The best presentation software in 2022
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 spent a lot of time testing the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.
Beautiful.ai for AI-powered presentations
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
What makes a great presentation app?
How we evaluate and test apps.
All of our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. 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 since 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. More people are working remotely. 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.
Beyond that, we also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table, like video presentations or AI design—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides.
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 are (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.
Already have slides and want a great way to share them instead? Here are the best apps to share presentations .
The best free presentation software
Canva (Web, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)
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.
Canva recently added a number of new 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.
Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $119.99/year for up to 5 users and include additional features like Brand Kit and premium templates and stock assets.
The best presentation app for AI-powered presentations
Beautiful.ai (Web, Mac, Windows)
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. Look at the GIF above as an example: when you drag an element toward a specific area of the slide, it'll automatically drop it into place for you.
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 traditional collaboration features are limited on the 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.
Beautiful.ai pricing: Plans start at $12/month for unlimited slides, revision history, 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 looking for an AI presentation tool, Slidebean is another great option 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 $29/month.
The best presentation app for conversational presentations
Prezi (Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android)
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.
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, Google Meet, and more) to present live.
Prezi pricing: Free 14-day trial and a free plan that includes up to 5 visual projects; paid plans start at $15/month.
The best presentation app for video presentations
Powtoon (Web, iOS, Android)
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)
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, image galleries, and more.
My favorite feature is the brand settings. Premium users can set universal branding guidelines that include your logo, color scheme, fonts, images, backgrounds, and more. 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, interactive images, and more—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)
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 headphones 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)
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 templates.
Templates are on the basic side, but they 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.
Zoho Show price: Free
What about the old standbys?
You might notice a few major presentation players aren't on our 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 AI, robust team collaboration, branding controls, video, and so on.
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.
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.
Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox
We’ll email you 1-3 times per week—and never share your information.
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.
- Google Slides
Related articles
The best Gmail alternatives in 2023
The 9 best email apps for iPhone in 2023
The 5 best transactional email services in 2023
The 5 best transactional email services in...
The best screen sharing software in 2023
Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.
- Content Types
Presentations Keep your audience engaged.
Documents Formalize your branding.
Videos Add movement to your brand.
Infographics Share information visually.
Printables Create content for printing.
Charts and Graphs Bring life to your data.
Social Media Graphics Create scroll-stopping content.
Mockups Create high-quality mockups in seconds.
Branded Templates new Get a bundle of templates that match your brand.
- Features & Assets
Interactivity
Integrations
Data Widgets
Collaborations
Presenter Studio
Free Educational Resources See All
Visme Video Tutorials Watch videos on how to use Visme.
Ebooks Read in-depth knowledge for your industry.
Graphic Design Videos Learn design principles & best practices.
Live Webinars Interact with the experts live.
Free Online Courses Get certified with free online courses.
Our Blog See All
- Presentations
Video & Animations
- Digital Marketing
- Infographics
- Design for Business
Data Visualization
- Design Inspiration
For Teams All Teams
Agencies & Consulting Manage multiple brands.
Education Use Visme in the classroom.
Nonprofit Bring life to your cause.
Enterprises Create visual content at scale.
- Perfect For These Roles
Marketers Creative content that shines.
Human Resources Improve internal communication.
Sales Teams Close more deals with your content.
Training Development Create interactive training content.
Templates See All
Presentations 1000+ layouts and themes.
Chart & Maps Get data visualization ideas.
Social Media Graphics Browse templates for every platform.
Infographics Find the right format for your information.
Documents Templates for every business document.
Videos & GIFs Find the perfect preanimated template.
Branded Templates Get a bundle of templates that match your brand.
- Other Templates
Website Graphics
Survey Results
- Case Studies
- Sign Up Free
- Free Educational Resources
- Most Recent
- Data Visualizations
- Video & Animation
- Visual Thinking
- Product Updates
- Visme Webinars
15 Best Presentation Software for 2023 (Full Comparison Guide)
Written by: Orana Velarde
Looking to create a stunning presentation that keeps your audience engaged? You need a high-quality presentation software to take your slides to the next level. Some of the best presentation software include Visme, Haiku Deck, Prezi, Microsoft Powerpoint, Canva and Google Slides .
In this comparison guide, we’ll analyze each of these tools and many more to understand what the difference is between them so you can choose the best presentation maker for your business.
So, if you want to stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations and have a reliable presentation software that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time, you’ll need this guide.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
- Google Slides
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Beautiful.ai
- Microsoft Sway
What is Presentation Tools
Presentation tools are software applications that enable users to visually present ideas or share knowledge. These presentations are delivered in a slide-show format using a combination of text, images and other graphic elements.
Presentation software is frequently used to pitch an idea to investors , present proposals to clients , introduce new products or services to customers, train staff on new policies or ideas , or teach your students new or complex concepts.
Best Presentation Software: A Visual Comparison
When choosing the right presentation software for your projects, there are some things to consider:
- Does the price point fit your budget?
- Is it easy to use?
- Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
- Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
- Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
- Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
- Can you add audio to your presentations?
- Can elements be animated?
- Is it desktop or cloud-based?
- Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
- Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
- Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
- Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
- Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
- Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
- Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
- Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?
We'll take a look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.
Last updated on October 27, 2022.
Visme is one of the most complete presentation software available online.
Making professional presentations is easy and straightforward. Pretty much everything can be customized or moved around. That's not all that Visme can do, though.
You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as infographics, reports and interactive charts. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the software.
Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. With a free account, you can create up to three projects.
To access all of Visme's capabilities, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans .
- Personal: $12.25/month paid annually
- Business: $24.75/month paid annually
- Enterprise: Custom – learn more here
If you're a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for a discount. Visme also offers separate Education plans for students and teachers.
Ease of Use
Visme is quite easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is a breeze, and you can even save a slide in the slide library to reuse later.
The editor comes with a handy sidebar that lets you browse graphics and data tools and drag and drop relevant ones onto your slides. You can also use the search bar to quickly find what you need. The dynamic fields feature ensures you don’t miss out on any critical information. With single click, you can easily update content throughout your presentation.
Who Is It For
Visme is perfect for small and large businesses, marketers, project managers, educators, content creators and so much more.
Template Options
The template options in Visme are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many presentation styles to pick from.
Presentation Templates
Ecommerce Webinar Presentation
Buyer Presentation
PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation
Product Training Interactive Presentation
Company Ethics Presentation
Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation
Create your presentation View more templates
You can choose from dozens of fully designed presentations tailor-made for specific industries and topics, or mix-and-match hundreds of slide layouts by choosing a presentation theme.
