach a wider audience by publishing slides online, sharing the link on social media, and embedding presentations on your site as an Lframe
• Collaboration features enable team member tagging using “@” and contextual commenting

Limitations:

• You can only create presentations from a computer—there’s currently no option to build presentations from other devices
• Custom branding is only available with the top paid plan

Pricing: Zoho Show is free for individuals. For access to Zoho CRM’s full suite of tools, the Standard plan is $20/user/month.

Best for: Startups who want to use Zoho’s suite of tools for team collaboration.

New kid on the block, presentation software Prezi , has turned traditional (and sometimes dull) work presentations on their head. Instead of typical slide-based presentations, Prezi pioneers conversational presentations by giving users a single giant canvas.

Within the canvas, you can add blocks of images or text and even create mini slides. While presenting, users can fly around different sections of the canvas and zoom in to look at specific pieces of content in more detail.

• Show your content alongside a live or recorded video of you presenting, an effective way of maintaining a personal connection during meetings
• Choose from a library of hundreds of customizable presentation templates including quarterly business reviews, daily standup meetings, and portfolio templates
• Integrate with other work apps like Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom for easier sharing and presenting of Prezi projects between team members
• Charts and graphs aren’t totally customizable or editable for a more personalized appearance
• With the free or lower-tiered versions, your presentations depend on the internet to be viewed
• The zooming in and out movements can be confusing for users who aren’t familiar with Prezi presentations

Pricing: The Free plan enables users to create and share up to five presentations online. The Plus plan is $15/month and allows unlimited projects and offline access.

Best for: Startup founders and digital creators looking for an original style of presenting that doesn’t follow the conventional slide-by-slide methods.

You may already be familiar with Canva as a social media graphics design tool. But you might not know that you can also create visually pleasing presentation slides.

Canva is great for making slick presentations straight from your web browser. The presentation software comes with a few free customizable layouts to help you get going quickly. Alternatively, you can create your own template from scratch.

• Search a library of thousands of free images to include in your presentation
• Include different content elements like logos, grids, charts, graphics, shapes, and icons
• Invite team members to collaborate on your presentation online or share your finished version
• You can’t import presentations from PowerPoint or export presentations in a PowerPoint-editable format
• You can’t simultaneously collaborate with team members on images

Pricing: The Free plan has templates, design types, and images to help you get started. A Pro plan is $12.99/month and provides more images, template storage, and a branding kit.

Best for: Users who want to create a visual presentation quickly and effectively from their web browser.

4. Microsoft PowerPoint

Created in 1987, Microsoft PowerPoint is probably the best-known presentation software on this list. Although many other companies have built more advanced presentation tools, PowerPoint remains popular due to its ease of use, and familiarity.

As the original presentation software, PowerPoint has all the main features you’d expect. Providing a menu of options for animations, transitions, and formatting, along with a library of templates, PowerPoint is suited to advanced users as well as those creating their first presentation.

Initially only available as downloadable software, users can now access Microsoft 365, a cloud-based package of productivity apps including Office 365 programs Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Use Android and IOS apps for building presentations on the go
• Embed files created in other Microsoft Office apps like graphs created in Excel, or any other programs that enable Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
• Extensive animation and transition options help presentations look professional
• Some of PowerPoint’s templates look outdated
• The free version only enables presentation viewing and no editing or collaboration

Pricing: The Microsoft 365 Personal plan is $69.99/year and allows access for one user. A Family plan enables up to 6 users and is $99.99/year.

Best for: Entrepreneurs who aren’t seeking out innovative new tools or features.

5. Google Slides

Part of Google Workspace, Google Slides is another app that’s freely available for both personal and business use. Just as you can create spreadsheets in Sheets or documents in Google Docs, you can create presentations in Slides.

Similar to PowerPoint in layout and features, users of the Microsoft software should be able to find their way around the software and identify the locations of key tools and settings. Like PowerPoint, Slides puts the current slide in the center, with other slides available in a vertical menu on the left side.

Using the horizontal toolbar, users can perform actions like embed videos, insert diagrams, and include animations.

• Up to 100 users (with editing permission) can collaborate on a presentation simultaneously
• A built-in group chat helps you track what everyone is doing
• Play your presentation in presenter mode so you can preview how it will look to your audience
• Exporting and importing between Slides and PowerPoint can cause messy layout changes
• The template selection is limited and basic (although you can import hundreds of others)

Pricing: Google Workspace is free for personal use but if you find yourself needing more logins and storage space, you can upgrade to the Business Starter plan for $6/user/month.

Best for: Entrepreneurs already using Google Workspace who need access to an easy-to-use and effective collaborative presentation software.

6. StoryDoc

Storydoc is an online interactive presentation maker, ideal for sales teams, business owners, and product marketing. Designed as a modern-day business alternative to static slides and PDF presentations, Storydocs are proven to engage more viewers than conventional presentations thanks to an amazing interface and advanced data visualization options.

The software comes with an array of built-in templates for all business use cases from sales decks to pitch decks to business proposals, so that anyone can create a stunning and effective presentation.

• Allows embedding video and social media content, sign-up forms, schedulers, and personalized outbound
• Integrates with major CRMs like Salesforce and Hubspot
• Presentations are designed for any device and look perfect on mobile
• Tracking analytics allow you to see how and when a prospect or an investor interacted with your deck
• Advanced storytelling features and slides
• Use for web only
• Can be pricey for single users

Pricing:  Free trial for the first 14 days after which a starter plan is $40 per seat/month

Best for:  Medium and large sized companies with big sales teams and the daily need for high–performance sales collateral.

7. Slidebean

Slidebean is a top choice for startup founders and entrepreneurs. Their template library features decks made for investor updates, demo day presentations, and sales plans.

Slidebean even has the original pitch deck template Airbnb used to raise their first $600,000 round back in 2009. Entrepreneurs can access this one and others to help build a slide deck to present to investors.

• Track your investors’ slide activity by viewing which slides they saw, how much time they spent on each, and what percentage of the presentation they interacted with
• AI helps you arrange the best possible slide layouts and configurations
• Use presentation templates created by the likes of Doordash and Tesla
• Fewer graphics and shapes available compared to other options like PowerPoint
• Fewer templates available—and most are geared towards startup founders and entrepreneurs

Pricing: Users can access Slidebean for free. But to enable collaboration, exportation, and access to more templates, you’ll need to subscribe to the Starter plan at $8/month.

Best for: Startup founders and entrepreneurs looking to pitch their business to investors.

8. Paste by WeTransfer

Paste is an intuitive and easy-to-use presentation software inspired by the modular compartments of Japanese lunch boxes.

Flexible layouts enable you to change the size of text, insert columns, and reorganize your slide without messing up the rest of the slide’s formatting.

Ever proofread your presentation so much that your eyes hurt? Eye-balling font consistency, text size, and image formatting is time-consuming and boring, to say the least. Paste does a good job of removing this task by automatically adjusting your slides using AI.

Non-designers will love how easy it is to get started, too. Simply drop in all your videos, images, and GIFS—Paste will then arrange them into a well-presented slide.

• Responsive slides put your content in place as you drop it in
• Multi-slide controls enable you to edit multiple slides in one go
• Integrations with stock image library Unsplash, Giphy, Figma, and Google Workspace
• No controls for image appearance settings, like cropping, color, or contrast adjustments
• No way of inserting images and icons outside of the layout Paste provides

Pricing: Create up to three decks with the Free plan. Upgrade to the Pro plan for $12/month to get unlimited decks, real-time collaboration, and 200 GB storage.

Best for: Non-designers who need to quickly create a visually pleasing presentation.

Which is the best presentation software for you?

Don’t automatically default to using PowerPoint as your go-to presentation software. As you can see, there are loads of alternative top-notch presentation software options with innovative features.

The best presentation software for you will depend on your personal skills and business requirements. If you’re a time-strapped solopreneur, opt for presentation software with ready-to-go templates like those from Collidu , Paste, or Slidebean.

If you work as part of a team, choose Google Slides or Zoho Show for their collaboration features.

Test out a few of the options above and remember to check out the AppSumo store for all the latest software deals. We have several deals for presentation software and templates for creating an engaging presentation.

Top 10 Free Presentation Software for 2022

April 26, 2022

by Alexandra Vazquez

In this post

• Renderforest
• Beautiful.ai
• Personify Presenter

Let me just go ahead and shaaaaare myyyy screeeeen… 

Ok great. Can everyone see this? Today, I’ll be presenting about the best free presentation software for 2022. 

We’ve all been there: struggling to put together the perfect slides for a really important meeting or school project. Bringing a visual aid to the table is necessary to keep your audience engaged. 

