presentations best software

The best presentation software

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

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

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

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

Beautiful.ai for AI-powered design

Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations

Powtoon for video presentations

Genially for interactive, presenter-less presentations

Pitch for collaborating with your team on presentations

Zoho Show for a simple presentation app

Gamma for generative AI features

What makes the best presentation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

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

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

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

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

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

The best presentation software: at a glance

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

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

Beautiful.ai (web, mac, windows).

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

Generative AI features aren't great yet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

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

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

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

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for video presentations

Powtoon (web, ios, android).

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for interactive presentations

Genially (web).

Genially pros:

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

You can set universal branding guidelines

Unlimited creations on the free plan

Genially cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Start live video calls straight from decks

Pitch cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best simple presentation app

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

Zoho Show pros:

Simple and easy to use

Version history and ability to lock slides

Completely free

Zoho Show cons:

Templates are pretty basic

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

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

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

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

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

Zoho Show pricing: Free

The best presentation app for generative AI

Gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

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

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

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

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

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

What about the old standbys?

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

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

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

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

Related reading:

8 Canva AI tools to improve your design workflow

The best online whiteboards for collaboration

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

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

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.

• Presentations

Related articles

40+ best digital marketing tools in 2024

The 12 best productivity apps for iPad in 2024

The 12 best productivity apps for iPad in...

The 4 best journal apps in 2024

The 8 best Trello alternatives in 2024

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Template Lists
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Graphic Design

12 Best Presentation Software for 2024

By Krystle Wong , Jan 12, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

1. Venngage 

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

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

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

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

Vast selection of templates

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

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

Data visualization made easy

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

Seamless real-time in-editor collaboration tools

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

Consistently brand your designs with smart Autobrand features

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

Who is it for

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

Key features 

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

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

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

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

Source: Screenshot from Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Google Slides

Source: Screenshot from Google Slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Keynote (for Mac users)

Source: Screenshot from Keynote

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Prezi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For individuals & business professionals

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

Standard: Starting at $5 USD/month

Plus: Starting at $12 USD/month

Premium: Starting at $16 USD/month

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

For Students & Educators

EDU Plus: Starting at $3/month

EDU Pro: Starting at $4/month

EDU Teams: Enquiry required with Prezi sales team

Source: Screenshot from Canva

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Adobe Express

Source: Screenshot from Adobe Express

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Haiku Deck

Source: Haiku Deck

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Ludus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Slidebean

Source: Screenshot from Slidebean

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. Beautiful.ai

Source: Screenshot from Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Pitch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When you use links on our website, we may earn a fee.

Best Presentation Software of 2024

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

Best Overall: Google Slides

Highly integrated With Other Apps

Totally free

Not integrated with Microsoft products

Minimal support

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

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

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

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

Specifications:

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

Most Compatible: Microsoft PowerPoint

Highly compatible

Online and desktop versions

Easy to use

No free version

Templates are not as trendy

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

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

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

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

Best For Mac Users: Apple Keynote

Exceptional designs

Desktop only

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

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

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

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

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

Most Flexible: Prezi

Unique concept

Trendy visuals

Unique design templates

Harder to learn

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

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

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

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

Best Budget: Visme

Free version available

Added visual tools

Good overall value

It takes more time to learn

Expensive pro plans

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best For Entrepreneurs: Slidebean

Design for entrepreneurs and salespeople

Unique features

Not as powerful as some

Not as well-known

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

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

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

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

Most Powerful: Canva

Thousand of templates

Integrates with other Canva tools

Limited export options

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

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

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

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

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

The Bottom Line

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

Things To Consider When Buying Presentation Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How We Chose The Best Presentation Software

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

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best presentation software of 2023

Let’s put on a slideshow.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

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

Best overall: Microsoft PowerPoint

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

• Best for Mac: Apple Keynote  

Best for students: Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

Things to consider when buying presentation software

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

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

Ease of use

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

Prebuilt templates

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

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

Customizability

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

Who’s it for?

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

Cost & affordability

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

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

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

The best presentation software: Reviews & Recommendations

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

MobiSystems

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best for Mac: Keynote

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: How much does presentation software cost?

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

Q: Is Canva better than PowerPoint?

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

Q: Does Adobe have presentation software?

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

Final thoughts on the best presentation software

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

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

Like science, tech, and DIY projects?

Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights.

👀 Turn any prompt into captivating visuals in seconds with our AI-powered visual tool ✨ Try Piktochart AI!

• Piktochart Visual
• Video Editor
• Infographic Maker
• Banner Maker
• Brochure Maker
• Diagram Maker
• Flowchart Maker
• Flyer Maker
• Graph Maker
• Invitation Maker
• Pitch Deck Creator
• Poster Maker
• Presentation Maker
• Report Maker
• Resume Maker
• Social Media Graphic Maker
• Timeline Maker
• Venn Diagram Maker
• Screen Recorder
• Social Media Video Maker
• Video Cropper
• Video to Text Converter
• Video Views Calculator
• AI Flyer Generator
• AI Infographic
• AI Instagram Post Generator
• AI Newsletter Generator
• AI Report Generator
• AI Timeline Generator
• For Communications
• For Education
• For eLearning
• For Financial Services
• For Healthcare
• For Human Resources
• For Marketing
• For Nonprofits
• Brochure Templates
• Flyer Templates
• Infographic Templates
• Newsletter Templates
• Presentation Templates
• Resume Templates
• Business Infographics
• Business Proposals
• Education Templates
• Health Posters
• HR Templates
• Sales Presentations
• Community Template
• Explore all free templates on Piktochart
• The Business Storyteller Podcast
• User Stories
• Video Tutorials
• Visual Academy
• Need help? Check out our Help Center
• Earn money as a Piktochart Affiliate Partner
• Compare prices and features across Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans.
• For professionals and small teams looking for better brand management.
• For organizations seeking enterprise-grade onboarding, support, and SSO.
• Discounted plan for students, teachers, and education staff.
• Great causes deserve great pricing. Registered nonprofits pay less.

Presentations

The 11 Best Presentation Software to Use in 2023

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

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

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

Choose the best presentation software by weighing the pros and cons

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

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

Let’s dive in!

1. Piktochart

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

An area in which Piktochart shines is crafting unique presentations. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Google Slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. SlideDog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. Haiku Deck 

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

You can avoid such an unfortunate scenario with Haiku Deck. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Prezi Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Slidebean

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. ClearSlide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation software is…

 …completely up to you! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Collaborate on presentations, reports, and more with Piktochart.

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

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

Other Posts

Mastering the Craft: Presentation Design Strategies From a Pro

How to Make a Presentation (2023 Guide With Tips & Templates)

How to Nail Your Brand Presentation: Examples and Pro Tips

Do you want to be part of these success stories, join more than 11 million who already use piktochart to craft visual stories that stick..

• Presentation Design

The 10 Best Presentation Software for 2023: Complete Guide

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

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

What is a presentation software?

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

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

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

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

Related Read: What Makes Up the Best Presentation Templates?

What makes a good presentation tool?

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

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

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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

Best PowerPoint Alternatives (Death by Power Point)

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

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

What presentation software is better than PowerPoint?

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

Best 10 presentation software alternative list for 2023

(Updated December 2022)

• Keynote presentation
• Google Slides

1- SLIDEBEAN PRESENTATION SOFTWARE

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

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

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

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

You can sign up free for Slidebean here

SIGN UP FREE

2- apple keynote.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

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

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

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

More info about Apple Keynote is available here

Final result: ★ ★ ★ - OK

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

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

You can read more about them here . ‍

4- GOOGLE SLIDES

Customization: ★ ★ - Passable

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

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

You can find a more detailed review here .

5- FLOWVELLA

Ease of use: ★ ★ - Passable

Customization: ★ ★ ★ - OK

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

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

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

You can find more details here .

Customization: ★ ★ ★ -

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

You can find more information about them here .

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good!

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

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

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

8- HAIKU DECK

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some more info about them here .

Ease of use: ★ - Bad

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

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

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

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

More information about them here .

‍Which one to pick?

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

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

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

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

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

Try Slidebean

Popular articles.

Lunchbox Pitch Deck Tear Down

How to find investors for SaMD startup?

The Business Model Slide: How to make it and include

Financial Modeling Explained: What is Driver-Based Planning?

Let’s move your company to the next stage 🚀

Ai pitch deck software, pitch deck services.

Financial Model Consulting for Startups 🚀

Raise money with our pitch deck writing and design service 🚀

The all-in-one pitch deck software 🚀

Check out our list of the top free presentation websites that offer unique features and design options. Discover the best platform for your next presentation now.

This presentation software list is the result of weeks of research of 50+ presentation tools currently available online. It'll help you compare and decide.

This is a functional model you can use to create your own formulas and project your potential business growth. Instructions on how to use it are on the front page.

Book a call with our sales team

In a hurry? Give us a call at 

15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter

By Bilyana Nikolaeva

in Insights

3 years ago

Viewed 8,284 times

Spread the word about this article:

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

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

Example by Focusky

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

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

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

Example by PreziBase

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

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

3. RenderForest Presentation Maker

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

Example by Renderforest

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

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

4. Mentimeter

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

Example by Mentimeter

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

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

5. Libre Office Impress

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

Example by Theodoros Bousios

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

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

6. Zoho Show

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

Image by Zoho

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

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

7. ClearSlide Presenter

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

Image by ClearSlide

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

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

8. Piktochart

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

Example by Piktochart Knowledge Base

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image by Iconfinder

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

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

11. Slidebean

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

Source Slidebean

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

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

12. Google Slides

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

Image by G Suite Updates blog

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

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

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

13. Keynote

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

Image by Envato tuts+

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

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

14. Adobe Spark

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

Example by Cikeys

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

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

15. PowerPoint

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

Example by Abris DC

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

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

We made a quick summary for you…

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

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

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

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

Final words

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

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

You may also be interested in these related articles:

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

Add some character to your visuals

Cartoon Characters, Design Bundles, Illustrations, Backgrounds and more...

Like us on Facebook

Subscribe to our newsletter

Be the first to know what’s new in the world of graphic design and illustrations.

• [email protected]

Browse High Quality Vector Graphics

E.g.: businessman, lion, girl…

Related Articles

10 cartoon character design secrets by graphicmama, business communication and the importance of visuals, graphic design trends 2017: what’s hot and what’s not, the best image formats to use in 2021, how to find the right website design company for your project, take a look at graphicmama’s infographic templates collection. over 500 premade templates for your presentations:, enjoyed this article.

Don’t forget to share!

• Comments (0)

Bilyana Nikolaeva

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

Thousands of vector graphics for your projects.

Take a look at GraphicMama's Infographic Templates Collection. Over 500 premade templates for your presentations:

Hey you made it all the way to the bottom.

Here are some other articles we think you may like:

The Top Online Business Card Makers in 2022: Low-Cost & Easy to Use

by Iveta Pavlova

Best Logo Creator Tools & Generators: Fast, Easy, Cost-Effective

8 Tips for Successful Ecommerce Website Design + Amazing Examples

by Lyudmil Enchev

Looking for Design Bundles or Cartoon Characters?

A source of high-quality vector graphics offering a huge variety of premade character designs, graphic design bundles, Adobe Character Animator puppets, and more.

Best free presentation software of 2024

Find an alternative to PowerPoint

Best overall

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

• How we test

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google Workspace : Collaboration + productivity apps There are many different presentation software packages but Google Workspace formerly known as G Suite remains the original cloud office software and one of the best business office suites, offering a huge range of features and functionality that rivals can't match, especially when it comes to presentation software. Try it free for 14 days .

The best free presentation software of 2024 in full:

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

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

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

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

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

Read our full Prezi review .

• ^ Back to the top

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

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

Read our full Canva review .

3. LibreOffice

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

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

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

Read our full LibreOffice review .

4. Google Slides

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

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

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

Read our full Google Slides review .

5. WPS Office Free

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

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

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

Read our full WPS Office Free review .

We've also featured the best free office software .

Best free presentation software FAQs

Which alternative to powerpoint is best for you.

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

How we test the best free presentation software

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

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

Get in touch

• Want to find out about commercial or marketing opportunities? Click here
• Out of date info, errors, complaints or broken links? Give us a nudge
• Got a suggestion for a product or service provider? Message us directly
• You've reached the end of the page. Jump back up to the top ^

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

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

Adobe Express (2024) review

iDrive is adding cloud-to-cloud backup for personal Google accounts

iFi iDSD Diablo 2 review: the red DAC's more devilishly good second time around

Most Popular

• 2 I really hope Google doesn't promise 7 years of Android for the Pixel 8a
• 3 I’ve seen Sony’s impressive new mini-LED TV backlight tech in action, and OLED TVs should be worried
• 4 Meta rolls out new Meta AI website, and it might just bury Microsoft and Google's AI dreams
• 5 DJI drones just got a new rival in the US that licenses… DJI technology
• 2 The latest macOS Ventura update has left owners of old Macs stranded in a sea of problems, raising a chorus of complaints
• 3 Disney Plus' possible cable-style Star Wars channel plan proves we're never getting rid of cable
• 4 Bosses are becoming increasingly scared of AI because it might actually adversely affect their jobs too
• 5 Apple's M4 plans could make the latest MacBooks outdated already

• Common Leadership Styles
• People Management Skills
• Life Skills to Build
• Managing Time Effectively
• Self-Management Skills
• Skills of Successful Entrepreneurs
• Best Leadership Quotes
• What is a KPI?
• What is OKR?
• What are SMART Goals?
• How to Set Financial Goals
• Best Business Objectives
• Goal Setting Statistics
• Best Goals Quotes
• Boost Cross Team Collaboration
• Leading And Managing Remote Teams
• Apps For Managing Remote Teams
• Virtual Team-building Activities
• Effective Team Meeting Agenda
• Manage a Software Development Team
• Team Communication Quotes
• Teamwork Quotes
• Accountability Quotes
• Powerful Boss Quotes
• Emotional Intelligence Quotes
• Hard Work Quotes
• Perseverance Quotes
• Achievement Quotes
• Positive Attitude Quotes
• Networking Quotes
• Project Management Basics
• Principles of Total Quality Management
• Elements of Total Quality Management
• Key Elements of Strategic Management
• 5 Elements of Management Process

15 Best Presentation Software Alternatives To PowerPoint in 2024

To make an outstanding presentation, host a webinar, and speak publicly, you must make a slideshow to go with your presentation. The software you use to create these presentations is just as essential as your skills.

The demand for business presentation software has increased, which has led many businesses to transition to working remotely. You need to consistently create presentations that will grab the audience’s attention, and software with great functionality is ideal for this.

This article will explain alternatives to PowerPoint that will help you pick the best software for your online presentations.

Best Presentation Software for Building Stunning Slides

A free presentation software ideal for small and large companies.

Visme is a content creation tool to tell stories and convert boring data into engaging visuals. It has numerous templates for slideshows, logos, infographics, storyboards, and marketing materials. With several automation features for publishing and display, publishers can set the time to automate online presentations.

Currently, Visme is available as a web and macOS application. The windows version is in development. You can access your projects and files from anywhere because it is cloud-based. It is easy to learn and requires no software download.

This business presentation software provides videos, webinars, and articles to help you learn Visme and gain business skills. Using its basic text editor, you can make captions, headlines, or text blocks for your works. You can contact a specialist through their email support.

Visme offers a free plan that is available for as long as you want to use it. This plan provides you 100 MB of storage, and you can download the file in JPG format. It offers three paid plans. The Standard Plan, which costs $25 per month, is ideal for gaining access to the features needed for individual use. You get 250 MB of storage and can download the file as a PDF.

The best value plan for this software is the Business Plan, which costs $49 per month. With this plan, you can manage your brand and scale Visme across the whole team. You get access to 10 GB of storage and can download files in PPTX, HTML5, video, and GIF formats.

The Enterprise Plan is suitable for advanced features, upgraded security, onboarding, support, and integrations. This plan comes with 2-factor authentication for additional security and 25 GB of storage. You can contact a sales representative to discuss a custom quote.

A Collaborative Presentation Software for Modern Teams

Pitch focuses on real-time collaboration, smart workflows, and intuitive design features. It is built for the way teams work to help teams of all sizes do work. With this software, teams can deliver beautiful presentations pretty fast.

This software is easy to use as non-designers can easily express themselves, and professional designers can completely control their slides. You can embed videos, images, GIFs, and up-to-date data from Google Sheets and Google Analytics.

You can share professional document templates that you can use to research and create your content. It goes beyond sharing visual templates. Editing of slides can be done with your team in real-time. Using Pitch’s i-framing feature, you can play the presentation from anywhere with GIFs and videos.

Pitch offers a free forever plan called the Starter Plan for individuals and teams just getting started. With this plan, you get unlimited presentations, live video collaboration, and custom templates and fonts. The paid plans have competitive prices.

The Pro Plan costs $8 per member per month and is suitable for power users and growing teams. You get workspaces roles, video uploads, everything in the Starter Plan, and other unique features. If you belong to a larger organization, the Enterprise Plan is ideal. It offers SAML-based SSO, dedicated manager, and advanced security.

You can contact a sales representative for a custom quote.

A Web-based Presentation Software that Allows You Interact with Your Visuals on Screen

Prezi is web-based presentation software that allows you to create and present presentations with motion and organic structure. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. With its canvas-based approach, your presentation can move around with the zooming in and out ability. You do not need to download any software since it runs through the web.

You get access to about 100 templates for building presentations. The map template ensures that your audience feels a sense of space and distance between locations. Also, using the iceberg template, you can illustrate how there’s more to a topic than there is. You can as well decide to start from scratch.

Up to 10 people can work on Prezi at once, and it has a drag-and-drop editor that is easy to use. Prezi comes with other apps, which are Prezi video and Prezi Design. Videos can be embedded from YouTube; however, they are not viewable in offline mode.

The creation of Prezi’s presentations can only be done on a computer but can be viewed on mobile devices.

Prezi is entirely free and includes up to 5 visuals; however, you can pay for upgrades to get additional features. It also offers a 14-day free trial period when you can try out its features before committing.

The Standard Plan, which costs $3 per month, is ideal for personal use. Using this plan, you can create presentations and designs with advanced privacy options. The most popular plan is the Plus Plan for expert visual communicators. It costs $7 per month.

Suitable for business professionals is the Premium Plan, which costs $9 per month.

4. Google Slides

A cloud-based office suite by google that allows you to edit, comment, and share slides.

Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software available through your Google account. The business version of this software is called G-Suite. It is ideal for business professionals, educators, orators, and students who need fast and easy access to presentations. You can make presentations both on and off the web.

There is a general collection of templates that you can choose from to get your presentation done; however, you can start it from scratch. One cool thing about this presentation software is that users can make edits in real-time and collaborate even when on the go. One can give access to others to be able to modify their presentations. Depending on the sharing option, they can edit, view, and comment on the presentation.

With its auto-save option, files are saved automatically. Anytime you make changes in your presentations, Slides saves it immediately. It is available for desktops, iOS, and Android devices.

Google Slides is completely free.

A Native Apple Presentation Software Exclusive to Mac OS Users

Keynote is a slideshow application in Apple fashion. This business presentation has built-in iCloud and Apple Watch support so that users can control their presentations from their wrists. It comes pre-installed on most Mac devices.

This presentation software comes with an array of templates that you can choose from to create your presentation. The interface is super easy to use. Being driven more by images and less by bullet points, Keynote is pretty engaging.