You can also start with a blank canvas, add new blank slides to existing presentation templates, and save custom slides to use later as your own templates.
Graphic Assets Library
When selecting the best tools for presentations, the visual capabilities and creative design elements should be a top consideration. Visme’s graphic library includes thousands of free icons, illustrations, stock photos, videos , 3D graphics , audio clips, charts and graphs to include in your presentations.
The best part is that every graphic asset that comes built-in with the Visme editor is fully customizable. Resize, rotate or change colors to fit your brand, content and theme.
Videos and GIFs
It's easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation. Browse a selection of animated illustrations and characters to make your presentations engaging.
Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.
Another great option is accessing our Presenter Studio to record a video of yourself presenting your content. You can turn on your camera or record audio only before sending a link to your audience. This is a great way to present asynchronously or save your presentation for people to view again and again.
Embed Third-Party Content
There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes , forms and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.
You can also take advantage of several integrations to embed even more engaging and interactive content into your slides.
Animations and Transitions
With Visme, you can animate your content and create interactive experiences such as:
- Hover effects or clickable pop-ups, link your slides or content blocks to objects
- Pre-animated assets like characters, illustrations and gestures
- Custom animation and motion effects
Features inside Visme presentations can be animated, and we also have a number of seamless slide transitions that make your content pop, like "Enter from Side" or "Staggered Fade."
If you want to make your content even more dynamic, you can access our Custom Animation feature. This is perfect for creating video presentations or making your elements look like they're floating on your slide.
Desktop or Cloud
Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer. We also provide a desktop app that you can download and use outside of your regular browser for seamless content creation.
And if you need to create content on-the-go? You can easily edit existing projects right from your mobile device or tablet!
Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.
Offline Viewing
Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats.
The best option is to download it as an HTML5 file. That way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can also be downloaded as a collection of JPG or PNG images, as a PDF or as an editable PowerPoint file.
Create a stunning presentation in less time
- Hundreds of premade slides available
- Add animation and interactivity to your slides
- Choose from various presentation options
Sign up. It’s free.
Collaboration Possibilities
Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together. Leave comments with edits and feedback, edit projects simultaneously and easily share with other people on your team to move the project along.
Branding Capabilities
Visme's brand design tool makes it easy to keep all of your content on-brand regardless of who's creating it. It works in three easy steps:
- Upload all of your branding assets (colors, fonts, logo) to Visme with the Brand Wizard . Input your website URL and watch as our Brand Wizard automatically pulls in all of your branding.
- Access a bundle of 30+ automatically branded templates that have your logo, fonts and colors already ready to go.
- Easily access thousands of other templates and input your brand fonts and colors with just a click in Visme's editor.
Then boom! All of your content will always have the same branding, helping increase brand strength and recognition.
Share to Social Media
Once a presentation is finished, it can be shared to social media seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it. It is advisable to only use strong passwords for this purpose. There are a few free password managers that could help you do that and keep your account secure .
Visme’s analytics is what makes it stand out as the best tool for presentation. When a presentation is shared via a live link, it can be analyzed for views and sharing.
Access in-depth analytics that show you how much of your presentation is typically viewed, for how long and which slides seem to be the most popular.
Lead Generation
You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients. Simply head over to our Advanced Settings tab before sharing your project and turn on Requires Registration to collect emails from each person who views your content.
Prezi offers a great alternative to the traditional presentation format that goes slide by slide. The creative idea behind Prezi is you can create an animated, non-sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom in.
While Prezi's interface can be slightly complicated to use, it's a good option for people who need to add a creative touch to their presentations.
Prezi is free for basic capabilities and limited templates.
For the paid plans, there are three tiers.
- Plus: $12/month
- Premium: $16/month
- Teams: Request pricing info
There are separate plans available for students and teachers.
Prezi has a slight learning curve, but once you create a couple of presentations, you get the hang of it. However, it doesn't offer too much customizability inside the templates.
Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So, who Prezi is for really depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.
There are plenty of templates to choose from, and you can also start from scratch. The templates are different in color and style, but the idea of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.
The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Premium plans get access to over 80,000 icons and 500,000 images.
Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.
Voice over can be added in premium plans.
No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.
Prezi is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.
Prezi is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Prezi presentations can only be created on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.
Prezi for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.
Brand Kits are only available with Prezi's team plans, but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.
Prezi presentations can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Prezi presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi app. There are two options, as an EXE file for PC and a ZIP file for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi app.
Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.
Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to Prezi presentations you share via a link to someone.
There are no lead generation capabilities with Prezi.
3 Google Slides
Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with Google Docs and Sheets, you can create presentations with Google Slides.
The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite, which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.
Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account. All features are available to everyone.
There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at $6/user/month and go up to $18/user/month.
Compared to other examples of presentation software, Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to Google Docs and Sheets.
Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.
There is a general collection of templates, but there are not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.
The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.
Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.
Audio and Embed Third-Party Content
Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.
Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.
Google Slides is a cloud-based program.
Google Slides can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for Android and iPhone. Presentations can be edited and viewed on all devices.
Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides
There is no brand kit feature.
Presentations can be shared via email or link.
Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.
Presentations can be shared privately, but there are no password capabilities, only invitations.
Analytics and Lead Generation
These features are not available.
Keynote is the native Apple presentation software — one of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.
Keynote is free for downloading and also accessing via the cloud with an apple ID.
If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze. This feature makes it stand out as one of the best tools for presentation.
Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.
The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.
There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.
Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.
You can upload existing audio files in Keynote to play on specific slides. There's also an option to record your own voiceover to create a narrated presentation.
Including these is not available
Slides and objects can be animated in a number of ways, including path creation, scaling, bounce or jiggle effects, and more.
Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.
You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PC.
Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.
Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.
Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation
None of these are available on Keynote.
Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.
5 Microsoft PowerPoint
This list wouldn't have been complete without the most popular presentation software in the world. Even though there are tons of more advanced presentation tools out there now, PowerPoint is still a favorite of many because of its familiarity, ease of use and availability.
The desktop-based PowerPoint program is part of Microsoft 365, which has different plans for businesses that start from $6/month and go up to $22/month.
You can download PowerPoint online for free on any device, including on mobile.
Most, if not every, computer user knows how to work a PowerPoint. The traditional sidebar interface is easy to use simply because it's familiar. But for people who are using PowerPoint for the first time, there might be a slight learning curve.
Businesses, individuals, students, teachers and anyone who uses a Windows PC or device. PowerPoint is also a good fit for people who want to create simple, conventional presentations, and aren't looking for fancy new features or capabilities.