But finding the right place to build your presentation is challenging. Are there templates? Are there customization tools? How much is this going to cost me? 

You can use presentation software to create interactive slide decks to elevate your message. Presentation software allows users to build dynamic slides , stay brand consistent, and utilize other forms of media like images and videos. These presentations can be made even more interactive when integrated with audience response systems to construct live polls and quizzes and video conferencing software to make everything digitally seamless. 

Free trials and free basic plans make upgrading your presentations a little easier on the bank. You can start building virtual presentations, adding immersive elements like animations and live participation tools, and collecting audience analytics – without spending a dime. 

What are the best free presentation software solutions for 2022?

• DocSend 
• Powtoon 
• Vyond 
• Personify Presenter 

Best free presentation solutions

Whether you're creating an instructional onboarding deck or showing off your latest metrics in a team meeting, there is a free presentation solution to fit your needs and wants.

The list below contains real user reviews from the best presentation software category. It’s important to note that in the context of this list, vendors that offer a free trial are also considered to be free . 

To be included in this category, a software must:

• Provide tools for building presentation slides
• Offer slide templates and themes
• Utilize unique slide animations and transitions
• Allow for users to embed text, audio, images, and videos within the presentation

*This data was pulled from G2 on April 4, 2022. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity. 

DocSend by Dropbox helps companies create and maintain presentations and other important documents. DocSend’s free trial allows users to increase file security, share content within their organization, and track link analytics. 

What users like:

"DocSend is simply a better way to share content with prospective clients, from documents and presentations to video clips and proposals. Prospective clients like the organized access to relevant content. It's quickly become a critical resource for us.”

What users dislike:

“Once you erase a version, you lose all the insights on it. It would be better to have a deposit of everyone reviewing the deck or document and improved version management.”

2. Renderforest

Renderforest is an all-in-one platform that brings presentations to life with graphics, videos, and animations. A free Renderforest plan allows for unlimited mockups, access to over 200,000 stock videos, and free subdomains. 

“Renderforest is one of the best online video software for any of my video projects. Whether it’s an animation, intro project, corporate presentation, or slideshow, Renderforest gives you user-friendly templates that are customizable, and the final product is very professionally done. Since using this platform, the amount of commendation that my projects have received is overwhelming.”

- Renderforest Review , Sherdon F.

“I would like to see more templates and more flexibility in Renderforest.”

Powtoon is a visual communication platform that allows users to animate their presentations. Powtoon offers access to hundreds of presentation templates, brand-consistent slides, and shareable folders with paid options and a free plan.

“The best thing about Powtoon is the user interface. It’s super intuitive and the professionally designed template library is feature-rich with scenes, characters, props, background music, and much more.”

- Powtoon Review , Zuber A.

“The free properties are unique but very limited. It would be great if they added more.”

4. Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai has smart templates to make presentation building a breeze. The Beautiful.ai paid plan options include onboarding guides, collaborative workspaces, viewer analytics, and more. Their free trial lets users get a taste of everything they offer.

“Beautiful.ai makes creating presentations easy. Just finished your slide and want to add another point? Not a problem: you can easily add a bullet or object or chart, and the whole slide magically moves around and realigns for you.”

- Beautiful.ai Review , Anne-Marie M.

“There’s a small learning curve when getting started on the platform. Because the design is automated, some people have trouble with the minor limitations around customization. Be patient and explore the platform in its entirety. Eventually, you'll see that the limitations are extremely helpful in creating congruency and professionalism in your presentations.”

emaze gives users the tools they need to automate the digital presentation building process. The emaze free basic plan includes unlimited PowerPoint importation, widgets, embedding, graphs, contact lists, audience analytics, and more.

“I love the ease of use with emaze, with an added professional look with extra flair. Every template is different, and there are templates for every topic you can think of. The ease of use and editing helps from year to year when I update the same topic.”

- emaze Review , Dianna W.

“I wish there were more templates available for those who are not as creative as others. In addition, when presenting, I wish the bar at the bottom would disappear so that people can’t see how much of the presentation is left.”

RELAYTO is a document experience platform for creating immersive presentations. RELAYTO has sharing, embedding, converting, and auto-generating tools. Qualified users can enjoy these features for free.

“My experience with RELAYTO has been truly eye-opening. The ability to add depth and dimension to presentations truly elevates our status in the eyes of prospects and clients as a company that brings professionalism and real value to them. We know how great our solutions and client services are, yet using other platforms doesn't do the job of conveying that to the client as RELAYTO does.”

- RELAYTO Review , Mike R.

“I have only ever designed for print, so there's a bit of a learning curve, but their support is top-notch. You can book a consultation with an expert on how you want to use the platform. Once over that curve, the results are remarkable.”

Vyond elevates presentations with video. With Vyond, presenters can utilize video animations, character creation, and social media sharing capabilities. Users can sign up for a free trial to see if Vyond is the right fit. 

“Vyond is really easy to learn, making it a great tool for our onboarding team members to learn and use right away. There is a low barrier for entry for new users, so we can rely on Vyond as a useful and result-oriented tool that our new team members can start using right away.”

- Vyond Review , Samantha L. 

“The objects available in the Vyond library are not fully customizable, plus the library is small. You may not always be able to find what you’re looking for. Adding a feature in which users can customize those objects would be a solution to this.”

Knovio is a smart platform for creating on-demand videos and presentations. It offers tools for adding video and audio narration to presentation slides, sharing content collections, and analyzing viewer engagement. The free lite version of Knovio lets users test drive some of these features. 

“Knovio has come quite a long way since I first used it. I love how responsive the company has been to improvement suggestions. I also love that you can edit your recording and replace slides.”

“The analytics are powerful; however, I feel creating custom reports could be improved.”

- Knovio Review , Tim D.

9. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is an audience engagement platform with tools to build interactive presentations, compile data from live polls, and collect insights about user participation. The Mentimeter free plan offers unlimited audiences and presentations. 

“Any presentation created with Mentimeter looks professional and presentable. Mentimeter takes care of the design aspect for you. It's straightforward and extremely easy to use. It's also flexible - I've used Mentimeter for live surveys, quizzes, and training. They've got excellent customer support, too. ”

- Mentimeter Review , Haley S.

“At times, Mentimeter can feel a bit overly simplistic or repetitive. Most Mentimeter presentations tend to look very similar, and the engagement tools are limited to a degree.”

10. Personify Presenter

Personify Presenter is an online platform for integrating audio and video into presentations. It offers tools for recording, live editing, file uploading, and writing for seamless presenting. A 30-day free trial lets users give Presenter a try.

“It’s one of the best presenter tools for business presentations. It consists of preset themes and fonts. It also has a library of images and GIFs which can be added to the slides. The notes function only displays to the presenter of the slides which helps them recall the content if necessary.”

- Personify Presenter Review , Kumar A.

“It doesn't recognize boundaries too well, and the video resolution is a little low compared to HD.”

Next slide, please!

Before you deliver project metrics or show your students what the lesson has in store for them today, consider whether automating your presentation could boost the message. No matter your skill level, presentation software gives you the tools you need to create a unique presentation experience and upgrade the way you share. 

If you have any questions, make sure to drop them in the chat.   

Ready to unmute and wow your audience? Find out how you can elevate a virtual presentation and bring your content to life.

The (slide) show must go on!

Create interactive slides, embed multimedia, utilize smart templates, and improve participation in a new way with presentation software.

Alexandra Vazquez is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at G2. She received her Business Administration degree from Florida International University and is a published playwright. Alexandra's expertise lies in writing for the Supply Chain and Commerce personas, with articles focusing on topics such as demand planning, inventory management, consumer behavior, and business forecasting. In her spare time, she enjoys collecting board games, playing karaoke, and watching trashy reality TV.

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The 14 Best Presentation Software That Will Help You Steal The Show!

• March 16, 2020
• 17 min read

Presentation software is used by people all over the globe. At least once in our lifetime, we need to present, be it a school project, results of our student research or project plan at work.

If presenting is part of your job, you very well know the power of a good presentation. It should be engaging, effective, and thought-provoking.

In today’s world, where people prefer visual experience, an interesting presentation is half of your success to deliver a good speech, lecture or host a valuable meeting. Ensuring the visuals in your presentation are clear and impactful involves more than just selecting high-quality images; effective background removal can significantly enhance the focus and professionalism of your slides.

How to Choose The Best Presentation Software?

To deliver an effective presentation, you need specific presentation software. Your audience should actively participate in the event, learn, and remember as much as possible. People love to ask questions, share their insights, and discuss. That’s where good presentation software can help you. Working with a presentation design company can help you create visually compelling and effective presentations, regardless of the software you choose to use.

