what is the presentation of software

• Software applications

presentation software

• Rahul Awati

What is presentation software?

Presentation software, also known as graphics presentation applications or presentation graphics programs, is a category of software used to create content where information is often represented in a graphical or visual way. A variety of presentation software is available to help tell a story or support written information using pictures, charts, graphs and other visual elements.

Types of presentation software

There are two main types of presentation software: business presentation software and general multimedia authoring tools.

Business presentation software products generally emphasize ease of learning and use, particularly for nontechnical and business users. However, they can include more advanced functions for experienced users. Most business presentation applications let users include visual elements like images , and sometimes audio and video.

General multimedia authoring software lets users create sophisticated presentations that might include photos, icons , audio narrations, transitions, animations and video sequences. Some presentations products combine ease of use and sophisticated features.

Key features in presentation software

Presentation software often includes templates to create visually rich presentations and slide decks. Templates can be easily edited to match user requirements or company brand guidelines. The software usually includes a search feature to discover these templates, as well as approved layouts and previous presentations.

Cloud-based presentation applications generally include shared workspaces and team folders that let multiple people securely collaborate, provide inputs, set status updates, and add comments and reactions. Users can also share presentations, project plans, conference keynotes, sales decks and more in real time. Versioning capabilities might be included so authorized users can manage version history, recover previous versions and view current progress.

Many vendors offer a centralized library of images, photos, icons and animations, and regularly update these libraries so customers can access the visual elements for their presentations. Some applications also integrate with external image sources like Unsplash, Giphy and Brandfetch, so business users can find additional digital assets such as images, logos, fonts and colors.

Other vendors' presentation software integrates with external video sites like YouTube or Vimeo, enabling users to embed video to support the deck's story or main message. Still other graphics applications include audio and data capabilities so users can add narrations to content and integrate data from Google Analytics , Google Sheets and other sources to accompany and strengthen the text.

Some applications include a built-in designer that implements predefined design rules and guardrails. Once content is added to the software, the designer converts notes, data and more into visually rich slides. The slides automatically adapt to the rules, so users don't have to make manual adjustments to change text font and resize images, for example. In addition, the software might include intuitive editing options and smart formatting capabilities to let users make quick edits and finalize a presentation.

The best presentation software includes support for brand esthetics. The application updates every slide and deck with the brand's specific fonts, colors, logos, themes and templates to create consistent brand presentations with the approved brand style. In most cases, style themes are customizable so company logos, colors, fonts and icon styles can be added to the presentation theme and updated as needed.

Artificial intelligence in presentation software

Presentation software products have evolved with more advanced capabilities and intuitive options for edits, sharing and collaboration. Sophisticated applications also include conversational AI engines so users can automatically generate new presentations quickly.

Depending on the software's capabilities, the AI engine may create the first draft of the presentation based on a user's description and needs.

Some AI-powered presentation products include smart templates that can quickly edit the autogenerated software and adapt the content to a user's or brand's story. The application might also include a designer bot that takes design inputs from the (human) user in natural language and generates unique images.

Common applications of presentation software

Presentation software is especially useful to create presentations and decks that include some combination of text, animations, images, video, audio and transitions. These might include creative briefs, pitch decks, moodboards , competitor analyses, proposals, bulletins, project reports, annual reviews, marketing plans and meeting discussions.

All these presentations can be displayed in a slideshow format. Built-in templates, content libraries and editing tools accelerate the design process, regardless of the presentation's purpose or intended audience.

Popular presentation software products

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation software applications available today. It includes numerous user-friendly features for design, sharing and collaboration, object insertion, slideshows, text formatting, audio and video.

Other popular products include Lotus Freelance Graphics, Google Slides , Prezi, Slidebean, Canva and Keynote. Most of these products offer PC and Mac versions. In addition, many are free to download and use, while others come in free, paid or freemium versions.

Presentation software might include different features and capabilities. Organizations and users must assess their requirements, technical stack, audience type and budget before making a purchase.

For example, a geographically dispersed team might be better suited to a cloud-based application that supports borderless collaboration than a desktop application that can't be accessed from outside the enterprise network . Similarly, a marketing plan might require more visual elements while an investor update might require more graphs or charts. The software that is ultimately selected should satisfy these specific requirements.

For more on this topic, learn how to create a successful presentation .

Continue Reading About presentation software

• Pros and cons of AI-generated content
• 15 tips for delivering a successful presentation to the board
• Shared workspaces merge physical and digital worlds with IoT
• 7 key benefits of AI for business
• Microsoft makes PowerPoint Presenter Coach widely available

Related Terms

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the internet.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a network protocol for transmitting files between computers over TCP/IP connections.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that creates a safe, encrypted online connection.

Cloud computing requires a security approach that is different than traditional protections. Where does cloud detection and ...

An endpoint protection platform (EPP) is a security technology that safeguards endpoint devices.

Endpoint security is the protection of endpoint devices against cybersecurity threats.

Demand shaping is an operational supply chain management (SCM) strategy where a company uses tactics such as price incentives, ...

Data monetization is the process of measuring the economic benefit of corporate data.

C-level, also called the C-suite, is a term used to describe high-ranking executive titles in an organization.

Employee self-service (ESS) is a widely used human resources technology that enables employees to perform many job-related ...

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and ...

Payroll software automates the process of paying salaried, hourly and contingent employees.

Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and ...

Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing a customer base into groups of individuals that have similar characteristics ...

Customer experience (CX) is the sum total of customers' perceptions and feelings resulting from interactions with a brand's ...

• Video Editing
• Animation Tips
• Website Tips

13+ Best Presentation Software to Bid Farewell to PowerPoint

Renderforest Staff

07 Dec 2023

11 min read  

Attention, all presenters, innovators, and knowledge sharers! Brace yourselves, because the era of boring and forgettable presentations is officially over. 

We all know that presentations are the beating heart of every business, work endeavor, and educational pursuit. And let’s face it, captivating your audience is an art form that can make or break your success.

Plain slides filled with text and bullet points will no longer do the job! To grab your audience’s attention, you need to shake things up a little.  

Luckily, we’ve done the legwork and compiled the ultimate list of the best presentation software in one place to help you make creative and captivating presentations.

No more dull slides. No more snooze-fest presentations.

By the time you’ll have finished reading this article, you’ll have discovered: 

• The 13 best video presentation software  to upgrade your presentations – their advantages and disadvantages. 
• How does each software compare to PowerPoint, and what are their unique features? 
• How to use each software to convert your ideas into strong narratives and keep your audience hooked. 

Consider these presentation software gems as your trusty sidekicks, ready to transform your ideas into captivating narratives that will leave your audience begging for more.

So buckle up and join us as we explore each presentation software individually, unveiling the best presentation software for your unique needs. Let’s dive right in!

The Finest Online Presentation Tools to Try Now!

Imagine you have an important project coming up, and you need to create a cool presentation to share your ideas with others within a short amount of time. Instead of just plain slides, you can make your presentation awesome by using some really impressive online presentation tools – tools you may not have heard of before. 

These tools make it easy to add pictures and videos and make your slides look super interesting as they take your regular presentation and turn it into something that will make everyone go, “Wow!” 

So, let’s check out some of the best presentation software you can try right now to make your presentations stand out!

1. Renderforest

You can use Renderforest’s slideshow video maker online and completely free of charge to create videos, branding, presentations, and graphics. 

If you upgrade to the lite version, you can enjoy an early-stage growth boost plan for promotional and explainer videos, powerful presentations, and graphics.

Now, if you choose to have the Pro plan, you can make use of advanced growth tools, the highest quality videos, outstanding designs, and a professional website.

For much larger projects, the Business plan gives you advanced-level solutions for teams and businesses to deliver high-end results for your campaigns.

The presentation software goes beyond the ordinary by providing you with a treasure trove of ready-made presentation templates that cater to every occasion, from personal projects to business endeavors. With just a few clicks, you can unlock a realm of visually stunning designs that are guaranteed to captivate your audience from the very first slide.

Extended Template Library

Whether you’re seeking to dazzle clients, engage students, or simply impress your peers, Renderforest has your back with an extensive library of slideshow video templates . From mesmerizing 3D animations to sleek corporate slideshows and whiteboard animations, the possibilities are limitless.

EXPLORE MORE!

Pre-Made Color Palettes

Give yourself a break from doing all the work of finding the perfect font and color palette for your presentation. Renderforest provides you with a large selection of ready-to-use, pre-designed sets that give your presentation a modern and professional look. 

All color palettes align with the main design principles, so you can rest assured that your presentation is aligned. 

Go to the left-side editor in your presentation template, open the color and font sections and click on your favorite mix.

GIFs, Stickers, Icons, and So Much More

Renderforest presentations are like a magic toolbox for making your presentations extra awesome. With it, you can do way more than just stick to regular pictures and words. 

One of the best presentation software out there, Renderforest lets you sprinkle some fun into your slides by adding GIFs, which are short, moving pictures that can make your points pop! Not just that, you can throw in stickers and icons to make things more lively and interesting. 

All of these elements help you show your ideas without even saying a word. 

Renderforest gives you all these tools to help you turn your presentation into a masterpiece that everyone will remember!

Premium Images

With Renderforest, you can access a treasure trove of amazing pictures through a royalty-free premium stock images library.

These are high-quality images that you can use in your presentations without worrying about any copyright stuff. It’s like having a secret stash of amazing pictures at your fingertips.

But here’s the exciting part – you can also bring pictures to the party! So, if you have some awesome photos you took on a family trip or nice shots you found on the internet. You can toss them into your presentation as well.

Ultimately, you have your gallery of pictures that makes your presentation uniquely yours. With Renderforest, you’re not just limited to what it provides – you can mix and match to create a presentation that tells your story in your style!

Prezi is offered in three different subscription tiers, including access to all three main parts of the suite – Prezi Video, Prezi Design, and Prezi Present.

Prezi’s Standard plan costs just $5 per month, the Plus plan costs $15 per month, and the Premium plan costs $19 per month.

The presentation software is built from the ground up to remove as many of the traditional limitations imposed by web applications as possible and enable users to create stunning, rich presentations with minimal effort and design skills.

It doesn’t take long to get used to how Prezi works and where everything is located, including some of the more advanced features of the application.

Its price is quite attractive compared to most of its competition, too, making Prezi a great offer for you in general!

General Overview

Prezi is a feature-rich online presentation suite that aims to enable anyone to create stunning presentations, including those without any in-depth knowledge of design and related practices.

It comes with various advanced tools that can help you do pretty much anything you want with your presentation, and it doesn’t take a lot of time to get used to how everything works.

It’s important to note that Prezi does have some minor flaws in its UI, but those are mostly limited to features that aren’t used that often to begin with.

There are three main tiers to Canva subscriptions. You can use it completely free to design anything, on your own or in collaboration with others, and you can choose from 250,000+ templates.

However, there are a lot of wonderful templates that are labeled as premium, as well as the option to integrate your own Brand Kit, which can only be accessed when you upgrade to the Pro plan at $12.99 USD/month.

Canva for Teams includes all the features of Canva Pro but also allows large teams to collaborate easily and efficiently together, and it is priced at $29.99 USD/month. 

The key selling point of Canva is how easy it is to use, even for people with no design background. It offers a range of design options, from social media posts to presentations, all in one place.

You can create professional-looking presentations at the tip of your fingers, especially with the newly released Magic Media™ apps that use AI to help you create consistent imagery.

Instead of wasting precious time scrolling through image libraries,you can try some of the AI image generator apps in the Canva Apps Marketplace. Simply type what you’d like to see, and watch it come to life.

Canva works as a web-based tool, so you don’t have to download it. It offers many ready-to-use templates and design elements like fonts, images, and illustrations.