There are dozens of themes that come built-in with PowerPoint, and there are all customizable so you can play around with the styles.
You can browse stock images, icons, stickers and more by searching for relevant keywords in PowerPoint's graphic library.
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also embed videos from YouTube and other online sources. However, this feature is only available to Windows users.
You can upload audio files from your computer. You can also record audio directly inside PowerPoint, and edit the settings for playback.
You can embed files created in other Microsoft Office applications, such as charts created in Excel, or any other programs that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE.)
There are tons of animation and transition options available in PowerPoint, which can actually get confusing at times. However, if you know your way around these options, it gets easier to create a professional-looking slideshow.
There are both desktop and cloud versions of PowerPoint available.
You can download the PowerPoint mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.
It's possible to share your presentation with specific people.
Brand kits are not available, but you can save custom themes.
Presentations cannot be shared to social media.
You can download your PowerPoint presentations in various formats, including PPTX and PDF. This makes it easy to access them on any device offline.
You can mark your presentations as read-only to prevent users from editing the file.
This feature is not available in PowerPoint.
Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the amount of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography, to .svg to code builds.
Ludus starts at $14.99/month for teams of 1-15 people. Team that need more licenses are encouraged to contact for more pricing information. Ludus does offer a 30-day free trial.
Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.
This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners who have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.
There are no templates to choose from. You have to start from scratch or use smart blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.
Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.
Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.
Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.
You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and HTML options.
Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.
Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.
Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.
Collaborations are possible with the team plans. This includes live collaboration, workspaces and more.
With collaborations, smart blocks and the Brandfetch integration, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.
Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.
Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.
Pro Plans have password protection.
There are no analytics or lead generation capabilities available in Ludus.
Slides is the only presentation software which promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.
Slides is free to use, but finished presentations will be public and available to see and copy in the Browse / Explore tab.
The paid plans start at $5/month and go up to $20/month for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.
Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.
Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities.
Slides has a very limited template library with just a handful of different options to choose from.
The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.
Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.
Including audio is not possible with Slides.
Anything with code can be added in an iframe.
All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.
Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.
Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.
Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities. Users can leave comments with feedback for the creator to review and make edits.
There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.
Yes, quite easily.
A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.
Privacy and Analytics
Possible with paid plans.
This is not possible on Slides.
8 Slidebean
Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks.
The highlight of this presentation software is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you put together the best possible slide layouts and configurations. They also have a team of experts that can both write and design your pitch deck for you if you don't want to take the DIY route.
The free plan has limited capabilities but it's enough to see how Slidebean works. To export your presentation, you'll need to upgrade.
There are three price levels from $8/month to $19/month to $149/month. The last one is the Founder's Edition plan, which includes help from the experts on your presentations.
If you choose to get their help on your presentation design, it starts at $29 per slide or $1,999 for the full project.
Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a popup.
Editing can be done in outline or design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up, but there are lots of choices. There's no free size changing or moving around.
Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.
There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Snapchat and Buzzfeed.
There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.
GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.
There are no audio capabilities.
The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.
Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.
Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.
It can be used to edit or view on any device.
Collaboration is possible in the paid plans.
This feature is available in the paid plans.
Sharing to Social Media
Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.
This feature is not available.
Analytics are available in the paid plans.
9 Zoho Show
Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics Microsoft PowerPoint in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. However, Zoho's version is much nicer and polished.
Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and the company offers different types of apps for teams and office use — Zoho Show is only one of their programs.
Creating a presentation with Zoho Show is free for up to 5 users. For more professional features and storage, paid plans start from $3/user/month, paid annually.
Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.
Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.
There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.
The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.
Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.
Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.
There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.
All elements and transitions can be animated.
Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.
You can only create presentations on a computer.
Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.
Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.
Sharing to social media is not possible unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.
Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.
Yes, this is possible on all plans.
Analytics are possible on the paid plans.
10 Beautiful.ai
Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it.
Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually. They offer a 14-day free trial to test out their tool.
This is probably the best thing about Beautiful.ai — it's incredibly simple to use. All you need to do is add smart slides, plug in your content, and choose from different preset layouts.
Of course, that also means that you have limited customization options. But if you're looking for a simple solution and you don't trust your design skills, this may be a good option for you.
Beautiful.ai is a great tool for absolute beginners and non-designers who are looking for a no-nonsense presentation software.
For example, startups and entrepreneurs can use this software to create a nice-looking pitch deck or proposal quickly without any design help.
There are a handful of slide themes available, but they're mostly basic in terms of design. You can play around with the layouts inside each theme to put together a unique presentation.
The graphic assets library comes with a bunch of free stock photos and icons to choose from, but the options are pretty limited.
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also import videos from YouTube and Vimeo to embed in your slides.
Audio can be uploaded from your computer.
It's not possible to embed third-party content into Beautiful.ai presentations. However, you can add interactive links to your slides.
Each slide comes with a preset animation style that you're unable to customize. However, you can change the speed, timing and triggers for the animations.
Beautiful.ai is a cloud-based application.
The software only works on your desktop computer.
You can invite people to collaborate on your presentation by either giving them "view" or "edit" access. Collaborators must have a Beautiful.ai account to view or edit the presentation.
While there's no brand kit feature available, you can customize a theme (colors and fonts) and save it to your library to use in future presentations.
There are several options to share your presentations. Send an email invite, share a public or private link, generate an embed code or share directly to social media.
You can export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint to view offline.
There is no password protection, but you can use the Secure Viewing option to only share your presentation with other Beautiful.ai users via an email invite.
This feature is only available in the paid plans. You can access a number of viewing and usage statistics for your presentations.
This feature is not available in Beautiful.ai.
11 Genially
The main idea behind the Genially presentation software is interactivity.
This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations, but also for other visual graphics. It’s great for adding a modern, interactive feel to your presentations.
There is a free plan in Genially, which gives you unlimited creations but limited resources.
There are two types of paid plans; education and business. The education plans start at $1.25/month and go up to $20.82/month, billed annually. The professional plans start at $7.49/month and go up to $79.15/month, billed annually. You can also ask for custom plans by reaching out.
Genially is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genially.
Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a "design view" and a "layers view."
Professionals and educators of any field who can benefit from interactive presentations.
There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentation templates are also available as "video presentations."
The graphic assets in Genially are quite varied; there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the Pixabay integration.
Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.
Audio can be uploaded from your computer, added via SoundCloud and a couple of other integrations, or recorded directly in Genially.
Third-party content can be added to your presentations with Genially integrations. For example, you can add an interactive map via Google Maps.