Presentations don’t have to be boring, you only need to choose the right tool. We’ve gathered the best presentation software that will help you create an engaging presentation for your audience, whether you’re an individual, business owner, speaker or student. Here, you can find the best presentation tools with a variety of features and options.

1. Prezi – for engaging presentations

Unlike slides, Prezi’s single, interactive canvas encourages conversation and collaboration, making your overall presentation more engaging, persuasive, and memorable. Prezi is one of the most popular presentations software thanks to its ease of use and fancy templates.

Prezi’s latest offering, Prezi Next, is a full-lifecycle presentation platform that lets everyone easily create visually stunning presentations, deliver them in a more natural and conversational way, and analyze their effectiveness.

To see the effects of Prezi, check the Prezi’s Staff Picks of the best presentations created by users.

Main features:

• Open canvas lets you organize and view your presentation as a whole
• Arranging content with a simple drag and drop feature
• The “zoom reveal” function to focus in and unveil critical details (the feature Prezi is mostly known for as it helps to engage the audience)
• Designer templates for all industries
• Reusable presentations available in the Prezi’s depository
• You can upload presentations created in PowerPoint and improve it
• Story blocks
• Smart branding – you can match the presentation to your company’s logo
• Files attaching
• Online and offline presenting
• Analytics – you can track viewers as they progress through your presentation and know how much time they

Free 14-day trial available

• Basic – Free
• Plus – starting at $15/month
• Standard – for personal use – starting at $5/month
• Plus – for expert presenters – starting at $15/month
• Premium – for business professionals – starting at $59/month
• EDU Plus – for students and educators – $5/month
• EDU Teams – for educators and administrators – custom pricing
• Plus – for business individuals – starting at $15/month
• Teams – for teams and enterprises – custom pricing

2. Prezi Video – for video presentations

Although Prezi Video is part of the Prezi, it deserves a separate section. It is a presentation tool dedicated specifically to those who like fully interactive presentations .

Videos are a common method of presenting a product, service, concepts, and anything that can be visualized. And Prezi Video lets you create presentations where everything happens in real-time.

It’s an interesting solution that lets you connect with your audience. It’s especially helpful for remote teams and presenters who cannot meet face-to-face .

Prezi works on Chrome for Mac or Windows and has all the features of Prezi that you need to create good, engaging videos for presentation . You can record the videos and share them with those who can’t be with you during your video conference. Also, it’s a helpful tool for creating webinars, onboarding videos , sales pitches or videos for social media.

Pricing: Prezi Video is part of Prezi Individual, Education, and Business plans. Not available in the Basic plan

3. Google Slides – for presentations in your browser

Everyone uses Google and its services. That’s why Google Slides is one of the best options if you’d like to keep everything in one place. Particularly, if you’re already using Google Apps or G Suite in your organization.

For individuals, Google Slides offers the ability to create and edit files on your own or with other people. As part of the G Suite, it gives you the possibility to easily collaborate with your team and work on a project in one place. And there are additional features and extra security to make sure everything stays in your company.

You can choose from themes, fonts, colors, add videos, and more to adjust slides to your preferences or choose from available slide templates . Google Slides also supports PowerPoint files. Additionally, you can use the app on mobile devices, in your browser, and offline. Google supports Chromecast, Hangouts, and AirPlay.

Google Slides lets you combine its apps with presentation software to create a coherent and unified media library accessible for all members of your team .

Pricing: Google Slides is free to use. It’s also a part of G Suite where you can use it securely with your team

 PS. If you’re in a hurry but still want to look like a pro, use free Google Slides templates .

4. Keynote – presentation software for Mac

Keynote is a presentation software dedicated to Mac and iOS systems. It lets you control your slideshow from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or iPod touch with Keynote for iOS. This presentation software is a powerful, easy to use tool with many useful functionalities and is compatible with all Apple devices.

You can even use Apple Pencil on your iPad to create diagrams or illustrations that bring your slides to life. And with real‑time collaboration , your team can work together, whether they’re on Mac, iPad, or iPhone, or using a PC .

• You can add impressive charts, add and edit photos, and incorporate cinematic effects, galleries, math equations, charts, and over 700 customizable shapes, and more than 30 themes
• You can create your own master slides, edit background images , and page‑by‑page customization
• Rehearse Mode for iPhone or iPad lets you practice on the go, with the current or next slide, notes, and clock — all in one view
• Take a photo or scan a document with your iPhone, and Continuity Camera can send it straight to Keynote on your Mac
• You can save Keynote documents as PowerPoint files. Or import and edit PowerPoint documents right in Keynote. Most popular PowerPoint features are also supported
• Support for online collaboration with your team in real-time

Free; additional fees and terms may apply

5. PowerPoint – for classical presentations

PowerPoint – old but gold! If you think PowerPoint is out-of-date you’re wrong! All products of Microsoft Office are regularly updated and improved , so is the legendary PowerPoint. It is still one of the best presentation software as it lets you create simple but effective presentations .

PowerPoint is easy to use and has all the necessary features you need to present your subject in a professional way . It has a media and slide library, where you can access all slides and files within your presentation. You can add notes, photos, videos, use and adjust various templates or make your own, add visual effects and arrange your presentation the way you like.

Using PowerPoint is like using Microsoft Word so it doesn’t require much explanation. The only differences are features and the visual form of the document. It’s a simple, rich in features presentation tool.

You can also create a presentation directly in the browser in the online version of Microsoft PowerPoint . Your team can join you and together you can collaborate in real-time .

PowerPoint is included in Microsoft Office Suite so if you have bought it, PowerPoint is already on your computer. Other than that, pricing starts at $126.89 as a one-time payment, per user. There is not a free version of PowerPoint. PowerPoint does offer a free trial.

PS. If you’re in hurry but still want to look like a pro, use free PowerPoint templates .

6. Canva – for minimalistic presentation templates

Canva is not a presentation software in itself but it lets you design creative slides to share with your team, audience, clients, and at school. It’s a good alternative for PowerPoint if you are looking for a minimalistic solution.

With Canva, you can create presentations directly in the browser. It’s a simplistic tool, easy to use and you can move around it quickly with just a couple clicks, and search through the depository of graphical content to spice up your project. Also, Canva lets you add elements with drag and drop features. Slide decks give you an insight into your content.

You can use available infographic template an adjust it as you like with colors, graphics, and pictures. You can add videos and even music. Download your presentation or present directly in the browser, share it with other people via social media, email, send to Google Docs, print in different formats (even as a T-shirt!)

Additionally, if you use Canva on a daily basis to create graphics and visual content, you can incorporate your work into your presentation if you’re using it as a presentation app. It works as your media library where you can store all your work . It can save you time and you don’t have to switch between different apps.

With Canva, you will be empowered to design by  creating your video content  using its easy-to-use video editor to make it more visual and compelling. Canva recently launched Its powerful editing tools and features that will let you craft awesome and professional-looking videos, even if you are a beginner or a pro editor.

• No free trial available
• Free version with limited features and limited free templates and graphics, no support available
• Pro – $ 9.95/user/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise – $30/user/month (billed annually)

7. Powtoon – video presentations for remote teams

Powtoon is a robust presentation software that lets you present your content with videos . It can help you grab the attention of your audience thanks to the catchy visual elements. This presentation tool can help communicate a message without putting your audience to sleep. It is a great alternative for animation studios as it is effective and easy to use.

Powtoon lets you create video presentations that you can use to create webinars, training sessions, onboarding content, present a product or service, professional-looking videos, infographics, and presentations for your website, social media, blog, online campaigns, and sales collateral , and many, many more.

Powtoon is suitable for everyone – individuals and small teams, business professionals, students and the education sector, marketing agencies, and designers.

Main features ( features depend on a plan ):

• Drag-and-drop feature
• Video background, music and image libraries
• You can add voiceover to your presentations
• Animated transitions and characters
• Hundreds of ready-made templates and scenes
• Incorporating branding assets and themes
• Ability to convert PowerPoint presentations into video presentations
• You can add team members to work together on presentations
• Numerous templates for videos available
• Free – Best for personal use (with limited features)
• Pro – Best for professionals and entrepreneurs – $19/month
• Pro+ – Best for Power users – $59/month
• Agency – Best for designers, animators, and agencies – $99/month

You can also try Vyond as a great alternative to Powtoon.

8. Zoho Show – for team collaboration in real-time

If you need a presentation software that is fully compatible with other Zoho tools, Zoho Show is the right solution. Zoho Show is cloud-based presentation software that brings slide creation, collaboration, broadcasting, and publishing onto one platform.

Zoho Show is a software that lets you create presentations of any type, from simple to complex content. It’s best for teams as it allows people to collaborate in real-time, support and review the work . Additionally, you don’t need any training or onboarding because this presentation tool is easy to use and intuitive.