You can collaborate on presentations with anyone and from anywhere, and it works on Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Find where you left off playing videos and movies using Keynote. With its outline mode, you can jot down your thoughts, restructure your ideas, and move concepts from slide to slide.

Slideshows can be played on its window so that you can access other apps during the presentation. You can also view your presenter’s note, current and upcoming slides in a separate window. Using its exportation option, you can export your presentation as a movie or animated GIF to share online.

The split view functionality allows you to use applications physically side by side while each app remains in full-screen mode.

Keynote is free for Apple users. They can access it via the cloud with an Apple ID.

A Popular Presentation Platform for Designers to Use its Broad Capabilities

Presentations created with Ludus are creative, dynamic, and vibrant, but never static. You can easily drag and drop objects such as videos, 3D models, sound clips, cloud-based files, and many more from your computer into your slides.

Ludus allows you to collaborate with your teammates simultaneously without getting in the way of each other. Your videos are automatically converted to the most common video formats so that they can be viewed on any device. You can also clone your presentation by copying it inside your present account or sending it to another one, maybe your team account.

This presentation software is web-based and makes sharing your presentations super easy. You can create fonts or collect from other places to use them in the slides. Users can use the upload option to upload their fonts. You can save Ludus as a desktop app that supports SVG images, JPG, PNG, and GIF by default.

In an environment without the internet, users can use its PDF/HTML export that works perfectly offline. Audios can be uploaded as audio files from DropBox, SoundCloud, and other integrations.

All of Ludus’ plans contain all the features. The size of your team determines the amount you will pay. The larger the team, the lower the amount you pay. It offers a 30-day free trial period without credit card information required when you can try out its features before committing.

Ludus has four pricing plans. The Ludus Small Plan, which contains 1 to 15 people, costs $14.99 per month per user. Containing a number of 16 to 35 people is the Ludus Medium Plan, which costs $13.99 per month per user.

The Ludus Large Plan contains a number of 36 to 50 people and costs $12.99 per month per user. Lastly, for a team with 51+ people, the Ludus Corporate Plan is ideal. It costs $11.99 per month per user.

7. Slidebean

A presentation software that designs its presentations.

Slidebean is ideal for presenters looking to become professionals in their fields because of its user-friendly interface. Users only need to input content and let the software do its job. Presentations are kept in sync and can be shared with anybody, no matter the device they are using.

With its dozens of built-in presentations, users can create their presentations without having to start from scratch. You do not require any additional plugins or installations to embed Slidebean in a website. If there is no internet connection, presentations can be exported into PPT and PDF formats.

The software provides elements such as tables, charts, images, titles, texts, icons, bullets, quotes, videos, and many more to create professional slides. It is ideal for startups, consultants, small businesses, and academics.

You can track presentation views with Slidebean’s presentation insights to tell the time people spent on a presentation and how many slides they got through. Its editor is powered by AI, and it arranges slides automatically.

There is a pricing plan from students to startups founders and consultants. Slidebean has a free forever plan which comes with a lot of benefits. Its three paid plans are pretty affordable. The Starter Plan, which costs $8 per month, has all the features that you need to start presenting.

For creating entirely professional presentations, the Premium Plan is ideal, and it costs $19 per month.

The Founder’s Edition Plan is designed for startups founders, and it costs $149 per month. This plan includes design services.

8. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a browser-based presentation software with various templates to create presentations that suit your professional needs. It has similar features to PowerPoint but with a more basic user interface.

With this software’s collaboration features, you can stay in sync with your teams. You can export files in PPTX, PPSX, HTML, ODP, and PDF format with any name that you choose. It works on all desktops and Android devices.

Businesses, students, entrepreneurs, and educators use this presentation software. Using SoundCloud, you can add audio with embed code. Custom branding of your presentations is only available with the premium plans.

Zoho Show offers a free plan called the Zoho Docs and is always free for teams of up to 5 users, and each user gets 5 GB. This software offers a 15-day trial period with no credit card required when you can try out its products before committing.

For enhanced security, better collaboration, organization-wide reporting, and analytics, the most popular plan, which is the Standard Plan, is suitable. This plan costs $4 per month. The Premium Plan costs $6.4 per month. With this plan, you get more storage, robust admin controls, an active directory, and a single sign-on. If you subscribe yearly, you get a 20% discount.

9. Beautiful.ai

A presentation software with editable powerpoint.

Beautiful.ai is presentation software that empowers just anyone to build their presentations in a couple of minutes. With its wide array of templates available to pick from, getting started becomes pretty easy. As you keep adding content, your slide keeps adapting.

You can use images as small icons to feature team members with text overlay. Beautiful.ai helps you to create presentations 10X faster. This software allows you to edit and present offline. It allows you to track your presentations to see which slide is getting the most attention.

With Beautiful.ai, you can securely share your presentation so that only the people you want are able to view it.

Beautiful.ai offers a free forever plan and a 14-day free trial period when you can try out its fantastic premium features before committing. The free plan is called the Basic Plan, and it is ideal for individuals.

For professionals, the Pro Plan, which costs $12 per month, is suitable. With this plan, you can remove beautiful.ai branding from your presentations, upload custom fonts, and a host of other unique features.

The Team Plan, which costs $38 per user per month, is ideal for organizations. There is no limit on the number of presentations you can create with this plan. You can purchase your plans annually and save 20%.

10. Genially

A web-based tool that allows you create animated infographics and games.

Genially is easy to use as no programming language is required. It has lots of templates that you can use to create your presentations. You can as well start from scratch. Adding visual effects or animations to your presentations makes them attractive.

This presentation software helps you measure the impact you have made on your audience to know what part of your presentation you need to improve for better results. It supports rich media from different platforms. You can pull content from Dropbox, Infogram, YouTube, Twitter, and many more platforms to that effect.

With Genially’s support for collaboration, multiple people can work on the same document simultaneously, allowing for faster completion of the project. Paying subscribers can download Genially presentations for offline viewing.

The interface is super easy and is available in English and other languages. You can add animation effects in seconds.

Genially offers a free plan for those who are new to explore before buying it. It offers three paid plans. The Pro Plan costs $7.49 per month. The Master Plan is suitable for getting additional advanced features, and it costs $20.82 per month.

Teams that like a big family can go for the Team Plan, which costs $79.15 per month. With its annual payment, you can save up to 48%.

A Free Graphic Design Platform that Allows You to Create Presentations

Canva uses an intuitive drag and drop editor to design. The Canva schedule feature is a social media tool that puts you out there. This software allows you to create unique designs for professional and personal use. Its interface is so easy that even non-graphic designers can use it.

You can use its millions of texts and fonts to create presentations and social media graphics. With its beginner-friendly features, you can do more than basic cropping and texturing photos. You do not need to install this software on your computer, as you can access it on the web.

The Canva website contains millions of photos that you can download for free. Users can also create their designs from scratch. It is suitable for bloggers, businesses, and professionals.

Canva offers a free forever plan that contains the basic features that you need to start designing. It has two paid plans. This plan gives you unlimited access to tools and content. The best value plan is the Pro Plan. You can try Canva Pro free for 30 days to get access to its amazing features before committing. It costs $119.99 per year for up to 5 people.

The Enterprise Plan helps you empower your team, manage your brand, and scale your content all in one place. This plan costs $150 per month for up to 5 people.

12. Haiku Deck

A free app that makes presentations simple.

Haiku Deck is hosted online and can be downloaded in .pptx format. This software is best for teachers, trainers, and entrepreneurs. You have access to analytics that will help you understand how your presentations are being viewed. This is best for keeping track of how customers are consuming your presentation.

This presentation software offers thousands of professionally designed templates to choose from. It is available on the web; therefore, you can create, edit, and view decks in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. You can create presentations in the cloud for easy sharing.

Learning Haiku Deck doesn’t take time, as it is super easy to use. You can save your presentations as a video.

Haiku Deck offers special pricing to qualifying students, educators, and nonprofit organizations. It offers two paid plans. The most popular plan, which is the Pro Plan, is suitable for teaching, training, and conference presentations. This plan costs $9.99 per month if billed annually and $19.99 per month if billed month-to-month.

For effective selling and engaging webinars, the Premium Plan is ideal. It costs $29.99 per month. This software offers a 7-day free trial period when you can try out its features before committing.

13. Powtoon

A visual communication platform for creating animated videos and presentations.

With Powtoon’s drag and drop editor, you can create custom presentations with ease. You can publish created presentations as PPT or PDF. You can choose from a royalty-free library animation, images, soundtracks, and live-action videos, or you can as well start from scratch.

This tool is more of an animation maker. It allows you to save an offline version of your animated video. You can have it play as a movie instead of a click-through presentation. Your work is saved automatically, so you do not have to worry about losing your presentations.

You can use regular text editing to change the font type and size. For your presentation, you can import audio files and pick from the ones available on the website. Powtoon is super easy to use, and you do not need to be an expert video editor to use it.

The free plan is ideal for personal use and has Powtoon branding. Powtoon has three paid plans. The Pro Plan costs $19 per month . You get to save 79% if you purchase the annual plan. With this plan, you can only make five premium exports per month.

Powtoon’s best value plan is the Pro+ Plan, which costs $59 per month. If billed annually, you can save up to 69%. This plan gives you about 10 GB of storage and unlimited access to all content.

The Agency Plan costs $99 per month. This plan gives you access to unlimited premium exports,100 GB of storage, unlimited access to all content, and many other advanced features.

14. Microsoft Sway

A new app from microsoft office that makes it easy to create presentations.

Microsoft Sway is free to use for anyone with a Microsoft Account. All you need to do is to provide the content, and Sway does the rest. Your connections can see your creations on the Web without signing in, signing up, and downloading anything.

Whenever you want more control over what you share, you can change the privacy settings. With its accessibility view feature, you can have a more comfortable reading experience with keyboard navigation. You can add running voice commentary according to your requirements.

This software introduces the new concept of building “Sways” instead of PowerPoint. Its non-traditional storyline editor allows you to add blocks of content that the software configures into layouts. You can either upload your media or select from the various sources inside Sway. There is the option to upload videos from your device or embed them from YouTube.

Sway works on any device, so long there is an internet connection. You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF to view offline. There is no password protection policy; however, you can share your Sway with anybody so that anyone with the link can access it.

Microsoft Sway offers four paid plans. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan costs $5 per user per month if billed annually . The desktop version is not included in this plan. Businesses that need complete remote work and collaboration tools should go for Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan , which costs $12.50 per user per month if billed annually.

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan costs $20 per user per month. This plan is ideal for businesses that seek a secure remote work solution. The Microsoft 365 Apps plan costs $8.25 per user per month if billed annually. This plan gives you Office apps across devices and cloud file storage.

Prices do not include tax, and You can sign up for its 1-month free trial period when you can get access to its features before committing.

15. Microsoft PowerPoint

A program included in the microsoft office suite for presentations purposes.

Users with an existing Microsoft 365 subscription can access Microsoft PowerPoint for free on their Microsoft devices. While you present, you can add temporary markups to your slide. Your audience can see this, but it is not permanently added to the slide.

The interface is super easy to use because of its familiarity. If you want to create simple conventional presentations, PowerPoint is for you. You can upload videos and images from your device as well as YouTube.

There are both desktops and cloud versions of PowerPoint. The app is available on both Android and iOS devices. You can download your presentation in PPTX and PDF.

For up to 2-6 people, Microsoft 365 Family, which costs $99.99 per year, is suitable. With this annual subscription, you get to save 16%. In the mobile app, you get premium safety features. You get up to 6 TB of cloud storage which is 1 TB per person. This plan offers you a 1-month trial period when you can try out its features before committing.

The Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99 per year. You can save up to 16% with an annual subscription. It is ideal for up to 1 person and gives 1 TB of cloud storage.

You can download PowerPoint for free on any device, including mobile.

What Makes a Great Presentation Software?

Good presentations are not common; however, great presentations are rare. A great presentation is memorable such that it contains graphics and images in a way that makes it easy for your audience to remember even after many days. As much as you want to use visuals, you should avoid colors and combinations that scream that you lack good taste.

Getting across all the necessary information in your presentation is essential. But you should also keep in mind that an over-lengthy presentation will bore your audience. So, you need to make your presentation as brief as possible.

The magical rule of 10/20/30 will make your presentation perfect. Tell your story in 10 slides, within 20 minutes, and in 30 points/size font. If you cannot convey the most important message of your topic in 20 minutes, then you do not own your presentation.

The ultimate quality of a great presentation is clarity. A presentation needs to be clear enough to convey a message to the audience. If you make a presentation without your audience getting the message, then you have failed. Tell real stories to keep your audience hooked.

How to Choose the Best Microsoft PowerPoint Alternative?

There are many PowerPoint alternatives one can go for. They vary as some have more features than the To make choosing the best alternative easy for you, consider the following criteria.

• Ease of use. Presentation software should be easy to use and straightforward. Anyone, regardless of their skill set, should quickly learn how to use the software and create a presentation. Watch out for those platforms that come with training videos and tutorials to help onboarding users. It should also support additional media to make them more engaging.
• Accessibility. This is a significant factor that one needs to consider when choosing presentation software. You need software with greater functionality to consistently create presentations that grab the audience’s attention. You can use an operating system or browser-based platform, depending on your needs. The operating system requires installation on your computer and does not require an internet connection, while browser-based platforms can be accessed anywhere through the web and need an internet connection to access it.
• Cost. You should consider the price of the presentation software and its features before making your decision. Considering your budget, you might want to go for a platform that offers a free forever plan. You might also be buoyant enough to go for the platform that provides the best functionalities at a high rate. Some presentation platforms offer unique features at a low rate. Whichever fits your needs and budget is what you should go for.
• Unique Features. Apart from the regular abilities of presentation software, you want to go for a platform with extra unique features such as collaboration, support for audio and rich media, robust design tools, a wide variety of templates, and other advanced features.

Presentation Software FAQ

Presentation software allows users to create a presentation of ideas by bringing together images and videos. Presentation software is also known as a presentation program. It is generally used for creating slideshows that display information.  An excellent presentation software gives you the tools and functionalities that you need to create a winning presentation. Presentation software is divided into business presentation software and general multimedia authoring tools.  This software contains a text editor to add your written content. They also support graphic images such as photographs and clip arts to make your slideshow colorful and get your point across.

The major use of presentation software is to create presentations, e-learning packages, and many other multimedia products. It allows you to arrange essential information into a series of slides. You could combine texts, images, links, animations, and videos on each slide to create a unique final product.  Its three main components are a text editor for inputting and formatting text, a facility for inserting graphics and other multimedia files, and a slideshow system for displaying the content.

Presentation software with the best templates are Visme , Pitch , Prezi , Google Slides , Keynote , Zoho Show , and Genially . They have wide arrays of templates that you can choose from to create your unique presentation.

A slide deck is a presentation made up of multiple slides, within each slide displaying some sort of information. Its purpose is to break down information that is hard to understand into digestible parts. A slide deck is a typical PowerPoint presentation or slideshow.  Creating a slide deck helps you remember key points, provides visual cues for your presentation, and helps keep things concise, and saves time. It is pretty easy to create one. The steps to creating a slide deck are:  1. Plan Out the Actual Content of the Deck This step is about planning what to include in your presentation before worrying about design, layouts, and themes. Start with a problem, then continue with proffering a solution to the problem. Discuss your business strategies, perform a competitive analysis, and then finally share financial projections.   2. Design and Create Your Presentation Pick a platform to create your slide deck. You want to pick the platform that best suits the topic you wish to present. You can add visuals to make your slide more engaging. Remember that the lesser the words, the more engaged your audience will be. Your slide should be as concise as possible.

Visme is a great alternative as it is cloud-based and allows you to access your projects and files from anywhere.  Prezi is web-based and allows you to create presentations with motion and organic structure.  Google slides allow users to make edits in real-time.  Ludus allows you to collaborate with teammates without getting in the way of each other.

Which Presentation Software Should I Pick for My Business?

Select a presentation software based on your needs, budget, and number of users. If you are looking for a free solution and has all the functionalities you need to create unique presentations, go for Canva , Genially , Beautiful.ai , Zoho Show , Slidebean , Google Slides , Prezi , Pitch , and Visme .

Prezi , Ludus , Beautiful.ai , Haiku Deck , and Microsoft Sway offer a free trial period when you can try out their features before committing. For a large team , Prezi and Genially are suitable as multiple people can work on a presentation simultaneously.

The best software that is easy to use and does not require so much training to get started are Keynote , Genially , Haiku Deck , Powtoon , Microsoft PowerPoint , Pitch , and Prezi . You do not have to carry your laptop everywhere you go. With Google Slides , Visme , Pitch , and Keynote , you can access your presentation from anywhere and on any device.

Google Slides is the ideal choice for freelancers and telecommuters for dispersed teams because it has real-time collaboration features. Making the right decision is a matter of “different strokes for different folks.”

Was This Article Helpful?

Anastasia belyh.

Anastasia has been a professional blogger and researcher since 2014. She loves to perform in-depth software reviews to help software buyers make informed decisions when choosing project management software, CRM tools, website builders, and everything around growing a startup business.

Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.

The 9 best presentation software platforms in 2023

You’re in the middle of a busy work week, and you‘re winding down after a particularly productive day. There’s still a lot more to accomplish, but you’ve got momentum and you’re making good progress. As you check your calendar for the following day, you see a two-hour morning time slot blocked out for a company-wide meeting. What’s your gut reaction?

Is it something like “I can’t wait—this is going to be so fun and interactive!” Or is it something more like “Ugh—I’ve got so much to do, and this is going to be such a long presentation. Maybe I can get some actual work done while it’s on in the background.”

If your inner monologue sounds more like the second example, you’re not alone. Research from Zippia shows 65% of employees believe meetings inhibit them from getting their work tasks done and that people are multitasking in at least 41% of meetings.

With so many potential distractions lurking in inboxes, Slack channels, and smartphones, meeting leaders must do everything they can to make their presentations interactive and engaging.

Fortunately, many presentation software platforms offer powerful tools to help presenters tell more captivating stories. Let’s take a look at a few of the factors that separate good apps from great ones.

What makes a great presentation app?

From pitch decks to progress updates, presentation apps have countless uses within the modern business environment. But regardless of the content being shared, there are a few things the best presentation software all has in common.

Intuitive, user-friendly interfaces

If an application is loaded with incredible features that are difficult to use, most users will prefer to take the path of least resistance rather than spending hours Googling how to accomplish their goal. Best-in-class presentation software makes it easy for users to learn the basics and get started, often with built-in tutorials.

Easy customization

Platforms that make it easy to plug in your logo, colors, fonts, and photos create polished presentations that wow internal and external audiences alike. Look for an app with a variety of tweakable templates that allow teams to share different types of information while sticking to your brand and identity standards.

Visual storytelling

If you’re squeezing several hundred words onto each presentation slide and then reading them all aloud, your audience’s attention is likely to wane. Research has long shown people absorb a combination of visual and verbal content much better than spoken lectures alone. All the best presentation software streamlines the use of visual aids to help your audience retain information more effectively.

Sharing and collaboration features

As asynchronous work becomes increasingly common, it’s important for your presentation software of choice to streamline collaboration between teams who may not be in the same location (or even the same hemisphere). When done well, sharing and collaboration features can save time and confusion regarding the latest versions or revisions.  

Integrations with other apps

Software that plays nicely with its binary counterparts can elevate a typical presentation into something compelling and visually stunning. Apps which enable embedding and presenting interactive features make outstanding add-ons that improve audience engagement while using your main slideware or communication tools.