You can either start from scratch or use these templates to create various designs, including social media graphics, presentations, flyers, and more. It also allows for collaboration, enabling multiple people to work on a project simultaneously.

Once you sign up, you can create designs by selecting a template or starting from scratch. You can then customize your design using the drag-and-drop editor, where you can easily add and adjust text, images, shapes, and other elements.

So, whether you’re one of the many small business owners, marketers, bloggers, or creative freelancers—Canva has something for everyone!

4. Google Slides

There are free trials available. For Personal and Free Business Starter plans, it is priced at $6 USD/month per user, for Business Standard, it is priced at $12 USD/month per user, while for Business Plus, it is priced at $18 USD/month.

Enterprises can contact Google to find out about pricing details for their needs.

Google Slides is very handy if many slideshows are required for certain projects. The presentation software acts as an easier alternative to PowerPoint because you don’t need to download anything in order to use Slides.

It’s as easy as going online and opening the program, while with PowerPoint, you need to download the program to start using it.

Google Slides is a cloud-based office suite that helps create, edit, and collaborate on presentations. It has features like themes and fonts, embedded videos, animations, and transitions.

The presentation software lets users create personalized presentations using ready-to-use templates with custom fonts and styles, color schemes, animations, transitions, and background images. If you’re a larget team, you can also upload files from Google Drive or Dropbox.

5. Microsoft Sway

Microsoft Sway is free to use for anyone with a Microsoft Account (Hotmail, Live, or Outlook.com).

This presentation tool dynamically adapts online to any screen and can be shared or co-edited with a URL.

It is best for people who are too occupied with work to spend time creating presentations, as it literally helps produce interactive reports, newsletters, presentations, and other personal stories in a matter of minutes, thanks to the help of AI.

Sway helps create presentations and other documentation in minutes by adding photos, videos, and other multimedia.

It’s connected to the Microsoft account, so the users can easily add files from OneDrive, or turn their Word or OneNote documents into a dynamic Sway.

6. Beautiful.ai

The Pro plan is for individuals and is priced at $12 USD/month. The Team plan is for team collaborations and starts at $40 USD/month, while the Enterprise plan boasts advanced security, support and control and require you to contact the sales team to get a quote.

Beautiful.ai saves you time and provides everything necessary for making great presentations.

You can use the right colors, font, and logo every time with its foolproof features, and when you sign up, the presentation software unlocks millions of modern images and icons that reflect your own brand guidelines. What else could you ask for?

With the Team Plan, you can also control your brand from one account and scale productivity across all departments of your organization.

Beautiful.ai is an AI presentation maker you can use to visualize your ideas easily. It offers 50+ beautifully designed customizable templates that are enhanced with presentation design best practices to keep your projects professional and clean. Besides, you can find and add stock images and icons from the image library.

7. Keynote (for Mac users)

The software comes free with most Apple devices.

This interactive business presentation software allows you to create engaging and dynamic slides, add charts and graphs to them, edit photos, and add effects to sharpen your project.

Now, you can remove backgrounds from supported images a lot more easily. You can even remove live videos or adjust them accordingly.

The software also lets you know when people join, edit, or comment on your collaborative presentations and lets you get in touch with your team using Messages and FaceTime.

Apple Keynote is the most successful competitor of PowerPoint among other Mac free presentation software solutions.

Access your presentations either online with iCloud, with a mobile app, or download a desktop version for Mac.

8. Haiku Deck

The Edu plan starts at $5 USD/month, Pro at $10 USD/month, and the Volume plan is at $100 USD/month.

Haiku Deck helps you focus on one idea at a time, letting you choose a powerful image from a library of 40M+ royalty-free photos and applying consistent formatting across your presentation in just one click.

All presentations you create with this software are hosted online and allow for easy audio narration recording and the ability to save as videos or export to PowerPoint/Keynote format for offline viewing and editing.

Haiku Deck is labeled as the “Instagram for pitch decks” by Mashable, for a good reason!

Even if you’re not a designer, the software helps you deliver presentations that connect with your listeners, spice up your social media feed, illustrate your blog, promote your product, inspire a movement, and more. It is centered around the best practices that presentation experts are after.

You can quickly design slides that don’t look like PowerPoint, and you can find related pictures to your keywords.

You can even view what other designs people have done on the same topic and use it as inspiration for your own presentation.

Recommended Reading

• 40+ Ready-to-Use Instagram Templates to Set Your Own Trends!
• Lights, Camera, Renderforest! Animation Movie Maker 101 Guide

9. Slidebean

The Slidebean All-Access Advanced plan for founders starts at $149 USD/year, and this includes features such as pitch deck templates, unlimited fundraising kit, sharing and exporting decks, and tracking presentation views.

There is also the Slidebean Incorporation plan at $649 USD/year, which includes everything in the All-Access Advanced plan but allows businesses to incorporate their company in the US.

Slidebean offers everything you need for a successful creation process – images, icons, fonts, to name a few.

It is very easy to use and has beautiful graphic design elements. Even if you’re not a graphic designer, Slidebean makes your presentations look great.

It also helps you create pitch decks. Through its advanced analytics section, individuals can see which investors viewed their decks and how long they viewed each slide or whether the investor finished the deck, which is very helpful information to have on hand.

Slidebean is an easy-to-use and simple presentation software that provides professional templates to present your ideas with simple styling features.

Its target market includes startups, marketers, and small and medium-sized businesses that are trying to get their powerful ideas across to professional thinkers.

Streamline the process with the help of integrated automation features. Choose the templates depending on your field to simplify the creation even more. You can see insights into how users interact with the slides.

Visme is an all-in-one online presentation maker that offers custom, high-quality templates. Pick a template and customize it according to your needs, or create a presentation from scratch.

The tool offers 50+ charts and other data visualization tools, 120+ custom fonts, stock images, and vector icons. You can add website links, emails, and pop-ups. When your presentation is ready, share it online, embed it on your website, or download it.

11. SlideDog

There are 3 plans available. The first is $19/month per 2 seats, billed monthly, and you can cancel anytime. You also have a yearly plan at $99/month (1st year) per 2 seats, $79 2nd year with a 20% renewal discount. The last option is a lifetime purchase of $299 per 2 seats, where you only pay once and can access it forever.

SlideDog is a presentation software that lets its users create playlists from presentation files and easily switch between them.

The features include real-time sharing, interactive elements, and remote control with various devices to streamline the presentation process.

12. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is completely free for individuals, while larger teams and organizations are billed $2.70 USD/month.

The tool can be used by those who need to tell a story, such as educators, authors, and business owners, helping them create and publish presentations with stunning visuals in a short period.

Choose from a variety of integrated themes designed to fit all kinds of needs. Make your slides more interactive by adding transitions and animation, using charts, tables, images, videos, and more.

Zoho Show is a dedicated online presentation tool, simplistic and easily customizable. From creating and collaborating to broadcasting and publishing, you will surely find solutions to your every need.

The tool is also available on mobile devices. To access your presentations remotely on your smartphone, simply download the app and log in.

It also lets you import your existing PPTX, PPT, ODP, PPSX, and PPS files and edit them without any formatting issues.

Gamma offers three pricing plans. Upon signing up, you get 400 credits to test the Free plan with various features and create a few documents.

The Plus plan starts at $8/month, and you get to gain access to additional features like PDF export.

The Pro plan starts at $16/month, and you receive unlimited AI creation and advanced AI models.

Gamma takes just one prompt and a bit of refining to produce a beautiful presentation.

It uses the chatbot to improve existing slides, and you can incorporate live websites and applications into your presentations. It’s a great way to demonstrate your ideas in real time.

This is an opportunity to monitor how your creations perform and if they have the ability to engage your audience.

Gamma is an AI-powered tool that lets you create impressive and engaging presentations for anyone.

Besides creating your presentations, it also offers a great editing experience where you can improve your work simply by interacting with an AI chatbot.

There is a free trial available. The Personal plan for teams of up to 15 people starts at $14.99 USD/month, and the Enterprise plan for teams of 16 people and over requires you to contact Ludus directly for a quote.

Other than being incredibly easy to use, this tool is very intuitive, and presentations can be customized as you play around with unique fonts, drawings, code, interesting transitions, and much more.

Ludus combines creativity with simplicity. Ludus is more than a presentation tool; it is also a tool for communicating, collaborating, learning, and playing.

The presentation software has many features that designers are already familiar with. You can create anything without limitations, from fonts and graphics to blending modes.

It also allows you to integrate with Unsplash, GIPHY, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., so you can add anything you want.

Ludus is a tool that allows you to create presentations with unlimited creative possibilities.

This presentation software will solve your problems regarding sharing, compatibility, collaboration, creativity, and more.

It is recommended for everyone to use, especially for creatives and designers. Everyone can use it, too, but it has a bit of a learning curve that is worth the time if you want to use it properly.

This app might be the solution to the problems that our presentation tools have nowadays. It is not restrictive, so you can let your imagination run wild and express your creativity.

This presentation tool is affordable, especially for big teams. With remote work on the rise, Ludus is a great presentation assistant to have nearby.

Still Looking for the Best Presentation Software?

And there you have it. The 13+ best presentation software that you should bear in mind if you’re thinking of trying something a little bit different to the software you’re used to hearing about all the time – PowerPoint.

Each software has its benefits, but if you’re aiming for presentation software that offers a blend of creativity, versatility, and user-friendly features, Renderforest stands out as your go-to choice.

With a vast library of templates and the ability to add GIFs, stickers, icons, and even your own images, Renderforest empowers users to create visually stunning and uniquely personalized presentations.

Renderforest also provides different pricing plans, including a free option, making it accessible regardless of your need and budget.

So, stop wasting hours of your life trying to create your presentations manually and with predictable designs, and start taking your presentations to the next level with Renderforest, your ultimate presentation companion that goes beyond the ordinary!

Dive into our Forestblog of exclusive interviews, handy tutorials and interesting articles published every week!

Create Professional

Presentations, Graphics,
Videos, and more

with Renderforest
All-In-One Branding Platform.

The best AI animation generator in 2024

13 min read

02 Sep 2024

The only video marketing guide you need in 2024

10 min read

The 13 best Placeit alternatives

12 min read

23 Aug 2024

The Ultimate Guide to Presentation Software

Presentation software is a technology that helps users create and deliver visual presentations. These programs allow users to create slideshows, which can include text, images, videos, and animations, and can be displayed at a meeting or conference or shared online.

In today's fast-paced business environment, effective communication is essential for success. Presentation software enables businesses to showcase their ideas and products in an engaging and visually appealing way, which can help to capture the attention of potential clients or investors. It also allows businesses to convey information in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for audiences to understand and remember key points.

As we move towards the future of work, the use of presentation software is likely to become even more important for businesses. With the rise of remote work and virtual meetings, it's vital for businesses to be able to present their ideas and products digitally. Additionally, as competition continues to increase across industries, businesses need to find new ways to stand out and make an impact. Presentation software can help them achieve this by creating dynamic and memorable visual presentations that leave a lasting impression on their audience.

Because of its ever growing importance, we’re seeing more and more presentation software companies popping up. So, where do you start in choosing the right software for your business needs? 

Consider this your ultimate guide to the different types of presentation softwares . 

Traditional presentation software

Traditional software refers to computer applications or programs that are typically used to create and deliver visual presentations. These programs are designed to allow users to create slideshows containing text, images, charts, graphs, and other visual aids. Some examples of traditional presentation software include Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Apple Keynote.

These software programs often feature a linear structure where one slide follows another in a predetermined order. The user can customize each slide with their desired content and then present them live or share them digitally.