All elements can be animated, as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity,” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.
Genially is a cloud-based presentation program.
This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.
It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where all creations are stored.
Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.
Finished presentations can be shared to social media.
Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.
Premium plans have these features.
This is not available in Genially.
Last updated on February 4, 2022.
Canva is not only a presentation software but also a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become a favorite with bloggers and home-based businesses.
The free version of Canva is pretty extensive.
The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought separately or through the Canva Pro plan. Canva Pro is charged at $12.99/month or $119.99/year.
Canva is easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling; there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides at once.
Bloggers, small home-based businesses and startups
There are lots of customizable template options, and each slide inside the templates can be used individually.
There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library, including shapes, icons, photos, frames and stickers. Some are free, while others are paid.
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded to Canva.
You can add music to your presentations using the available options inside Canva.
Canva offers dozens of integrations and media embed options, including YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and more.
There are several animation options that apply to entire slides inside Canva. You can also add animated stickers to your slides.
Canva is a cloud-based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.
Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.
Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.
Canva Pro has a brand kit feature.
Presentations can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.
Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf. You can also download it as an MP4 video for offline viewing.
All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password protected sharing though.
These features are not available in Canva.
13 FlowVella
FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode, in which you can create interactive presentations like the ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.
FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark.
FlowVella is pretty easy to use, and the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.
This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.
The template options are quite varied and well designed.
The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.
Videos can be uploaded or found via YouTube, iCloud and Dropbox integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.
Audio can be uploaded from your computer, or added via iCloud or Dropbox.
You can add PDF files.
Only the transitions are animated minimally.
This is a desktop-based application. It must be downloaded.
There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.
Paid premium plans can work with teams.
Brand kits are not available.
Presentations can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.
These features are available in the paid plans. Analytics can be viewed once the presentation has been published online.
This feature is not available on FlowVella.
14 Haiku Deck
Last updated on October 8, 2020.
Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.
Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.
Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.
The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly at educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.
Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.
The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.
YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.
Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.
Only videos can be embedded.
Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck
Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Haiku Deck is a cloud-based app that is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.
Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.
Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.
Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.
There is no brand kit, but you can add your logo to the finished product.
Pro and Premium plans have private and password-protected capabilities
Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.
Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.
15 Microsoft Sway
Microsoft has its own alternative to PowerPoint — Sway.
This online presentation software is completely different from PowerPoint and introduces a new concept of building "Sways" instead of "presentations."
Sway is free to use for anyone who has a Microsoft account.
It's super easy to use Sway and kind of fun too. It has a non-traditional storyline editor, which lets you add "blocks" of content that the software configures into layouts.
Sway is mostly for people who don't want to spend too much time designing a complex presentation. For example, students and nonprofit organizations.
There are several templates for different purposes, such as photo slideshows, sales trainings and even personal portfolios.
You can upload your own media or search from various sources inside Sway, including Flickr and Bing Images. There are no shapes and icons included.
You can upload videos from your device or embed from YouTube.
You can add audio to Sway by uploading or dragging and dropping the audio file onto your storyline from your computer.
You can embed images, videos, maps and other content from tons of websites, including Google Maps, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and more.
Sway automatically adds animations to your slides. You cannot change or customize them; you can only increase or decrease the level of animation added to your Sway.
Sway is an online, cloud-based software.
Sway works on any device with an internet browser.
You can invite people to view or edit your Sway presentation.
Sway presentations can be shared directly to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF file to view offline.
There is no password protection available, but you can choose to share your Sway with specific people, anyone with a link or only people in your organization who have a link.
You can view reader statistics for your Sway if you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.
This feature is not available in Microsoft Sway.
Looking for a Presentation Software?
The best presentation software for you depends on your budget, needs and number of users. If you're looking for an easy-to-use presentation maker that also comes with unique features that you won't find in most other tools, Visme might be a great option.
You can look for the right pricing plan for your needs and even apply for a discount if you're a nonprofit organization. And if you just want to try out Visme to see if it's a good fit, sign up for a free account and use it for as long as you like — no strings attached.
Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.
Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.
Recommended content for you:
![3 Real-Life Elevator Pitch Examples to Help Nail Your Own [Including Templates]](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/3-Real-Life-Elevator-Pitch-Examples-to-Help-Nail-Your-Own-Thumbnail-500x280.jpg "system for presentation")
Speak Loudly. Speak Visually.
Receive weekly practical tips on how to communicate visually, right in your inbox.
Please leave this field empty.
Create Stunning Content!
Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.
About the Author
Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com
Presentation systems
Learn how presentation systems can change everything
- What are presentation systems
- Why presentation systems are important
- Developing & launching a presentation system
- Offer a visually consistent toolkit of branded elements
- Generate a compelling story with appealing visuals
- Make presentation creation accessible to everyone on your team
- Improve communication consistency internally and externally
- Save time and money by using elegant master slides
Download our guide to presentation systems
Knowing how to solve communication challenges is a challenge itself
This quick assessment will start you on the right path
I'm looking for training for
(Select one)
average workshop satisfaction score
What skills are you looking to improve?
(Select all that apply)
9 out of 10
learners likely to recommend a Duarte workshop.
My specific presentation goals include:
learners agree that the Duarte workshop they took will help them do their job better.
How would you like to learn?
learners said they will see a positive impact in their teams and organization if they consistently apply what they learned at their Duarte workshop.
Beyond PowerPoint: Presentation Tools for Small Businesses
The prevalence of PowerPoint has made company presentations all too routine. It can be hard to get and hold your audience’s attention with mundane slides full of bullet points. It may be an effective tool in some scenarios, but there are tons of other presentation solutions out there that can help you engage with your audience and communicate key ideas.
While traditional tools such as PowerPoint, Google Slides and Keynote can all be used to create presentations, you can break the conventional method – basic points on simple slides – by including images, creating movement, and limiting each slide or section to only a couple key points.
If you’re looking to shake things up and connect with your audience in a fun and engaging way, it may be time to try one of these solutions.
Visme is a cloud-based presentation tool that allows you to create highly visual presentations to engage viewers and communicate your ideas. It features an intuitive, drag-and-drop design method for creating presentations. The business version also prioritizes brand consistency and company-wide image storage. When you or your employees create a presentation, it will feature colors, logos and images that are on brand for your organization. This promotes consistency across presentations among your employees. Visme also offers a built-in analytics system, so you can see who has viewed your presentation and who finished it.
Visme offers multiple plans ranging from $20 per user per month to $60 per three users per month. It’s also possible to get a free live demo to see how the technology works before you try it out.