1. Poll Everywhere

A versatile and customizable software platform for engaging your audience and encouraging participation, Poll Everywhere adds interactive elements to your presentation like polls, surveys, quizzes, word clouds, and much more. Made to turn dry lectures into two-way conversations, Poll Everywhere makes it easy to set up a variety of interactive activities for audience members. People can share their input via text, smartphone app, or web browser, which is then reflected on the screen in real time (don’t worry, there are moderation features for open-ended text responses).

Not only does Poll Everywhere enable more interactive presentations, it’s also a useful tool for things like employee surveys, group brainstorms, or submitting questions and agenda items ahead of meetings. It’s intuitive for new users to pick up and enables more open communication and team collaboration at every level of your organization.

For larger organizations, Poll Everywhere’s Enterprise plans let you customize the platform to reflect your company’s branding, logos, and colors (and remove the Poll Everywhere branding to give your presentations a more bespoke look). You also get additional features like Shared Activities for cross-team collaboration, upgraded security protocols, and robust reporting tools to translate audience responses into actionable insights.

• Easy integration with most industry-standard slideware and communication apps
• Encourages audience participation and engagement
• Wide variety of functions and activities
• Paid plans required for audiences larger than 25 people
• Audience members must have Internet or cellular access to participate

Poll Everywhere offers a free plan that allows polling limited audience sizes and paid plans starting at $120 per year. Higher-tier plans include additional users, greater audience sizes, and increased moderation and support tools. Custom enterprise solutions for large organizations are also available.

Powtoon takes your presentations to the next level by helping you create polished, professional-looking videos that are more captivating than your traditional text on a screen. Users edit “slides” similarly to how they would with most presentation software, except when you’re done, your deck becomes a seamless video complete with animations of your choosing. The software even figures out the correct timing based on how much content you add to each slide.

In addition to making your presentations sparkle, Powtoon is also useful for creating other marketing or social media assets. You can orient your videos to fit different dimensions and publish your finished creations directly to YouTube, Meta’s Ads Manager, and other platforms.

• Makes your presentations more captivating and memorable
• Useful for creating all types of videos
• Wide variety of templates, animations, and characters
• Limited templates on free version
• Paid plan required for MP4 downloads

Powtoon’s free offering is somewhat limited, though paid plans start at a reasonable $20 per month. Premium plans include more storage space, unlimited exports, and the ability to customize characters and add your own branding.

3. Genially

In the era of remote teams working across different time zones, not every presentation needs to have a presenter. Genially makes it easy to create interactive, self-led presentations that engage your audience much more than simply sending them a deck or a document to review. A huge variety of templates include predefined interactive elements, or users can customize their own.

A well-planned assortment of content blocks lets you showcase everything from image galleries to data visualizations. And while it takes a bit of work upfront, you can also create your own template using your organization’s branding and then have anyone on your team use it to create their own presentations.

• Anyone can create entertaining and interactive self-led presentations
• Solid variety of templates, even on free version
• Unlimited creations for all tiers, including free version
• Paid subscription required to view presentations offline
• Variety of options can be overwhelming at first

Premium plans range from $7.49 per month to $80 per month. As you go up the pricing tiers, you get access to more privacy and personalization features, plus integration with other platforms like PowerPoint and Google Analytics.

A software platform that’s shaking up the linear-presentation model, Prezi takes users out of the sometimes stifling flow of traditional slide deck design in favor of a more free-flowing approach. Prezi users list out ideas or topics they want to cover before threading them together into a compelling, visually striking presentation that’s more conducive to group conversations.

Prezi integrates particularly well with video conferencing tools, making it a great option for remote-first teams. You can even build your presentation as a Zoom overlay, which means your audience can see you and your slide content at the same time. It’s a nice way to maintain a human touch in video presentations, where audiences often miss out on seeing the presenter’s body language and facial expressions.

• Can inspire more creative thinking when developing content
• Robust library of templates and features
• Excellent integration with video conferencing platforms
• Can be a challenging transition for people used to the traditional slide deck model
• Free version limited to five projects

While you can create five projects for free, paid plans starting at $19 per month include much greater import and export options. The $59 per month Premium plan includes phone support, presentation analytics, and advanced training tools. Custom enterprise packages are also available for large teams.

5. Google Slides

Truly free presentation software—not just a free trial or a limited feature set—is increasingly difficult to come by. However, anyone with a Google account can use the full version of Google Slides, with no recurring subscriptions or trial periods to speak of. And because it’s fully cloud-based, teams can collaborate on the same presentation without having to keep track of multiple versions.

While its offerings of features and premade templates may not quite equal some of its subscription-based peers, Google Slides remains a viable solution due to its simple interface and easy integration with the rest of Google Workspace. You can also add powerful third-party add-ons to make your presentations more interactive and visually appealing.

• Cloud-based platform enables easy collaboration
• Shorter learning curve than some other platforms
• Can utilize add-ons to supplement the simple functionality
• LImited templates and transition effects
• No built-in asset library

The full version of Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account.

If you need to create a beautiful presentation really fast, Canva is a fantastic software option. Its free plan offers some of the best-looking templates around, and because it’s a self-contained solution, you won’t need other apps like Photoshop to create eye-catching visuals. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to add your own content and visual assets, or you can pick from an extensive library of free photos and graphics (even on the free version).

While it’s an excellent tool for creating polished presentations, Canva has other uses too. It’s incredibly helpful for creating marketing materials like videos, social posts, and even logos. While it’s not a replacement for your design team, it can free them up for other tasks while empowering anyone in your organization to embrace their creative side.

• Simplifies the creation of eye-popping presentations
• Massive variety of templates, even on free version
• Versatile platform for creating all types of materials
• Can be difficult to make complicated charts or graphs
• Cloud-based platform has limited offline functionality

Canva’s free version is excellent, though cloud storage space is limited. Paid plans start at $120 per year and include 24/7 support and an even bigger library of templates, photos, animations, and audio.

7. Beautiful.ai

If you’re the hawk-eyed type who spends just as much time fixing those annoying spacing issues as you do developing the actual content of your presentation, Beautiful.ai could be the software you’ve been looking for. As you might suspect from the name, it’s an AI-enhanced presentation platform that automates many aspects of layout to keep your slides looking professional and visually pleasing.

To help you get inspired when first starting a new project, you can browse through a number of slide types to find a layout you like, which then automatically applies to the rest of your presentation-in-progress, even on slides with other types of content. While templates and themes are somewhat limited compared to other platforms, all the included options are clean, modern, and well-designed.

• Automated layout for polished and professional designs
• Clean and intuitive user interface
• Helpful tutorial videos to minimize the learning curve
• Template, theme, and color options are somewhat limited
• Bare-bones collaboration features on the free version

Individual subscriptions start at $12 per month and unlock most of the app’s best features. Monthly Team plans with added customization and collaboration tools start at $40 per user, and large–scale enterprise plans are also available.

8. PowerPoint

We’d be remiss if we didn’t include this category-founding behemoth in our list, as it’s still one of the most popular presentation softwares in use around the globe. (There’s a reason many other presentation apps feature PowerPoint integration as a selling point.)

With a wide variety of templates, effects, animations, and customization options, experienced PowerPoint users can create presentations every bit as compelling as you’ll get with any other platform. And with useful extension apps available for both Mac and Windows versions, you can integrate additional interactive elements to make your next meeting more memorable.

• Compatible with the world’s most popular software suite
• Solid selection of templates and effects
• Easy to get started creating simple presentations
• Steep learning curve for advanced features
• Can take longer to create visually stunning presentations

PowerPoint is included in the Microsoft 365 software suite with plans starting at $6.99 per month. Standalone licenses are also available at a flat rate of $159.99.

If your organization makes heavy use of Apple products, Keynote is an excellent free presentation software option that rivals PowerPoint in terms of rich functionality. The interface is mostly intuitive, though perhaps slightly more complicated than the ultra-stripped-down feel of Google Slides (which makes sense, given Keynote’s additional features).

Built-in templates and asset libraries are plentiful, and in keeping with Apple’s brand aesthetic, help you create contemporary-looking presentations that wow your audiences. And while PowerPoint may have a wider variety of add-ons, Keynote still works with numerous third-party apps to incorporate interactive elements like polls, quizzes, word clouds, and more.

• Excellent variety of templates and built-in assets
• Creates clean, modern, and polished presentations
• Mobile, desktop, and web-based platforms
• Requires some time to master
• Few truly unique features

Keynote is free to use for all Apple users.

When done well, presentations are still one of the best ways to inform and invigorate an audience and align everyone regarding goals, priorities, and progress toward achieving them. With so much user-friendly presentation software available in 2023, there’s no need to host boring, lecture-style meetings that test your attendees’ attention spans.

If you’re looking for more ideas about how to make your presentations more engaging and interactive, check out our free guide detailing best practices for prese nters .

Related articles

• Virtual Experiences
• In-Person Experiences
• Hybrid Experiences
• Social Calendar [New]
• Experience FAQ
• Features & Benefits
• How Pricing Works
• Client Testimonials
• Happiness Guarantee
• Blog Articles
• Video Library
• View Experiences

24 Best Presentation Software Tools in 2024

You found our list of presentation software tools.

Presentation software allows users to create, edit, and display slideshows or presentations. For example, PowerPoint, Prezi, and Google Slides are all types of presentation software. The purpose of these tools is to help workers share ideas and information in a visually engaging way. These tools are also known as “presentation software for work” and “business presentation software.”

These presentation software are similar to team building PowerPoint topics , team meeting ideas , and all hands meeting ideas .

This list includes:

• presentation software for work
• top presentation software
• animated presentation software
• best software for presentations
• business presentation software
• cloud-based presentation software

Let’s get to it!

List of presentation software tools

From PowerPoint to Slidecamp, here is our list of the best software for office presentations.

1. PowerPoint

PowerPoint, developed by Microsoft, is the industry standard for presentation software. Folks love the platform’s easy-to-use interface. PowerPoint allows users to create visually appealing presentations by adding text, images, videos, and graphs. With various templates and customization options, PowerPoint encourages effective communication. Plus, this software’s compatibility with other Microsoft products makes for an efficient workflow.

Learn more about PowerPoint .

Prezi is an animated presentation software known for its dynamic approach. Unlike typical slide-based tools, Prezi lets you create interactive presentations. This format makes presentations more engaging for your audience. The zooming and panning effects help highlight important points and connections between ideas. Additionally, Prezi is cloud-based, making collaboration and sharing presentations easy. The site’s flexibility and visual impact make it a valuable tool for creating memorable presentations.

Learn more about Prezi .

Get our free team building toolbox

• icebreaker games
• bingo cards

3. Google Slides

Google Slides is a popular presentation software developed by Google. The cloud-based platform allows for collaborative work. Multiple users can edit and comment in real time. This tool supports multimedia content, simplifies sharing, and offers professional templates. Notably, Google Slides is fully integratable with other Google applications like Docs and Sheets. Slides is a comprehensive cloud-based presentation software for many businesses.

Learn more about Google Slides .

Keynote is Apple’s answer to PowerPoint, known for its elegant interface and beautiful templates. Keynote offers several tools for easily making presentations. Unique features set Keynote apart, such as “Magic Move” for smooth transitions and the ability to work offline. Suitable for both beginners and design experts, Keynote is exclusive to Apple devices.

Learn more about Keynote .

5. Zoho Show

Zoho Show helps users make attractive slideshows easily. The program has a simple interface and various templates to express ideas. Presenters become dynamic with features like slide transitions, animations, and adding multimedia. Zoho Show stands out for its teamwork features, letting multiple users work on a presentation together. This collaboration makes editing smoother and more efficient. Overall, Zoho Show is a great tool for making professional presentations with ease.

Learn more about Zoho Show .

Visme blends convenience and professionalism to create great presentations. Ideal for students, teachers, and business professionals, the site offers several customizable presentation templates. Users can add interactivity, analyze data, collaborate in real time, and share or download presentations. Visme’s interface makes creation easy. This program is an excellent choice for those looking for quality, flexibility, and user-friendly design tools.

Learn more about Visme .

Canva offers an easy-to-use interface, making it a favorite among presentation software for work. This site’s library of templates, images, and icons provides endless customization options. Beyond its basic free version, Canva also offers premium features for a subscription cost. Despite its expansive offerings, it maintains a user-friendly interface.

Learn more about Canva .

Emaze is an impressive business presentation software suite that is ideal for professionals and students alike. The program’s varied features set it apart, such as 3D slides, video backgrounds, and analytic tools. Emaze supports multiple formats for importing presentations, making it a versatile choice. With a large library of templates and a user-friendly interface, creating engaging presentations becomes easy. Moreover, you can share projects with teams in real time, fostering collaboration.

Learn more about Emaze .

9. Slidedog

Slidedog is an advanced presentation tool developed for seamless slide shows. The site integrates resources from various formats like PDF, Prezi, images, or even web pages. This feature makes Slidedog a one-stop solution for presenters. Workers will love the program’s user-friendly interface and dual-screen functionality. With this feature, the presenter can see both the current and upcoming slides. Slidedog elevates every presentation, ensuring an engaging and professional delivery.

Learn more about Slidedog .

10. Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck allows you to showcase your ideas in a creative and visually appealing way. Employees can easily make engaging presentations with a simple user interface and high-quality images. The software offers various templates and themes for customization. Furthermore, Haiku Deck includes built-in tools for adding text, charts, and graphs, making it versatile for professionals in any field. In summary, Haiku Deck simplifies the process of making impactful and interesting presentations.

Learn more about Haiku Deck .

11. Animaker

Animaker helps users create captivating and dynamic presentations. The site’s user-friendly interface and wide template selection allow teams to easily bring their ideas to life. Animaker offers the necessary tools and features to engage your audience. You can benefit from animated characters, text effects, customized transitions, and audio integration. This software offers several possibilities for creating visually stunning presentations. With Animaker, you can elevate your presentations and make a lasting impact on your viewers.

Learn more about Animaker .

12. Renderforest

Renderforest helps with storytelling in presentations. Advanced design tools encourage users’ creativity. The site simplifies complex data into simple visuals, making your presentations more engaging. Tailored templates suit various industry needs. Also, Renderforest provides branding opportunities, allowing you to incorporate logos promoting business identity. This site is among the best software for presentations.

Learn more about Renderforest .

13. PowToon

PowToon helps users create captivating and animated presentations. This interface is user friendly, and it has a large collection of templates, animations, and characters. With PowToon, designing visually appealing presentations is simple. PowToon offers various features to enhance your content. This software allows you to engage your audience with customizable slide transitions to interactive elements. PowToon can take your presentations to new heights!

Learn more about PowToon .

14. Genially

Genially helps teams create interactive and captivating presentations. The site offers a wide range of templates and design tools, making it easy to customize your work. Genially turns ordinary presentations into engaging visuals. Further, the program supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same project at once. Notably, Genially has embedded analytics, providing valuable feedback on viewer engagement.

Learn more about Genially .

15. Pitcherific

Pitcherific is a presentation software that helps you polish your public speaking skills. The site offers templates for different types of pitches. You can customize each presentation according to your requirements. The interface is user friendly and provides real-time feedback on your performance. Additionally, the program offers tips and suggestions to improve your presentation. Pitcherific is an essential tool for preparing effective pitches.

Learn more about Pitcherific .

Ludus is a unique cloud-based presentation software. This professional and innovative toolset lets you incorporate design elements from popular tools like Sketch and Illustrator. With the ability to add media from YouTube and Vimeo, Ludus lets users create engaging presentations. Slides are highly customizable and perfect for design-savvy teams.

Learn more about Ludus .

17. Slidecamp

Slidecamp is among the top presentation software that helps teams create beautiful presentations. The program’s interface and templates make it simple for individuals to design professional presentations. Users can add text, images, charts, and videos to their slides. Additionally, the software offers collaboration features that allow multiple team members to work on a presentation at once. Slidecamp provides the tools to engage your audience and deliver an unforgettable presentation.

Learn more about Slidecamp .

18. Beautiful.AI

Beautiful.AI is a presentation software that helps you make stylish slideshows easily. The program has several features to make your presentations look great. With Beautiful.AI, you can choose from different templates and themes to give your slides a professional look. The site also helps you arrange your content neatly. You can add pictures, charts, and icons to make your points clear and engaging. Plus, the site is easy to use, even if you are not a design expert. With Beautiful.AI, you can create impressive presentations without a lot of hassle.

Learn more about Beautiful.AI .

19. Focusky

Focusky is a presentation software that helps users create dynamic presentations. The site features zooming and panning effects to keep viewers engaged. With Focusky, users can add text, images, videos, and animations to their slides. These features create visually appealing presentations. The software offers a variety of templates and themes to choose from. Plus, firms can enjoy customization options for fonts, colors, and backgrounds. Focusky also allows users to present their slides online or offline, making it convenient for sharing and collaborating with others.

Learn more about Focusky .

20. FlowVella

FlowVella is a software designed to create interactive presentations. In addition, these presentations work seamlessly across different devices. With FlowVella, users can add multimedia elements such as images, videos, and audio to their slides. These effects create engaging presentations. The software offers features such as touch navigation, embedded links, and interactive hotspots. FlowVella also provides analytics tracking to monitor presentation effectiveness.

Learn more about FlowVella .

23. LibreOffice Impress

LibreOffice Impress is a free and open-source presentation software. This program is included in the LibreOffice suite. With LibreOffice Impress, users can create slideshows with text, images, charts, graphs, and multimedia elements. The program offers a range of features for designing and formatting slides. Folks will enjoy using slide transitions, animations, and drawing tools. LibreOffice Impress also supports compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint files. This feature makes it easy to collaborate with users of other presentation software.

Learn more about LibreOffice Impress .

24. Decktopus

Decktopus is an AI-powered presentation software. Users can create professional-looking presentations quickly and easily. With Decktopus, folks can choose from a variety of smart slide templates tailored to their presentation topic and style. The software offers content suggestions, design guidance, and customizable layouts. These features streamline the presentation creation process. Decktopus also provides real-time collaboration and sharing features. Teams can easily work together on presentations.

Learn more about Decktopus .

List of workplace presentation tips

Making engaging presentations helps convey information and keep viewers entertained.

Here are some tips for designing effective slideshows:

1. Start with a Strong Title Slide

A visually appealing title slide can capture your audience’s attention from the beginning. You can include the title of your presentation, the presenter’s name, and any relevant imagery or branding elements. The design can stay clean and professional.

2. Use Consistent Design Elements

Using the same fonts, colors, and formatting for all slides can maintain consistency. This step creates a cohesive and professional look that helps your audience focus on the content of your presentation.

3. Limit Text and Bullet Points

It is important to avoid overcrowding slides with too much text or bullet points. Instead, use short phrases or keywords to effectively share your message. Text can be brief, and you can use visuals such as images, charts, and diagrams to complement your points.

4. Ensure Readability

Audience members should be able to read text, images, and other elements from a distance. Be sure to use legible fonts and font sizes. A good place to start is 30 pt. for body text and 44 pt. for headings. Contrast between text and background colors is also important.

5. Review and Revise

Before finalizing your slideshow, review each slide carefully for clarity, accuracy, and consistency. To ensure your presentation flows well, edit and revise as needed. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or peers for additional insights and suggestions.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right presentation software can help you share information effectively. Each tool has unique features that cater to different needs. Selecting a tool that fits your requirements and comfort level is essential. The best tool is one that helps you present your ideas clearly and impressively.

Next, check out our posts on presentation tips , team building TED talks , virtual lunch and learn ideas , and annual company meeting ideas .