While traditional presentation software has been widely used for many years and remains popular, there are alternative options available that offer more advanced features and customization options.

Web-based or SaaS presentation software

Web-based or SaaS (Software as a Service) presentation software refers to programs that are accessed through a web browser and do not need to be installed on a user's device. These programs are hosted on the cloud and can be accessed from any internet-connected device.

Web-based or SaaS presentation software typically offers more flexibility and convenience than traditional presentation software like PowerPoint. They often include a wide range of customizable templates, as well as interactive features such as animations, videos, and audio. They also allow for easy collaboration between team members, as changes and updates can be made in real-time and accessed from any device.

Some popular examples of web-based or SaaS presentation software include Visme, Canva, and Beautiful.ai. These programs have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their ease of use, accessibility, and collaborative features, making them a preferred choice for many businesses and individuals.

Examples of SaaS presentation software

Visme’s PowerPoint-alternative presentation software helps users design slide decks, infographics, interactive charts and other visual content. The easy-to-use cloud-based tool allows users to move elements around the workspace, and new content can be added by dragging and dropping it into place. Visme users can build presentations from scratch by starting with a blank canvas, or they can customize a variety of templates. The presentation software also features a collection of thousands of icons, images and data visualizations, and users can even choose to boost engagement by adding elements like video, audio and GIF files.

• Canva Presentations

Canva offers much more than an alternative to PowerPoint. Users can rely on the visual design platform to create social media graphics, posters, invitations, business cards and all sorts of other documents along with presentations. Canva features thousands of professional templates, images and other content elements, as well as features to help teams collaborate with ease. The software tool’s drag-and-drop interface makes it simple for non-designers to customize templates and even edit photos with little experience.

• Beautiful.ai

We’re biased, but our presentation software is one of the best to help you work faster and smarter. By choosing advanced presentation software like Beautiful.ai, users are handing over the bulk of the design work to artificial intelligence. With powerful features like DesignerBot and Smart Slides, Beautiful.ai automates a lot of the presentation design process for you so you can create something brilliant in half the time. The design guardrails ensure teams stay on-brand , while allowing them to collaborate in the same deck at the same time.  

AI presentation software

AI presentation software is a type of presentation software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help users create and design presentations. AI presentation software typically includes features such as automated design suggestions, layout recommendations and image recognition to streamline the presentation creation process.

Many AI presentation softwares will leverage generative AI to create fully customizable slides and decks from a text single prompt making the design process ridiculously fast. Other capabilities include image generation baked into the software, and content assistance to rewrite or adjust text. 

Examples of AI presentation software include Beautiful.ai, Tome, and Slidesgo. These programs use AI technology to automate and streamline the presentation creation process, making it faster and more efficient for users to develop engaging and visually appealing presentations.

Examples of AI presentation software

With the recent buzz around AI, you’ve likely heard of Tome. Tome is a presentation app that generates your presentation for you with the help of AI. Simply type in a prompt and get a basic presentation to work with, edit, and customize in return. Tome also offers a few select templates for users to choose from if they don’t want to enter a prompt, which acts as a good jumping off point to get the bones of a presentation. While Tome leans heavily on technology and AI, users will still need some design skills to customize their decks once it’s generated. 

Slidesgo is a Spanish-based company that provides high-quality presentation templates for individuals and businesses. The company offers a wide variety of templates, including business plans, marketing presentations, and educational materials. Slidesgo's templates are available for both Google Slides and PowerPoint, and can be easily customized to suit the user's needs. The company is known for its modern and creative designs, which help users create engaging and visually appealing presentations. 

Beautiful.ai’s new DesignerBot makes it easier than ever for non-designers to create a new presentation from scratch, regardless of the content. Users can opt to create a new deck with DesignerBot by entering a short description (or prompt) based on what they need. Teams have the liberty to add as many keywords as they see fit to generate a fully built, totally customized presentation draft populated with appropriate text, layouts, photos, icons and design. Then, our powerful Smart Slides technology can be used to quickly edit slides by adding or removing content and automatically adapting, resizing and laying out the slides, all while maintaining corporate brand guidelines. With Beautiful.ai, businesses can generate entire decks in one click while Smart Slides and Team controls work together to preserve the integrity of the brand. It’s truly an automated zero-to-finish experience.

Video presentation software

Video presentation software is a type of software that allows users to create and deliver video presentations. These presentations can include a combination of video footage, images, text, and audio. Video presentation software typically includes features such as editing tools, visual effects, and transitions to help users create engaging and professional-looking presentations.

Examples of video presentation software include Powtoon and Lumen5. These programs allow users to record or import videos and then edit them with a variety of tools and effects. Video presentation software also enables users to add voice overs, music, and sound effects to their presentations.

Video presentation software is often used for business presentations, educational materials, and marketing campaigns. The use of video presentations has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the rise of remote work and virtual events, as well as the growing trend of online video content consumption. Video presentation software provides an effective way for users to communicate their ideas and messages in an engaging and dynamic way.

Examples of video presentation software

Powtoon— a British company that got their name by combining “PowerPoint” and “cartoon”— launched in 2012 as a more animated approach to otherwise stale presentations. They offer a wide variety of visual communication features like videos, doodles, presentations, animations, and screen recordings. However they’re most known for their ability to turn slides into video animations in an effort to make them more engaging and interactive for audiences. 

Lumen5 is a Canadian-based technology company that provides an AI-powered video creation platform for businesses and individuals. The platform allows users to easily create engaging video content from articles, blog posts, or other written content without requiring any previous experience or special training. Lumen5's platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to automatically generate video content, including images, animations, and text overlays. 

Nonlinear presentation software

A nonlinear presentation is a type of presentation where the viewer can navigate the content in a non-sequential order, rather than proceeding from one slide to the next in a linear fashion. In a nonlinear presentation, the content is organized using hyperlinks or other interactive elements that allow the viewer to jump back and forth between different parts of the presentation, depending on their interests and needs.

Nonlinear presentations are often used when presenting complex or interconnected information, or when the audience may have varying levels of interest or expertise in different areas. They can be created using specialized software, such as Prezi, or by manually creating hyperlinks within traditional presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Nonlinear presentations can be more engaging and interactive than traditional linear presentations, as they allow the viewer to take control of their own learning experience and explore the content in a way that suits them best. They can be particularly effective for educational and training purposes, as well as for sales and marketing presentations.

Examples of traditional presentation software

Prezi’s presentation software is a true alternative to PowerPoint. Rather than design standard slide decks, Prezi users create animated, non-sequential presentations that highlight topics and uncover subtopics with an engaging zoom feature. The PowerPoint-alternative software is an enticing alternative for creating visual presentations, but it’s probably better suited for experienced presentation designers thanks to its unique design. Still, Prezi is a perfect choice for presenters seeking a more creative way to capture an audience's attention.

Comparisons and considerations

Key differences between presentation software types.

The key differences between presentation software types are accessibility and technology. While most businesses are well versed in Microsoft and Google, other web-based (SaaS) softwares offer newer technologies and more flexible features. Each platform comes with its own pros and cons, and will vary based on the use case of the business.

Factors to consider when choosing presentation software

When choosing the right presentation software for your business, you first have to define what your goal is. Is it collaboration for your teams, design guardrails, leveraging AI to work faster, or accessibility and the ability to work in the cloud? Do you prefer linear or non-sequential presentations? What is your budget? These all play a major role in deciding which solution is the best fit for your workflow.

For more on presentation softwares, check out our recommendations for the top 2023 PowerPoint alternatives .

Jordan Turner

Jordan is a Bay Area writer, social media manager, and content strategist.

Recommended Articles

10 ways to stay connected while working from home, management process: how leaders can hire, train, and motivate a world-class team, creating effective marketing strategies and getting your team on board, what is whiteboarding integrating collaborative brainstorming into presentations.

15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter

By Bilyana Nikolaeva

in Insights

4 years ago

Viewed 8,528 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 wordpress alternatives to consider in 2021, 16 cool apps for instagram to change your ‘gram game for the better, 5 superpowers of a cartoon character, adobe illustrator vs coreldraw: side-by-side comparison [2022], what is a storyboard [theory, examples and mega inspiration], 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:

Convert Your Website Design to Code – 4 Ways to Do It

by Lyudmil Enchev

How to Design Your Own T-shirt: Best Practices & 40+ Examples

by Iveta Pavlova

The Best Free Animation Software Options on the Market Right Now

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.

• 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

Related video.

Upcoming events

Beyond the pitch deck: master storytelling for closing rounds, crash course in financial modeling, popular articles.

The Startup Financial Model Template by Slidebean

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 🚀

A pitch deck is an essential tool for startup founders, especially in the early stages, as it helps them connect with potential investors and secure crucial venture capital funding. It serves multiple purposes, all of which are key to a startup's growth path. Here, we outline them.

Preparing to pitch to investors from a VC Firm? This article includes examples and explanations from renowned Venture Capital Firms to guide you on crafting your pitch deck.

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 

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

The 11 Best Presentation Software to Use in 2024

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

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! 

Other Posts

7 Best Practices to a Standout Research Presentation

7 Sales Presentation Examples for Successful Pitches

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

The best presentation software in 2024

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 used 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 25 of the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

The best presentation software

What makes the best presentation app, how we evaluate and test apps.

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 interface. 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).

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.

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, and interactive content. 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

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} canva (web, windows, mac, android, ios).

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

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.

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $120/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

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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

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 experience 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 more than 20 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 re-tested the generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) this year. 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 pull in relevant images.

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.

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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's generative AI feature works ok, but it's more useful as a wireframe. When I asked it to create a presentation about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example, the resulting content read a lot like a student writing a term paper in the broadest strokes possible to avoid doing any actual research.

The best presentation app for video presentations

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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.

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} pitch (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

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 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.

Pitch also offers one of the most impressive generative AI features on this list. It still struggles to pull in relevant images, but I found the AI-generated written content and design to be top-notch.

The best presentation app for conversational AI

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational 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 conversational AI 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 produces a very useful jumping-off point. (Last year, it was by far the best, but this year, other apps are catching up.)

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.

The best presentation app for audience engagement

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} mentimeter (web).

Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

If you need to engage with an audience during your presentation, Mentimeter makes that easy. The app is designed around interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, Q&As, sliders, and more (even a Miro whiteboard!).

Each of these is included in a number of different, professional-looking templates, so you can build a fully interactive presentation super quickly.

When it's time to present, your audience members can scan the QR code with their phone cameras or type in the URL and access code to participate. There's one code per presentation (so they won't have to do this on every slide), which gives access to each slide as you move through the presentation.

There are two main drawbacks to this one, though. First, there's a bit of a learning curve and less familiar editing interface (but I found it pretty easy to learn with some practice). The other drawback is that you can't get as granular with the visual customization as you can with many other presentation tools.

The best presentation app for generative AI

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} tome (web).

Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

There's definitely a learning curve

Tome is one of the new additions to this list that I'm most excited about. If you're looking for generative AI that just genuinely works , it's definitely worth a look. The editor is a bit more stripped down than most presentation apps but intuitive nonetheless—it's almost a cross between your standard deck editor and a Notion-style doc.

To generate an AI deck, click Generate with AI in the top right, and either write your own prompt or choose from the example prompts that cover a handful of common use cases, like sales enablement and company pitches. Edit or approve the suggested outline, then generate the full presentation.

From there, you can edit each slide as a doc via the right-hand menu—without limits on how much information you can include. During the presentation, you simply size down any slides that take up more than the standard amount of space. It's super simple but somehow feels revolutionary in a presentation app.

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.

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.

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

While I focused my testing on tools with full feature-sets—those that can serve as your sole presentation tool—there are a ton of add-on tools you can use atop big name tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Related reading:

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 April 2024.