Zoho Show is best for in-office and remote teams who want to work together on presentations.

• PowerPoint compatible
• Add, edit and reply to comments to facilitate discussion and share opinions
• You can publish presentations on both internal and external channels: websites, blogs, social media, and much more
• The feature of collaboration allows for many helpful actions: comment on slides and review, @mention users, lock slides, check-in/out, share presentations as a link, limit actions, and more
• You can broadcast presentations for the remote audience, and track time that elapsed within the broadcast window. Also, audience members can browse through completed slides while the Presenter can view both the presenter notes and the entire slide list at a glance. The audience can interact with you and each other using the chat panel
• Ability to publish presentations, embed them on websites, blogs, and download them
• Media library available – charts, silhouettes, and animations
• Zoho Show app for Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, as online app in the browser, and mobile app (iOS, Android)
• Basic – €10/month (€8/month billed annually)
• Standard – €25/month (€20/month billed annually)
• Professional – €35/month (€30/month billed annually)
• Enterprise – €50/month (€40/month billed annually)

9. Slide Dog – for interactive presentations, compatible with other presentation software

SlideDog lets you can combine PowerPoints, Prezis, PDFs, and many more elements into one easy-to-create playlist . With SlideDog, you never have to switch between different programs during your presentation.

This presentation software helps you to diversify lectures, picture ideas, and lead meetings or events in a more interesting manner. Thanks to SlideDog you interact with the audience, engage them in your presentation, ask their opinion, and teach.

Moreover, this presentation tool is compatible with other presentation software . Whether you prepared a presentation in Prezi or PowerPoint, doesn’t matter, everything will be shown just as you created it.

But that’s not all, if in your company you use digital signage to present content, SlideDog is a perfect solution You can typically see these screens in stores, receptions, conferences, waiting rooms, offices and more. SlideDog can be used as an easy and low-cost digital signage solution. It’s a great and easy method to share the story of your company and messages to your clients and audience.

• You can create custom playlists for all your presentation files and media
• All files are in your playlist (slide library) and you can change their order with a drag-and-drop feature
• Real-time sharing lest your audience follow the presentation directly on their screens or mobile phones, tablets, PCs
• Create interactive polls, chat with the audience, and get feedback
• Add online content such as web pages and YouTube videos
• Ability to add files of different formats – PDF, Word, Prezi, PowerPoint, images, Excel files, video content, and more
• Remote control
• Dual screen support
• Digital signage; looping and auto-advance
• Free with limited features
• Pro – $99/year
• Pro Event – $49; valid for 14-days from time of purchase. Unlimited events
• Enterprise – custom pricing

10. Cisco Webex Meetings – for content sharing with team and clients

Webex is not strictly a presentation software but its extensive features make it a great tool for remote teams. But not only, everyone will find it helpful as it supports team management.

Webex Meetings is created with the support of AI which makes it a robust and smart presentation software. You can use the software for video conferencing, team collaboration, webinars , online training, lectures, labs, and small breakout sessions, or remote video support.

Webex helps to collaborate and to move projects forward faster. Thanks to this presentation software, teams can work with anyone from a browser, a mobile device, or a video system. Webex Meeting Center offers integrated audio, video, and content sharing. Also, it lets teams keep conversations private with highly secure Webex meetings from the Cisco Collaboration Cloud.

• Join and present from any meeting, event, or training session
• Hands-free voice commands with Google Assistant and Google Home Hub
• Seamless joining directly from your calendar or customizable widget
• Schedule meetings or playback recordings directly from your app
• Customizable video layouts
• Share your screen to everyone
• Available as an online app in the browser, desktop, and mobile app
• Real-time remote technical support during your event
• Interactive online presentation with video conferencing, screen sharing, Q&A, polling, and chat
• Brand your invitations or registration site. Customize the enrollment process with questions that let you score, track, and follow up on leads
• Record your event with one click
• Record and build a library of on-demand training sessions so people can view or review them any time
• Use the built-in eCommerce tool to charge for live or on-demand sessions
• Compatible with other Cisco tools
• Free – Personal – up to 100 participants in each meeting
• Starter (Small teams) – $14.95 per month/host – up to 50 participants in each meeting
• Plus (Mid-sized teams) – $19.95 per month/host – host up to 100 participants
• Business (Large teams and businesses) – $29.95 per month/host – host up to 200 participants, minimum 5 licenses per month

11. Haiku Deck – for online presentations in your browser

Haiku Deck is a simple presentation software that helps to present your ideas in a friendly way.

It turns structured content into beautiful presentations. You first create an outline, upload it to the Haiku Deck presentation app and voila! it’s ready.

Haiku Deck Zuru technology harnesses the power of millions of users and artificial intelligence to transform your story into a stunning presentation. Say goodbye to boring corporate templates and clip art. Just upload a simple outline, or even an existing presentation, and Zuru builds a polished deck in minutes.

• Templates of slides and fonts available
• Slide library
• Free photos and images
• You can add your own files
• Graphs and charts to visualize the content
• Public notes for additional resources and important information; private notes
• Share on social media, email, embed to your website or blog
• Export your presentations as PowerPoint, Keynote or PDF file
• Arranging content with a drag-and-drop feature
• Privacy settings allow you to control who can see your decks online
• Stats keep you informed about how many people have viewed your slides
• Online support
• Free version is limited to one presentation, does not include presentation download
• Pro (For teaching, training, and conference presentations) – $19.99 per month
• Premium (For effective selling and engaging webinars) – $29.99 per month
• Haiku Deck offers special pricing to qualifying nonprofit organizations, students, and educators

12. Visme – for extraordinary graphics

Visme is presentation software for those who need visually engaging presentations. It is a versatile content creation tool that helps individuals and leading brands to create and present compelling stories in the form of engaging presentations, infographics, documents, videos, graphics and everything in between.

Visme lets you turn boring data into stunning visuals right in your browser. You can easily visualize your content and make interactive presentations .

Visme combines simplicity, flexibility and interactive features within a single platform, giving users everything they need within an easy-to-use online interface. It’s a robust presentation software for demanding presenters.

• Easy to use, adjustable templates
• Media library with images, icons, charts, graphs, maps, text and text widgets, animation, external content, audio and music, tables, grides and guides, content blocks, and more
• Easy-to-customize printable
• You can add different files to your presentations
• You can create all type of visual content: presentations, infographics, reports, ebooks, printables, web graphics, social graphics, resumes, custom size projects
• Helpful keyboard shortcuts
• Ability to work on slides as a team
• You can share your presentations with other team members
• Setting up a branding kit
• Analytics to track traffic & statistics of projects

Visme offers 3 plans:

• Individual – pricing starts from $25/month; free plan available
• Business – pricing starts from $39/month
• Education – pricing starts from $30/semester
• Visme provides discounted plans for Students, Educators and Non-profit organizations.

13. Slidebean – for professional pitch slide decks

Slidebean is presentation software that helps to save time on dragging-and-dropping and adjusting content to slides size. This presentation tool automatically creates your perfect presentation by automatically tailoring the content to keep a coherent structure across the entire presentation . You can change the style of your slides with a single click or choose from numerous templates.

You can invite your team to work together on the presentation. All changes are sync for everyone everywhere, which lets you collaborate in real-time. You can share the presentation via the link without the necessity to download the slides or install dedicated software. It will look good on any device you use.

The analytics feature gives you insight into which slides your audience has seen and how much time they spend watching it.

With Slidebean presentation software, you create a professional pitch deck for investors, reports and business documents that you can present online with couple clicks.

• Free version available
• Starter – $8 per month (billed annually)
• Premium – $19 per month (billed annually)
• Verified .edu accounts get 50% off

14. Ludus – for extraordinary presentations

Ludus is a professional but easy to use presentation software with plenty of features that enhance your project. Its smallish functionalities can make each of your slide unique and add extra effects – use blend modes, strokes, smart guidelines, smart resize, font upload, you can insert animations, images, use keyboard shortcuts, and many more.

Your team can collaborate on the same presentation at the same time, without getting in the way of each other. Ludus presentation tool synchronizes with external tools for more effective work.

It’s a simple presentation software that lets you create unique presentations.

• Solo – $19.99 per month
• Team – pricing starting at $29.99 per month for 2 users
• Special – custom pricing

Another option is to make a slideshow with Pitch’s software . Pitch combines all of the best parts of presentation, design, and productivity software , enabling fast-moving teams to create a beautifully designed deck in a matter of minutes. 

You will have a whole host of different templates to choose from, including professional, creative, simple, reports, proposals, design, startups, marketing, and pitch deck templates . 