Book wildly fun team building events with expert hosts

FAQ: Presentation software

Here are frequently asked questions about presentation software.

What should you consider when choosing a presentation software?

When choosing a presentation software, several factors can affect your experience.

Here are a few features to consider:

• ease of use
• customization options
• collaboration features
• compatibility with other devices or platforms
• pricing plans

By taking these features into consideration, you will easily find the right program for your presentations.

How do you create interactive presentations using online tools?

Creating interactive presentations involves elements like hyperlinks, quizzes, or polls into your slides. Some tools also offer features like live audience participation or analytics.

Is there any mobile-friendly presentation software?

Several presentation programs have mobile availability. Examples include Google Slides and Keynote, which have mobile applications for both Android and iOS devices.

What are some free alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint?

Google Slides is a great free alternative to PowerPoint, as it offers similar functions at no cost.

What is the best presentation software for work?

Some of the top presentation software programs include Prezi, Haiku Deck, and Decktopus.

Author: Michael Alexis

CEO at teambuilding.com. I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010.

We lead wildly fun experiences for teams with 1,000,000+ players to date.

4.96 / 5.0 rating on

50,225 Google Reviews

• PowerPoint Themes
• Latest PowerPoint Templates
• Best PowerPoint Templates
• Free PowerPoint Templates
• Simple PowerPoint Templates
• PowerPoint Backgrounds
• Project Charter
• Project Timeline
• Project Team
• Project Status
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Funnel
• Market Segmentation
• Target Customer
• Marketing Mix
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Resource Planning
• Recruitment
• Employee Onboarding
• Company Profile
• Mission Vision
• Meet The Team
• Problem & Solution
• Business Model
• Business Case
• Business Strategy
• Business Review
• Leadership Team
• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Cash Flow Statement
• Executive Summary

30 60 90 Day Plan

• SWOT Analysis
• Flow Charts
• Gantt Charts
• Text Tables
• Infographics
• Google Slides Templates
• Presentation Services
• Ask Us To Make Slides
• Data Visualization Services
• Business Presentation Tips
• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Google Slides Tutorials
• Presentation Resources

10 Best Presentation Softwares

Presentation softwares enable you to display information through slideshows. These are purposeful for users from all backgrounds, including working professionals, business owners, and students. However, finding the right tool for your specific needs is not easy. Here’s a list comparing the ten best presentation softwares for you to choose from.

Having access to appropriate presenting tools can benefit anyone, whether a business owner, a working professional, or a student. Using the best tools for presentations can increase the recall value of your message. With the best presentation tools, you can do more than just impart knowledge; you can tell a story, create a picture, and make an impression on your audience. 

Because of the abundance of information available today, people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. This is something that a strong presentation slide considers: dividing up difficult information into manageable bits. There are an ample number of tools that help you create your desired presentation slide. Here are the top 10 presentation software programs to assist you in keeping ahead.

What Is A Presentation Software?

Software programs, or presentation tools, let users communicate information or show concepts visually. Such application software helps users create presentations of ideas using various media forms, including texts, graphics, images, audio, and video. These presentations are delivered as slide shows.

You can use presentation software to teach working professionals new or difficult concepts, train staff on new policies or ideas, offer new products or services to customers, pitch ideas to investors, and present proposals to clients. 

Top 10 Best Presentation Programs

From the many presentation software available in the market, finding the right one is difficult. Professionals tend to look for tools with pre-built templates, flexible options that can be customized, options with sharing and collaboration features that are also affordable. Here’s a look at the best presentation softwares and the features they offer. 

The top presentation tools are:

Google Slides

Microsoft sway, beautiful.ai.

Most users still consider Microsoft PowerPoint as the best software to make presentations. Even if other presentation tools have caught up and can provide competitive solutions worth considering, PowerPoint is still a favorite among most professionals due to its well-known interface and widespread availability.

It’s also much more difficult to ignore PowerPoint and Microsoft’s other office applications now that they’re available as free mobile apps (with limited capability) on iOS and Android. And that’s even before we consider PowerPoint’s integration with Microsoft’s cloud-based Microsoft 365 suite.

Even a general user with less expertise can utilize PowerPoint with little to no difficulty. Its simple-to-use PowerPoint templates are given to give general presentations a more sophisticated, detailed, and professional look.

Who Is It For?

As the best presentation tool available in the market, PowerPoint has abundant features suitable for all kinds of users, especially working professionals. It is perfect for business professionals, marketing teams, project managers, educators, and students. Users looking to create traditional, corporate-style slideshows and presentations can benefit from its versatile characteristics.

Standard version (PowerPoint Online): Available for Free .

Professional version comes with Microsoft 365 bundle : $159.99/year

Corporate bundled options : Range between $6/month to $22/month.

READ MORE: Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerPoint for Presentations

Best Presentation Tools – PowerPoint

To download this template, click here .

Google Slides is one of the best online presentation tools . Unlike PowerPoint, it allows quick access from any device with an internet connection and real-time collaboration.

Google Slides excels at facilitating easy collaboration. The ability for multiple users to collaborate effectively and modify in real-time on the same presentation makes teamwork easier. Collaboration is further improved with the integrated commenting tool on Google Slides, which enables discussions and criticism to be exchanged.

The cloud-based storage and auto-saving functionality of Google Slides minimizes the possibility of losing work or significant modifications by ensuring that your work is continuously stored. 

EXPLORE: Find the best Google Slides templates on SlideUpLift.

Google Slides offers similar features to PowerPoint, making it fit for a similar set of users. It is most suitable for collaborative work and online presentations. Working professionals, teams, and even remote workers may find Google Slides easy to use as it allows users to work with others in real-time. 

All users with a Google account : Free access to Google Slides and its features

Free Business Starter: $6/month/user

Business Standard: $12/month/user

Business Plus: $18/month/user

Enterprise: Price revealed upon contacting Google

READ MORE: Advantages and Disadvantages of Google Slides Presentations

Top Presentation Software – Google Slides

Keynote is a top presentation software for Apple users. It is particularly for your Apple devices and is accessible on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Keynote is noted for its elegant and intuitive interface, mirroring Apple’s design principles. 

It features visually appealing layouts, animations , and transitions, helping users to build polished and modern-looking presentations. Keynote users can smoothly add photos, videos, audio files, and interactive components to their presentations. 

The presentation program also features many animations and transitions, enabling seamless and dramatic effects that bring slides to life. Presentations made in Keynote can be effortlessly shared and accessed across Apple devices, delivering a uniform experience for the presenter and the audience.

Who Is It For?  

Although Keynote has a smaller template library than PowerPoint and Google Slides, it is very useful for Mac users, creative professionals, and users seeking a visually impressive presentation tool. 

Keynote is a free online presentation software on Apple platforms, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.

Best Tools for Presentation Mac – Keynote

Visme is an excellent presentation software and all-in-one content development tool. It boasts a user-friendly interface and a rich range of tools that make it easy for novices and experienced pros to build and deliver impressive presentations.

Presentations built using Visme go beyond the typical slide deck to integrate interactive components and quick, full-featured offline sharing.

Making professional presentations with Visme is straightforward. Create slides from scratch using content blocks and slide libraries grouped by style. Browse the presentation template library for pre-designed slide decks, which you can quickly edit to match your needs.

Visme is most suitable for marketers, designers, and content creators. It’s best for users who want to create interactive presentations. 

You are free to use Visme for as long as you would like. However, you can subscribe to one of the subscription plans to access Visme’s features.

Basic: Free

Starter: $12.25 per month, billed yearly ($147 per year)

Pro: $24.75 per month, billed yearly ($297 per year)

Best Presentation Programs – Visme

Canva has one of the most powerful free plans of all the presentation software . The app pauses account creation until you’ve produced your first design. 

You can start developing your presentation in seconds. Choose from numerous stunning templates (almost all available for free), including some built expressly for education or corporate use cases. Canva has added several AI-powered capabilities. These features will undoubtedly improve your presentation-making experience.

Although it is not as suitable for business professionals, Canva is a great presentation software for creatives, beginners, and small businesses. Users who do not have design expertise may find Canva and its templates useful. 

Basic : Free

Pro Plan: $119.99/per year when paid annually ($9.9/per month)

Pro Plan: $14.99/per month, when paid monthly ($179.8/per year)

Best Presentation Tools – Canva

Having trouble fitting information into a simple presentation? Try using Prezi! Unlike almost all other online presentation tools , Prezi does not force your presentation’s structure to follow a straight line. The editor lets you generate a more conversational flow of information by focusing on subjects and subtopics and arranging them in any way.

You still receive all the customization options—including fully editable templates—that you would expect from the best presentation software despite the structural flexibility. Prezi Design and Prezi Video are two more apps that come with Prezi. You can elevate your remote presentations with the help of Prezi Video. 

The presentation parts can be recorded in a video and played directly over your webcam stream. You can connect using your preferred video conferencing software (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc.) to present live or record and store the video to distribute later.

Prezi is ideal for users intending to create less formal presentations. It is also apt for creators who desire presentation softwares that can make storytelling, non-linear, and zooming presentations. 

Plus (Individual Plan): $12/month

Students & Educators: $3/month (Edu Plus), $4/month (EDU Pro), $8/month/user (EDU Teams)

Business Professionals: $12/month (Business Plus), $16/month (Business Premium), $29/month/user (Business Teams)

$5/month for subscription plans that include extra capabilities like private presentations and Prezi Present; free plan includes up to 5 visual projects; free 14-day trial available.

Best Presentation Softwares – Prezi

Unlike PowerPoint’s superb, detailed, and sophisticated interface, Slides has a very basic style. It uses OpenAI’s characteristics to speed up the creation of presentation content as AI advances. 

But what makes Slides different is that the slide decks are made entirely using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, meaning you can self-host and modify them right down to the last JavaScript line. This presentation software offers a range of features. These include importing PowerPoint presentations and PDFs, although they may have some limitations. 

Slides can stream in real-time and has many interactive elements. It is also suitable for remote workers and gives a presenter perspective. The presentation tool also has a Developer mode for customizations. Slides users can also create AI content using the tool and its features.

Slides is suitable for users who want to create presentations using code. Hence, it is a useful presentation tool for developers and tech-savvy users. 

Slides pricing starts from $5/month.

Best Presentation Softwares – Slides

Zoho Show is an excellent choice if you’re searching for a straightforward but functional presentation tool that improves your slides. It has several basic templates and a clear, easy-to-use editor and is free to use.

Although few “Themes“ are available, Zoho templates have a more sophisticated and polished look. The software also makes no compromises when it comes to sharing and collaboration. Like Google Slides, Zoho makes collaborating on presentations simple with the help of version history, comments, and email invitations, similar to the features that PowerPoint and Google Slides offer. 

When you’re ready to share, you may broadcast your presentation directly from within Zoho to a distant audience. Additionally, you may conceal specific slides to tailor your presentation to various audiences or lock specific slides with a single click to stop editing.

Business professionals and teams who have already been using Zoho’s suite of productivity tools will likely find Zoho presentation software useful. This is because it integrates well with other Zoho applications.

Zoho Show is a free presentation software.

Best Presentation Tools – Zoho Show

Users who are a part of the Microsoft ecosystem can try Microsoft Sway as well. It is generally meant for presentations but may also be used for media storytelling in newsletters and other contexts. Sway is very similar to PowerPoint regarding operation but lacks many features. However, it offers seamless integration to embed content on many platforms. These include OneDrive, YouTube, Twitter, and Office 365. 

Microsoft Sway allows dynamic elements, including navigation buttons and web content. It also supports collaboration, with compatibility to operate online, on desktop and mobile platforms. Sway also offers automatic design recommendations to the users. This versatility makes it one of the best presentation softwares. 

Microsoft Sway is suited for creative professionals and educators. Although it may not suit traditional presentation needs as much as PowerPoint and Google Slides, Sway is great for users wanting to create interactive and visually appealing presentations. 

For users with a Microsoft Account: Basic version Free

Users with Microsoft 365 Membership: Access to enhanced content limits for membership of $6.99/month

Best Presentation Tools – Microsoft Sway

With the help of artificial intelligence, Beautiful.ai streamlines the presentation process and eliminates many issues associated with specific design specifications. This allows you to concentrate on the presentation’s content without compromising on presenting quality. 

Beautiful.ai has mastered the UX of AI design, so the tool will always be the most simplified and intuitive choice for AI design. Although the editor differs slightly from most presentation programs, it is still very user-friendly, and it begins with a brief two-minute introduction. 

Unlike many options available on PowerPoint, Google Slides, and other great presentation softwares, Beautiful.ai only has 40 fully designed templates, multiple templated slides, 10 themes, and 23 distinct color schemes.

Beautiful.ai is suitable for users who desire to create simple yet well-designed presentations in less time. It can be useful for beginners.

Pro (for individuals): $12/month, billed annually ($144 per year)

Team (for team collaboration): $40/month/user if billed annually (total per year $480) or $50/month/user if billed monthly (total per year $600)

ALSO READ: 30+ ChatGPT Presentation Prompts

Top Presentations Programs – Beautiful.ai

How To Choose The Best Presentation Software?

Slideshows are used for almost everything, from complicated and formal business presentations and business plans to something as simple as class lectures, pitch decks , and product launches . Keeping that in mind, these are some tips on choosing tools to create a great presentation:

• Your use case: There are multiple presentation softwares available in the market. However, not all of them will align with your needs. To find your perfect match, it’s important to recognize your requirements.
• Pre-built templates: To create presentations quickly, the best presentation tools should include eye-catching, polished templates. These templates help beginners build their desired presentations with low effort.
• Sharing and collaboration: It should be simple to exchange files and work together in real-time on presentations, whether you want to share your webinar slides with colleagues or work on them together in real-time.
• Customization and flexibility: Although templates are fantastic, the best presentation tools should allow you to customize almost everything to create exactly what you need.
• Cost-effectiveness: Making eye-catching presentations is crucial, but it shouldn’t break the bank to achieve. Price is a crucial factor in considering free online presentation tools.
• Standalone functionality: You should not consider any programs that need to be used with another presentation app because there’s no need to utilize multiple tools when one can do the job well.

Out of all these options above, it still seems that the best free presentation tools are Google Slides and PowerPoint because of their interoperability, adaptability, and collaboration features. The well-known industry-standard Microsoft PowerPoint provides a robust feature set, many customization options, and a huge template collection. 

For collaborative work in particular, Google Slides is a great choice because of its collaborative features, cloud-based accessibility, and interaction with other Google services. These presentation tools are the preferred choices for various presentation scenarios since they accommodate varying user needs and preferences. 

SlideUpLift’s Google Slides themes and PowerPoint templates offer versatility, consistency in design, and user-friendliness while integrating smoothly with the platform. These templates provide consumers with many options, intuitive customization features, and high-quality visuals, all of which are seamlessly integrated with both platforms. As per customer reviews on multiple websites, including g2.com, PowerPoint and Google Slides remain the highest-rated and widely used presentation software.

What is the best presentation software?

The best presentation program depends on user preferences, but PowerPoint and Google Slides are widely considered top choices for their versatility, collaboration features, and widespread adoption.

What factors should I consider when choosing presentation software?

Considerations include collaboration features, ease of use, design capabilities, compatibility with your workflow, and whether you prefer cloud-based or offline tools.

Are there offline options for working on presentations?

Yes, both PowerPoint and Google Slides offer offline modes, enabling users to work on presentations without an internet connection. However, real-time collaboration may be limited offline.

Can I use SlideUpLift templates for both PowerPoint and Google Slides?

Yes, SlideUpLift provides templates that are compatible with both PowerPoint and Google Slides, offering flexibility for users of either platform.

How to download PowerPoint and Google Slides templates from SlideUpLift?

  Click here to go to the website, SlideUpLift , and select “Get Started”. Find your desired  presentation template in our collection.

Table Of Content

Related presentations.

Detailed Case Study

Organizational Chart

Related blogs

10 Best Animated PowerPoint Templates

10 Best Business PowerPoint Templates for Presentations

10 Best Business Presentation Topics to Captivate Your Audience

10 Best Free PowerPoint Templates

Tags and categories, privacy overview.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

At ConsumersAdvocate.org, we take transparency seriously.

To that end, you should know that many advertisers pay us a fee if you purchase products after clicking links or calling phone numbers on our website.

The following companies are our partners in Presentation Software:  Prezi , and  mysimpleshow .

We sometimes offer premium or additional placements on our website and in our marketing materials to our advertising partners. Partners may influence their position on our website, including the order in which they appear on the page.

For example, when company ranking is subjective (meaning two companies are very close) our advertising partners may be ranked higher. If you have any specific questions while considering which product or service you may buy, feel free to reach out to us anytime.

If you choose to click on the links on our site, we may receive compensation. If you don't click the links on our site or use the phone numbers listed on our site we will not be compensated. Ultimately the choice is yours.

The analyses and opinions on our site are our own and our editors and staff writers are instructed to maintain editorial integrity.

Our brand, ConsumersAdvocate.org, stands for accuracy and helpful information. We know we can only be successful if we take your trust in us seriously!

To find out more about how we make money and our editorial process,  click here.

Product name, logo, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within our site are the property of their respective trademark holders. Any reference in this website to third party trademarks is to identify the corresponding third party goods and/or services.

Best Presentation Software Based on In-Depth Reviews

• 200+ Hours of research
• 25 Sources used
• 19 Companies vetted
• 4 Features reviewed
• 6 Top Picks

• Assess your visual presentation needs
• Focus on software with multiple design elements
• Go for software that will visually complement your narrative
• How we analyzed the best Presentation Software Providers
• Our Top Picks: Presentation Software Reviews

As our work lives gradually migrate to virtual spaces-with Zoom meetings and video conference calls now becoming the daily norm- we’ve had to spruce up how we communicate, educate, and transmit ideas. Part of reshaping how we communicate involves getting creative about how we can convey ideas and messages with the same enthusiasm as before. Presentation software has everything to do with this. It’s no longer just a visual aid but an integral part of how we virtually communicate our stories and ideas. 

PowerPoint has long reigned supreme in the world of presentation software, and for good reason. PowerPoint is simple and easy to use, and it’s got a host of features that make it convenient for students and professionals looking to share their ideas. Over the past years, however, innovative presentation platforms have emerged that have enriched the way we can present information by offering video creation and animation development tools. 

Presentation software is also increasingly moving towards AI use to create your decks, so that you spend as little time as possible creating visually stunning and informative decks. This software has re-shaped traditional presentation formats and styles, and have widened the range of ways we can use images, text, and video. Point being, presentation software has evolved a lot over the past years. There’s no longer any excuse why your lecture or business proposal decks should look like they’re stuck in the past. With the right presentation software and free image database , you can make your ideas look as stunning as they are.

• PowerPoint review

Classic Deck Presentations 

Compatibility : Web-based and desktop-installed app

Design Library : Around 40 different themes with multiple color variations

Free Version : Yes (web-based)

Mobile App : Yes

Screenshot microsoft.com, August 2020.

Microsoft’s PowerPoint (PP) needs no introduction. The software is arguably the most well known and ubiquitous of all presentation software on the market. Though it may seem like old news next to all the young and innovative competitors it has had in the past years, PP is still king when it comes to simplicity, ease of use, and reliability. 

PP is now available to use through the web, meaning you can create, edit, share, and present your slides wherever you are and on any device with a supporting app. This ease and mobility put it ahead of many software companies that still lack mobile apps. 