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

The best AI search engines in 2024

The 7 best free email marketing services in 2024

The 7 best free email marketing services in...

The 6 best free website builders in 2024

The best free writing software 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
• Popular Templates
• Accessibility
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Graphic Design 12 Best Presentation Software for 2024

12 Best Presentation Software for 2024

Written 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. Thes e 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. 

Discover popular designs

Infographic maker

Brochure maker

White paper online

Newsletter creator

Flyer maker

Timeline maker

Letterhead maker

Mind map maker

Ebook maker

7 Golden Benefits of Presentation Software in 2024

Anh Vu • 30 July, 2024 • 8 min read

What are the benefits of Presentation Software ? What is presentation software? Finding someone who hasn't presented at school or work is scarce. Whether a sales pitch, a TED Talk or a chemistry project, slides and exhibitions have always been a significant part of our academic and professional growth.

As with most things, the way we do presentations has undergone a significant facelift. No matter what type of presentation you're doing, whether in a remote or hybrid environment, the importance and benefits of presentation software are undeniable.

If you’re looking for uses, challenges and features of presentation software , this article is for you!

Table of Contents

• Changes in Presentation Software Field

7 Benefits of Presentation Software

3 cons of presentation software.

• Free Templates
• More Tips with AhaSlides

Tips for Better Engagement

Besides the benefits of presentation software, let's check out the following:

• Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
• Types of presentation software

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Changes in the Presentation Software Field

PowerPoint and presentations have been synonymous for decades now. This is not to say that indications didn’t exist before PowerPoint; there were chalkboards, whiteboards, hand-drawn posters, flip charts, and slide decks for all purposes.

However, the rise of technology gradually helped companies replace hand-drawn slide decks with computer-generated slides, which finally led to PowerPoint – one of the most popular pieces of presentation software of all time. It's been years since PowerPoint revolutionised the game, and now there are plenty of alternatives evolving the industry in their own way.

PowerPoint and similar software allow the presenter to create a digitised slide deck with editable text and graphics. The presenter can then present that slide deck to the audience, either directly in front of them or virtually through Zoom and other screen-sharing software.

So, are you ready to take the step to modern presentation software? Don't worry; it's nowhere near as intimidating as you think!

Start by checking out some benefits of presentation software has been a real game-changer for presenters and presentations all over the world.

#1 - They're Engaging Visual Tools

Did you know that 60% of people prefer a presentation full of visuals , while 40% of people say it's an absolute must they're included? Text-heavy slides are relics of presentation dinosaurs; the new way is graphics.

Presentation software gives you so many opportunities to illustrate your topic with the help of visual cues, such as...

• Transitions between slides
• Backgrounds

This choice of elements is a treasure trove for traditional presenters. They can really help you grab your audience’s attention when you're giving your presentation, and are great aids when it comes to telling an effective story in your presentation.

#2 - They're Easy to Use

Most presentation software is relatively easy to learn and use. The tools were originally designed to mimic how a traditional presenter presents their slides; over time, they've become more and more intuitive.

Of course, with the vast customisation options they offer, there's a chance that newbie presenters can get overwhelmed. Still, each tool usually has a plentiful help section and contactable customer service team to combat that, as well as communities of other presenters who are ready to help with any problems.

#3 - They Have Templates

It's a standard nowadays for presentation tools to come with several ready-to-use templates. Usually, these templates are a few very well-designed slides that look fantastic; your only job is to replace the text and maybe add your images!

These eliminate the need to create your presentation templates from scratch and can save you entire evenings agonising over every element within your presentation.

Some established presentation software has got over 10,000 templates to choose from, all based on slightly different topics. You can be fairly assured that if you're looking for a template in your niche, you'll find it in the template library of some of the big names in presentation software .

#4 - Benefits of presentation software - They're Interactive

Well, not all of them, but the best ones are!

An interactive presentation creates a two-way dialogue between the presenter and their audience by allowing the presenter to create questions in their presentation and allowing the audience actually to answer them.

Usually, the audience will join the presentation and answer the questions directly from their phones. These questions can be in the form of a poll , word cloud , live Q&A and more, and will display the audience's answers visually for everyone to see.

Interactivity is definitely one of the biggest benefits of presentation software, and one of the biggest free tools in the interactive presentation game is AhaSlides . AhaSlides lets you create a presentation full of interactive slides; your audience simply joins, contributes their ideas and stays engaged throughout the show!

# 5 - They Work Remotely

Imagine trying to present something to an audience around the world if you didn't use presentation software. The only thing you could do is hold up your A4 slides to the camera and hope that everyone could read it.

Presentation software makes the whole process of broadcasting your slides to your online audience so much easier. You simply share your screen and present your presentation through the software. While you're talking, your audience will be able to see both you and your presentation fully, making it just like real life!

Some presentation tools let the audience take the lead, meaning anyone can read and progress through the slides themselves without the need for the presenter. This is a great way to make the traditional 'presentation handouts' available for audiences wherever they are.

#6 - They're Multimedia

As well as being visually appealing, the ability to add multimedia to our presentations makes them super exciting for both you and your audience.

3 things can elevate your presentation to no end...

Each of these are directly embeddable as slides within the presentation and doesn't require you to jump between platforms while you're trying to get into your flow. They help stimulate your audience's senses and keep them involved and in tune with the presenter.

There are several types of presentation software that allow you to access large GIF, video and sound libraries and drop them straight into your presentation. Nowadays, you don't have to download anything at all!

#7 - They're Collaborative

The more advanced presentation software is collaborative for a smooth remote work environment.

They allow multiple people to work on a presentation simultaneously and allow individual members to send the representations to each other for editing in their own time.

Not only that, but some of the interactive presentation platforms even let you collaborate with your moderator, who can ensure that the questions you're getting in a Q&A are savoury enough.

Collaborative features were developed to help create and present team presentations more effectively.

For all the benefits of presentation software, they do have their drawbacks. You also need to be aware of a few challenges when you use presentation software for your next presentation.

• Going Overboard - Presenters' most common mistake with their presentation is to include too many multimedia effects . It is quite easy to get experimental when presented with a vast range of options, and you might end up drowning a slide with too many results, animations, and font customisations. This dilutes the primary purpose of your presentation – to grab the audience’s attention and help them understand your topic.
• Cramming - Likewise, when you can make everything tiny, you might experience the temptation to pack your slides with information . But far from filling your audience with more information, it becomes much more difficult for them to take anything meaningful away. Not just that; content-heavy slides also sap your audience's attention, which eventually makes it harder to get them to look at your slides in the first place. It is better to include your primary thoughts as headings or bullet points on the decline and describe them in detail throughout your speech. The 10-20-30 rule can help with this.
• Tech Issues - The fear of Luddites everywhere - what if my computer crashes? Well, it's a valid concern; computers have been hit many times before, and many other inexplicable tech issues have arisen at the worst possible times. It could be an unstable internet connection, a link that doesn't work or a file that you could have sworn you attached. It’s easy to get flustered, so we recommend you have backup software and a backup of your notes for a smooth transition if something goes wrong.

Now that you know the pros and cons of presentation software, it will be infinitely accessible to create a compelling presentation for your next audience. Until you do so, check out the variety of interactive templates available at AhaSlides and use them for free to create your next power-packed presentation.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

Best free presentation software of 2024

Find an alternative to PowerPoint

• Best overall
• Best for functionality
• Best for collaboration
• Best for speed
• Best user interface
• How we test

The best free presentation software makes it simple and easy to create professional presentations without a Microsoft subscription.

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.

Best free presentation software overall

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

Best free presentation software for functionality

2. 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 .

Best free presentation software for collaboration

3. 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 .

Best free presentation software for speed

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 .

Best free presentation software for user interface

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. 

Distant Desktop review: A lightweight remote desktop solution for your business

Wondershare DemoCreator screen recorder review

Gemini AI could be making its way into your car with Android Auto

Most Popular

• 2 Here are my top 3 TVs I've reviewed in 2024 so far, from elite OLED to affordable mini-LED
• 3 Misconfigurations in Microsoft Exchange open new doors to email spoofing attacks
• 4 We rate this Garmin as the best running watch for most people – and it's dropped to its lowest-ever price for Labor Day
• 5 3 free movies on Amazon Freevee in September with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes

• Highest Rated
• Easiest To Use

Best Presentation Software

What is presentation software.

Presentation software allows users to create interactive, slide-based presentations that help to tell a story or convey a message. These presentations are built on generic or custom templates that provide themes for the slide decks. Each presentation page can include images, embedded videos, dynamic transitions, or other animations for entertainment purposes. These products help to display information in a visual way and are often used by companies to aid in sales pitches and marketing campaigns, or for educational purposes, among other uses. Presentation software products are often included as part of an office suite and are used in place of older visual aids, including pamphlets, posters, or slides. These presentations can be made more interactive when used in conjunction with audience response systems and video conferencing tools .

To qualify for inclusion in the Presentation category, a product must:

Best Presentation Software At A Glance

• All Segments (178)
• Small Business (50)
• Mid Market (39)
• Enterprise (30)
• English (57)
• Spanish (32)
• French (30)
• German (25)
• Italian (23)
• Portuguese (23)
• Japanese (20)
• Chinese (Simplified) (19)
• Korean (15)
• Russian (15)
• Arabic (13)
• Polish (12)
• Turkish (11)
• Chinese (Traditional) (9)
• Swedish (8)
• Vietnamese (8)
• Finnish (7)
• Hungarian (7)
• Indonesian (7)
• Norwegian (7)
• Ukrainian (7)
• Bulgarian (5)
• Catalan (5)
• Latvian (5)
• Lithuanian (5)
• Romanian (5)
• Slovenian (5)
• Estonian (4)
• Croatian (4)
• Azerbaijani (3)
• Armenian (3)
• Icelandic (3)
• Afrikaans (2)
• Bosnian (2)
• Kannada (2)
• Georgian (2)
• Punjabi (2)
• Serbian (2)
• Turkmen (2)
• Maltese (2)
• Amharic (1)
• Bengali (1)
• Persian (1)
• Scottish Gaelic (1)
• Galician (1)
• Gujarati (1)
• Javanese (1)
• Marathi (1)
• Mongolian (1)
• Sanskrit (1)
• Sinhala (1)
• Albanian (1)
• Deals  | Available (1)
• Pricing Available (49)
• G2 Score Information Checkmark
• Satisfaction
• Overview Expand/Collapse Overview

Google Workspace brings email, chat, files, meetings and your favorite apps into a people-first experience powered by Google AI so that you can safely connect, create and collaborate.

• Education Management
• Information Technology and Services
• 47% Small-Business
• 34% Mid-Market
• Google Workspace is a platform that provides various business tools such as docs, spreadsheets, slides, and more, used by organizations in their daily operations.
• Users frequently mention the ease of use, the seamless integration of various tools like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs, and the convenience of having all necessary applications in one place.
• Reviewers noted issues such as occasional slow loading times, synchronization problems, and the necessity of a stable internet connection for effective use.
• Pros and Cons Expand/Collapse Pros and Cons
• User Satisfaction Expand/Collapse User Satisfaction

Build the story, present with conviction, and move forward faster.

• Software Engineer
• Higher Education
• 35% Enterprise
• 35% Small-Business

Synthesia is the world's first AI Video Generation Platform - in a browser. Did you know that you retain 95% of a video’s message, compared to 10% if reading it in text?💡 Companies of all sizes are

• Computer Software
• 73% Small-Business
• 16% Mid-Market
• Synthesia is a platform for creating AI characters on video, which can be used as standalone videos or embedded into other materials such as eLearning.
• Users like the simplicity and intuitive nature of the platform, with many praising its ability to improve communication and create a variety of content.
• Reviewers mentioned challenges with collaboration and pronunciation correction, as well as limitations in automated translations for non-Enterprise plans.