• A huge range of custom-crafted templates 
• Create your own templates
• Connect Pitch with your data to share the latest information
• Link sharing 
• Track and optimize presentations
• Work from anywhere in the world
• Stay on-brand with slide styles
• Set a status and keep your project on track
• Work through ideas face-to-face with video collaboration
• Create, review, and edit presentations with your entire team
• Create immersive presentations with videos, images, and embedded content

One of the great things about Pitch is that there is a Starter plan, which you can try free of charge. This includes live video collaboration, custom templates and fonts, unlimited members and guests, and unlimited presentations. 

The most popular plan is the Pro plan, which is £8 per member, per month. This is billed annually. Designed for growing teams and power users, you can expect version history, unbranded PDF exports, unlimited file size upload, video and image library, video uploads, shared private folders, and workspace roles. 

If you have custom requirements, contact the sales department about their Enterprise offering. This includes everything in Pro, as well as a dedicated success manager and SAML-based SSO.

16. Flipsnack – for interactive digital presentations

If you want to spice up your slides then you’re looking for an interactive presentation maker like Flipsnack. 

This tool allows you to create and publish diverse content materials within minutes in 3 simple ways: you can either upload your pdf documents; create from scratch a new presentation thoroughly guided by the design studio; or use one of the many preexisting templates available in the integrated library. 

Flipsnack is an engaging and easy-to-use content creation platform, destined for each type of user , from non-technical individuals to highly certified professionals and leading brands. 

Main features: 

• Intuitive interface, easy-to-use editor. 
• A large variety of fully customizable templates. 
• Integrated real-time statistics, so you can see how your readers interact with your presentation. 
• You can create and manage accessibility for multiple workspaces. 
• The fastest pdf converter at the moment, so you can easily upload your documents.
• It integrates a large variety of interactive elements, such as photo-slideshows; GIFs; social media buttons; shopping buttons; audio and video elements; you can even embed maps into your presentation, and many more. 
• You can create a wide range of publications with a 3D realistic page-flip effect such as presentations; catalogs; reports; brochures; magazines; portfolios; you name it.
• It offers extensive privacy options; so you can either share your presentations in public mode; unlisted (access only through a direct link, not indexed by search engines); password-protected, or private (shared with specific people). 
• It includes branding options, so you can easily personalize your presentation according to your brand identity. 
• Free plan: up to 3 catalogs of max 30 pages/catalog 
• Starter: 14$/month – 10 catalogs: 100 pages/catalog 
• Professional: 35$/month – 50 catalogs: 200 pages/catalog 
• Business: 79$/month – 500 catalogs: 500 pages/catalog 
• Enterprise: 210$/month – 1000 catalogs: 1000 pages/catalog

17. Publuu – for Dynamic Multimedia Presentations

Publuu offers a unique platform for transforming PDF files into multimedia presentations. Its online presentation creator is designed for ease of use, enabling users to craft interactive and visually striking presentations directly from their PDFs. Ideal for professionals, educators, and marketers, Publuu enhances the way ideas and products are showcased, adding an element of dynamism and interactivity. With just a PDF and internet access, users can create presentations that captivate and engage audiences with a few clicks, making Publuu a practical choice for those seeking to elevate their presentation standards.

Main Features:

• Allows embedding of videos, audio, and hyperlinks for enriched interactive presentations
• Mimics the physical experience of flipping through a book with engaging page-turn animations
• Simplifies the creation of professional-quality presentations with an intuitive user-friendly interface
• Provides insights into audience engagement with detailed analytics tracking
• Allows to gather multiple presentations in one digital library
• Enables control over presentation accessibility, including public and private sharing settings
• Facilitates the incorporation of brand elements for consistent presentation aesthetics
• Diverse sharing options including links, QR codes, and website embed
• Suitable for a wide range of content types, from reports and brochures to immersive presentations
• Unlimited pages in every plan

Pricing: Trial plan – free (2 weeks) Basic – from $7 / month Optimum – from $24 / month Professional – from $58 / month Premium – from $116 / month

What Is Your Favorite Presentation Software?

Without presentation software, it would be impossible to share our knowledge and experience, learn or even work. These are powerful tools that let us transfer our ideas to the digital format and show them to the world. Additionally, with a compelling and engaging presentation, you can improve your confidence and establish new business relationships.

Which presentation software do you find most helpful? Share your thoughts in the comment section, we’d love to know your opinion. We hope you found the right presentation tool for you and your team and can now present like a pro!

Happy presenting!

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Kate Borucka Kate is a freelance translator, copywriter, and a content writer specializing in time tracking software, time management, and productivity. When not researching new software, she's reading books, or spending time outdoors.

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15 Free Presentation Software for Students, Professionals, & Teachers

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Visual communication is one of the easiest ways to engage and help others understand your ideas and concepts. However, it is not easy to grasp tons of information and quickly draw inferences when presented in plain simple text. Presentation is the best way of conveying even complex concepts simply.

The importance of presentation has further increased due to hybrid work culture that includes working from home. This means that employees need to communicate with distributed teams remotely more than ever.

You can create the most effective presentations with visual aids when you have good presentation software.

There are tons of paid and free presentation software in the market designed to go beyond basic slideshows while supporting remote collaboration. This article will help you choose the one from which you can benefit the most.

What Is Presentation Software?

Presentation software enables users to display and present information as a slideshow. Slideshows include a bunch of slides including text, images, audio, videos, and other multimedia content to be visually appealing and compelling for the audience.

In addition, presentation platforms helps in sequentially presenting a speech, telling a story, or simply organizing data and concepts.

What is the Use of Presentation Software?

Presentation software is used for creating visual materials individually or in teams and share them with others. Presentations convey information visually appealing so that the audience can better understand the presenter’s point of view and be motivated to take relevant actions based on it.

Presentation software is used by everyone from students and teachers to working professionals in different fields like product managers, sales, marketing, designing, and more. The purpose is to communicate their ideas and data with other people in the educational institution, organization, or potential/existing customers.

What Makes a Best Presentation Software?

A great presentation making software must fulfil these parameters:  

Easy to use: The navigation must be simple with user-friendly features. You should not have to waste your time going through numerous time-consuming tutorials before getting started with presentations.

Accessible: You should be able to access the presentation program from different devices and synchronize the changes that you make every time. It should allow you to work on the go. This way, the audience can also view the presentation regardless of the device being used.

Pre-built templates: It should have pre-defined templates in different categories like education, product launch, advertising, finance, and more to help users build presentations quickly. As a result, users, especially beginners, can focus on the content.

Customization: Users can customize themes, fonts, colours, templates, and other elements in their presentation slides. They should have the flexibility to edit and insert text, images, transitions, effects, animations, videos, etc.

Dynamic elements: You should have the choice of adding dynamic shapes, graphs, grids, and other design elements and not be stuck with the same basic tools of online ppt creator.

Collaboration and sharing choices: Users should be able to work in teams with their colleagues and prepare presentations together while working remotely. Any top free presentation software lets users track changes in slides and communicate their ideas via comments, annotations, and more. Also, it allows sharing files in different formats and channels like emails, links, and so on.

Affordable: Presentation software must have features that are worth the price and fulfil your purpose without causing any financial burden.

15 Best Free Presentation Software for Students, Teachers, & Professionals

Google slides, libreoffice, microsoft powerpoint, adobe spark, beautiful.ai.

Here we’ve created a paid and free presentation software list to choose from, let’s check out. 

Best for:  Online presentations with multiple themes, fonts & animations

Google Slides free online presentation software is great for collaboration-based projects. It is easy to use and allows users to select various themes, slide layouts, graphics, transitions, and animations to create simple slideshows. You can also create diagrams, add text and videos.

Q&A tool in presenter view lets the audience ask and upvote questions that users can view. Teams can add details, comments, and notes to the slides. It is easy to track these changes from the detailed log.

Google Slides Features

• Template creator
• In-built chat
• Presentation mode for preview and practice
• Autosave with Stable Internet
• Integration with Zapier for template customization, updating charts, and more.

What Users Like

• Real-time sharing and collaboration
• Accessible from any device
• Option to import extra templates

What Users Don’t Like

• Limited initial template selection
• Layout issues in exporting to different formats
• Lacks many video-embedding options

Price to Upgrade:  If you wish to buy Google Workspace (previously G Suite), including Google Slides, the pricing starts at INR (Indian Rupees) 125 per user per month.

Supported OS:  Web, iOS, Android

Best for:  Best presentation app for iPhone, Mac & Windows users

Keynote by Apple is a best app for making presentation. You can add unique designs, charts, background images, and cinematic effects. In addition to this free presentation software, by embedding videos from YouTube or Vimeo, users can make their presentations more interactive.

You can also try different textures, colour gradients, and photos. Illustrations and diagrams can be created with Apple Pencil.