Microsoft has also added AI Design to PP, which works by identifying the most important elements of your images and generating potential theme options that work best with your content. Additionally, PP includes animation features, where you can create animated explainer videos using gifs, as well as animate 3D objects. PP also has a feature called Zoom where, much like in Prezi, you can jump to and from specific sections and portions of your presentation as you present, so that your deck doesn’t have to be strictly linear. Like all other software on this list, you can insert online videos into your presentation in PP for Microsoft 365 or PP 2019 and onwards, but you must be connected to the internet for it to play properly. 

PowerPoint is only available for purchase with Microsoft 365, which includes PP, Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office programs, plus continuous updates to the Microsoft ecosystem ($69.99/ per year) or with Office Home, which includes all of the above but does not include access to latest updates or cloud storage (one-time payment of $149.99). AI Designer and advanced customer support tools are only included in Microsoft 365. 

• Prezi review

Best for Dynamic Presentations

Design Library :  Hundreds of designer templates offered by Prezi, millions of reusable presentations from other users; more than 500,000 images and 80,000 icons

Free Version : Yes

Mobile App : Yes, but not for editing (only viewing and presenting) 

Screenshot prezi.com, August 2020.

Next to PowerPoint, Prezi is probably the most well-known presentation software out there. Its spatial format, which allows the presenter and audience to move from idea to idea in a dynamic way, makes it stand out from most presentation software currently available. 

The creative possibilities are endless with Prezi, as they offer millions of usable Prezi presentations to all users. Although there is a bit of a learning curve (especially if you decide to start a presentation from scratch), Prezi offers dozens of video tutorials on Youtube and plenty of  online articles that can help steer you in the right direction. You can also collaborate on a project with up to 10 users, adding comments and feedback as you edit.  

One of the best things about Prezi is that it offers several design and video features not included in other software. For example, you can record videos using a template and fonts to make your presentation more engaging and dynamic. You can also make stunning infographics to complement your presentations with Prezi Design. Finally, the Prezi viewer mobile app will allow you to view your presentation from your phone and use your mobile device as a remote control clicker to manage your deck as you present it.

Prezi offers Free, Standard ($5/mo), Plus ($15/mo), and Premium (for business professionals) plans. They also offer a special plan for students and educators that includes everything on the Plus plan for a reduced price (at $3/ mo). 

• Google Slides review

Best Fully Free Software

Compatibility : Web-based 

Design Library : 25 templates, but hundreds more available in external sites

Free Version : GoogleSlides is completely free

Screenshot google.com, August 2020.

GoogleSlides is probably the most effective and useful free presentation software out there. Not only is this the most useful software for casual presenters who don’t want to spend money on tools they’ll likely never use, but Slide’s portability and shareability make it a great option for students and team members alike. 

Slides is perfect for those who want to make simple, but modern looking presentations in a brief amount of time. Its format is simple and easy to use, mimicking that of Power Point’s. Google also offers articles providing tips on how to better your experience. Its Slide’s mobile app is also great for editing and reviewing content before the start of your presentation. Although its template library may not be as robust as other software, external website libraries such as Slidesgo , offer hundreds of free downloadable templates. You can also easily integrate media such as videos and audio to your Slides presentation. Finally, unlike other paying presentation software, Slides lets you export your final presentation into PowerPoint, PDF, and JPEG formats, so you can download your presentation and present it wherever you are, internet available or not. 

• Slidebean review

Best For AI Use

Compatibility : Web-based, but offers offline viewing 

Design Library : Dozens of pre-made templates available for five different categories (Businesses, Academics, Sales, PR, and Marketing) 

Mobile App : No 

Screenshot slidebean.com, August 2020.

Slidebean is a web-based software that works through AI so you can build a modern and professional-looking presentation in minutes. Signing up is easy and Slidebean offers a brief tutorial on how to work the system before you begin. With Slidebean, you don’t have to spend hours trying out colors and template formats, to see what works. Slidebean encourages you to focus on your text and ideas, and the AI software will do all the formatting and color coordination for you. If you don’t like the options generated for you, the AI will keep mixing and matching until you find something that works. You can choose from one of the hundreds of pre-made templates or create a custom theme. You can invite collaborators on both private and shareable decks. For premium members, you can also track your viewers behavior while they look at your content. One downside is that you can’t upload existing PowerPoint (PPT) presentations to edit. Paying users can, however, download your presentation into HTML and PPT, so you can view it offline, although this could affect certain design elements in your presentation 

Slidebean has a Free, Starter ($8/mo billed annually), and Premium ($19/mo billed annually) version with different privacy and collabo-sharing settings, as well as design library access settings and access. They also have a Founder’s Edition plan, aimed at entrepreneurs and startups which provides everything on the Premium plan plus design tune-up, proofreading, and direct access to Slidebean’s founders.

• Genially review

Best for Students and Educators

Design Library : Hundreds of templates for categories including Corporate and Education 

Screenshot genially.com, August 2020.

Genially’s interactive focus on presentations, as well as their considerably reduced prices for educators makes it particularly appealing to students and teachers alike. Genially has several different animation tools and templates. They offer templates for video presentations, interactive games and quizzes, infographics, and interactive image layouts where you can make any image interactive and glean from it a wealth of information, among others. 

With paid versions, you also have the opportunity to import PowerPoint presentations and edit them using Genially features. On the support side, Genially offers articles on how to get started with your software, as well as provide a wide range of YouTube tutorials to help you navigate your presentation maker. 

• Powtoon review

Best for Video Presentations

Design Library : Hundreds of pre-made video templates in categories that include Education, Marketing, Product and Engineering, Learning and Development, and Digital Management 

Mobile App : Yes, but not for editing

Screenshot powtoon.com, August 2020.

PowToon is a video creation software that will allow you to completely break the mold when it comes to visual presentations.  With PowToon, you get hundreds of pre-made video templates you can manipulate and use to transmit your own ideas, so no advanced knowledge of video editing is needed. PowToon offers pre-designed animation, customizable characters, royalty-free images and soundtracks, and a drag and drop interface so that both beginners and pros alike can take advantage of the software. Of course, you can also create a video from scratch. Powtoon offers a Help Center database with dozens of articles regarding the video editing process. Pro members also get 24/7 priority support as well as the right to download their videos into MP4 format. Both free and paid versions allow users to export videos to different social media channels or content websites.

PowToon currently offers a Free, Pro ($19/mo), Pro+ ($39/mo), and Agency ($99/mo) plan. There are also special prices for students ($ 4/mo and access to Pro content), and teachers ($10/mo unlimited access to all content).

• More insight into our methodology

Good presentation software should cover all your basic needs, but it should also offer features that make your presentation stand out from the rest. 

We evaluated multiple companies in the visual presentation field, and tested them to gauge how easy they were to use and how comprehensive the library they offered was. 

We gave preference to companies that offer alternative modes of presentation such as video, animation, and design tools so that your slide deck is more than just a set of static words and images. All our picks also have free versions so you can test them out and decide if upgrading to fancier features is worth it for you. 

Presentation software can include many features, but we focused specifically on the following: 

Design library  - The design library is one of the most important elements of any software. They include templates and color schemes. Some companies offer hundreds of different premade templates you can edit and make your own. They'll also split templates into useful categories such as business, marketing and sales, and education.  

• AI features - Over the last few years, several companies have moved towards including artificial intelligence features in their software, making it even easier for users to create their own presentations. AI-based software will usually work so that you can focus on getting your ideas on text while the program takes care of formatting the rest. 
• Collabo-sharing features - Collaboration tools make it so that multiple people can edit your document, whether in real-time or not. Sharing tools allow you to upload your work on different platforms, as well as export the presentation in formats that don’t require an internet connection. 
• Media integration  - In this digital age, presentations should include text, images, videos, and/or GIFs. Good presentation software will integrate different media in a seamless and coherent way so your presentation will be engaging but also run smoothly. The companies we chose provide different graphic, animation, and video capabilities so that you can craft modern and engaging content.

Presentation software can range from zero to a couple of hundred dollars a year, since most of the paid ones offer subscription plans. Although companies may have several different tiers, they often include special education and business plans that may reduce the cost considerably.  All our companies have at least a free version, and several have free trial versions for premium subscription plans.

• Compatibility

Compatibility is everything when it comes to presentation software. Even though most software is now offered through web-based apps, this may not necessarily mean it’s the most convenient for everyone. Exporting your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint may be necessary in order to present in places with poor or no internet connection. Not all companies do this, however, so it’s important to keep this in mind before signing up for any one plan. We looked at companies that have both offline and online options.

• Ease of Use/Educational Material

Some companies have a steeper learning curve than others, but these usually include more advanced graphic design features—such as video editing and animation creation. Regardless of the difficulty, companies should provide users with as much helpful information on different topics as they can. Some companies provide databases with plenty of helpful articles. Others provide video tutorials on how to navigate specific areas of the software. We paid attention to how much of this educational support companies provide to make the process as easy as possible for the user.

• Helpful information about Presentation Software

Assessing your Presentation Needs

Before picking any one presentation software, it might be a good idea to consider what you're looking to get from it. If you’re a casual or infrequent presenter, chances are that free software will be enough to address your needs. On the other hand, if you’re a frequent presenter tackling several audiences or topics, you probably want software that provides more creative and functional leeway, along with practical analytical tools that will help you improve your presentations in the long run. 

Assessing what you need presentation software for is key in helping you decide whether you should go for a free option, or invest in a pricier but more robust software. Are you an educator? An entrepreneur? Part of company leadership?  Are you working as a graphic designer for a marketing or creative company?  For example, as a burgeoning entrepreneur, you’ll likely want software that offers a vast number of pitch and business presentation templates. If you’re part of a team at work or school, you’ll likely need software that allows you to easily share and collaborate on presentations. Meanwhile, educators and business professionals who need to constantly churn out presentations will likely appreciate AI-based software that takes care of formatting their multiple decks so that they can focus on the information at hand. Moreover, some presentation software will be tailored for specific industries, and will include a wide range of templates and layouts catering to that professional niche, as well as analytic reports on audience engagement and participation. 

The good news is that many presentation software companies now cater to different audiences and lines of work, so that it doesn’t matter if you’re a student or the CEO of a small but growing business, you’ll likely find the templates and collaboration features you need. Nonetheless, how many features you’ll be able to access on your software usually depends on whether you’re a paying user or if you opt for a free version. 

Free vs Paid Software

Many companies offer free versions of their software, so that you don’t need to pay a cent to enjoy unique creative features. However, free versions can be limited— you’ll generally have access to only a few templates, or a set number of projects per month, and won’t be able to enjoy all the available formatting tools that paying users get. 

Free versions can also limit your privacy options. For example, they will allow you to use many of the software’s features, but require you to make your presentation publicly available to anyone on the web. This is likely not an ideal option for anyone who needs to present sensitive or confidential information meant to remain in-house. 

Additionally, using free versions could mean that you’re only able to view and present your information online and through the software company’s platform. Exporting and downloading your presentations is usually restricted to paying users, which could be a problem for those that wish to download and store their work on their computer and/or a USB device. 

It’s important to note that fully free, or open-source, software, such as Google Slides, will often provide a host of features that are not dependent on pay. However, free software won’t be able to provide as wide a diversity of templates and formatting options. They might also lack the power to properly handle different types of media in a single deck, causing your presentation to lag or slow down. Still, for infrequent presenters, open-source software is an excellent and free alternative to make simple and quick presentations. 

Tips for Great Presentations 

It’s easy to get carried away with pumping your decks full of information and unnecessary graphics. However, presentation software shouldn’t eclipse what you have to say with distracting animations and excessive text. Instead, it should complement your ideas and allow you to convey your message in a cogent and powerful way. 

Picking software is just the first step in crafting a fantastic presentation. After that, the fun begins. We talked to our in-house senior graphic designer, Jose “Yuyu” Velez, to determine what goes into making an effective and stellar presentation.

Tip #1 Pick presentation tools that offer versatility and creative leeway 

There are very basic things I should be able to do with presentation software such as import images, export to different formats, add gifs or other video media, etc. Adding transitions is always a plus, as well as having an icon library. Ideally, I should also be able to share a presentation seamlessly with others so that they [collaborators] can edit.

Tip #2 Keep your designs clean and simple

I've always found that keeping the layout as simple as possible helps to avoid the viewer from becoming distracted when presenting. This simplicity translates to a lot of things, like the use of color sparingly, 2-3 bullets per slide (flushed left with images or videos on the right so that it's natural to the viewer), and the use of animation only when necessary.

For example, a simple slide would be a white or very light-colored background, 2-3 bullets on the left, and a contextual image to the right that helps compliment the bullet points.

Tip #3 Keep it fun and eye-catching  

I've found that animation always helps keep the viewer engaged with a presentation, especially the use of gifs to drive the message home.

  Tip #4 Aim for an engaging, but coherent presentation

I've seen a lot of excellent presentations that use humor, gifs, and other types of animations that really kept me engaged. But when you take it home with you and try to watch it alone on your computer most of it doesn't make sense. To avoid this you can do one of the following:

Make sure that the presentation makes sense with or without you presenting it.

Make 2 versions, one to be presented live and the other as a more complete take-home version.

Tip #5: Be mindful about how you use design elements 

Keep text to a minimum : 2 to 3 bullet points should be more than enough on each slide. More than that might be too much for the viewer to process.

Synthesize your information : Most speakers get a 15 to 30 min window for a presentation. I recommend trying to have a max of 1 slide per minute. You should be able to simplify all the information without the need for 100+ slides.

Use color sparingly : Keep the background either very light with black text or very dark with light text. Any other color should be used as an accent to highlight a detail on screen. Too much color can be distracting.

Use videos and animations strategically : Too many videos or animations can slow down the presentation or make the file way too heavy. They should be placed purposefully and sparingly, same as with the colors. Think of them as secret weapons that help to break up the content on the slides so that you have a chance to give the viewer's brain a rest from listening to you while also reading bullet points.

Make people laugh! : Nobody wants to be bored and everyone can use a laugh. Throwing in a joke can help hold your viewers’ attention. This can especially be accomplished with the use of the right gif. Just make sure the joke is in line with what you're presenting.

• What To Watch Out For With Presentation Software

Picture it, it's zero hour and you’re about to show your bosses that business proposal you’ve been working on for weeks. Your slides are minimalistic and captivating. You’ve got stunning images to drive your point home. And to top it all off, you’ve included a video that captures all your important points in a condensed and appealing way. You plug in your USB stick where you’ve saved your presentation and...a nightmare occurs. Your image and video links are all broken, and the presentation you’ve worked on for weeks is nothing more than a pile of text. Worst of all you can’t make any adjustments because your software is strictly desktop version and you’re miles away from home. The culprit? Compatibility issues.

Software can be desktop installed, web-based, or both. Desktop-installed software allows you to download the editing and presenting tools you need straight to your laptop or desktop computer, without an internet connection. In the last couple of years, presentation software has migrated to web- or cloud-based software, meaning you do all your creating, editing, and presenting through the company’s platform. This is especially great if you want to work on your presentation from multiple devices, such as your tablet or smartphone. The downside to this is that you almost always need an internet connection to work on your presentation, and this may not always be readily available to you. 

It’s important that when you finally settle on a company that fits your design needs, you also check software compatibility. Most presentation software in the market is web-based, meaning you can run it on any computer or device as long as you have a working internet connection. Although this is great for portability and shareability purposes, it may be a problem if you need to present somewhere with poor internet. 

Most of these web-based companies will allow you to export your presentation into PDF, HTML, and sometimes even PPT presentations, so you should always check this feature is included in the plans you opt to choose. However, these features are oftentimes only included in the software’s paid versions. Downloading your presentations into these formats can also sometimes affect elements in your presentation. For example, embedded YouTube videos won’t work without an internet connection, and some templates that are exclusive to a company may not be available if you download them into a PowerPoint format. 

Some software companies like Prezi and PowerPoint, though, will have installable desktop options so that you can create, edit, and present your presentation hassle-free in the event that there’s no internet connection.

• FAQs about Presentation Software

What kinds of presentation software are available?

Who uses presentation software.

• Our Presentation Software Review Summed Up

• How it Works

Best Presentation Software [Other Than PowerPoint & Keynote]

Presentations

Presentations have become a staple in the corporate world, but using the same software over and over again can get monotonous. If you’re tired of using PowerPoint or Keynote for your presentations, there are many other options available in the market that offer more features and customization.

In this blog post, we will introduce you to some of the best presentation software that is not only user-friendly but also time-saving.

From Canva to Zoho Show, these presentation tools offer diverse options that cater to different needs. We will delve into their features and benefits so you can choose which one is right for you. So why limit your creativity when there are plenty of presentation tools out there waiting to be explored?

The Role of Presentation Software

Presentation software is a powerful tool that plays a crucial role in various aspects of communication and storytelling. Its multifaceted capabilities make it an indispensable asset for creating compelling pitch decks, integrating multimedia elements, and enhancing audience engagement.

Persuasive Pitch Decks

Presentation software is vital for creating persuasive pitch decks, allowing users to organize information visually for compelling presentations.

Multimedia Integration

Facilitating seamless integration of audio and video files, presentation software enhances presentations by adding dynamic multimedia elements, captivating the audience.

Data Visualization for Engagement

With intuitive tools, presentation software excels in data visualization, making complex information accessible and engaging through visually appealing charts and graphs.

Versatility in File Formats

Support for various file formats, including PDF, makes presentation software versatile, accommodating different content types for diverse needs.

Advanced Features for Impact

Beyond basic functionality, presentation software offers advanced features, empowering users for seamless and impactful future presentations.

Collaborative Tools

Featuring collaborative tools and customization options, presentation software fosters real-time teamwork, contributing to effective team communication and project development.

Modern Communication Medium

Adaptable across platforms and devices, presentation software has become an indispensable tool in modern communication, ensuring effective message delivery to diverse audiences.

Evolution of Presentation Tools

With the evolution of presentation software, AI and smart blocks have become integral features, revolutionizing how presentations are created. The ability to create and edit presentations using mobile devices has given users newfound flexibility. 

Collaboration features embedded in the software enable seamless teamwork in presentations. Online presentation software allows real-time access and editing, promoting efficiency and convenience. Moreover, the integration of social media features has enhanced the reach and impact of modern presentation tools, making them more dynamic and interactive.

Diverse Options in Presentation Software

Exploring diverse presentation software options reveals unique designs and features. Free trial versions are readily available, offering a chance to experience the interface and functionality. 

These programs provide a wide range of customizable templates to suit various presentation needs. Users can upgrade to paid plans for access to premium features, catering to specific requirements. Collaboration features within the software streamline project management and facilitate teamwork. 

The multitude of options, from Microsoft Office to Haiku Deck, empowers both Windows and Mac users to create powerful presentations without investing much time or effort.

Tired of doing everything on your own? Why not get help from a design partner? Design Shifu offers unlimited graphic designs for a flat monthly fee, which also includes unlimited presentations starting at $399. You get a dedicated designer, an intuitive dashboard, and even a Canva integration to make small changes to the deck at your convenience.

Moving beyond PowerPoint and Keynote

Presentation software has advanced beyond traditional templates, offering unique design features. It supports the use of stock images, enhancing visual appeal. Users can create distinctive presentations with ease, saving time. 

The mobile device support facilitates on-the-go presentation creation, catering to modern work dynamics. This versatile software serves various use cases beyond office presentations, making it a valuable tool for different scenarios. 

Embracing these advancements can significantly enhance the overall presentation experience.