Launch and grow your business with Microsoft 365. Do more, faster, with intelligent tools to create, send, share, and store professional, branded documents with your customers and team - securely in t

• 36% Mid-Market
• Microsoft 365 is a suite of office applications and services designed for business communication, document management, and project management in a hybrid work environment.
• Reviewers like the seamless integration of Microsoft 365 with various applications, its robust security features, and the convenience of accessing essential productivity tools from anywhere.
• Users reported issues with the complex licensing structure, high subscription cost, occasional syncing issues, and the overwhelming number of feature updates and added tools.

Mentimeter is the audience engagement platform. Easy-to-use, interactive, and innovative; presenting has never been less stressful and more effortless! Create unique and dynamic presentations that wil

• 38% Small-Business
• 33% Mid-Market

Simplified is the one app to create, collaborate, and scale your marketing. Design, write marketing copy, create videos, collaborate, and publish to socials—all in the same place. Built for speed and

• Writing and Editing
• Marketing and Advertising
• 94% Small-Business
• 3% Mid-Market
• Simplified is a platform that offers tools for graphic design, social media management, and content creation, including AI-powered features like text generation and design tools.
• Reviewers frequently mention the user-friendly interface, the range of features offered, and the efficiency of the AI-powered tools in streamlining content creation and marketing processes.
• Users mentioned limitations in customization options, occasional glitches with AI tools, and the pricing model as potential drawbacks, particularly for smaller businesses or freelancers needing advanced functionality.

VEED is the all-in-one platform for businesses that want to scale video production. Customers across 200+ countries in marketing, sales, L&D, and social media are creating video 30x faster than e

• Health, Wellness and Fitness
• 89% Small-Business
• 8% Mid-Market
• Veed is a video editing tool designed for creating and editing social media content, with features such as automatic subtitling, audio cleaning, and AI-generated speaking avatars.
• Reviewers appreciate Veed's user-friendly interface, its time-saving automatic subtitling feature, and the ability to easily split and slow down videos for precise editing.
• Users reported occasional bugs with larger or heavily edited videos, a desire for more music options in the library, and limitations in the automated translation feature.

How do you 100X you content? RELAYTO is the #1 Interactive Experience platform that transforms your static content (PDFs, MP4s, images) into engaging interactive experiences, enabling viewers to choos

• Executive Assistant
• 60% Small-Business
• 24% Mid-Market
• Relayto is a tool designed to convert design files into interactive products, including presentations, with additional features such as AI ChatBot and a range of templates.
• Reviewers appreciate the user-friendly interface, the ease of creating interactive content, the range of templates, and the AI features that enhance the presentation creation process.
• Reviewers mentioned the initial learning curve for first-time users, the lack of certain editing features, and difficulties with embedding certain types of files.

Canva Enterprise is a subscription offering designed to empower large organizations to easily create, collaborate, and publish high-impact visual content at scale with a secure platform designed for e

• 98% Enterprise
• 1% Small-Business
• Canva is an online graphic design tool that allows users to create graphics with features like templates, layouts, drag-and-drop editing, and free stock photos.
• Reviewers like the user-friendly nature of Canva, its wide range of templates and options, and its accessibility for individuals without a design background.
• Users reported that Canva can be expensive, particularly for the premium edition, and it can be challenging to switch from Canva to other design applications.

Keynote for Mac makes it simple to create and deliver beautiful presentations. Updated for OS X El Capitan, Keynote employs powerful tools and dazzling effects that bring your ideas to life. You can w

• Project Manager
• 55% Small-Business
• 23% Enterprise

Vyond is the effortless, all-in-one AI video creation platform for business. Vyond provides everything needed to communicate better, including an AI-powered instant video maker (Vyond Go) and a full

• Instructional Designer
• Senior Instructional Designer
• Financial Services
• 50% Enterprise
• 28% Small-Business

Prezi is a suite of online content design and visual communication tools that helps to foster deeper understanding and connection between people — even when they're working or learning remotely. The

• 40% Small-Business
• 31% Mid-Market
• What G2 Users Think Expand/Collapse What G2 Users Think
• Reviewers really appreciate how Prezi helps them captivate their audience and keep them engaged during presentations.
• Reviewers find Prezi easy to use, especially when customizing the templates.
• Users appreciate the variety of templates to choose from.

Visme makes it easy and affordable for anyone to create impactful, original, interactive experiences. Visme's all-in-one platform allows non-design professionals to transform the way they create, shar

• Marketing Manager
• 68% Small-Business
• 25% Mid-Market
• Reviewers appreciate the quick and excellent customer service of Visme.
• Reviewers regularly use Visme’s impressive and ready-to-use catalog of templates to add a professional design to presentations, visuals, documents, etc.
• Reviewers appreciate Visme’s graphic design features to create stunning infographics.

iSpring Suite is a comprehensive authoring tool that allows you to create professional eLearning content, including courses, quizzes, video tutorials, role-play simulations, SCORM-compliant e-books, a

• 49% Small-Business
• 30% Mid-Market
• iSpring Suite is a software that operates through PowerPoint, offering features such as an extensive library of resources and text to speech functionality for creating in-house trainings and e-learning modules.
• Reviewers like the intuitive and user-friendly interface of iSpring Suite, its seamless integration with PowerPoint, the ability to create diverse quiz types, and the excellent customer support.
• Users reported issues such as the software making their computer run slower, difficulties with licensing and activation, and a lack of design flexibility within some elements, particularly the interactive exercises.

Colossyan is the AI video platform for workplace learning. Our mission is to democratize video content and make studio-quality videos available for all learning and development teams, content creato

• 81% Small-Business
• 9% Enterprise
• Colossyan Creator is a platform that allows users to create high-quality videos with minimal effort, featuring a variety of AI-generated voices and the ability to produce videos in multiple languages.
• Users frequently mention the intuitive and user-friendly interface, the high-quality videos, the variety of AI-generated voices, and the prompt technical support as major benefits of using Colossyan Creator.
• Users reported issues with the sign-up process, the limited number of avatars with full arm movements, the difficulty in adding and changing elements, and the high cost for startup or solo users.

• Next ›
• Last »

G2 Grid® for Presentation

Presentation topics, why use presentation software, who uses presentation software, presentation software features, potential issues with presentation software, software and services related to presentation software, learn more about presentation software.

No matter your industry, professional presentations can be an ace-in-the-hole maneuver for communicating important ideas or aligning teams around company vision or initiatives. A handful of well-designed slides goes a long way, and the right presentation tool can make it easy for even the least tech-savvy individuals to create presentations.

These tools replace the old-fashioned method of drawing bullet points and supplemental images on whiteboards or poster boards, and can help hammer home the main points of a public speech to the desired audience. After walking through a presentation in front of a group, you can also share the completed files as helpful resources to specific departments or the entire organization. Some of the best presentations have a life that extends far beyond the intended meeting.

Key Benefits of Presentation Software

• Communicate information in an organized, digestible way
• Engage listeners of presentations visually as well as aurally
• Provide your slide deck as a post-presentation resource
• Convert more listeners to leads through interest

Whether delivering a keynote address or a book report, the impact of visual aids cannot be overstated. We are an increasingly graphics-oriented species: Online posts that involve images are 650% more effective than text-only content, according to one study. Presentation apps and desktop tools empower professionals of all backgrounds to create eye-catching, easy-to-follow supplements that can keep an audience engaged when important information is being communicated.

These apps can also replace notecards as personal guides during meetings, training sessions, or company announcements. With the helpful templates, graphics, and other features, users can make presentation tools an invaluable asset for uniting teams and effectively mastering complex subjects. Long after the public presentation, slides designed on your presentation program can be saved on a file storage platform or content management system to be accessed and shared by the teams who can benefit from the contained information. You may continually draw value from a quality slideshow presentation or video presentation as a form of training for new hires. In this way, presentation software tools can double as eLearning solutions when used to their full potential.

Our research team has discussed the dos and don’ts of engaging presentations and other presentation software tips in blogs on G2 Crowd. Owning a great software solution doesn’t guarantee great presentations, and they won’t do all the work for you. But when used properly and delivered confidently, these products can be indispensable mediums of communication, regardless of the user’s industry.

Like many of the best apps, presentation solutions can be used by a wide spectrum of users. A good business presentation is useful at a restaurant staff meeting just as it is in an enterprise context. The marriage of graphics and informative content is a universal language that does not discriminate to one industry or another. Nearly anyone can craft a basic presentation with many of the tools in this category, and create a memorable experience for their staff and/or clients. As skills progress or situations demand, these same tools can be used for advanced and multi-layered presentations.

With that said, there are some individuals who may find a more consistent or impactful use from presentation software.

Department managers or c-level execs — A well-made presentation can add authority to and maximize comprehension of major announcements or important team/company meetings. Rather than simply talking with your staff, leveraging quality slides can drive the main points home for the intended viewers.

Sales representatives — Presentation software can create a stronger relationship between sales reps and prospective or current clients, adding depth to conversations and answering clients’ questions in great detail. There is no telling how many closed deals and renewals around the world are due in part to well-executed presentations.

HR/training teams — In the modern workplace, projects such as employee handbooks, organizational updates, and new hire education are often completed or assisted by presentation technology. A free presentation for internal use can be endlessly valuable in company alignment and culture-building.

Creative departments — For those hired to create, there are constant opportunities to go above and beyond when sharing and explaining new ideas. The features within a presentation software package can help graphic designers , UX architects , and other creative teams shine a light on exciting projects using colorful slides filled with multimedia and approachable explanations.

Teachers and students — Presentation software has one of the largest overlaps between professional and academic practicality. Teachers and professors, particularly in higher education, can make digital presentations an integral component of lesson plans. In today’s classroom, many create presentation-based environments in place of lectures with scribbled chalkboard notes. Additionally, students are often encouraged to take advantage of these solutions for presenting projects to the class; in some cases, the use of this software is mandatory.

The growing selection of presentation software builds off the model created by early torchbearers, as far back as the late 1980s. Today’s offerings include updated versions of some tenured platforms and fresh, boundary-pushing releases from forward-thinking developers. Across these varying products, you will find a handful of common, practical features to help create masterful slides—in addition to some platform-specific tools that can elevate your professional presentation to its peak.

Some common features include:

Templates and themes — One of the core values in the presentation software space is a low learning curve, at least for simple projects, and the best example of that is presentation templates. Even free presentation software or the free version of some paid products may include this feature, which provides various pre-built outlines for both individual slides and entire presentations. Templates can incorporate suggested layouts, color schemes, fonts, and object placements that can be modified as necessary by the user, and used as starting points off which to insert personal content.

Text and image effects — Cropping and resizing are just the tip of the iceberg for the content and media elements you utilize in your project. When you create a presentation, you will have a multitude of effects at your disposal to bring each slide to life, such as shadows and shading. The toolbox within the average presentation software shares qualities of those found in desktop publishing and drawing software ; learning one gives you an immediate advantage in the other.

Transitions — A good presentation is more than a series of slides—it’s a complete expression of an idea or a concept. To help tie the different ingredients together and keep a rapt audience, these platforms usually offer transitions that ease each slide into the next. Some are more vivid or showy than others, but even the basic transition effects can hold the finished product together and prevent an understandably jarring reaction when the presenter leaps from page to page.

With these features alone, you can take advantage of these powerful apps to design a noteworthy in-house or online presentation. That said, complete tool sets within these platforms will lend themselves to endless edits and additions on the way to richer presentations. You can take presentations to the next level by pasting in videos pieced together with video editing software ; you may also find certain video editing features included depending on the product. On a similar note, you can import files created with 3D design , photo editing , and audio editing software to spice up a presentation where desired.