2. Haiku Deck
Haiku Deck is a platform that prioritizes simplicity. Business owners can create elegant, basic presentations with high-quality images. The spartan approach allows for connecting with audiences instead of losing them in information overload due to text-heavy slides. What separates Haiku Deck from traditional presentation tools is its library of images and array of fonts. It makes it easy to craft simple, powerful presentations that are accessible on any device.
Haiku Deck offers three plans, ranging from $7.99 to $29.99 per month.
3. Pitcherific
Pitcherific is not only a presentation solution, but also a platform for building and practicing your presentation. It’s a template-based program that guides you through the presentation creation process. Instead of drafting a few slides, Pitcherific prompts you to write out the areas of each part of your speech. The outline for an elevator pitch, for example, includes a hook, problem, solution and closing. There are various templates for different kinds of pitches and presentations, so you’ll have guidance on many kinds of speeches and presentations. Pitcherific also recommends a character count for each section and a timeclock, allowing you to track how long your speech or presentation is and stay within a desired range.
Pitcherific’s pricing depends largely on your business and its needs, so you’ll have to reach out to its sales team to get a direct quote. Pitcherific does offer a free trial in case you’re curious to see how the platform works.
Canva is an online platform that provides templates for a wide range of business-related publications, like resumes, newsletters, business cards, media kits, brochures and infographics. You can also use it to construct presentations. There are hundreds of design layouts and templates to start with, and you can upload your own images or choose from more than 1 million of Canva’s stock images. As you build your presentation, you can adjust text and fonts, add filters to images, and drag and drop different elements for design. You can also upload and save your company logo.
Canva offers a free version equipped with all its features. If you’re a startup or very small business owner, this is a good option. For larger businesses, Canva for Work offers team management features for $12.95 per month (or $9.95 per month when you pay annually). You can try this version free for 30 days.
5. SlideCamp
SlideCamp provide slide templates for creating company presentations. You can adjust color schemes, add company logos, import charts and data, build infographics, and organize presentations into sections with SlideCamp. This is a great solution for maintaining presentation consistency across multiple presentations from your organization. After you set up branding details, employees will be able to work with predesigned slides to easily craft professional presentations. It’s geared for larger businesses, so if you’re a startup or one-person company, this may not be an ideal solution for you.
There are a few plans available, which range from $49 to $499 per month depending on the number of users who will access SlideCamp. There is a demo version as well, so you can try out the service to see if it’s right for your business.
6. Microsoft Events
While PowerPoint may be a tired way to handle a business presentation at times, Microsoft has other tools that can introduce a new level of practicality to the standard presentation. It recently introduced the ability to create live and on-demand events in Microsoft 365. These events can be viewed in real time or on demand by remote co-workers or even workers who were present in the meeting but want to reference what was said. It combines HD video with machine learning to create a speaker timeline, speech-to-text transcriptions and time coding, and closed captioning.
Live events are part of the Office 365 subscription plans. If you’re already a subscriber, you can use this tool for no additional cost.
Powtoon is an animated presentation and video platform for creating short informational videos and presentations about your brand or product. Explainer videos are an important part of a brand’s message, and Powtoon is an affordable tool for creating animated videos and presentations to educate consumers and clients about your business. You can easily edit presentations and videos, add voiceover, and build a professional experience for your customers.
Powtoon offers a free version, but there are more robust offerings at $19 and $59 per month.
8. VideoScribe
VideoScribe is a whiteboard video presentation platform that allows small businesses to customize their presentations to fit their needs. These videos, which feature a whiteboard and hand that “draws” different objects and slides in the presentation, are ideal for quick explainers and marketing videos on your business or product. You can easily place objects, insert text, and even draw your own objects or text with VideoScribe’s platform.
VideoScribe is available for either $29 per user per month or, if paid annually, $12 per user per month. If you want to extend VideoScribe to a larger team, you’ll have to pay $110 to $130 per user, depending on the number of users. You can also make a one-time payment of $665 for a single user.
Prezi is another template-based presentation solution that you can use to create persuasive and engaging presentations with unique movement between “slides” and key points. Prezi maps out your whole presentation on an overall track that you decide. When you switch slides, it doesn’t simply advance to the next one; it takes the viewer through the track to the point that needs to be made. This allows your audience to visualize the progression of your presentation. You can arrange content under different sections and create an overview so your audience can see your entire presentation plan. This method keeps the presenation organized and your audience engaged. You can also navigate freely through your presentation – your track is not locked in and you can adjust when you address which points as you’re presenting.
Prezi is either $50 or $59 per user per month, depending on the number of users.
Integrations
Inspiration
Consideration
Go hybrid with Prezi
It’s a new world. Are you ready? Here’s how Prezi helps your team thrive in today’s hybrid workplace.
Prezi Video explained
We’ve compiled these quick, easy-to-follow tutorials to make you a Prezi Video master in no time.
The science
Learn to grab their attention and keep it with presentation advice from the pros.
Create moving, zooming presentations that grab attention and keep it.
Appear right alongside your content while presenting to your audience.
Make stunning interactive charts, reports, maps, infographics, and more.
The best way to engage and connect at home, the office, in the classroom, or anywhere.
Three powerful tools with one powerful goal. All our products are built to help you meet better and communicate more effectively.
Prezi is good for business. Keep teams engaged and customers asking for more.
Prezi is smart for education. Make lessons more exciting and easier to remember.
Meet just a few of our 100 million customers, more products from prezi.
Present remotely with video using Zoom, Webex, Google Meeting and more.
Present in person with moving, zooming presentations that grab attention and keep it.
Send out interactive charts, infographics, and more.
Get a demo, try out cool features and learn how Prezi can make your team more efficient.
- For Parents
- For Educators
- Our Work and Impact
- About Digital Citizenship
- Lesson Plans
- Lesson Plans (U.K.)
- Quick Activities (Grades K–5)
- Quick Activities (Grades 6–12)
- Digital Life Dilemmas
- SEL in Digital Life Resource Center
- Implementation Guide
- Toolkits by Topic
- Virtual Classroom Backgrounds
- Digital Citizenship Week
- Digital Connections (Grades 6–8)
- Digital Compass™ (Grades 6–8)
- Digital Passport™ (Grades 3–5)
- Social Media TestDrive (Grades 6–8)
Meet the Digital Citizens!