Best Presentation Software Other Than PowerPoint & Keynote

The landscape of presentation software has expanded significantly, offering users a wide array of options beyond the conventional choices. New players in the presentation software domain boast user-friendly interfaces, catering to both desktop and web users. 

These platforms are equipped with powerful data visualization tools and offer an extensive range of design options, allowing for captivating and creative presentations. With support for various design elements, these new presentation software options have redefined the way users approach and engage with creating presentations, providing top presentation software features and benefits.

Visme – A Comprehensive Tool

Visme presents a wide array of design templates and unique presentation design elements for customization, enhancing collaboration through real-time editing and sharing. 

This top presentation software supports advanced features for interactive presentations, making it ideal for both individual and team use. Visme’s features align with the evolution of presentation tools, catering to the diverse needs of users beyond traditional office presentations. 

With its seamless interface and powerful data visualization tools, Visme stands out as a comprehensive and user-friendly presentation program, suitable for both Mac and Apple device users.

Features and Benefits

Visme’s free version provides limited features, while the premium plans offer advanced design options. It supports the creation of presentation slideshows and features a user-friendly interface for design, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced users. Additionally, Visme offers a wide range of graphic design elements, ensuring that users have ample creative resources at their disposal. 

These features make Visme a top presentation software choice for individuals and team collaborations, providing much-needed support for Mac users and Windows users alike.

Price Tag and Usability

Visme presentation software offers a complimentary plan with fundamental design features, allowing users to access it through a Google account. The software also facilitates extensive customization, both for the presentations and the user interface. It caters to both desktop and mobile users, reflecting its versatility and accessibility. 

Additionally, Visme provides interactive presentation templates, enhancing the overall user experience. 

Prezi – The Conversational Presenter

Prezi , as a presentation software, offers a complimentary trial enabling users to explore its functionalities. It empowers the creation of dynamic and interactive presentations, boasting a user-friendly interface for design. The software presents a ton of design options and templates, integrating features for data visualization and storytelling. 

This sets Prezi apart from conventional platforms like Microsoft Office and Apple Keynote, providing a unique experience for Mac users and teams collaboratively working on slide decks. The top presentation software also sets itself apart in saving much time for the creators, unlike traditional PowerPoint presentations or even Google Docs.

Unique Aspects of Prezi

Prezi stands out with its non-linear presentation format, allowing zooming in and out of the presentation canvas. It offers a unique way of structuring information, creating dynamic and visually appealing presentations. 

Users can engage their audience with more interactive presentations, setting Prezi apart from traditional PowerPoint presentations. Prezi’s innovative approach to presentation design emphasizes storytelling and data visualization, making it a top presentation software choice for those looking to create impactful slide decks.

How Prezi Stands Out

Prezi stands out by reducing audience fatigue and enabling seamless content navigation. It enhances viewer retention and encourages a conversational presentation style, fostering storytelling. Prezi offers a fresh take on traditional slide presentations, providing a unique, memorable experience for audiences. 

Its non-linear format and zooming capabilities create more engaging and interactive presentations. With Prezi, users can craft visually dynamic presentations that captivate and resonate with viewers, making it a top presentation software for those seeking a more impactful and immersive presentation program.

Canva – The Creative’s Choice

Canva , a top presentation software, offers a user-friendly interface with customizable templates and a wide range of design elements. It allows for the creation of visually stunning presentations suitable for diverse use cases. Users can access stock images and design options, making it ideal for Mac users and Apple device owners. 

Canva stands out as a time-saving option, eliminating the need to spend much time creating slide decks. With its intuitive features, it presents a fresh alternative to traditional presentation programs like PowerPoint, Google Docs, and Microsoft Office, positioning itself as a strong contender amongst top presentation software.

Exploring Canva’s Interface

Canva’s user-friendly interface caters to users with diverse design skills. The platform simplifies the creation of presentations through its drag-and-drop design elements. Users can seamlessly integrate audio files and access an extensive library of fonts and design elements. 

Customizing slide layouts within Canva is effortless, making it a top presentation software choice for many. With features like these, Canva stands out as a versatile presentation program that offers a streamlined design experience for both Mac and Microsoft Office users.

Pros and Cons

Canva’s free version boasts an extensive array of design features, catering to various presentation needs. The platform also facilitates seamless collaboration among team members, enhancing the collective creative process. On upgrading to premium plans, users gain access to advanced design and collaboration features, further elevating the presentation experience. 

Additionally, Canva presentations are easily accessible and editable on mobile devices, ensuring convenience and flexibility. Moreover, the option to export presentations as PDF files simplifies the sharing process, adding another layer of practicality to the platform’s offerings.

Zoho Show – The Collaboration Hub

Zoho Show serves as a collaboration hub for real-time teamwork on presentations, enabling simultaneous slide editing and offering diverse customizable templates. Seamless integration with other Zoho applications streamlines workflow, while interactive presentation creation enhances audience engagement. 

The platform’s facilitation of teamwork and customization options aligns with NLP terms such as “team plan” and “top presentation software,” making it an ideal choice for users seeking efficient collaborative capabilities in their presentation program. 

Zoho Show’s emphasis on real-time collaboration and customizable templates distinguishes it from traditional presentation tools like Microsoft Office and Apple Keynote.

Collaboration Features

Streamlining the collaboration process, Zoho Show offers suitable presentation design options for future use. 

With a minimal learning curve, users can easily comment and edit slides in real-time, enhancing teamwork and productivity. Integrating seamlessly with other Zoho applications, Zoho Show ensures a smooth workflow while allowing the creation of interactive presentations for audience engagement.

Zoho Show in Action

Zoho Show empowers users to infuse presentations with impactful data visualization, enhancing the clarity of information delivery. The platform’s robust features enable seamless integration of videos, elevating the quality of presentations. 

With offline access capabilities, Zoho Show ensures that presentations can be delivered without dependency on internet connectivity. Users benefit from a plethora of customizable templates, enabling unique and personalized presentation designs. The user-friendly interface optimizes the presentation creation process, making it efficient and intuitive.

Google Slides – The Accessible Option

Google Slides provides accessibility through a Google account and internet connection, fostering real-time collaboration with robust presentation features. Users can seamlessly share and collaborate on presentations via Google Drive, across desktop and mobile. 

Embracing the NLP terms, Google Slides stands out as the top presentation software for team collaboration, surpassing traditional PowerPoint presentations. Its free version rivals Microsoft Office, Apple Keynote, and Haiku Deck, saving users much time. 

The platform is an ideal choice for Mac users and Apple device aficionados, offering the convenience of Google Docs integration and a user-friendly slide deck creation experience.

Why Google Slides?

Google Slides stands out as a top presentation software due to its extensive range of tools and features. With a free plan, customizable templates, and collaboration capabilities, it offers a user-friendly app for various use cases. Seamlessly integrated with G Suite, Google Slides provides a comprehensive solution for creating impactful presentations.

Exploring Google Slides Features

Exploring the features of Google Slides reveals its commitment to enhancing collaboration and flexibility. With real-time collaboration features, teams can seamlessly work together, boosting productivity and efficiency. 

The platform’s accessibility from any device with an internet connection provides unparalleled flexibility for users, allowing them to create and edit presentations on the go. 

Additionally, the wide range of customizable templates caters to diverse presentation needs, ensuring that users can find the perfect design for their content. Furthermore, the ability to convert and share presentations as PDF files streamline communication, while the data visualization tools empower users to craft engaging and informative presentations.

Beautiful.ai – The AI-powered Designer

Streamlining the Design Process with AI-powered Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai stands out by offering unique presentation templates, simplifying the design process for users. 

By embracing artificial intelligence, the software automates the creation of visually appealing slides, saving users much time. Its intuitive user interface and smart blocks enable the effortless creation of interactive presentations, reducing the learning curve for users. 

Beautiful.ai’s AI-powered design tool truly enhances the user experience, making it a top presentation software choice beyond Microsoft Office and Apple Keynote. For Mac users looking to move beyond traditional PowerPoint presentations, Beautiful.ai offers a refreshing alternative to creating engaging slide decks.

Embracing AI in Presentations

Embracing the potential of AI in presentation design significantly enhances the visual appeal and impact of slides. Beautiful.ai, an AI-powered presentation software, offers an array of advanced features that seamlessly facilitate the creation of captivating presentations. 

The integration of artificial intelligence optimizes user workflow, leading to improved efficiency and time savings. Leveraging AI in presentations enables an effortless generation of unique and professionally designed slides, while also providing customization options to cater to diverse user requirements. With Beautiful.ai harnessing the power of AI, users can effortlessly create visually stunning presentations, elevating their overall presentation experience.

Reviewing Beautiful.ai

Evaluating Beautiful.ai reveals a user-friendly interface allowing easy navigation through presentation design. The free version enables exploration of features before opting for a paid plan, catering to various needs. 

Advanced design features in premium plans offer customization and versatility, while customizable templates empower impactful presentations. Users benefit from time-saving design elements, simplifying the presentation creation process. 

Beautiful.ai’s diverse design options and user-friendly nature make it a top presentation software choice, enhancing the overall presentation experience.

Deciding the Right Software for You

Considering the variety of presentation software available, ease of use and collaboration features play a key role in decision-making. Customization options must align with specific presentation needs, ensuring a tailored approach. 

Evaluating the learning curve is essential for seamless software adoption. Design elements and user interface should match the user’s preferences for a smooth experience. Ultimately, the chosen software should align with the user’s unique use cases, intended audience, and design skills, providing a cohesive platform for impactful presentations.

Which Presentation Software Should You Choose?

When deciding which presentation software to choose, consider the number of templates and design options available. 

Assess the collaboration features, keeping in mind your team’s requirements. Look for interactive features like real-time collaboration for enhanced user engagement. 

Customizable templates and design elements are crucial for future presentations. Test different software using free trials to ensure compatibility with your presentation needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best software for making presentations.

When it comes to making presentations, there are several great software options besides PowerPoint and Keynote. Popular alternatives include Prezi, Canva, and Google Slides. Each software offers unique features and benefits, such as non-linear storytelling or design templates. The best presentation software for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences.

Is PowerPoint or Prezi better?

PowerPoint or Prezi? The answer depends on your presentation needs and personal preferences. PowerPoint is widely used with a familiar interface, while Prezi offers dynamic visual effects but has a steeper learning curve. Consider your content and choose the software that suits you best.

What is better than Microsoft PowerPoint?

Looking for alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint? Consider Prezi, Google Slides, and Canva. Prezi offers a unique non-linear presentation style with zooming effects, while Google Slides allows for easy collaboration and integration with other Google apps. Canva has a user-friendly interface and a wide variety of templates and design options.

What are the best interactive presentation software products?

Looking for the best interactive presentation software? Consider these options:

• Prezi allows non-linear storytelling.
• Mentimeter and Slido engage audiences with live polls and quizzes.
• Emaze offers visually-appealing templates and designs.
• Google Slides is a free alternative to PowerPoint with collaborative features.

Dump the Software – Get a Partner Instead

Ready to revolutionize your design process? Design Shifu is not just a software; we’re your design partner! Imagine unlimited graphic design at your fingertips, starting at just $399 per month. Need it fast? We offer same-day delivery. 

Unlimited revisions and a 100% 14-day money-back guarantee ensure your satisfaction. With a dedicated designer, seamless integrations with Canva, Trello, Slack, and more, plus our intuitive dashboard simplifies it all. 

From print to digital, logos to landing pages, our services cover it all. Why settle for software when you can have a design ally? Click now to book a demo and let Design Shifu transform your design experience!

DESIGN SHIFU

Read design shifu's articles and profile., privacy overview.

15 Best Presentation Software for Business Professionals In 2024

Table of Contents

Business presentations serve as essential communication tools to convey ideas and create a favorable image for a brand. While Microsoft Powerpoint is popular and the default software for presentations, several advanced presentation software choices are available to help you create visually appealing presentations that stand out and keep your audience engaged.

However, the key challenge lies in finding the perfect presentation software with the appropriate features to build an exceptional business presentation. To guide you through this process, we have curated a list of the top 15 presentation software solutions, outlining their features, pros & cons, and crucial factors to consider during your decision-making process.

What is a Presentation Software?

Presentation software is a computer program that allows users to create visual and interactive presentations. It enables users to combine text, images, videos, charts, and other multimedia elements to convey information effectively. These software tools provide a user-friendly interface for arranging and organizing content in slides, making it easy for marketing and sales teams to structure and design presentations. Presenters can enhance their delivery by adding animations, transitions, and speaker notes.

Commonly used presentation software includes Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, and various other alternatives that offer a range of features to engage and captivate the audience during business meetings, educational sessions, or public speaking events.

Key Features of a Presentation Software

Key Features of Presentation Software include the following:

1. Slide Creation : The primary function of any presentation software is to create slides. This feature enables users to add text, images, videos, charts, and shapes to build visually engaging content.

2. Templates: Presentation software offers pre-designed templates for various purposes and industries. These templates provide a quick and professional starting point for users to customize their presentations.

3. Animations and Transitions: Presentations come to life with animations and slide transitions. These features add visual appeal and help maintain audience interest during the presentation.

4. Multimedia Support: Presentation software allows users to embed videos, audio clips, and other multimedia elements, making presentations more dynamic and interactive.

5. Collaboration: Many modern presentation tools offer real-time collaboration features, enabling multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously.

6. Speaker Notes: Presenters can add speaker notes to each slide to guide them through the presentation and ensure a smooth delivery.

7. Compatibility: Presentation software should be compatible with different devices and operating systems to ensure seamless sharing and viewing across various platforms.

8. Export Options : Users should be able to export presentations in various formats, such as PDF, PowerPoint, or video files, for easy sharing and distribution.

9. Audience Interaction: Some advanced presentation software allows audience interaction through polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions, enhancing engagement and participation.

10. Analytics and Tracking: For business and educational purposes, some presentation tools offer analytics to track audience engagement, slide views, and other performance metrics.

11. Customization: This feature allows users to customize fonts, colors, and layouts to align with their branding or personal preferences.

12. Cloud Storage: Integration with cloud storage services allows users to save and access presentations from anywhere, making collaboration and mobility more convenient.

13. Offline Access : Some presentation software provides offline access, allowing users to work on their presentations even without an internet connection.

Overall, the critical features of presentation software empower users to create compelling, interactive, and well-structured presentations that effectively communicate their ideas and messages to the audience.

Crucial Factors To Consider Before Choosing a Presentation Tool

Choosing the right presentation tool is essential to create impactful and engaging presentations that effectively convey your message to the audience. There are several crucial factors to consider before making your decision:

1. Ease of Use

Look for a presentation tool with a user-friendly interface and intuitive features. It should be easy to navigate and allow you to create slides quickly without much technical knowledge.

2. Features and Functionality

Assess the tool’s features and functionalities, including slide templates, animations, multimedia support, collaboration options, and audience interaction capabilities. Ensure it offers the tools you need to create the type of presentation you envision.

3. Compatibility

Check if the presentation tool is compatible with different devices and operating systems. This ensures seamless sharing and viewing across various platforms.

4. Templates and Customization

Look for a tool that offers a wide range of pre-designed templates to kickstart your presentation. Additionally, ensure you can customize the templates to match your brand identity and presentation style.

5. Collaboration Capabilities

If you are working on a presentation with a team, opt for a tool that allows real-time collaboration. This enables multiple users to work on the presentation simultaneously and provides a smoother workflow.

6. Cost and Pricing Model

Consider the pricing of the presentation tool, including any subscription plans or one-time purchase options. Evaluate whether the features offered align with the cost and fit within your budget.

7. Offline Access

If you often work in environments without internet access, choose a presentation tool that offers offline functionality, allowing you to continue working without interruption.

8. Data Security

If your presentations contain sensitive information, ensure the tool offers robust data security measures, such as encryption and secure login protocols.

9. Customer Support

Look for a presentation tool with reliable customer support to assist you in case of technical issues or inquiries.

10. Reviews and Rating

Read reviews and ratings from other users to gain insights into their experiences with the presentation tool. Positive feedback from users indicates a trustworthy and effective tool.

11. Learning Resources

Check if the presentation tool provides tutorials, guides, or a knowledge base to help you master its features and maximize its capabilities.

12. Export Options

Ensure the presentation tool allows you to export your presentations in various formats, such as PDF, PowerPoint, or video files, for easy sharing and distribution.

13. Trial Period

Many presentation tools offer a free trial or limited version for testing. Take advantage of these trial periods to assess the tool’s suitability for your needs before committing to a subscription.

Considering these crucial factors, you can select the best presentation tool that aligns with your requirements and empowers you to create impactful and memorable presentations.

Here are the 15 best presentation software that caters to various needs and preferences, allowing business professionals to create presentations for different purposes, such as sales pitches, training sessions, or marketing campaigns.

1. Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely-used presentation software developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite and is available for both Windows and Mac platforms. PowerPoint allows users to create visually engaging and professional PowerPoint presentations using slides. The software offers many tools, templates, and design options, making it versatile for business presentations, educational lectures, and marketing pitches.

Users can add text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and animations to each slide, creating dynamic and interactive presentations. PowerPoint also supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to simultaneously work on the same presentation locally or through cloud-based services like Microsoft OneDrive.

With its user-friendly interface and extensive features, Microsoft PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for creating compelling presentations that captivate audiences and convey information effectively. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft Office tools and widespread use in professional settings make it a powerful tool for business professionals worldwide.

Key Features of Microsoft PowerPoint

• Slide Creation: Create slides with text, images, shapes, charts, and multimedia elements.
• Templates: Access a wide range of professionally designed templates for quick, attractive presentations.
• Animations and Transitions: Add dynamic animations and slide transitions to enhance visual appeal.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with team members in real-time using cloud services like OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Presenter View: Utilize Presenter View to see your notes, slide previews, and upcoming slides during a presentation.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft Office apps, like Excel and Word.
• Charts and Graphs: Generate and customize various charts and graphs to present data visually.
• SmartArt Graphics: Convert complex information into easily understandable diagrams using SmartArt graphics.
• Recording: Record and narrate presentations for later playback.
• Export Options: Save presentations in different formats, including PDF and video.
• Widely-used and well-established presentation software.
• User-friendly interface with a shallow learning curve.
• Extensive features for creating versatile and visually appealing presentations.
• Excellent compatibility with other Microsoft Office products.
• Real-time collaboration with cloud-based storage options.
• Limited access to advanced design features compared to specialized graphic design software.
• Larger file sizes can be an issue when sharing presentations.
• Some advanced features may be overwhelming for casual users.

Who is it for

Microsoft PowerPoint suits individuals and professionals in various fields, including business executives, educators, students, salespeople, marketers, and trainers. It caters to anyone who needs to create engaging presentations for communication, persuasion, or educational purposes.

Microsoft PowerPoint is available as part of the Microsoft Office suite, which offers subscription plans like Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and one-time purchase options like Office Home & Student or Office Home & Business. Prices vary depending on the plan and the number of devices you want to use it on. The home plan starts at $69.99, while the basic business plan costs $6 monthly.

2. Google Slides

Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software developed by Google. It is a part of the Google Workspace suite (formerly known as G Suite) and allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on presentations online. Google Slides provides various tools and features to design and customize slides, insert multimedia elements, and share presentations with others for real-time collaboration.

Users can access Google Slides through a web browser or the mobile app, and all changes are automatically saved to Google Drive, enabling easy access and sharing across multiple devices. With its intuitive interface and collaborative capabilities, Google Slides is a popular choice for creating and delivering engaging presentations for educational, business, and personal purposes.

Key Features of Google Slides

• Cloud-based: Access and edit presentations from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can work on the same presentation simultaneously.
• Auto-Save: Changes are automatically saved to Google Drive in real time.
• Templates: Choose from a variety of pre-designed templates to create professional-looking slides.
• Integration: Seamless integration with other Google Workspace apps like Google Docs and Google Sheets. It also allows for a simple transition between presentation apps.
• Import and Export: Import presentations from other formats and export them as PowerPoint or PDF files.
• Animation and Transitions: Add animations and transitions to make presentations more engaging.
• Embedded Videos: Insert videos from YouTube or Google Drive directly into slides.
• Commenting: Users can leave comments on specific slides for collaboration and feedback.
• Offline Editing : Work on presentations offline with Google Slides Chrome extension.
• Free to use with a Google account.
• Cross-platform accessibility.
• Real-time collaboration fosters teamwork.
• Automatic updates and backups.
• Integration with other Google apps enhances productivity.
• Limited offline access without the Chrome extension.
• Fewer advanced features compared to some desktop-based alternatives.
• Internet dependency for real-time collaboration.
• Students, educators, and academic institutions for educational presentations.
• Small to large businesses for professional presentations and team collaboration.
• Non-profit organizations and individuals for personal projects and creative presentations.

Google Slides is available for free as part of the Google Workspace suite, which offers additional features and storage options with different pricing plans. The basic version is accessible with a free Google account, while the business plan starts at $12 monthly per year.

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that offers a unique and dynamic approach to creating and delivering presentations. Unlike traditional slide-based presentations, Prezi uses a zooming user interface (ZUI) to present content on a single large canvas. Users can create visually captivating presentations by zooming in and out, panning across the canvas, and transitioning between content in a non-linear manner. This innovative approach allows for more engaging and interactive presentations, making it ideal for storytelling, pitches, and educational purposes.

Prezi provides various templates and customization options to create visually appealing presentations. It also offers collaboration features, allowing multiple users to simultaneously work on the same presentation. With Prezi, presenters can emphasize connections between ideas, present information in a memorable way, and capture the audience’s attention with its dynamic visuals.

Key Features of Prezi

• Zooming User Interface (ZUI)
• Non-linear Presentation
• Templates and Customization
• Collaboration
• Offline Access
• Prezi Viewer App
• Animated Effects and Transitions
• Embedding Multimedia (Videos, Images, etc.)
• Analytics and Tracking
• Presenter Notes
• Remote Presenting
• PowerPoint Import and Export
• Cloud Storage
• Private and Public Sharing Options
• Cross-platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, Web)
• Real-time Editing and Commenting
• Integrations with other Platforms (Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
• Data Visualization Tools
• Interactive Polls and Surveys
• Prezi Video Integration for Virtual Presentations.
• Dynamic and engaging presentation style.
• Non-linear storytelling capability.
• Cloud-based, accessible from any device with an internet connection.
• Collaboration features for team projects.
• Prezi Viewer app for mobile presentations.
• The steeper learning curve for first-time users.
• Limited offline access in the free version.
• Some users might prefer traditional slide-based presentations.
• Professionals and business users for sales pitches, marketing presentations, and client meetings.
• Educators and students for interactive classroom presentations.
• Creatives and individuals who want to present their ideas innovative and visually captivatingly.

Prezi offers a free version with essential features and limited storage. It also provides premium plans, including Prezi Standard, Plus, and Premium, with varying subscription costs, additional features, and larger storage options. Custom pricing is available for enterprise-level needs with Prezi Business plans.

Canva is a graphic design platform that can help you create visually engaging and compelling presentations. It offers pre-designed presentation templates suitable for various purposes, such as business pitches, educational lectures, marketing presentations, and more.

With Canvas’s user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality, users can easily customize the templates by adding text, images, icons, charts, and other elements to create professional and eye-catching presentations.

Canva provides an efficient and convenient way for users to design and deliver impactful slideshows without requiring extensive design skills. It is a valuable tool for anyone looking to create visually impressive presentations.

Key Features of Canva for Presentation

• Templates: A vast library of pre-designed presentation templates for various purposes and industries.
• Customization: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface to personalize templates with text, images, icons, and more.
• Collaboration: Team members can collaborate in real-time on presentation designs.
• Multimedia Support: Ability to add videos, audio, and interactive elements to presentations.
• Animations: Access to animations and transitions for dynamic and engaging slideshows.
• Charts and Graphs: Integrated tools to create visually appealing charts and graphs.
• Export and Share: Options to export presentations in various formats and share them with others.
• The User-friendly interface is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.
• Extensive template library for quick and professional-looking presentations.
• Collaborative features enhance team productivity.
• Accessible on web browsers and mobile devices for on-the-go editing.
• Integrations with various platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Some advanced design features are limited in the free version.
• Offline editing requires a premium subscription.
• Customization options might be limited compared to dedicated presentation software.
• Business professionals, marketers, educators, students, and anyone looking to create visually appealing presentations without extensive design skills.
• Canva offers a free version with limited features.
• Canva Pro, which includes additional features like access to premium elements, animations, and collaboration tools, is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis.

Visme is a cloud-based presentation software that empowers users to create visually stunning and interactive presentations, infographics, charts, and other visual content. With its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates and design elements, Visme allows users to quickly and easily design professional presentations without needing advanced design skills.

Key Features of Visme for Presentation

• Templates: A wide range of customizable presentation templates for different industries and purposes.
• Drag-and-Drop Editor: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for easy content creation and customization.
• Interactivity: Ability to add interactive elements like animations, pop-ups, and hover effects to engage the audience.
• Charts and Data Visualization: Built-in tools to create dynamic charts, graphs, and data visualizations.
• Collaboration: Real-time collaboration and feedback features to facilitate teamwork.
• Embeddable Content: Option to embed presentations on websites, blogs, or social media.
• Analytics: Access to analytics to track the performance of presentations.

• The easy-to-use interface is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.
• Rich library of templates and design assets for creating eye-catching presentations.
• Interactive features enhance audience engagement.
• Cloud-based storage for easy access and sharing of presentations.
• Integrations with popular platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace.
• Some advanced features are only available in higher-priced plans.
• The free version comes with limited templates and features.
• Limited offline editing capabilities.
• Visme is suitable for business professionals, educators, marketers, and individuals looking to create compelling and interactive presentations to convey information effectively.
• Visme offers a free version with limited features.
• Paid plans, including Standard, Business, and Enterprise, are available on a monthly or annual subscription basis, each with varying features and pricing. The price starts at $12.25 per month annually.

Keynote is a presentation app developed by Apple Inc., designed specifically for macOS and iOS devices. It is a part of Apple’s iWork suite of productivity tools. Keynote allows users to create visually stunning and engaging presentations featuring multimedia elements like images, videos, charts, and animations.

Key Features of Keynote

• Intuitive Interface: Keynote offers a user-friendly and intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and design presentations.
• Media Integration: Users can seamlessly integrate multimedia elements, such as photos, videos, and audio files, to enhance the visual appeal of presentations.
• Animations and Transitions: Keynote provides a variety of dynamic animations and smooth transitions to add visual effects to slides.
• Real-time Collaboration: Users can collaborate with others in real time, allowing multiple contributors to work on the same presentation simultaneously.
• Compatibility: Keynote supports various file formats and can import and export presentations to and from PowerPoint and PDF.
• Apple Pencil Support: For iOS devices, Keynote offers Apple Pencil support, enabling users to draw and annotate directly on slides.

• Seamless integration with other Apple devices and services.
• Free presentation software with a wide selection of pre-designed templates and themes.
• Advanced animations and transitions for captivating presentations.
• Cloud-based storage for easy access to presentations across devices.
• Keynote is exclusive to macOS and iOS devices, limiting cross-platform compatibility.
• Users on non-Apple devices may encounter formatting issues when importing Keynote files.
• Some features may have a steeper learning curve for new users.
• Keynote is ideal for Mac and iOS users who want to create professional presentations on visual aesthetics and multimedia elements.
• Keynote is free on macOS and iOS devices, included with the purchase of the corresponding hardware. No separate subscription or purchase is required to use Keynote on Apple devices.

Powtoon is a cloud-based presentation software and animation tool allowing users to create animated videos, presentations, and explainer videos easily. It provides a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced creators. Powtoon offers a library of pre-designed templates, characters, objects, and backgrounds, enabling users to create visually engaging and interactive content.

Key Features of Powtoon

• Animated Presentations: Powtoon allows users to create dynamic and animated video presentations with various animations, transitions, and effects.
• Customizable Characters and Objects: Users can personalize characters, objects, and backgrounds to fit their specific content and brand identity.
• Voiceover Recording: Powtoon enables users to add voiceover narration to their presentations, providing a more interactive and engaging experience.
• Import and Export: Users can import images, videos, and audio files and export their presentations as video files or directly to YouTube.
• Real-time Collaboration: Powtoon offers collaboration features, allowing teams to work together on the same project in real time.
• Integration with PowerPoint: Powtoon provides a PowerPoint plugin for seamless integration with Microsoft PowerPoint.

• User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
• Extensive library of pre-designed templates and characters.
• Supports both animated and live-action presentations.
• Allows users to create professional-looking videos and presentations without extensive design skills.
• Limited free version with watermarked videos and reduced features.
• Some advanced features and elements may require a premium subscription.
• The steeper learning curve for complex animations and interactions.
• Powtoon is suitable for educators, marketers, business professionals, and content creators who want to create visually engaging and animated presentations and videos.
• Powtoon offers a free plan with limited features and a watermark on videos. Paid plans start at different pricing tiers, with more advanced features and options available at higher subscription levels.

8. Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a presentation software focusing on simplicity, visual appeal, and ease of use. It is designed to help users create stunning and visually engaging presentations with minimal effort. Haiku Deck provides a wide range of professionally designed templates, high-quality images, and an intuitive interface, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.

Key Features of Haiku Deck

• Visual Templates: Haiku Deck offers a variety of visually appealing templates that can be customized to match the user’s content and style.
• Image Library: The software provides access to a vast library of high-quality images to enhance the visual impact of the presentations.
• Effortless Charts and Graphs: Haiku Deck allows users to create charts and graphs with just a few clicks, making data visualization simple and effective.
• Integration with Popular Platforms: Users can import content from various platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Keynote to streamline the presentation creation process.
• Real-time Collaboration: Haiku Deck enables real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to collaborate on presentations remotely.

• Professionally designed templates for a polished and professional look.
• The abundance of high-quality images and icons enhances presentations.
• Seamless integration with popular platforms for easy content importing.
• Limited customization options compared to some other presentation software.
• Advanced features and options may be lacking for users who require highly complex presentations.
• The free version has certain limitations on the number of presentations and features.
• Haiku Deck is ideal for educators, entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, and individuals who value simplicity and want to create visually striking presentations quickly and easily.
• Haiku Deck offers both a free plan and paid subscriptions with additional features. The paid plans provide more customization options, advanced analytics, and access to premium content libraries.

9. Slidebean

Slidebean is an online presentation software that simplifies the process of creating professional and visually appealing presentations. It is designed to assist users, especially those with limited design skills, craft engaging slides with minimal effort. Slidebean’s AI-powered platform automates various design elements, making it easier for users to focus on their content and message delivery.

Key Features of Slidebean

• AI Design Assistance: Slidebean’s AI algorithms analyze content and suggest appropriate design elements, layouts, and color schemes for each slide.
• Customizable Templates: The platform offers various templates catering to different industries and presentation styles.
• Content Importing: Users can import content from various sources, such as Google Slides, Powerpoint, and Dropbox, to seamlessly integrate existing materials into their presentations.
• Collaboration Tools: Slidebean facilitates real-time collaboration among team members, making working remotely on presentations accessible.
• Slide Analytics: The software provides analytics on slide engagement, enabling users to understand how their audience interacts with their presentation.

• AI-powered design assistance streamlines the creation process.
• A diverse selection of customizable templates for various presentation needs.
• Easy content importing from other platforms.
• Real-time collaboration for effective teamwork.
• Some advanced features may be limited compared to more robust presentation software.
• The free version has certain limitations on the number of slides and exports.
• Slidebean is suitable for startups, entrepreneurs, educators, and individuals who want to create professional presentations quickly, especially those without advanced design skills.
• Slidebean offers a free plan with essential features and paid subscriptions with additional benefits such as unlimited exports, premium templates, and priority customer support.

10. Genially

Genially is an online platform that empowers users to create interactive and visually stunning presentations, infographics, and other visual content. It offers a wide range of pre-designed templates and interactive elements that can be customized to suit various needs, making it easy to engage and captivate audiences.

Key Features of Genially

• Interactive Content: Genially allows users to add interactive elements such as animations, pop-ups, hotspots, and quizzes to create engaging and immersive presentations.
• Wide Variety of Templates: The platform provides a diverse collection of pre-designed templates for different purposes, saving time and effort in creating visually appealing content.
• Collaboration and Sharing: This presentation program facilitates real-time collaboration, making it ideal for presentations and visual project teamwork. It also enables easy sharing via links or embedding in websites and social media.
• Data Integration: Users can integrate data from spreadsheets, surveys, and other sources to create dynamic and data-driven content.
• Analytics and Tracking: Genially offers insights on how viewers interact with the content, providing valuable feedback on audience engagement.

• A vast library of interactive elements and templates.
• Suitable for creating interactive presentations, infographics, social media posts, and more.
• Supports collaboration and sharing among team members.
• Some advanced features may require a learning curve for first-time users.
• The free version has limitations on the number of projects and interactive elements.
• Genially is suitable for educators, marketers, designers, and anyone seeking to create interactive and visually rich content to engage and impress their audience.
• Genially offers free and paid plans with additional features, including templates, storage space, and collaboration options.

11. SlideShare

SlideShare is a web-based platform owned by LinkedIn, designed for sharing and discovering presentations, documents, and professional content. It allows users to upload and share presentations, PDFs, infographics, and other documents with a global audience. SlideShare is a valuable resource for professionals, educators, and businesses to showcase their expertise, insights, and ideas through visual content.

Key Features of SlideShare

• Presentation Sharing: Users can upload and share presentations in various formats, such as PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote, and more.
• Document Hosting: SlideShare hosts many professional documents, including reports, whitepapers, and case studies.
• Embedding and Sharing: Content hosted on SlideShare can be easily embedded on websites, blogs, and social media platforms for broader visibility.
• Social Sharing and Engagement: Users can like, comment, and share content, fostering community engagement and interactions.
• Content Categorization: SlideShare categorizes content into topics, making it easy for users to discover relevant presentations and documents.

• Access to a vast collection of professional presentations and documents on diverse topics.
• Opportunity to showcase expertise and insights to a global audience.
• Provides a valuable platform for lead generation, content marketing, and branding.
• Easy social media sharing and embedding options.
• Limited editing capabilities, as SlideShare primarily focuses on content sharing rather than content creation.
• Some features may require a LinkedIn account for full functionality.
• SlideShare is beneficial for professionals, marketers, educators, and businesses looking to share and discover informative and visually engaging content for a wider audience.
• SlideShare offers free accounts for content sharing and viewing. However, additional paid features are available for businesses and marketers looking to enhance their visibility and analytics.

12. SlideDog

SlideDog is a multimedia presentation software that allows users to seamlessly blend different media types into a single, interactive presentation. It enables presenters to combine PowerPoint slides, PDFs, videos, web pages, and more into a cohesive presentation experience. SlideDog is designed to streamline the process of delivering multimedia-rich presentations, making it easy to switch between various content formats without interruptions or technical glitches.

Key Features of SlideDog

• Media Integration: Users can incorporate diverse media types like PowerPoint, PDF, videos, images, websites, and live web pages into a single presentation.
• Seamless Transitions: SlideDog allows smooth transitions between different media elements, providing a fluid and engaging presentation experience.
• Live Sharing and Polling: Presenters can share real-time presentations with remote audiences and even conduct polls for audience engagement.
• Presenter View: SlideDog offers a presenter view, allowing speakers to preview and control the presentation while the audience views the main screen.
• Playlist Management: Users can create playlists to organize and manage their multimedia content for efficient presentation delivery.

• Supports a wide range of media types, enabling dynamic and interactive presentations.
• Easy-to-use interface, making it user-friendly for both presenters and audiences.
• Suitable for both in-person and online presentations, enhancing versatility.
• It provides live-sharing options, making it ideal for remote and virtual events.
• Limited design and customization options compared to traditional presentation software like PowerPoint.
• Some advanced features may require a premium subscription.
• SlideDog is ideal for presenters, educators, event organizers, and businesses looking to create engaging multimedia presentations and streamline the delivery of content-rich materials.
• SlideDog offers a free version with basic features. It also provides premium plans with additional features and functionality at various price points.

Pitch is a modern presentation software designed to empower teams and individuals to create compelling and visually stunning presentations. It aims to enhance collaboration and streamline the process of building impactful pitch decks and proposals. Pitch provides a range of features and templates that enable users to craft persuasive presentations, making it an excellent tool for sales pitches, investor pitches, and other business communications.

Key Features of Pitch

• Collaborative Workspace: Pitch offers real-time collaboration, allowing multiple team members to simultaneously work on the same presentation.
• Smart Slide Templates: It provides professionally designed templates and customizable slide layouts to ensure a consistent and polished look for the presentation.
• Library of Assets: Users can access a library of stock images, icons, and illustrations to enhance the visual appeal of their slides.
• Data Visualization: Pitch supports interactive charts, graphs, and data visualizations to make complex information more accessible to the audience.
• Integration with Other Tools: It integrates with popular productivity tools like Slack, Trello, and Google Drive for seamless workflow management.

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface for easy navigation and presentation creation.
• Allows real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to collaborate on presentations.
• Offers a wide range of customizable templates and design elements.
• Supports seamless integration with other productivity tools, enhancing workflow efficiency.
• Some advanced features in the free version may be limited, requiring a premium subscription for full access.
• Occasional minor bugs and performance issues may arise.
• Pitch is ideal for businesses, startups, and professionals looking to create visually appealing and collaborative presentations to convey ideas, pitches, and proposals effectively.
• Pitch offers free and premium plans, with the premium plan providing additional features and customization options.

14. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a cloud-based presentation software developed by Zoho Corporation. It is designed to help users create, collaborate, and quickly deliver visually engaging presentations. Zoho Show offers a range of tools and features to streamline the presentation creation process and enhance the overall productivity of individuals and teams.

Key Features of Zoho Show

• Collaborative Editing: Zoho Show allows multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously, facilitating real-time collaboration.
• Pre-designed Templates: It offers a collection of professionally designed templates to jumpstart the presentation creation process.
• Charts and Graphs: Zoho Show supports interactive charts and graphs, making it easy to visualize data and statistics.
• Integration with Zoho Apps: Users can seamlessly integrate Zoho Show with other Zoho productivity apps, such as Zoho Docs and Zoho CRM.
• Privacy and Security: Zoho Show ensures data privacy and security through encryption and secure cloud storage.

• User-friendly interface, suitable for both beginners and experienced users.
• Real-time collaboration enhances team productivity and efficiency.
• Offers a variety of presentation templates and customization options.
• Integrates well with other Zoho applications, simplifying workflow management.
• Advanced features may require a paid subscription.
• Limited integration with third-party applications outside the Zoho ecosystem.
• Zoho Show caters to individuals, businesses, and educational institutions seeking a versatile and collaborative presentation tool to create professional-grade presentations.
• Zoho Show offers a free version with basic features. Premium plans with additional features are available at various subscription levels.

15. ClearSlide

ClearSlide is a cloud-based sales engagement platform that aims to empower sales teams with powerful tools to create, deliver, and track engaging sales presentations and content. It provides a comprehensive solution for sales professionals to enhance their communication with prospects and customers, leading to more effective sales conversations and better results.

Key Features of ClearSlide

• Content Management: ClearSlide offers a centralized content library to organize and manage sales collateral, including presentations, documents, videos, and more.
• Analytics and Reporting: It provides detailed analytics and insights into how prospects engage with sales content, allowing sales teams to prioritize leads and improve their outreach strategies.
• Email and Online Presentations: ClearSlide enables sales reps to deliver presentations remotely through email or online meetings, facilitating seamless virtual interactions.
• Integration with Sales Tools: It integrates with popular CRM platforms, such as Salesforce, enabling seamless data synchronization and streamlining the sales workflow.
• Real-time Engagement Tracking: ClearSlide tracks real-time viewer engagement, notifying sales reps when prospects open, view, or interact with the content.

• User-friendly interface and easy content management.
• Powerful analytics and insights to optimize sales strategies.
• Integration with CRM systems enhances sales efficiency.
• Mobile app allows sales reps to access and share content on the go.
• Some advanced features may require a higher-tier subscription.
• Limited integrations with other third-party applications.
• ClearSlide is designed for sales teams and professionals looking to streamline their sales communication, improve content management, and enhance engagement with prospects and clients.
• ClearSlide offers multiple pricing plans tailored to the needs of individual sales reps, teams, and enterprises, with various features and customization options available.

These 15 Online Presentation tools come with different features and capabilities to help you create visually appealing and engaging presentations that convey your messages and move your audience

How Can All Time Design Help You Create Engaging Presentations?

All Time Design can help you create engaging presentations by providing expert design services catering to your needs. Our team of skilled graphic designers understands the principles of effective presentation design and can craft visually appealing slides that capture your audience’s attention.

Here’s how All Time Design can assist you in creating engaging presentations:

• Custom Designs: We can create custom presentation templates that align with your brand identity and style, ensuring a consistent and professional look throughout your slides.
• Visual Storytelling: Our designers excel at visual storytelling, using compelling graphics, images, and icons to enhance your message and make your presentation memorable.
• Data Visualization: We can transform complex data into clear and understandable visualizations, making it easier for your audience to grasp critical insights.
• Animation and Interactivity: All Time Design can add subtle animations and interactive elements to your slides, bringing your content to life and keeping your audience engaged.
• Content Organization: Our designers can structure your presentation logically and engagingly, guiding your audience through your key points with clarity and flow.
• Infographics and Charts: We can create eye-catching infographics and charts that effectively communicate information and statistics.
• Branding Integration: All Time Design ensures that your company’s branding elements are seamlessly integrated into your presentation, reinforcing your brand identity.
• Revision and Feedback: We welcome your input and offer revisions to fine-tune the design according to your preferences and feedback.
• Timely Delivery: We understand the importance of deadlines and strive to deliver high-quality presentations within your specified timeframe.
• Consultation: Our team is available for consultation to understand your presentation goals and provide tailored design solutions.

By partnering with All Time Design, you can create visually stunning and engaging presentations that captivate your audience, convey your message effectively, and leave a lasting impact. Click here to get started.

Related articles

Ready to create more designs for lesser costs? ‍

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

Partner Center

TechRepublic

Account information.

Share with Your Friends

10 Best Reporting Tools and Software of 2024

Your email has been sent

• Best for comprehensive data integration: Zoho Analytics
• Best for task-based reporting: Asana
• Best for high-level project reporting: Hive
• Best for data-driven decision-making: Google Looker
• Best for customizable project reporting: Wrike
• Best for visual project tracking: monday.com
• Best for all-in-one project management: ClickUp
• Best for agile project management: Jira Software
• Best for data visualization: Tableau
• Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration: Power BI

Reporting tools and software are crucial to teams, especially in terms of project management as they provide a structured way to track progress, identify risks and make informed decisions. They offer a sweeping view of project health that helps managers to not only pinpoint areas of concern but also identify successes. With effective reporting, an organization gets transparency and ensures its stakeholders are aligned, which plays a part in making projects successful since everyone involved has access to the same information and insights. We’ve analyzed 10 top reporting tools and software worth your consideration.

Top reporting software: Comparison table

Zoho analytics: best for comprehensive data integration.

Zoho Analytics is a reporting tool that excels at aggregating data from a wide array of sources as it connects with over 250 data sources, including files, feeds, databases and cloud services. Its comprehensive suite of reporting options includes charts, pivot tables, summary views, tabular views and more. Zoho Analytics also offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface to further simplify the report creation process and make it accessible for users of varying skill levels.

Zoho Analytics offers plans starting at $22 per month for the Basic plan, while the Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans cost $45, $112 and $445 per month, respectively, when billed annually. There’s also a Custom plan for prospective users to share their requirements.

• Extensive data integration from over 250 sources.
• Data preparation and management tools for accurate analysis.
• A wide array of visualization options for insightful reporting ( Figure A ).
• AI and ML-powered augmented analytics for guided insights.

Integrations

Zoho Analytics’s integrations include Zoho CRM, Salesforce CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, HubSpot CRM and Zoho Bigin.

• Comprehensive data integration capabilities.
• Wide range of visualization tools.
• Advanced augmented analytics features.
• May be complex for beginners.
• Customization can require a learning curve.

Why we chose Zoho Analytics

We selected Zoho Analytics for its broad range of reporting capabilities and user-friendly design. Its ability to present data in various visual formats makes analysis flexible and insightful and caters to diverse reporting needs as well as a wide variety of users.

Learn more about other Zoho products, like Zoho Projects and Zoho Vault .

Asana: Best for task-based reporting

Asana simplifies project management with its Universal Reporting feature, which provides teams with a clear overview of task progress and project health. Its visual reporting format is designed for easy interpretation, meaning that users at all levels within an organization can easily access and use Asana.

Asana’s paid plans include the Premium plan at $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, and the Business plan at $24.99 per user per month. Its Enterprise plan’s pricing hasn’t been listed publicly.

• Visual and intuitive reporting tools for task and project tracking ( Figure B ).
• Goal tracking to align daily tasks with strategic objectives.
• Real-time updates to keep teams informed on project progress.
• A variety of highly customizable charts.

Asana’s top integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, the Asana for Gmail add-on, Asana for Adobe Creative Cloud and Google Calendar.

• User-friendly reporting and task management.
• Effective goal alignment features.
• Wide range of integrations.
• Limited depth in analytical features.
• Real-time analytics are somewhat restricted.

Why we chose Asana

We simply selected Asana for its user-friendly approach to task-based reporting. Asana is also highly effective when it comes to aligning tasks with organizational goals.

For more information, check out our full Asana review .

Hive: Best for high-level project reporting

Hive is recognized for its high-level reporting capabilities, offering a suite of options for a variety of project management use cases. With features like goals, analytics dashboards and timesheet reporting, Hive provides a comprehensive tool for gaining visibility and gathering insights into projects.

Hive has two premium plans atop a free plan. Teams at $12 per user per month when billed annually and $18 when billed monthly, and Enterprise, whose prices aren’t publicly listed.

• Goals for setting, tracking and monitoring goals across teams.
• Analytics dashboards to showcase project status, project breakdowns and more.
• Timesheets reporting to analyze data across timesheets.
• Multiple views like Portfolio, Summary, Table, Kanban and more ( Figure C ).

Hive’s top integrations include Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Drive and Slack.

• Customizable high-level reporting options.
• Variety of views for different reporting needs.
• Efficient project and action management features.
• May require initial setup time to customize views.
• Some advanced features might be available only on higher-tier plans.

Why we chose Hive

We selected Hive for its versatile high-level reporting options and customizable views. They bring a flexible and comprehensive overview to projects.

For more information, check out our full Hive review .

Google Looker: Best for data-driven decision-making

A rather different entry from most tools on this list, Google Looker stands as a unified business intelligence platform that excels at turning data into actionable insights. It offers self-service BI that allows users to access, analyze and act on up-to-date, trusted data. As a reporting tool, Looker offers reliable data experiences at scale and empowers users with real-time insights.

Looker has a 30-day free trial, and its Standard plan costs $5,000 per month. For an annual quote, as well as quotes for the Enterprise and Embed plans, contact Google sales.

• Embedded analytics and applications for enhanced data experiences.
• Data modeling to unify business metrics across teams and applications.
• Real-time insights to empower users with up-to-date information.
• An extensive template gallery for templates on many of Google’s applications ( Figure D ).

Looker offers extensive integration capabilities, including BigQuery, Spanner, Cloud SQL and Cloud Storage.

• Unified platform for all BI needs.
• Real-time insights for up-to-date decision-making.
• Extensive integration capabilities with data sources.
• Pricing transparency could be improved.
• May require a learning curve to fully utilize advanced features.

Why we chose Google Looker

Google Looker’s reporting capabilities can be seen particularly through its embedded analytics and real-time insights. It easily unifies business metrics across teams and applications. It’s also a great tool for users predominantly using applications in the Google ecosystem.

Wrike: Best for customizable project reporting

Wrike stands out for its highly customizable reporting features. This flexibility, combined with Wrike’s thorough resource management and advanced analytics, makes Wrike competent enough to provide detailed insights into project performance and resource allocation and flexible enough to adapt to various workflows.

Wrike has five plans: the ones with prices listed are the Free plan, Team plan at $9.80 per user per month and Business plan at $24.80 per user per month. The Enterprise and Pinnacle plans’ pricing plans aren’t publicly listed.

• Customizable reports for tailored project insights ( Figure E ).
• Resource management to monitor progress and identify risks.
• Advanced analytics for deep visibility into project performance.

Wrike’s top integrations include Jira, GitHub, Google Sheets, Azure DevOps and HubSpot.

• Highly customizable reporting options.
• Comprehensive project and resource monitoring.
• Advanced analytics capabilities.
• Customization options may require time to master.
• Extensive features can be overwhelming for newcomers.

Why we chose Wrike

Wrike has robust reporting capabilities and customizable features, which give users the flexibility and depth needed to gain extensive insights into their projects and resources.

For more information, check out our full Wrike review .

monday.com: Best for visual project tracking

monday.com is a favorite among teams that love visual task management and prioritize ease of use as it offers a visually intuitive platform for project tracking. Its advanced reporting features, such as stacked charts and workload views, provide a thorough overview of project progress and team capacity. monday.com’s dashboard customization is very flexible; this enables teams to mold their reporting to meet their project needs.

monday has a free plan and a handful of premium plans, namely, Basic at $9 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat billed monthly; Standard at $12 per seat per month, billed annually, or $14 per seat billed monthly; Pro at $19 per seat per month, billed annually, or $24 per seat billed monthly; and Enterprise, which offers customized pricing.

• Stacked charts for multi-dimensional data analysis.
• Workload views for balanced resource allocation.
• Pivot tables for detailed data breakdowns.
• Customizable dashboards for tailored project insights ( Figure F ).

Some of the best monday.com integrations include GitLab, OneDrive, Todoist, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

• Highly visual and intuitive interface.
• Advanced reporting for comprehensive project insights.
• Flexible dashboard customization.
• Can be overwhelming for new users due to numerous features.
• Some advanced features require higher-tier plans.

Why we chose monday.com

monday.com is a visually intuitive platform and has advanced reporting capabilities. It delivers a balance between visual project tracking and in-depth reporting.

For more information, check out our full monday.com review .

ClickUp: Best for all-in-one project management

ClickUp is recognized for its all-in-one approach to project management, offering a wide range of features from task management to time tracking and goal setting. Its reporting features are designed to provide teams with insights into productivity and project progress, supporting data-driven decision-making. ClickUp’s customizable dashboards and reporting tools allow teams to monitor key metrics and track performance effectively.

ClickUp offers a generous free forever plan alongside three premium tiers: Unlimited at $7 per user per month when billed annually, or $10 per user per month when billed monthly; Business at $12 per user per month when billed annually, or $19 per user per month when billed monthly; and Enterprise that needs prospective users to contact ClickUp for a custom quote.

• Comprehensive dashboards for project overview ( Figure G ).
• Customizable reporting for tailored insights.
• Goal tracking to align efforts with objectives.
• Time tracking to monitor task durations and productivity.

Some of ClickUp’s top integrations include Gmail, Zoom, HubSpot, Make and Google Calendar.

• Versatile all-in-one project management solution.
• Extensive customization options for dashboards and reporting.
• Generous free plan with substantial features.
• Steep learning curve due to feature richness.
• Customization can be time-consuming.

Why we chose ClickUp

We included ClickUp because of its comprehensive feature set and flexibility, offering teams an all-in-one solution for project management and reporting. It proves suitable for a wide range of project types and sizes.

For more information, check out our full ClickUp review .

Jira Software: Best for agile project management

Jira Software is tailored for agile project management with specialized reporting features like sprint reports, burndown charts and velocity charts. These agile-centric reports give teams critical insights into their agile processes to help them optimize workflows and improve sprint planning. It’s worth considering for software development teams and those that follow scrum or kanban frameworks.

Jira offers a free plan for 10 users max. Its premium plans are the Standard plan at about $8.15 per user per month and the Premium plan at about $16 per user per month. It also offers an Enterprise plan that’s billed annually. However, you need to contact Jira for a quote.

• Sprint reports for tracking sprint progress ( Figure H ).
• Burndown charts for visualizing task completion.
• Velocity charts for assessing team performance over sprints.
• Cumulative flow diagrams for Kanban teams.

Jira has extensive integrations with development tools like Bitbucket, Confluence, GitHub, Opsgenie, Jenkins and Dynatrace.

• Tailored for agile project management.
• Comprehensive reporting for scrum and kanban teams.
• Wide range of integrations with development tools.
• Primarily focused on software development teams.
• Can be complex for non-technical users.

Why we chose Jira Software

Jira Software has robust agile reporting features and is capable of providing deep insights into agile project management processes, especially for teams practicing scrum or kanban methodologies.

For more information, check out our full Jira Software review .

Tableau: Best for data visualization

Tableau sets the standard for data visualization, offering a wide range of chart types and interactive dashboards that make complex data understandable at a glance. As reporting software, it offers a user-friendly interface and powerful data handling capabilities for users to create detailed and insightful visual reports.

Tableau’s pricing starts at $15 per user per month, with its highest tier costing $75 per user per month, both billed annually.

• Wide range of visualization options.
• User-friendly interface for non-technical users ( Figure I ).
• Powerful data handling and processing capabilities.

Tableau’s top integrations include Salesforce, Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, Amazon Redshift and Snowflake.

• Leading data visualization capabilities.
• Intuitive interface for easy use.
• Strong data connectivity options.
• Higher price point compared to some competitors.
• Can require significant resources for large datasets.

Why we chose Tableau

We considered Tableau because of its unparalleled data visualization capabilities and user-friendly interface. It should make it to your shortlist if your teams value both data accessibility and detailed reporting.

For more information, check out our full Tableau review .

Power BI: Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration

Power BI is a key player in the reporting and analytics space, especially for those deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, like Excel and Azure, makes it a no-brainer for teams that want compatibility and ease of use with their reporting tools. What makes it a great reporting and analytics tool is its ability to handle large datasets and provide advanced analytics, including AI capabilities and custom visualizations.

Power BI offers a free version, with premium plans starting at $10 per user per month for the Pro plan and $20 per user per month for the Premium plan.

• Seamless integration with Microsoft products.
• Advanced analytics with AI capabilities.
• Custom visualizations for personalized reporting ( Figure J ).

Aside from a variety of tools in the Microsoft ecosystem like Microsoft Office 365, Power BI’s top integrations include Asana, HubSpot, Google Sheets and Salesforce Pardot.

• Strong Microsoft integration.
• Comprehensive analytics and AI features.
• Flexible pricing with a robust free version.
• Can be complex for new users.
• Limited integration outside the Microsoft ecosystem.

Why we chose Power BI

We chose Power BI due to its strong analytics capabilities combined with its seamless integration with tools in the Microsoft ecosystem. It’s a particularly fitting choice for teams that already use Microsoft products.

For more information, check out our full Power BI review .

Key features of reporting software

Real-time analytics.

Real-time analytics allows users to view, assess and analyze data as it flows into the business, which can be displayed on dashboards or reports. With this, users get to make decisions faster since they get instant, descriptive insights from the most current data.

Custom reports

Custom reports save time as they automate the data gathering and report generation processes. After the initial setup, reporting processes can be entirely streamlined, with live data feeds ensuring that any additional requests can be quickly addressed by making changes to existing reports.

Dashboard customization

Dashboard customization is crucial in reporting software as it allows users to set up their reporting environment based on their needs. Custom dashboards can provide in-depth data on various aspects of business operations, illustrating potential revenue and areas where improvements are needed. Businesses can mix and match data sources for a comprehensive view of their digital environment.

Automated reporting

This kind of reporting streamlines the process of generating regular reports and reduces the manual effort required while making sure that stakeholders receive timely updates. Users can schedule report generation and ensure that reports are always current and reflect the latest data.

Data visualization

Data visualization transforms complex datasets into graphical representations, making it easier to understand trends, patterns and outliers. This feature helps to make data more accessible and actionable, which enables users to quickly grasp the insights presented in the data.

How do I choose the best reporting software for my business?

First things first, when it comes to choosing the best reporting software for you, you must match a tool’s capabilities to your needs. For small to medium-sized businesses, tools like Zoho Analytics and ClickUp offer a vast feature set at a more accessible price point, which makes them great options when seeking value without compromising on functionality. Larger enterprises or those with more complex reporting and data analysis needs might lean towards Power BI or Tableau, known for their advanced analytics and integration within larger ecosystems.

Consider the types of reports you need, the data you’re working with and who will be using the tool. For teams that prioritize real-time data and collaboration, monday.com and Asana provide user-friendly interfaces and seamless integration with other productivity tools. On the other hand, if your focus is on in-depth data analysis and visualization, Tableau’s extensive customization options and Power BI’s deep Microsoft integration stand out.

In essence, the best reporting tool is one that not only fits your budget and technical requirements but also grows with your business, adapting to changing needs and helping you make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data.

Methodology

Our approach to identifying the top reporting tools for 2024 involved a detailed examination of each tool’s core features, ease of use, use cases and pricing. This allowed us to provide popular tools that cut across industries, use cases and team sizes. Additionally, we tested the tools where possible to understand how they approached reporting and compared our findings to verified reviews by real users. From this, we got to understand the pros and cons of each tool.

Subscribe to the Project Management Insider Newsletter

Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources. From project scheduling software to project planning apps, stay up to date with the latest in project management tools. Delivered Wednesdays

• The Best Project Management Software and Tools for 2024
• The Best Simple Project Management Software of 2024
• The Best Project Management Certifications in 2024
• Telephone Interview Cheat Sheet: Project Manager

Create a TechRepublic Account

Get the web's best business technology news, tutorials, reviews, trends, and analysis—in your inbox. Let's start with the basics.

* - indicates required fields

Sign in to TechRepublic

Lost your password? Request a new password

Reset Password

Please enter your email adress. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Check your email for a password reset link. If you didn't receive an email don't forgot to check your spam folder, otherwise contact support .

Welcome. Tell us a little bit about you.

This will help us provide you with customized content.

Want to receive more TechRepublic news?

You're all set.

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye out for a confirmation email from our team. To ensure any newsletters you subscribed to hit your inbox, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts list.