As robust and practical as these tools are, presentation software should not become a replacement for actual understanding of the topics being communicated within a completed presentation. It can be all too easy for this to occur, with the presenter using the platform as a crutch during important meetings with either fellow employees or external clients. These pitfalls can quickly rise to the surface in the event that a slideshow app lags or crashes, or a similar technical mishap occurs, leaving the speaker without visual assistance. When using presentation software, consider utilizing handwritten notes as well, and make a concerted effort to internalize the subject matter well beforehand.

Many of the best presentations are group efforts, and may require input from a number of users. Depending on the product, this could involve continual discussions on team collaboration , video conferencing , or email software , as the presentation tool might allow for only one user at a time. If real-time collaboration is essential to you, consider business content management software for a more interactive experience in fleshing out concepts or visuals to be used in presentations.

Though presentation management tools offer some ground-level features for media editing, your presentation could greatly benefit from touching up relevant multimedia—or creating it altogether—with a different product. As previously mentioned, consider video editing , photo editing , or another authoring and publishing software to produce audio/visual building blocks of truly memorable presentations.

If you’re looking for help with individual components or an entire presentation, consider a local creative services provider , such as a graphic design agency . In some cases, the expertise and artful eye of these companies can bring your presentation ideas to life or at least point you in the right direction, eliminating the stress of going at it alone.

This website uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our cookie policies included in our privacy policy.

• Content Types

Presentations Keep your audience engaged.

Documents Formalize your branding.

Videos Add movement to your brand.

Infographics Share information visually.

Whiteboards Brainstorming, plan, and design.

Charts and Graphs Bring life to your data.

Social Media Graphics Create scroll-stopping content.

Forms & Surveys new Visual forms that convert.

Mockups Create high-quality mockups in seconds.

Printables Create content for printing.

• Features & Assets

AI Designer

Interactivity

AI Image Generator

Integrations

Data Widgets

Collaborations

Social Scheduler

Branded Templates

Presenter Studio

Free Educational Resources See All

Visme Video Tutorials Watch videos on how to use Visme.

Ebooks Read in-depth knowledge for your industry.

Graphic Design Videos Learn design principles & best practices.

Live Webinars Interact with the experts live.

Free Online Courses Get certified with free online courses.

Our Blog See All

Presentations

Video & Animations

Digital Marketing

Infographics

Design for Business

Data Visualization

Design Inspiration

For Work All Teams

Agencies & Consulting Manage multiple brands.

Education Use Visme in the classroom.

Nonprofit Bring life to your cause.

Enterprises Create visual content at scale.

• Perfect For These Roles

Marketers Creative content that shines.

Human Resources Improve internal communication.

Sales Teams Close more deals with your content.

Training Development Create interactive training content.

Templates See All

Presentations 1000+ layouts and themes.

Chart & Maps Get data visualization ideas.

Social Media Graphics Browse templates for every platform.

Infographics Find the right format for your information.

Documents Templates for every business document.

Videos & GIFs Find the perfect preanimated template.

Branded Templates Get a bundle of templates that match your brand.

Forms & Surveys new Forms for engagement and conversions.

• Other Templates

Website Graphics

Survey Results

Case Studies See All

How the Florida Panthers Maximize Their Workflow & Win New Clients Using Visme

Converting More Leads from Existing Traffic with Visme’s Interactive Form Builder

How the Denver Broncos Use Visme to Visualize Data, Execute Strategies & Wow Partners

How a Consultancy Uses Visme to Create Engaging Client-Facing Content

Created with Visme See All

Infographics / Data Viz

Document / EBooks

Forms / Surveys

• Request a Demo
• Sign Up Free

• Free Educational Resources

Make Stunning Presentations

Transforms the way you create presentations and present it to your audience.

Chosen by brands large and small

Our presentation software is used by over 27,500,000 marketers, communicators, executives and educators from over 133 countries that include:

Create beautiful presentations, faster

Visme is the best presentation software for teams who need real-time collaboration and individuals who need advanced features and customization for interactive presentations. Create beautiful presentations in minutes, not hours.

“Frequently, members of the lead team need to give presentations and trainings; Visme has allowed us to really increase the quality of the presentations with minimal effort AND we can re-use past presentations as templates for future presentations, which makes it a great little efficiency booster too!”

“I like the sheer volume of quality presentation and design templates we get with Visme. Editing the templates is generally straightforward and we can have a few different people have access to editing them. We can also set different permissions to have some people provide input or approval and others do the actual editing. We can collaborate right within the Visme to make our notes and suggestions as direct as possible.”

Make it bold and beautiful

Design presentation slides with a wide selection of gorgeous templates and pitch decks , millions of free stock images and thousands of icons.

Tap into more than 50 charts & graphs, interactive maps, mind maps, plus multimedia features modern functionalities that other presentation apps and presentation programs don’t offer.

Thousands of easy-to-edit presentation templates, slides and pitch decks

• Choose from beautiful custom HD quality presentation templates in trending styles
• Create your own custom presentation or slideshow from scratch with our drag-and-drop interface
• Import and edit your PowerPoint presentations online from your web browser

Record yourself presenting

Once you’ve created your presentation, do more than only share or download it. With Visme’s Presenter Studio, you can record your presentation and share it with your audience.

• Record your screen, audio, and video, or switch off your camera for an audio-only presentation.
• Present asynchronously on your own time, at your own pace. Let your colleagues watch it at their convenience.

Living in the past?

Relax. Visme allows you to import and export your Microsoft PowerPoint as editable presentations.

Graphics, charts, diagrams, data widgets and maps

• Over 1.5 million high resolution stock images, thousands of vector icons and over 125 fonts
• Visualize data with more than 50 charts, graphs, data visualization tools and powerful maps
• Tables, diagrams and flowcharts to create processes and workflows

Speed things up with Visme AI Designer

Go from a text prompt to a ready-to-use design in mere minutes with Visme AI Designer (Beta). Do you need to create a presentation but lack the time? Let Visme AI Designer help you save time and effort. Describe your desired project to our AI Designer Chatbot, choose a style, and relax as AI Designer generates your project.

Save time and a whole lot of hassle

No more searching for Microsoft Office files in your device, in your G Suite account or in iCloud. Have everything you need in one place, accessible at any time and reuse them in your presentations.

File Management & Content Blocks

The more you create, the more productive you get. Grow your own media library of icons and even PDFs for future presentations and other formats.

Slide Library

Create your own slide library or custom content blocks and reuse them in any of your future presentations.

Create a stunning presentation in 5 minutes

Gain granular control, animate anything, create actionable areas, add videos, voice overs, and music to your presentations., present like a pro or go home.

Deliver your presentation as visually interactive experiences.

Create, edit & present

Access Visme on your favorite browser on your desktop or laptop. No presentation software or plugins to install. Present offline even if you have no internet connection.

• Visme works on all latest browsers on both PC and Macs.

Reach your audience everywhere

Visme presentations are engineered to display across all mobile and tablet devices. Auto responsive presentations will adhere to maximum resolution of any device you present on.

• Maintain smooth transitions on any mobile device. Tap or scroll across your slides.

Stay poised with presenter

Tap into Visme presenter view to access notes and prompts visible only to you while you present to help you maintain focus and stay on prompt.

• Presenter mode works online and offline.

Share or download your presentations

Share your presentation online, make it private or download to present offline

Share online

Share your presentation online, embed to your website with Visme’s advanced embedding options or post on social media.

Make it private

Make your presentation private or password protected and not indexable by Google for internal sharing and sensitive information.

Download your presentation to present offline without internet connection. Download as PowerPoint, PDF, HTML5 and video.

Track, analyze and engage

Learn who is viewing your presentation and for how long, down to the slide level.

Great for you . Even better for your team!

Visme for presentations is everything you need to collaborate and share beautiful presentations with your team.

Manage your team

Easily add and track users in your teams for real-time collaboration

Set document brand guidelines

Lock your document brand colors and set your own chart and graph templates

Set permissions

Set user permissions or create roles to decide who can view, edit or share your documents

Learn more about how our users are taking advantage of everything Visme has to offer.

How WOW! is Saving Nearly 79% in Time and Cost With Visme

How IBM Saw a 75% Reduction in Job Posting Costs With Visme

MARKETING TEAM

Build Branded Presentations

Build a library of presentations, slides, media assets and brand colors to share with your team.

Personalize Your Presentations

Present as is or polish content and adjust as needed.

YOUR CUSTOMERS

Share Your Documents

Present live or offline, make it private or use to generate leads and measure results.

Learn more about Visme for Teams.

Advanced editing and presentation design features

Hundreds of professional presentation templates for every industry

Available in HD format and can be customized to any desired size

Add your own branded fonts and colors for a consistent feel across all your documents

Tap into 50+ charts, tables, flowcharts or insert your own external content

Presentation notes and presenter mode to present in front of an audience

Quickly and easily download as HTML5 or PowerPoint to present offline

HOW IT WORKS

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Some of the best presentation software are Visme, Prezi, SlideDog, Haiku Deck, Slidebean, Powtoon and Zoho Show and others like Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote.

While PowerPoint was a great tool, it’s a bit outdated and doesn’t have the capabilities that a modern tool like Visme has. With professionally designed, modern presentation templates, millions of free design assets, easy-to-understand tutorials and more available to you, Visme is the number one PowerPoint alternative available. You can find more PowerPoint alternatives on our blog.

Don't worry – you don't have to start from scratch! Import your PowerPoint presentation into Visme, edit it online and export in PowerPoint, PDF or even embed it on your website.

Visme presentations are responsive on mobile devices, so regardless of if you're viewing your project on an Android or iOS device like an iPhone or iPad, your presentations are still displayed perfectly.

Yes, Visme offers a completely free plan! However, for professionals and businesses who need access to more premium features, there are tiered pricing plans available based on your needs.

Create a free account today and start creating your own presentations, infographics, social media content, professional documents and more.

Jumpstart your presentation

The all-in-one beautiful interactive presentation maker that will transform the way you create, engage and present with your audience.

• Shop Now: Amazon Labor Day Tech Sale
• Get These 12 Student Discounts!

The Definition of a Slide (or Slides) in a PowerPoint Presentation

• Brock University

Presentation software such as PowerPoint generates a series of slides to accompany a human presenter or to be recorded as a stand-alone presentation. A slide is a single screen of a presentation, and every presentation is composed of several slides. Depending on the subject matter, the  best presentations may consist of 10 to 12 slides to get a message across, but more may be needed for complex subjects.

Slides keep an audience's attention during a presentation and provide additional supporting information in textual or graphic format. 

Selecting Slide Formats in PowerPoint

When you open a new PowerPoint presentation file, you are presented with a large selection of slide templates that you can choose from to set the tone for your presentation. Each template has a series of related slides in the same theme, color, and font choice for different purposes. You can choose a template and use only the additional slides that work for your presentation.

The first slide of a presentation is usually a title or introductory slide. It typically consists of text only, but it can include graphic elements or images as well. Subsequent slides are chosen based on the information to be transmitted. Some slides contain images, or charts and graphs.

Transitions Between Slides

Slides follow one after another during a presentation, either at a set time or when the presenter advances the slides manually. PowerPoint includes a large number of transitions you can apply to slides. A transition controls the appearance of one slide as it transitions to the next. Transitions include one slide morphing into another, a fade of one to another, and all sorts of special effects such as page curls or animated motion.

Although transitions add extra interest to a slide presentation, overdoing them by applying a different spectacular effect to each slide tends to look unprofessional and may even distract the audience from what the speaker is saying, so use transitions judiciously.