- All Apps and Websites
- Curated Lists
- Best in Class
- Common Sense Selections
- About the Privacy Program
- Privacy Evaluations
- Privacy Articles
- Privacy Direct (Free download)
- Civics in Digital Life
- Inside Out Movie Guide
- Internet Safety
- Math Worksheets
- SEL Digital Dilemmas
- ChatGPT and Beyond
- Discussing Shocking News
- Google Search Tips for Research
- Keeping Students Safe on Social Media
- Supporting ELLs with Tech
- Cyberbullying Prevention
- Google Classroom
- Movies in the Classroom
- Digital Citizenship
- News and Media Literacy
- All Events and Training
- Digital Citizenship Teacher Training
- Student Privacy Teacher Training
- Common Sense Recognized Educators
- Common Sense Education Ambassadors
- Family Engagement Toolkit
- Digital Citizenship Resources for Families
Family Tech Planners
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- Workshops for Families with Kids Age 0–8
- Workshops for Middle and High School Families
- Pre-Recorded Parent Presentations
- Get Our Newsletter
Best Classroom Tools for Presentations and Slideshows
Many students dread presenting or struggle to structure and communicate their ideas successfully. These interactive presentation and slideshow apps and websites give them tools to make their work fun, engaging, and interesting. Students can create screencasts to teach a topic to the class, use a design tool to craft sleek graphics, or record entertaining videos and animations. Whether it's for practice or to reach an authentic audience, students can demonstrate their learning and gain valuable skills for college and career. There are also some great options for teachers to create and present lessons with live whiteboard instruction or slick multimedia and interactive elements like videos or embedded assessments.
Slideshow and Lesson Delivery Tools
Flexible interactive presentation tool engages kids at school and home
Bottom Line : It's great for creating unique interactive lessons customized for every learner, but it might not be accessible for every student.
Engage and assess students with media, videos, and interactive slides
Bottom Line : This is a great tool with a vast content library, and the teacher- or student-paced learning can unlock the potential of 1-to-1 environments.
Easy-to-use slideshow tool offers customization, promotes creativity
Bottom Line : With the right guidance, the abundance of design features make creating dynamic presentations a breeze for all students.
Live presentation tool adds interactivity to stale slide decks
Bottom Line : This easy-to-use tool gets students more involved in presentations, but a lot of teachers might use similar tools already.
Interactive slideshows offer a variety of ways to engage and assess
Bottom Line : This is an appealing platform that can really ramp up engagement around formative assessment.
Versatile polling/presentation tool boasts great question variety
Bottom Line : This tool supports student-centered teaching by pushing real-time participation/feedback beyond simple polls and multiple-choice questions.
Robust lesson creation and delivery tool helps with assessment
Bottom Line : In the hands of a determined teacher, this platform's useful suite of tools can support learning experiences that move from instruction to assessment and back.
Simple, elegant tool for creating presentations on mobile devices
Bottom Line : Provides a solid mobile version of Apple's presentation app.
Multimedia presentation tool features useful templates and 3D zoom
Bottom Line : With its zoom in and out capabilities, Prezi helps teachers and students go beyond traditional presentations to put important content front and center.
Limited text and high-impact visuals help focus presentations
Bottom Line : Haiku Deck doesn't teach the essentials of good presentations, but it's great for users who already know the basics.
Screencasting Tools
Create, present, and assess with effortless interactive screencasts
Bottom Line : This intuitive tool is excellent for recording and responding to screencasts of any length.
Screencast-O-Matic
Create and edit sophisticated screencasts without breaking the bank
Bottom Line : This is the most flexible screencasting tool, but it requires patience -- and perhaps a subscription -- to unlock all of its possibilities.
Screencastify
Easy screen-recording tool facilitates outside-the-box instruction
Bottom Line : This is an instructional tool that could reinvent classroom workflow, especially for classrooms in the Google ecosystem.
Create and edit high-quality screencasts and videos in record time
Bottom Line : This platform is full of features that blend video creation and screencasting, helping teachers expand and differentiate their lessons.
Simple, easy screencast creator with room to grow
Bottom Line : This is a competitive entrant into the screencasting field that leans into ease-of-use and fewer restrictions.
Shadow Puppet Edu
Resource-rich video slideshow maker a gem for a variety of classrooms
Bottom Line : Easy-to-use free tool is a must-have for elementary classrooms; just keep an eye on sharing and privacy.
TouchCast Studio
Cool tool takes videos to the next level
Bottom Line : It's a creative tool for teachers to make interactive video content and for students to present information, but teachers should monitor use.
Whiteboard Tools
Explain everything.
Classic presentation tool continues to evolve
Bottom Line : The paid version strikes a perfect balance of features, offering options without going overboard.
Interactive whiteboard lets users brainstorm, organize, and collaborate
Bottom Line : This beautiful and collaborative platform is useful for everything from workflow tasks to creative expression.
Check out these related resources
- What is Flipped Learning?
- Introduction to Flipped Learning
More Picks for You
Media literacy games, tools, and lessons.
Tools for Classrooms with In-Person and Remote Students
Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning
Please turn on Javascript
Engage your audience & eliminate awkward silences.
Our easy-to-build presentations, interactive Polls, Quizzes, and Word Clouds mean more participation and less stress
No credit card needed
Turn tough crowds into engaged audiences
- Build an immediate connection with your audience and make them a part of your presentation.
- Create an interactive experience letting everyone vote, ask questions, and interact throughout.
Create truly unique presentations
- Use a wide range of interactive slides to pose questions, gather feedback, and connect with your audience.
- Build an impressive slide deck in minutes, craft an insightful icebreaker instantly, or find a new and creative way to engage your audience!
Millions of voices have already been heard
Countries & territories.
A feature for every need
Dynamic Word Clouds
A vibrant way to visualize your audience's ideas
Live & Instant Polling
Let your audience answer any question you may have for them
Entertaining Quizzes
Run factual, fun, or icebreaker quizzes
Informative Q&As
Let your audience ask questions without the fuss
Want to become a better presenter?
Predesigned templates designed to be used immediately.
Join our expert-led webinars to learn how to get the most out of Mentimeter.
Mentimeter Academy
Learn about the skill of presenting and the art of presentation design.
Works with your favorite apps
Microsoft teams, impress with interactive presentations.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Get it now with a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- For business
Get the PowerPoint mobile app ¹
Interact naturally using voice, touch, and ink
Easily ink onto a slide, then convert handwritten notes into text and make hand-drawn shapes perfect in seconds.
Nail your next presentation
With Presenter Coach, practice your speech and get recommendations on pacing, word choice, and more through the power of AI.
Be on the same page
Always know where you are in the editing process. With the while you were away feature, track recent changes made by others in your decks.
Task management with PowerPoint and Microsoft 365
See how task management in Microsoft 365 works as an integrated experience that lets you assign, manage, and complete tasks across your favorite apps including PowerPoint.
Ready to create great presentations with Microsoft 365?
See more from microsoft powerpoint.
- Design library: 219 templates for several industries and needs.
- Shareability: You can send revocable share links to team members or friends for feedback. You can add collaborators with an email associated with a Prezi account to co-create a presentation.
- Cost: The price varies depending on the number of projects you want to create and the functionalities you require. There is a free plan, a Plus plan for $15/month, and a Premium one for $19/month.
- Compatibility: Prezi’s desktop app with offline access works on Windows and Mac. You can also use the Prezi Viewer app to view, present, and share (but not edit) presentations on your IOS or Android devices.
Prezi lets you create a non-linear story, meaning you don’t have to go from slide A to B to C. Instead, you can jump straight into the section that interests your audience the most and avoid boring them with other data.
Prezi’s interactive presentations continuously prompt viewers to keep watching. For example, you can first share a bird’s-eye view of what the presentation will cover as an introduction. Then, you can zoom in to specific topics to further teach your audience about a problem, new product, or idea.
2. Vyond: Best for engaging animation-based presentations
- Design library: 182 fully customizable templates . They’re not your typical static slide templates. Instead, they’re story-driven templates you can use to create engaging presentations.
- Shareability: Teams can work on the same project simultaneously. You can also work together asynchronously by uploading assets, custom templates, and characters into each project.
- Cost: The basic plan starts at $25 a month on an annual plan. For $83.25 a month, you can access Vyond’s entire suite of tools, export formats (GIF vs. MP4), resolutions, and animation styles.
- Compatibility: Vyond is a browser-based software you can access via Windows and Mac.
According to Kaltura , 98% of enterprise professionals think videos are better and faster at training employees. You can use Vyond to create engaging animated video presentations in a format proven to increase learning retention . Its animated elements will help persuade viewers to watch what you present instead of the latest celebrity news.
3. Zoho Show: Best for teams that don’t care about fancy design
- Design library: 59 free templates built for businesses across industries.
- Shareability: You can collaborate in real-time with teammates, tag them to notify them of a change you just made, and comment on areas that need some context.
- Cost: Free.
- Compatibility: Zoho Show works on all Android and Mac devices, from laptops to phones to TVs.
Zoho Show is presentation software that uses an uncluttered interface so you can focus on organizing your ideas. There are animation tools too, which help you make portions of your presentation stand out. While it doesn’t offer interactive options, it’s perfect for teams that need to create a simple presentation in the least amount of time.
4. Beautiful.ai: Best for teams conscious about time and design
- Design library: There are 62 templates. Each focuses on one use case, like pitching a company idea or presenting a case study.
- Shareability: You can work with teammates and add comments to your presentation if you have a Teams account. Once the slides are ready, you can present them from your browser.
- Cost: The $12 per month plan lets you create unlimited slides and track analytics. For $40 a month, you can edit presentations with your team, create custom template libraries, and more.
- Compatibility: You can show and edit presentations through your browser.
Beautiful.ai is presentation software for teams that need to deliver high-quality presentations fast. Its artificial intelligence rearranges your slide’s elements so they’re clear, appealing, and sized correctly based on their importance. The active AI lets you create presentations in less time without worrying about design principles.
5. Soapbox: Best for teams creating content in bulk
- Design library: Soapbox doesn’t have a library of design assets. However, you can customize the color of the video player, the thumbnail, and your video’s page with your logo.
- Shareability: Anyone with a link to your video can see it. Since recordings happen in real-time, there’s no way to collaborate unless a teammate sits next to you.
- Cost: Free for teams with basic needs, like recording and sharing videos. Starting at $300 a year, you’ll be able to track how viewers interact with your videos and book meetings straight from them.
- Compatibility: You can record Soapbox videos from Windows and Mac. Anyone with a smartphone or PC can watch them.
Soapbox is a presentation software you can access from your browser. You can use it to record yourself, your computer screen, or both.
It takes just two clicks to record, making Soapbox ideal to create product or content videos in bulk. For example, you can organize your background, write a list of topics on a piece of paper, and then record videos for many departments, such as sales, HR, and marketing.
Unlike other tools, you won’t have to create slides or charts. You can hit record and cover the topic from your seat.
6. Canva: Best for teams looking for designer features
- Design library: Canva contains thousands of templates and millions of stock images, videos, audio, and graphics. While not every template is for presentations, you can use their Pro plan’s resize tool to take graphics from one template to another.
- Shareability: You can share and collaborate with others while creating your presentation.
- Cost: You can access most of Canva’s features for free. You gain access to a larger stock image and video library, elements, auto-publishing features, and more for $119/year. They also offer customized pricing options.
- Compatibility: Canva works on Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android devices.
Canva is the leading all-in-one design tool for non-designers. You can create eye-grabbing infographics, include engaging images, and position your elements exactly how you want without ever leaving the platform. Their templates are professional and carefully crafted, letting you stand out from competitors without using external design tools.
7. Google Slides: Best for teams migrating from PowerPoint
- Design library: 23 themes that change your slide’s colors, typography, and layout.
- Shareability: You can share presentations with team members and work on them at the same time.
- Compatibility: Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS devices.
Google Slides is a presentation software anyone can use because of its intuitive interface. Since it’s free and available on all devices, it takes teams just a few clicks to start collaborating, no matter the device they use. The browser-based app is the ideal presentation software for teams ready to leave PowerPoint but not ready to learn more complex features.
8. Keynotes: Best for native presentations on Mac and iOS
- Design library: 30 captivating themes.
- Shareability: Teams can present and collaborate on slides as long as they are Mac or iOS users. You can also download Keynote files as PowerPoint files to work with PowerPoint users.
- Compatibility: Keynote is compatible with Mac and iOS devices.
Keynote is a great option for Mac users who want access to templates—and not themes—for visually appealing presentations. It integrates with iOS apps and devices to create presentations faster. For example, you can add colors and comments to presentations using your iPad’s Apple Pencil.
The ability to turn Keynote files into PowerPoint presentations allows Mac lovers to cooperate with teammates on the platform each one likes the most. Its similarity with PowerPoint and Google Slides also allows for a simple transition between presentation apps.
9. SlideDog: Best for those indecisive about which software to use
- Design library: SlideDog doesn’t offer a template or design library.
- Shareability: The audience can see SlideDog slides, ask questions, share feedback, and answer polls directly from their device. All you need to do is share the presentation link.