Apple Keynote Presentation Features

• 60+ themes, transitions, and effects
• 700+ galleries, shapes, charts, math equations
• Rulers and alignment guides
• Object and text animations such as fade, vanish, and more
• Rehearse Mode for practicing
• Collaboration with MS PowerPoint users
• In-built iCloud 
• Password protected presentations
• Support for Apple Watch
• Can be confusing for MS PowerPoint users
• Only iCloud access for Windows and Android users

Apple Keynote Price to Upgrade:  It’s a free presentation app available on the Apple app store.

Supported OS:  Presentation app for macOS, iOS, Windows

Best for:  Free presentation templates

Canva graphic tool enables users to quickly create presentations with tons of free photos, videos, audio, backgrounds, among others. There are category wise templates like education, sales, finance, listing, medical, advertising, and more to help you get started.

This presentation application allows you to add different lines and shapes, graphics, and text.

Canva Features

• 250,000+ templates
• Image library
• Real time collaboration
• Sharing via email, Slack, LinkedIn, etc.
• 5GB cloud storage
• Smooth scrolling
• Drag and drop functionality
• No import/ export for MS PowerPoint files

Canva Pricing:  After 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks) of using the free version, the premium plan starts at INR 3,999.00 per year for up to 5 people. | You can also consider looking at the next best alternatives of Canva .

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Best for:  Teachers, students

Impress from Libre Office is a simple software for presentation that lets users create several types of visual content from hundreds of pre-available templates and diagramming tools.

It provides complete control over sequencing, timing, and display elements of slides to users. You can further add animations, effects, 3D scenes, and more.

Libre Office Features

• Manual/ timed transitions
• View/ Editing modes like Handout, Outline, etc.
• Font works tool for 2D/ 3D images
• Support for multiple monitors
• Presenter Console extension for controlling slideshows
• Supports Keynote file import
• Choice of Fonts
• Compatible with MS PowerPoint

What Users Don’t Lik

• Lacks collaboration tools

LibreOffice Pricing:  Libre Office is free presentation software.

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Pebble.

Best for:  Teachers, students, Finance professionals

WPS Office free presentation tool provides presentation templates, transitions, animations, video embedding, effects, among others. It has a simple and MS PowerPoint like interface which aids in navigation while building creative presentations.

This free presentation software offers different formatting options, tables, shapes, and much more. You can also manage multiple files at once for editing.

WPS Office Features

• Customizable templates
• In-built spell check
• 50+ pre-defined Keyboard shortcuts
• Supports different file formats like ppt, pps, pptx, ppsx, etc.
• Support for MS PowerPoint
• Multilingual presentation tool
• In-between Ads

WPS Office Price to Upgrade:  It is available at a minimum price of INR 293.14 per month as a part of WPS Office Premium.

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iOS.

Best for:  HR, consultants, sales, and marketing professionals

Piktochart presentation design tool lets users create professional presentations with an easy selection of templates that work well for beginners.

Users can add images, charts, graphs, lists, comparisons, and more. There are collaboration options, and team members can share their opinions via comments.

Piktochart Features

• Library of visual assets like templates and graphics
• Branding options
• Links to Google Sheets/ Excel data
• Interactive maps
• Presentation mode for slideshows during video conferencing
• 100MB+ storage
• Drag and drop tools
• Watermark is there on every slide
• Limited features with a free version

Piktochart Price to Upgrade:  The premium plan starts at INR 1027.894 for every member per month.

Supported OS:  Web-based, online presentation software

Best for:  Interaction, virtual presentations

Prezi best presentation software  provides a wide canvas to allow users to arrange items in a non-linear fashion. This is well-suited to create conversational presentations. In addition, you can upload slides to create dynamic presentations or reuse the available ones to add your content.

Different areas of the canvas are joined by animated paths. Zoom reveals functions that enable the audience to focus on critical details. Users can add text, images, charts, layouts, and even slides.

Features of Prezi Presentation Software

• Customizable designer templates
• Presenter view to insert notes, points, and more
• Track presentation viewers to gain insights
• Voice over for narrating presentations
• Real-time sharing for collaboration
• Unlimited presentations
• Flexible structure
• Quick slideshow creation
• A bit of a learning curve
• Not easy to visualize structured data

Prezi Pricing:  After a 14-day free trial, pricing starts at INR 220.860 for students.

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android 

Best for:  Collaborating through slideshows & presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular presentation graphics software, especially among Windows users. Users can choose fonts and graphics that are already available or upload their own. You can also add images, audio, videos, and transitions.

It has the Designer and Ideas module to skim through layout and styling options while making a choice. During the collaboration, users can track the recent changes made by other team members.

Microsoft PowerPoint Features

• 40+ template categories
• Presenter coach for practicing speech
• Supports 3D objects
• Option to add handwritten notes and handmade shapes
• Real-time co-authoring
• Reliable choice with an intuitive interface
• Can be used on different devices
• Not the best option for advanced presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint Price:  You can get premium subscriptions of Microsoft 365, including MS PowerPoint beginning at INR 489 per month. 

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Windows, Web, Android, iOS.

Suggested Read: Best Free Microsoft PowerPoint Alternatives

Best for:  Infographics & video presentations

Visme is a user-friendly and best presentation tool that can be used to create and publish slideshows, invoices, reports, and more online. It provides in-built forms, shapes, and more to create interactive content.

In addition, you can add infographics to engage the audience further. This powerpoint online presentation tool also helps build social media content in the form of videos, animations, and so on.

Visme Software Features

• Templates and assets like audio, images, video, icons, illustrations, etc.
• Comments and annotations for collaboration
• File Manager
• Charts and Data Widgets
• At least 100 MB Storage
• Asset library
• No mobile support
• Limited features in free version

Visme Price to Upgrade:  The pricing starts at INR 1102.950 per month when billed annually.

Supported OS:  Presentation software for Mac, Windows.

Best for:  Video-based visual communication

PowToon is a great tool to create presentation videos and publish them on Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, among others. Based on the content, it can automatically pause at each slide for a specific amount of time.

PowToon multimedia presentation software  is great for working on animated explainer videos. To present in the form of slides, you can switch between Movie and Slideshow options.

PowToon Features

• Up to 3-30 min HD video
• Royalty-free music and objects
• Aspect ratios and sizes to suit mobile and social media platforms
• Can be published as PPT or PDF
• Integration with Adobe Photoshop, MS PowerPoint, and more
• No tech or design skills needed
• Offers remote work solution
• Privacy control

PowToon Price to Upgrade:  Pricing begins at INR 59 for students.

Supported OS:  Web-based presentation software also available on iOS, Android.

Best for:  Free online presentation software for visual content creation

Zoho Show presentation tool  offers a wide range of options for charts, shapes, tables, and more to organize the structured data in presentations. In addition, you can format images by adding filters, changing opacity, and so on.

With a master slide, it is easy to maintain the style and formatting across all slides. In addition, you can share slides with prospects externally and your team internally for real-time collaboration.

Zoho Show Features

• Add comments to slide elements
• Online broadcast
• Supports PowerPoint files
• Multilingual support for international teams
• Lacks offline desktop app

Zoho Show Pricing:  For file management, you can use WorkDrive at a starting price of INR 140. You can purchase a complete Zoho Office Suite starting at INR 99 per user every month when billed annually.

Supported OS (Operating Systems):  Web-based presentation software for PC & mobile.

Best for:  Web and mobile design app

Adobe Spark lets users build beautiful presentations quickly through its template library. Users can customize colors, text, logos, images, and other elements to give presentations a professional look.

They just have to search by different colors, tasks, aesthetics, and more. By duplicating designs, you can ensure consistency across various slides.

Adobe Spark Features

• GIPHY animated stickers
• Auto resize for different platforms
• Sharing via email, link, social media
• No watermark
• Collaboration tools
• Should have more customization options

Adobe Spark Price:  Pricing starts at INR 733.55 per month.

Supported OS:  Presentation software for PC & mobile

Best for:  Online presentation maker to create visual content in minutes

Beautiful.ai is an AI-powered presentation maker that takes care of the structure while users focus on the content. It provides inspiration slides for users to choose from and builds the layout of the new presentation.

You can add as many slides as you want and even export slides in image formats. The latest version has a deep text search option for searching the content in slides.

Beautiful.ai Presentation Features

• Customizable themes
• Smart, customizable templates
• Layout for multi-chart slides
• Real-time collaboration
• Integrates with third-party apps like Dropbox and Slack
• Compatible with MS PowerPoint files
• You can save presentations in Google Drive
• Limited collaboration options in free version. Hence, Look for the best Beautiful.ai Alternatives .