Enhancing a Slide

Slides can have sound effects attached to them. The sound effects list includes cash register, crowd laughing, drum roll, whoosh, typewriter and many more. 

Adding motion to an element on a slide – a line of text or an image – is called animation. PowerPoint comes with a large selection of stock animations you can use to generate movement on a slide. For example, you can choose a headline and have it zoom in from the margin, spin around 360 degrees, flip in one letter at a time, bounce into position or one of many other stock  animation effects .

As with transitions, don't use so many special effects that the audience is distracted from the content of the slide. 

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• Copy Slides to Another PowerPoint Presentation
• Loop a PowerPoint Slide Show
• How to Use Portrait and Landscape Slides in the Same Presentation
• How to Copy a PowerPoint Design Template to Another Presentation
• How to Do a Voiceover on PowerPoint
• How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint
• How to Use PowerPoint Slide Master Layouts
• The 10 Most Common PowerPoint Terms
• How to Hide and Unhide a Slide in PowerPoint
• Add Rolling Credits to a PowerPoint Presentation
• Use Multiple Design Themes in the Same Powerpoint Presentation
• Converting PowerPoint Slides to Word Documents
• How to Add Page Numbers in PowerPoint
• How to Add Animation to PowerPoint
• Slide Layouts in PowerPoint
• Tips for Memorial PowerPoint Presentations

• Publications
• News and Events
• Education and Outreach

Software Engineering Institute

Sei digital library, latest publications, embracing ai: unlocking scalability and transformation through generative text, imagery, and synthetic audio, august 28, 2024 • webcast, by tyler brooks , shannon gallagher , dominic a. ross.

In this webcast, Tyler Brooks, Shannon Gallagher, and Dominic Ross aim to demystify AI and illustrate its transformative power in achieving scalability, adapting to changing landscapes, and driving digital innovation.

Counter AI: What Is It and What Can You Do About It?

August 27, 2024 • white paper, by nathan m. vanhoudnos , carol j. smith , matt churilla , shing-hon lau , lauren mcilvenny , greg touhill.

This paper describes counter artificial intelligence (AI) and provides recommendations on what can be done about it.

Using Quality Attribute Scenarios for ML Model Test Case Generation

August 27, 2024 • conference paper, by rachel brower-sinning , grace lewis , sebastián echeverría , ipek ozkaya.

This paper presents an approach based on quality attribute (QA) scenarios to elicit and define system- and model-relevant test cases for ML models.

3 API Security Risks (and How to Protect Against Them)

August 27, 2024 • podcast, by mckinley sconiers-hasan.

McKinley Sconiers-Hasan discusses three API risks and how to address them through the lens of zero trust.

Lessons Learned in Coordinated Disclosure for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems

August 20, 2024 • white paper, by allen d. householder , vijay s. sarvepalli , jeff havrilla , matt churilla , lena pons , shing-hon lau , nathan m. vanhoudnos , andrew kompanek , lauren mcilvenny.

In this paper, the authors describe lessons learned from coordinating AI and ML vulnerabilities at the SEI's CERT/CC.

On the Design, Development, and Testing of Modern APIs

July 30, 2024 • white paper, by alejandro gomez , alex vesey.

This white paper discusses the design, desired qualities, development, testing, support, and security of modern application programming interfaces (APIs).

Evaluating Large Language Models for Cybersecurity Tasks: Challenges and Best Practices

July 26, 2024 • podcast, by jeff gennari , samuel j. perl.

Jeff Gennari and Sam Perl discuss applications for LLMs in cybersecurity, potential challenges, and recommendations for evaluating LLMs.

Capability-based Planning for Early-Stage Software Development

July 24, 2024 • podcast, by anandi hira , bill nichols.

This SEI podcast introduces capability-based planning (CBP) and its use and application in software acquisition.

A Model Problem for Assurance Research: An Autonomous Humanitarian Mission Scenario

July 23, 2024 • technical note, by gabriel moreno , anton hristozov , john e. robert , mark h. klein.

This report describes a model problem to support research in large-scale assurance.

Safeguarding Against Recent Vulnerabilities Related to Rust

June 28, 2024 • podcast, by david svoboda.

David Svoboda discusses two vulnerabilities related to Rust, their sources, and how to mitigate them.

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Article Menu

• Subscribe SciFeed
• Recommended Articles
• Author Biographies
• Google Scholar
• on Google Scholar
• Table of Contents

Find support for a specific problem in the support section of our website.

Please let us know what you think of our products and services.

Visit our dedicated information section to learn more about MDPI.

JSmol Viewer

Retrospective analysis of municipal geoportal usability in the context of the evolution of online data presentation techniques.

1. Introduction

• Q1: Are geoportals built using archaic design techniques not employed any more today less usable than geoportals in service today?
• Q2: Do technology changes, including the increase in mobile device usage, prevent the comfortable browsing of geoportals built using archaic design techniques?

2. Background

2.1. usability vs. user experience (ux), 2.2. usability metrics for user experience, 2.3. related work, 3. materials and methods, 3.1. research object, 3.2. methodology, 3.2.1. test scenario, 3.2.2. usability assessment checklist, 3.2.3. aggregate quality score, 3.3. performance audit, 4.1. results for the mobile mode, 4.2. results for the desktop mode, 4.3. aggregate results, 4.4. performance audit results, 5. discussion, 5.1. subject matter and aim of ux tests, 5.2. the high quality of a geoportal consists of usability/ux and performance, 6. conclusions, research limitations and practical implications, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