- Cost: There is a basic option available for free. For $19 a month, you can present offline, receive free software upgrades, and use SlideDog on two devices simultaneously.
- Compatibility: You can access SlideDog from any web browser.
SlideDog’s value proposition is the ability to combine multimedia assets with presentations from Prezi and PowerPoint. While you won’t create a presentation with SlideDog alone, this feature lets you use each platform’s most engaging attributes. Integrating assets enables you to show a unique presentation without distracting your audience by switching tabs.
10. Ludus: Best for creative teams
- Design library: You can import assets from popular design media services like Unsplash, Iconscout, and Giphy without leaving the platform. Ludus also offers self-made and community-made templates you can use.
- Shareability: You can collaborate in real-time with team members. Once the presentation is ready, you can choose a custom URL and domain to present your work.
- Cost: $14.99 a month per user up to 15 people. Teams of 16 or more users need to request a quote.
- Compatibility: You can access Ludus from your computer’s browser.
Ludus is a presentation software geared for designers who want complete control over how everything looks. Ludus has a learning curve for non-designers, but it’s straightforward for those used to design tools like Sketch and Figma. Like other software, you’ll be able to include images, videos, and text. You’ll also be able to create reusable assets, edit elements’ corner radii, and access other features designers give up when using other presentation tools.
Type and font lovers can set a specific cap line, line height, and spacing for their text elements. Those who work with shapes can give them borders and shadows and turn them into overlays.
11. FlowVella: Best for interactive presentations
- Design library: FlowVella offers dozens of templates designed by professionals.
- Shareability: You can play FlowVella presentations using any browser.
- Cost: The free version lets you have four public presentations in your account. You can access the $10 or $20 per month plan for more presentations, privacy, and features.
- Compatibility: FlowVella has apps for iOS. Windows users can use it through a browser.
FlowVella lets you create presentations that operate like websites. You can include videos, PDFs, and a navigation bar to show your audience various media without leaving your presentation. The interactive features also give viewers the option to learn more about the topics that interest them the most once the presentation is over.
During events, it’s common for booth hosts to talk to multiple people at once. Multitasking can cause hosts to unknowingly ignore a lead. FlowVella’s Kiosk mode lets you show presentations event visitors can interact with but not alter, answering their questions and keeping their interest in buying from you.
12. Visme: Best for managing all design operations from one software
- Design library: Thousands of presentation templates people across all industries can use. The app also has millions of images, audio files, and videos you can use to create a presentation precisely as you envision it.
- Shareability: You can share a project to receive feedback or edits from your team. Their most complete plan offers personalized roles, which you can use to organize your entire presentation crew.
- Cost: Free option with limited templates and design assets. The $15 and $29 per month plans let you export presentations in more formats, access the entire design library, and store more files in the cloud.
- Compatibility: Visme works on every device that can access a browser.
Visme is a suite of design assets for non-designers. It’s perfect for teams that want to centralize their design operations, as it offers a wide range of valuable tools for many departments.
Visme has customizable animated icons, images, charts, and characters you can use to create presentations that look and sound like your brand. While the presentation maker has more functionality than PowerPoint, it’s intuitive enough for anyone to learn Visme’s basics in just a few minutes.
13. Vidyard: Best for sales teams finding leads
- Design library: Vidyard doesn’t have a design library.
- Shareability: Teammates can access your company’s video folder and share your videos for you.
- Cost: Free for those who want to record and share videos. Teams that wish to include calls-to-action for prospects or security features will need one of three paid plans, ranging from $15 a month to $1,250 a month.
- Compatibility: You can record videos using an iPhone, Android, or your browser.
Vidyard is a browser extension and app to record sales-oriented video presentations. These videos will help you stand out from canned cold emails, building trust with prospects and getting them to watch what you offer.
You can also use Vidyard to present precise answers to a prospect’s objections or follow up with the steps they should follow after becoming a customer. Thanks to its engagement analysis features, you can track the number of viewers who act after watching your video. You can then export this data directly to your CRM to see the ROI from video prospecting.
14. Loom: Best for internal communications
- Design library: Loom doesn’t have a design library.
- Shareability: Teammates can watch your videos if they have the link. Then, they can film their Loom videos commenting on yours to communicate asynchronously.
- Cost: It’s free to record and present Loom videos. But you’ll need the $8 a month plan for engagement insights, transcriptions, and closed captions.
- Compatibility: You can use Loom on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Loom offers video editing features like filler word removal to make your presentation unambiguous and concise. The drawing tool and mouse emphasis feature also help you bring attention to your presentation’s most essential data. These tools make Loom ideal to create a database of clear internal use videos, like presentations about job expectations or your company culture.
These videos give managers time to focus on more critical tasks and employees the ability to re-watch internal information as many times as it takes to assimilate it.
Create a Powerful Presentation by Trying New Tools
When most of your colleagues are using PowerPoint, it’s easy to feel like you should hop on the bandwagon and use the software, too. But your presentation is far more likely to have an impact on your audience if you explore other software that offers unique visual features and compelling animations that engage people beyond the typical bullet-point slides everyone is used to watching.
Understand the software pros and cons in this guide so you can try a new program for creating presentations—one that fits your organization’s need and delights your audience with novel, engaging features.
Try dynamic presentations using Vyond
Viewers are more likely to recall presentations with video than with static text and elements, as video engages more senses . You can use Vyond to turn boring presentations into captivating video-based ones that grab and keep your viewer’s attention. Those in a rush or new to animation can use one of our templates to animate their ideas in less time.
Make a Presentation
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Canva for a free presentation app · Beautiful.ai for AI-powered presentations · Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations · Powtoon for video
Some of the best presentation software include Visme, Haiku Deck, ... The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that
Presentation systems are an easy way to create visually compelling presentations that showcase your brand in the best possible way. When you get presentation
This promotes consistency across presentations among your employees. Visme also offers a built-in analytics system, so you can see who has
Long after the public presentation, slides designed on your presentation program can be saved on a file storage platform or content management system to be
Welcome to Prezi, the presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make you a great presenter.
Many students dread presenting or struggle to structure and communicate their ideas successfully. These interactive presentation and slideshow apps and
Interact with your audience using real-time voting. No installations or downloads required and it's free!
Microsoft PowerPoint empowers you to create clean slideshow presentations and intricate pitch decks and gives you a powerful presentation maker to tell your
But design-wise, PowerPoint isn't the most engaging platform or presentation software. Your business presentations will lack the impact you