Price to Upgrade:  Pricing starts at INR 881.040 per month when billed annually.

Supported OS:  Mac & Windows

Best For: Animation videos for training and marketing

Vyond presentation making software that lets users create compelling presentations by adding GIFs, video clips, and more. Users can even replace the text with an entire presentation video.

It provides several templates, props, stock characters, among others. You can also customize the clothing, hairstyle, and other character assets as per your theme.

Vyond Features

• Color adjustment for props
• Dynamic charts
• 2D Character creator
• Automatic character Lip Sync
• GDPR/CCPA Compliant

What Users Like:

• Ease of use
• Lip sync to audio
• Ability to import assets

What Users Don’t Like:

• Sound over video without mic
• Easier library searches

Vyond Price:  It offers a 14-day free trial. Vyond price starts at INR 21953.19 per year for a single user.

Supported OS: Web (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox)

Best for: Teachers, students

Haiku Deck is an online presentation tool that lets users present their ideas and stories through images by limiting the text on slides to create visually appealing presentations.

You can also search for and embed videos from YouTube. Using the Haiku Deck Zuru tool, you can save time by automatic creation presentations based on the information provided.

Haiku Deck Features

• 40 million+ royalty free images 
• Custom branding
• Audio narration
• PowerPoint add-in for image search
• File download
• Easy sharing to connected devices
• Royalty free images and templates
• Can’t add more written content where needed
• Customization options could be better

Haiku Deck Pricing:  It offers a 7-day free trial. The pricing for the pro version starts at INR 733.156 per month when billed annually for the pro version.

In addition, it is available at a discounted price of INR 366.211 for students, teachers, and non-profit organizations.

Supported OS: Web, iOS

Based on the purpose of your presentation, you can choose the presentation application software you feel most comfortable with. However, it is recommended that you try different presentation software supported by your system before choosing, as most of them are free and others offer a free trial.

What is the best free presentation software?

Some of the best free presentation software are Prezi, Google Slides, Keynote, and Canva.

What does presentation software do?

Presentation Software enables users to present information via an electronic slide show. Thes slides can include text, images, data charts, animation, etc.

Which presentation software is most popular?

Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote, and OpenOffice Impress are some of the most popular presentation software. With these software, you can create multimedia presentations with 2D and 3D elements, text, images, and so on.

What is the best free presentation application?

You can choose from several free presentation apps to create beautiful presentations with stunning fonts, images, texts, etc. Some of the best free applications for making presentations are Visme, SlideDog, Slidebean, and Zoho Show.

How can I make a presentation for free?

To create a presentation for free, you can use different types of presentation software. Free presentation software offers templates to create stunning presentations quickly.

What are the free tools for presentation?

Several free tools are available for creating presentations. Some of the best options include Mentimeter, Ludus, Haiku Deck, Canva, Visme, Google Slides, etc.

What are the 4 types of presentation?

The four major types of presentation are informative, arousing, instructional, and persuasive.

What are the 3 basics of presentation?

Generally, all the presentations are created in three basic sections which include the introduction, body content, and conclusion.

What is the cost of presentation software?

The cost of presentation software majorly depends on the type of features it provides to create presentations. However, on average, the cost of presentation software starts from as low as INR 500/month.

Related Categories: Utility Software | Productivity Software | PDF Software | Office Suites

Published On: September 13, 2021

Ayushee is currently pursuing MBA Business Analytics from SCMHRD, Pune with a strong background in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IGDTUW. She has 2 plus years of full-time work experience as an SEO content writer and a Technology Journalist with a keen interest the amalgamation of business and... Read more

Related Question and Answers

To make text in a circle using PowerPoint, follow the steps given below:

• Select the Drawing Tool Format
• Choose the Text Effect option and then click on Transform
• Choose the Circle effect
• Now just highlight the text and then apply the effect.
• Write Answer

To make an inspiration board using Google Slides, follow the steps given below:

• Create a new canvas
• Pick a theme of your choice and then decorate your canvas as per the aesthetic
• Choose the images that you want to import
• Reposition the images as per your requirement
• Now just add other elements like borders, stickers and quotes
• Once the board looks appealing enough, simply save the changes and then export your drawing.

To write on PowerPoint using iPad, follow the steps given below:

• Click on the text icon
• Click on the Add text button
• Now enter the text that you want to add
• Feel free to make changes like choosing different fonts, altering text’s size, color, alignment, etc.
• Once you are happy with the result save changes.

To change the background on Google Slides on iPad, follow the steps given below:

• Open a project in Google Slides
• Long press the slide you want to change color of
• Click the Change Background option available at the top right corner
• Choose the background of your choice
• In order to apply the background to the entire presentation choose ‘Apply to theme’ option.

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Movavi Slideshow Maker

Flexible: 150+ filters, 100+ transitions, 40+ titles

Personal: use voice-over to tell your unique story

Easy: master in 5 minutes, explore your creativity for hours

• Learning Portal
• 14 Best Presentation Software in 2022

The Best Presentation Software

Searching for the best presentation software? There are plenty of options available depending on what you need. The following are some of the best presentation programs available based on the types of features and capabilities you're looking for in the ideal software.

Top free presentation software

Movavi Slideshow Maker uses a combination of simplicity and capability to allow users to create engaging slideshows. The tool includes all the features needed for beginners to get started, and it's also ideal for more experienced presentation creators. Simply upload your photos and videos, add an audio track, and complete your professional-looking presentation. Whether for personal or professional use, you can create the perfect slideshow with this easy-to-use software.

Easy to use with an intuitive design

Plenty of features available for creating top-quality presentations

The free version is limited to 7 days

Software type

Desktop app that's compatible with both Windows and Mac computers.

Capabilities

Allows users to create slideshows in three simple steps

Users can record their own voiceover commentary

Saves slideshows in any file format

Works with both Windows and Mac devices

Visit the CNET site below to see more reviews for this product.

Proceed to the CNET website

Visme makes it easy to create and share interactive presentations and other types of visuals such as infographics. The tool enables users to take any set of data and transform it into engaging visuals. It's a great tool to use for individuals and teams, and it allows you to publish your presentations online, download them locally, or use an embed code to put it on your website. Millions of users love Visme and rely on this presentation software.

High-quality output

Easy to use

Contemporary appealing templates for presentations

Includes branding features

Duplicate images needed for each project

Can take some time to learn how to use it

No offline version

Web-based browser program for computers and tablets.

Data visualization features

Content database for images and more

Video and streaming support

Drag and drop function

Microsoft Office integration

Interface for collaboration with a team

For more information and reviews about this product, visit the Capterra site below.

Proceed to the Capterra website

For one of the quickest ways to piece together a good-looking professional-level presentation on the web or with your iPhone, Haiku Deck is a great option. With a library consisting of over 40 million royalty-free images and thousands of design templates, you'll have everything you need to complete any presentation. You can also export your presentations in PPTX or video format.

Intuitive design makes it easy to use

Plenty of design options and photos

Limited in overall capabilities without many advanced options

Not too much room for customization

Web-based software that's compatible with browsers and iOS using the app.

Controllable via iPhone remote

Compatible with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox browsers

Can export files as PDFs or Powerpoint presentations

Can import and resize images

Private and public notes

For more information and reviews about Haiku Deck, visit the Capterra site below.

If you're looking for a good alternative to Powerpoint that can give you more visualizations and a variety of design options, Prezi is a great presentation software. Prezi allows you to begin with a blank canvas, and from there you can add and change content at any point on the page. Unlike Powerpoint and other tools, it's non-linear in its layout for more free-flowing presentation design. It's also free and web-based, allowing you to access it using any web-enabled computer.

Non-linear layout for free-form control

Free and web-based

Easy for everyone to use, regardless of experience

Non-linear format could lead to motion sickness for some, but simple moves between screens can prevent this problem

Requires some learning to get the hang of it

No local version

Desktop and web-based editor with viewer apps available for both Android and iOS.

Allows users to import Powerpoint presentations

Works with both Windows and Mac computers

iOS viewer app allows streaming on Apple TV devices

Can publish presentations locally, organizationally, or for all audiences on the web

Premium version includes analytics to give you insight on performance with audiences

Check out the review at PCMag below to find out more about Prezi.

Proceed to the PCMag website

As Powerpoint's complement for Apple devices, Keynote is another reliable tool worth considering. If you're familiar with Mac programs and their functions, you should learn how to use Keynote in no time. Plenty of templates and layouts are available, and you can easily include animations in your presentations. Adobe also powers its appealing interface and templates, and you can choose from different formats to save your presentations.

Easy to use for beginners and veteran users alike

A wide variety of designs and templates for presentation themes

Can handle animation

YouTube, Quicktime, and other formatting options

PC users won't have an easy time using this program if they aren't used to Mac programs

Mobile (Android & iOS), desktop, and web-based app requiring an iCloud account to use.

Users can open, save, and edit Powerpoint files and convert Keynote to Powerpoint format, but glitches can occur

Available through iCloud

Can control presentations using iOS device with Keynote remote for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Remote presentations using Keynote Live and a web-enabled device

Live Collaboration for team projects

For reviews that can help you decide if Keynote is right for you, visit the Macworld site below.

Proceed to the Macworld website

Google Slides

If you have a Google account, you can access Google Slides for free along with its other cloud-based programs. Google Slides comes with plenty of customization options to create a great-looking presentation with every use. You'll find it to be a great tool if you're looking for something free and easy to use. However, like other cloud-based versions of Google software, formatting presentations across programs like Powerpoint can require some tweaks.

Easily accessed via the cloud on Google Drives

Presentations created with the program will look the same across all devices

Web-based only with limited offline capabilities

Importing from Keynote or Powerpoint can yield poor results because of formatting differences

Exporting could also result in unfavorable results using different software

Mobile app on iOS and Android, along with a web-based Chrome App with an offline editor that requires either Chrome OS or the Chrome browser.

Powerpoint-Google Slides conversion, but glitches can occur

Real-time collaboration through comment, chat, and review

Can display on secondary screen using Airplay or Chromecast

Audience interaction feature that allows for live comments and questions

Presenter View can include notes and slide previews using a second window

Remote control via Android or iOS devices

Remote presentations through Google Hangouts

Connect with other Google apps including YouTube

Visit the Capterra site for more reviews and details about Google Slides.

Slidebean is a great user-friendly presentation software that anyone can use, with easy access to all of its resources. It also includes integrated AI that can help with formatting and design by assisting with font choices and slide arrangements. Create high-quality presentations using Slidebean in no time, and you can choose from different sharing options based on privacy preferences.

Easy to use with minimal learning curve

AI integration to make creating presentations even easier

Top-quality production

Some startup bugs

Need to spend money to access many features

Web-based software accessible using web-enabled devices.

AI design feature

Custom templates with custom colors and fonts

Collaboration with team

Audience insight

Branding with company logo

Professional reviews for presentations

Export presentations as PDFs

The G2 site linked below can take you to more reviews for Slidebean.

Proceed to the G2 website

Zoho Show is a cloud-based program that enables presentation creation and collaboration, along with broadcasting and publication. Plenty of visuals are available with this software to help you fully customize your presentations, whether you want to include photos, videos, tables, or charts. It also makes it easy to work with your team to collaborate on a small or large project.

Includes many features to customize your presentations

Chrome extension allows easy draft creation at any time

Live broadcasting allows you to showcase a presentation to an audience and engage in live chat and comments

Consumes resources and, subsequently, isn't as fast as Google Slides and other cloud-based programs

Web-based app along with native editor apps for both Android and iOS, with viewer apps available to download for Apple TV and Android TV.

Can import and export both Powerpoints and PDF files, but conversion may not be perfect

Internal, organizational, or public publishing of presentations, with iframe embed codes available to paste on websites

Web-based presentation view and remote capabilities via two browser windows

Android and iOS app for remote presentation creation

Streaming on Chromecast, Android TV, and Apple TV

Chrome extension helps optimize speed and web-based editor control

Visit the link below for additional reviews for Zoho Show.

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Bring your presentations to life with CustomShow, which enables you to create engaging content with custom background images and video. You can also broadcast your presentations using the included webinar feature, and you don't even need to be online to give your presentation as you can share them with people to look through on their own. If you make any updates to your library, all linked slides are also updated accordingly.

Easy to create and share presentations with anyone

All changes are updated automatically if library changes

Simple management of presentations and library

No search function in library

Can't open links using mobile devices

A lack of editing features

Web-based software for any web-enabled computer.

Create a personal library combining images, text, video and Adobe Flash content

Updates are automatically shared with all users

Use with browsers, on both Mac and Windows computers

iPad application allows for seamless integration and remote presentations using iPad tablets

Visit the Capterra website to see more reviews for this program.

If you want to incorporate animations in your presentations, Powtoon is an excellent choice of presentation software. You'll find no shortage of images and templates for your presentations, and you can create them in little time. You can keep your presentations engaging through the use of an animated slideshow that plays like a video as opposed to a traditional click-through slideshow, but you can easily switch between both modes.

Many features to customize your presentations

A wide variety of templates

Can share presentations with the public

Offline saving is available

The interface can seem a little disorganized

Can take some time to load another user's presentation

Limited features on the free version, including the inability to download presentations over five minutes long

Web-based software for web-enabled devices.

Offline local presenting

Screen sharing to showcase presentations to others

Communication and content management

Image library

Project templates and planning

Search functionality

Two-factor authentication

Collaboration tools

Visit the link below for additional reviews and information about Powtoon.

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Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond is another tool that's ideal if you want to create animated presentations. You can also collaborate with a team to work on a video project together. Features are also easy to use, regardless of your experience presentation software. The quality of animation and presentations is consistently high, and you can easily customize your presentations using audio files such as voice narration, sound effects, and music.

Very user-friendly and easy to use without any experience

Affordable for many businesses to use

High presentation quality

A bit of a learning curve to get used to the software

Library is limited in terms of character poses, styles, and objects

Cloud-based software accessible using any web-connected device.

Automatic lip-syncing with audio uploaded as MP3 files

Three styles that each come with pre-made templates along with characters and pre-animated assets

Version history allows you to revert to a previous version to track changes or create new videos from an existing custom template

Visit TrustRadius below for more reviews from customers who've used Vyond.

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Microsoft Powerpoint is one of the most recognizable presentation tools, and there's a reason why millions of users still utilize it today. It's quick and easy to use, with plenty of customization options that give you complete control over your presentations. You'll also see better quality when presenting slides to a large audience compared to other software. Powerpoint isn't likely to go anywhere anytime soon.

Easy to use regardless of experience

Plenty of features with versatile presentation options

Can use it just about anywhere for any kind of presentation

Limited to users with Office 365 subscriptions

Can make it easy to overload slides with information to the point of being overwhelming

Microsoft Office 365 app for Windows and Apple computers.

SmartArt feature allows for creation of high-quality professional diagrams

Many transitions between slides

Animation effects

Slide Master View allows for consistent updating across entire presentations

Project from your devices to large audiences with consistent quality

For additional reviews and details about Powerpoint, visit G2 below.

Unlike other presentation software, Slidedog is specifically intended for presenting existing presentation files as opposed to creating them. You'll want to use Slidedog if you have a presentation but need a professional solution to present it to your audience. It's a great tool to use whether you want to present in front of a live audience or have the audience access the presentation remotely.

Interface is easy to use

Many useful features

Works with most presentation file formats

Organized and sleek design

Can't make changes to presentations

Can take a while to install

Many features are restricted to the paid version

Windows application for desktops and web-based app for any web-enabled device.

Presentation playlist allows for easy arrangement of files and media

Supports all file types without any glitches

Real-time sharing with remote control for playlists from any web-enabled device

Connect with audiences through presentation feedback, polls, and live audience chat

Dual-screen support

Can use for digital signage

To see reviews of this presentation software, visit the G2 site below.

Canva is a great presentation and design software that can make your presentations look great with custom graphic design. Over a million fonts, graphics, and images are available on Canva, and it's accessible for just about any user. You can use Canva to turn a simple idea into a beautiful professional-looking design that helps you get the most from your presentations.

Plenty of pre-made templates available with free and paid versions

Allows for easy collaboration with a team

Very user-friendly interface

Can slow down during use

Limited GIFs and many other feature limitations

Web-based design software accessible with web-enabled computers.

Unlimited folder storage for presentation designs

Team functionalities

Can upload any images

Unlimited storage for all images and other assets

Save templates locally or for your organization

Search functionality in the library

Can export files as GIFs

Compatible with custom fonts

Easy resizing of images and assets to custom dimensions

To learn more about this software and see additional reviews, visit the Techradar website below.

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Frequently asked questions

💯 what is the best program to make a presentation.

The best presentation software will depend on your personal preferences and the specific features you're looking for in a program. However, the following are worth trying and can give you some ideas to help you pinpoint what you want.

Microsoft Powerpoint

❔ Is there better presentation software than PowerPoint?

If you would rather use presentation software other than PowerPoint if you don't have Microsoft Office, or simply want to try another program, there are plenty of PowerPoint alternatives to try. Take a look at the following list:

Renderforest

💻 What is better than Prezi?

For software similar to Prezi with varying features, you can view a list of alternatives to Prezi in the following list:

How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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