• Olszewski, R.; Pałka, P.; Wendland, A.; Majdzińska, K. Application of Cooperative Game Theory in a Spatial Context: An Example of the Application of the Community-Led Local Development Instrument for the Decision Support System of Biogas Plants Construction. Land Use Policy 2021 , 108 , 105485. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Resch, B.; Zimmer, B. User Experience Design in Professional Map-Based Geo-Portals. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2013 , 2 , 1015–1037. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Jiang, H.; Van Genderen, J.; Mazzetti, P.; Koo, H.; Chen, M. Current Status and Future Directions of Geoportals. Int. J. Digit. Earth 2020 , 13 , 1093–1114. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Tait, M. Implementing Geoportals: Applications of Distributed GIS. Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 2005 , 29 , 33–47. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Maguire, D.; Longley, P. The Emergence of Geoportals and Their Role in Spatial Data Infrastructures. Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 2005 , 29 , 3–14. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Granell, C.; Miralles, I.; Rodríguez-Pupo, L.; González-Pérez, A.; Casteleyn, S.; Busetto, L.; Pepe, M.; Boschetti, M.; Huerta, J. Conceptual Architecture and Service-Oriented Implementation of a Regional Geoportal for Rice Monitoring. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2017 , 6 , 191. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Neis, P.; Zielstra, D. Recent Developments and Future Trends in Volunteered Geographic Information Research: The Case of OpenStreetMap. Future Internet 2014 , 6 , 76–106. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Helbich, M.; Amelunxen, C.; Neis, P.; Zipf, A. Comparative Spatial Analysis of Positional Accuracy of OpenStreetMap and Proprietary Geodata. In Proceedings of the GI_Forum 2012: Geovisualization, Society and Learning, Salzburg, Germany, 4–6 July 2012. [ Google Scholar ]
• Zunino, A.; Velázquez, G.; Celemín, J.; Mateos, C.; Hirsch, M.; Rodriguez, J. Evaluating the Performance of Three Popular Web Mapping Libraries: A Case Study Using Argentina’s Life Quality Index. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020 , 9 , 563. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Horbiński, T.; Cybulski, P. Similarities of global web mapping services functionality in the context of responsive web design. Geod. Cartogr. 2018 , 67 , 159–177. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• McMahon, D.D.; Smith, C.C.; Cihak, D.F.; Wright, R.; Gibbons, M.M. Effects of Digital Navigation Aids on Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Comparison of Paper Map, Google Maps, and Augmented Reality. J. Spec. Educ. Technol. 2015 , 30 , 157–165. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Król, K. Comparative analysis of selected online tools for JavaScript code minification. A case study of a map applica-tion. Geomat. Landmanag. Landsc. 2020 , 2 , 119–129. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Cummings, S.; White, N.; Schoenmakers, M.; van Reijswoud, V.; Koopman, M.; Zielinski, C.; Mugarura, C.; Assa, R.; Harish, S. Checklist for the development of portals for international development. Knowl. Manag. Dev. J. 2019 , 14 , 83–94. Available online: https://www.km4djournal.org/index.php/km4dj/article/view/384 (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Marshall, P.; Morris, R.; Rogers, Y.; Kreitmayer, S.; Davies, M. Rethinking “Multi-User”: An in-the-Wild Study of How Groups Approach a Walk-up-and-Use Tabletop Interface. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Montréal, QC, Canada, 22–27 April 2021; ACM: Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2011; pp. 3033–3042. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• He, X.; Persson, H.; Östman, A. Geoportal usability evaluation. Int. J. Spat. Data Infrastruct. Res. 2012 , 7 , 88–106. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• ISO 9241-11:2018 ; Ergonomics of Human-System Interaction—Part 11: Usability: Definitions and Concepts. ISO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2018. Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/63500.html (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Arthana, I.K.R.; Pradnyana, I.M.A.; Dantes, G.R. Usability Testing on Website Wadaya Based on ISO 9241-11. J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2019 , 1165 , 012012. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Travis, D. 247 Web Usability Guidelines. Available online: http://www.userfocus.co.uk/resources/guidelines.html (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Martínez-Falero, J.; Ayuga-Tellez, E.; Gonzalez-Garcia, C.; Grande-Ortiz, M.; Garrido, A. Experts’ Analysis of the Quality and Usability of SILVANET Software for Informing Sustainable Forest Management. Sustainability 2017 , 9 , 1200. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Król, K.; Zdonek, D.; Sroka, W. Functionality Assessment Checklist for Evaluating Geoportals Useful in Planning Sustainable Tourism. Sustainability 2024 , 16 , 5242. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• ISO/IEC 25000:2014 ; Systems and Software Engineering—Systems and Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)—Guide to SQuaRE (Edition 2, 2014). ISO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2014. Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/64764.html (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• ISO/IEC 25010:2023 ; Systems and Software Engineering—Systems and Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)—Product Quality Model (Edition 2, 2023). ISO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2023. Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/78176.html (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Namoun, A.; Alrehaili, A.; Tufail, A. A Review of Automated Website Usability Evaluation Tools: Research Issues and Challenges. In Design, User Experience, and Usability: UX Research and Design ; Soares, M.M., Rosenzweig, E., Marcus, A., Eds.; Springer International Publishing: Cham, Switzerland, 2021; Volume 12779, pp. 292–311. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Komarkova, J.; Sedlak, P.; Struska, S.; Dymakova, A. Usability Evaluation the Prague Geoportal: Comparison of Methods. In Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Information and Digital Technologies (IDT), Zilina, Slovakia, 25–27 June 2019; IEEE: Piscataway, NJ, USA, 2019; pp. 223–228. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Jabłonowski, J.; Gołębiowska, I. Multi-Criteria Assessment of the Official Map Services of Capital City of Warsaw. Pol. Cartogr. Rev. 2019 , 51 , 67–79. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nielsen, J.; Molich, R. Heuristic Evaluation of User Interfaces. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Empowering People—CHI ’90, Seattle, WA, USA, 1–5 April 1990; ACM Press: New York, NY, USA, 1990; pp. 249–256. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nielsen, J. Heuristic evaluation. In Usability Inspection Methods ; Nielsen, J., Mack, R.L., Eds.; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New York, NY, USA, 1994. [ Google Scholar ]
• Levi, M.D.; Conrad, F.G. Usability Testing of World Wide Web Sites. In Proceedings of the CHI ’97 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems Looking to the Future—CHI ’97, Atlanta, GA, USA, 22–27 March 1997; ACM Press: New York, NY, USA, 1997; p. 227. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Berkman, M.I.; Karahoca, D. Re-Assessing the Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX) Scale. J. Usability Stud. 2016 , 11 , 89–109. Available online: https://uxpajournal.org/assessing-usability-metric-umux-scale/ (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Klug, B. An Overview of the System Usability Scale in Library Website and System Usability Testing. Weav. J. Libr. User Exp. 2017 , 1 . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Borsci, S.; Federici, S.; Bacci, S.; Gnaldi, M.; Bartolucci, F. Assessing User Satisfaction in the Era of User Experience: Comparison of the SUS, UMUX, and UMUX-LITE as a Function of Product Experience. Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact. 2015 , 31 , 484–495. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Lewis, J.R. Measuring Perceived Usability: The CSUQ, SUS, and UMUX. Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact. 2018 , 34 , 1148–1156. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Finstad, K. The Usability Metric for User Experience. Interact. Comput. 2010 , 22 , 323–327. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Lewis, J.R. Critical Review of “The Usability Metric for User Experience”. Interact. Comput. 2013 , 25 , 320–324. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Sauro, J. SUPR-Q: A comprehensive measure of the quality of the website user experience. J. Usability Stud. 2015 , 10 , 68–86. Available online: https://uxpajournal.org/supr-q-a-comprehensive-measure-of-the-quality-of-the-website-user-experience/ (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Chin, J.P.; Diehl, V.A.; Norman, L.K. Development of an Instrument Measuring User Satisfaction of the Human-Computer Interface. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—CHI ’88, Washington, DC, USA, 15–19 May 1988; ACM Press: New York, NY, USA, 1988; pp. 213–218. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Feizi, A.; Wong, C.Y. Usability of user interface styles for learning a graphical software application. In Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Computer & Information Science (ICCIS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12–14 June 2012; IEEE: Piscataway, NJ, USA, 2012; Volume 2, pp. 1089–1094. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Adinda, P.P.; Suzianti, A. Redesign of User Interface for E-Government Application Using Usability Testing Method. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Communication and Information Processing, Qingdao, China, 2–4 November 2018; ACM: New York, NY, USA, 2018; pp. 145–149. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Fang, Y.-M.; Lin, C. The Usability Testing of VR Interface for Tourism Apps. Appl. Sci. 2019 , 9 , 3215. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kirakowski, J. The software usability measurement inventory: Background and usage. In Usability Evaluation in Industry ; Jordan, P., Thomas, B., Weerdmeester, B.A., McClelland, I.L., Eds.; Taylor & Francis: London, UK, 1996; pp. 169–178. [ Google Scholar ]
• Lewis, J.R. Psychometric Evaluation of the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire: The PSSUQ. Proc. Hum. Factors Soc. Annu. Meet. 1992 , 36 , 1259–1260. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Chiew, T.K.; Salim, S.S. WEBUSE: Website Usability Evaluation Tool. Malays. J. Comput. Sci. 2003 , 16 , 47–57. [ Google Scholar ]
• Karani, A.; Thanki, H.; Achuthan, S. Impact of University Website Usability on Satisfaction: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach. Manag. Labour Stud. 2021 , 46 , 119–138. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Blake, M.; Majewicz, K.; Tickner, A.; Lam, J. Usability analysis of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Geoportal: Findings and recommendations for improvement of the user experience. Code4Lib J. 2017 , 38 . Available online: https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/12932 (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Duque Vaca, M.; Romero Canizares, F.; Jimenez Builes, J. Validating a Georeferenced Map Viewer Through Online and Manual Tests. In Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Inclusive Technologies and Education (CONTIE), San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, 30 October–1 November 2019; IEEE: Piscataway, NJ, USA, 2019; pp. 91–916. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Gkonos, C.; Iosifescu Enescu, I.; Hurni, L. Spinning the Wheel of Design: Evaluating Geoportal Graphical User Interface Adaptations in Terms of Human-Centred Design. Int. J. Cartogr. 2019 , 5 , 23–43. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Martins, V.E.; Schmidt, M.A.R.; Delazari, L.S. Selecting Usability Heuristics to Evaluate Responsive Maps: Case Study WebGIS UFPR CampusMap. Abstr. Int. Cartogr. Assoc. 2021 , 3 , 1–2. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kortum, P.; Peres, S.C. The Relationship Between System Effectiveness and Subjective Usability Scores Using the System Usability Scale. Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact. 2014 , 30 , 575–584. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Bangor, A.; Kortum, P.; Miller, J.A. Determining what individual SUS scores mean: Adding an adjective rating scale. J. Usability Stud. 2009 , 4 , 114–123. [ Google Scholar ]
• Capeleti, B.S.; Santos, C.Q.; De Souza, J.I.; Freire, A.P. Usability Evaluation of a Brazilian Dam Safety Data Exploration Platform: A Consolidation of Results from User Tests and Heuristic Evaluation. In Human-Computer Interaction—INTERACT 2023 ; Abdelnour Nocera, J., Kristín Lárusdóttir, M., Petrie, H., Piccinno, A., Winckler, M., Eds.; Springer Nature Switzerland: Cham, Switzerland, 2023; Volume 14145, pp. 100–119. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Bugs, G.; Granell, C.; Fonts, O.; Huerta, J.; Painho, M. An Assessment of Public Participation GIS and Web 2.0 Technologies in Urban Planning Practice in Canela, Brazil. Cities 2010 , 27 , 172–181. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Słomska-Przech, K.; Panecki, T.; Pokojski, W. Heat Maps: Perfect Maps for Quick Reading? Comparing Usability of Heat Maps with Different Levels of Generalization. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021 , 10 , 562. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Unrau, R.; Kray, C. Mining Map Interaction Semantics in Web-Based Geographic Information Systems (WebGIS) for Usability Analysis. AGILE GIScience Ser. 2021 , 2 , 1–11. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Unrau, R.; Kudekar, A.; Kray, C. Interaction Pattern Analysis for WebGIS Usability Evaluation. Trans. GIS 2022 , 26 , 3374–3388. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Unrau, R.; Kray, C. Enhancing Usability Evaluation of Web-Based Geographic Information Systems (WebGIS) with Visual Analytics. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2021)—Part I. Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs) ; Schloss Dagstuhl—Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik: Wadern, Germany, 2020; Volume 177, pp. 15:1–15:16. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Abraham, S.A. Usability Problems in GI Web Applications: A Lesson from Literature. AGILE GISci. Ser. 2021 , 2 , 1–7. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nielsen, J.; Landauer, T.K. A Mathematical Model of the Finding of Usability Problems. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—CHI ’93, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 24–29 April 1993; ACM Press: New York, NY, USA, 1993; pp. 206–213. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mahatody, T.; Sagar, M.; Kolski, C. State of the Art on the Cognitive Walkthrough Method, Its Variants and Evolutions. Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact. 2010 , 26 , 741–785. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Gossen, T.; Nitsche, M.; Nürnberger, A. Knowledge Journey: A Web Search Interface for Young Users. In Proceedings of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction and Information Retrieval, Cambridge, CA, USA, 4 October 2012; ACM: New York, NY, USA, 2012; pp. 1–10. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ekşioğlu, M.; Kiris, E.; Çapar, B.; Selçuk, M.N.; Ouzeir, S. Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing: Case Study. In Internationalization, Design and Global Development ; Rau, P.L.P., Ed.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2011; Volume 6775, pp. 143–151. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• McCloskey, M. Turn User Goals into Task Scenarios for Usability Testing. Nielsen Norman Group. Available online: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/task-scenarios-usability-testing/ (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Brooke, J. SUS: A ‘quick and dirty’ usability scale. In Usability Evaluation in Industry ; Jordan, P.W., Thomas, B., Weerdmeester, B.A., McClelland, I.L., Eds.; Taylor and Francis: London, UK, 1996; pp. 189–194. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bangor, A.; Kortum, P.T.; Miller, J.T. An Empirical Evaluation of the System Usability Scale. Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact. 2008 , 24 , 574–594. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Król, K.; Kukulska-Kozieł, A.; Cegielska, K.; Salata, T.; Hernik, J. Turbulent Events Effects: Socioeconomic Changes in Southern Poland as Captured by the LSED Index. Sustainability 2023 , 16 , 38. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nielsen, J. Usability Engineering ; Academic Press, Inc.: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1993. [ Google Scholar ]
• Nielsen, J. Website Response Times. Nielsen Norman Group. Available online: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/website-response-times/ (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Król, K.; Sroka, W. Internet in the Middle of Nowhere: Performance of Geoportals in Rural Areas According to Core Web Vitals. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2023 , 12 , 484. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Quiñones, D.; Barraza, A.; Rojas, L. User Experience Heuristics for Geoportals. In Usability and User Experience ; Ahram, T., Falcão, C., Eds.; AHFE International: Orlando, FL, USA, 2022; Volume 39. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Butkovic, A.; McArdle, G.; Bertolotto, M. A Framework to Measure User Experience of Geoportals. In Proceedings of the IECHCI2023, Erzurum, Turkiye, 23–25 November 2023; Volume 104, pp. 79–84. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ferrer, M.Á.; Aguirre, E.R.; Méndez, R.E.; Mediavilla, D.G.; Almonacid, N.J. UX Research: Investigación en experiencia de usuario para diseño de mapa interactivo con variables georreferenciadas en EMR. Rev. Espac. 2020 , 41 , 27–45. Available online: https://www.revistaespacios.com/a20v41n01/20410127.html (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Bonastre, L.; Granollers, T. A set of heuristics for user experience evaluation in e-Commerce websites. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions (ACHI 2014), Barcelona, Spain, 23–27 March 2014; pp. 27–34. [ Google Scholar ]
• Horbiński, T.; Cybulski, P.; Medyńska-Gulij, B. Graphic Design and Button Placement for Mobile Map Applications. Cartogr. J. 2020 , 57 , 196–208. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kellenberger, B.; Iosifescu Enescu, I.; Nicola, R.; Iosifescu Enescu, C.M.; Panchaud, N.H.; Walt, R.; Hotea, M.; Piguet, A.; Hurni, L. The Wheel of Design: Assessing and Refining the Usability of Geoportals. Int. J. Cartogr. 2016 , 2 , 95–112. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Lallemand, C.; Koenig, V. Lab Testing Beyond Usability: Challenges and Recommendations for Assessing User Experiences. J. Usability Stud. 2017 , 12 , 133–154. Available online: https://orbilu.uni.lu/handle/10993/31420 (accessed on 1 July 2024).
• Dickinger, A.; Stangl, B. Website Performance and Behavioral Consequences: A Formative Measurement Approach. J. Bus. Res. 2013 , 66 , 771–777. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Green, D.T.; Pearson, J.M. Integrating Website Usability with the Electronic Commerce Acceptance Model. Behav. Inf. Technol. 2011 , 30 , 181–199. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]

Click here to enlarge figure

Share and Cite

Król, K. Retrospective Analysis of Municipal Geoportal Usability in the Context of the Evolution of Online Data Presentation Techniques. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2024 , 13 , 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi13090307

Król K. Retrospective Analysis of Municipal Geoportal Usability in the Context of the Evolution of Online Data Presentation Techniques. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information . 2024; 13(9):307. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi13090307

Król, Karol. 2024. "Retrospective Analysis of Municipal Geoportal Usability in the Context of the Evolution of Online Data Presentation Techniques" ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 13, no. 9: 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi13090307

Article Metrics

Article access statistics, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals