best software for business presentation

The best presentation software

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

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

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

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

Beautiful.ai for AI-powered design

Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations

Powtoon for video presentations

Genially for interactive, presenter-less presentations

Pitch for collaborating with your team on presentations

Zoho Show for a simple presentation app

Gamma for generative AI features

What makes the best presentation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

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

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

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

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

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

The best presentation software: at a glance

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

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

Beautiful.ai (web, mac, windows).

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

Generative AI features aren't great yet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

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

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

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

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for video presentations

Powtoon (web, ios, android).

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for interactive presentations

Genially (web).

Genially pros:

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

You can set universal branding guidelines

Unlimited creations on the free plan

Genially cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Start live video calls straight from decks

Pitch cons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best simple presentation app

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

Zoho Show pros:

Simple and easy to use

Version history and ability to lock slides

Completely free

Zoho Show cons:

Templates are pretty basic

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

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

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

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

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

Zoho Show pricing: Free

The best presentation app for generative AI

Gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

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

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

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

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

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

What about the old standbys?

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

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

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

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

Related reading:

8 Canva AI tools to improve your design workflow

The best online whiteboards for collaboration

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

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

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Kiera Abbamonte

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

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Blog Graphic Design

12 Best Presentation Software for 2024

By Krystle Wong , Jan 12, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

1. Venngage 

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

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

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

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

Vast selection of templates

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

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

Data visualization made easy

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

Seamless real-time in-editor collaboration tools

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

Consistently brand your designs with smart Autobrand features

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

Who is it for

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

Key features 

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

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

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

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

Source: Screenshot from Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Google Slides

Source: Screenshot from Google Slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Keynote (for Mac users)

Source: Screenshot from Keynote

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Prezi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For individuals & business professionals

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

Standard: Starting at $5 USD/month

Plus: Starting at $12 USD/month

Premium: Starting at $16 USD/month

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

For Students & Educators

EDU Plus: Starting at $3/month

EDU Pro: Starting at $4/month

EDU Teams: Enquiry required with Prezi sales team

Source: Screenshot from Canva

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Adobe Express

Source: Screenshot from Adobe Express

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Haiku Deck

Source: Haiku Deck

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Ludus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Slidebean

Source: Screenshot from Slidebean

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. Beautiful.ai

Source: Screenshot from Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Screenshot from Pitch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Presentations

The 11 Best Presentation Software to Use in 2023

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

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

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

Choose the best presentation software by weighing the pros and cons

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

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

Let’s dive in!

1. Piktochart

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

An area in which Piktochart shines is crafting unique presentations. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Google Slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. SlideDog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. Haiku Deck 

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

You can avoid such an unfortunate scenario with Haiku Deck. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Prezi Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Slidebean

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. ClearSlide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation software is…

 …completely up to you! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Best Presentation Software of 2024

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

Best Overall: Google Slides

Highly integrated With Other Apps

Totally free

Not integrated with Microsoft products

Minimal support

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

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

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

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

Specifications:

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

Most Compatible: Microsoft PowerPoint

Highly compatible

Online and desktop versions

Easy to use

No free version

Templates are not as trendy

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

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

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

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

Best For Mac Users: Apple Keynote

Exceptional designs

Desktop only

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

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

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

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

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

Most Flexible: Prezi

Unique concept

Trendy visuals

Unique design templates

Harder to learn

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

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

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

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

Best Budget: Visme

Free version available

Added visual tools

Good overall value

It takes more time to learn

Expensive pro plans

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best For Entrepreneurs: Slidebean

Design for entrepreneurs and salespeople

Unique features

Not as powerful as some

Not as well-known

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

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

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

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

Most Powerful: Canva

Thousand of templates

Integrates with other Canva tools

Limited export options

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

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

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

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

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

The Bottom Line

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

Things To Consider When Buying Presentation Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How We Chose The Best Presentation Software

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

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best presentation software of 2023

Let’s put on a slideshow.

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

Best overall: Microsoft PowerPoint

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

• Best for Mac: Apple Keynote  

Best for students: Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

Things to consider when buying presentation software

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

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

Ease of use

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

Prebuilt templates

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

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

Customizability

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

Who’s it for?

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

Cost & affordability

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

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

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

The best presentation software: Reviews & Recommendations

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

MobiSystems

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best for Mac: Keynote

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful.ai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: How much does presentation software cost?

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

Q: Is Canva better than PowerPoint?

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

Q: Does Adobe have presentation software?

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

Final thoughts on the best presentation software

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

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

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The Best Business Presentation Software of 2023

Dag Hendrik Lerdal

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Back in the day, there was only one presentation tool available. It had its advantages (it wasn’t a big paper hung on an easel, after all) – but if you found it hard to use or just plain didn’t like it, there wasn’t much you could do. Fast forward to 2023, and we have the opposite problem. There are hundreds of tools – too many to keep track of without developing a migraine.

I’m in the presentation business, so keeping track of the presentation tools is part of my job. And today, I’ll show you the ultimate guide to the best business presentation software for 2023.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Wait, What Makes for a Great Business Presentation Tool?

The best presentation tools are great because they’re easy to use, offer surprising functionality, and deliver a final result that keeps your audience glued to the screens (instead of quietly disengaging and scrolling on their phones).

Since there’s more than one way to make, store, access, control, and display a presentation, the best business presentation tools do more than mimic a whiteboard . They integrate with other tools, offer remote access and customizable templates, and much more.

The final presentation is the test of a tool’s worth. But it’s not just a question of what looks ‘best’ – some users might benefit from embedded video, dynamic slides, or animated graphics. Others might need the simplest tool they can find. So, I’ve selected tools that excel in all kinds of different ways.

Finally, the greatest performance in the world is only great if it’s accessible: if you can’t use it, it’s no good. So, I’ve looked at how easy it is to use the tools , too. 

So, based on those criteria, what are the best business presentation tools for 2023?

1. Prezi – A Great Business Presentation Tool for Interactivity

Prezi is designed to be as nonlinear and flowing as possible. If standard presentation tools are standing at the front of the room and telling people things, Prezi’s online presentation tool allows a form of interaction that’s more like a conversation.

For example, you’ll be able to display your video next to the presentation for an added human touch if the interactive and zoomable presentations aren’t enough. Prezi looks great. It lets you make presentations that flow, allowing an almost cinematic control over what the audience sees.

Now, Prezi requires some skill to really see the full results. But there are ready-made slide templates, a drag-and-drop system for adding content, and several ‘path’ presets to get you started.

Prezi Pricing

Prezi starts from $5/month.

2. SlideDog for Hollywood-Level Presentations

If you’re tired of being ignored and ready to make waves, you’ll want to check out SlideDog . Fair warning: SlideDog isn’t your garden-variety presentation maker. Instead, it allows you to combine different files (PPT, Prezi, PDFs, live web pages, Excel spreadsheets, videos, etc.) into a show-stopping presentation on Windows OS.

Rather than being forced to move files around, simply drop them into a SlideDog playlist and press the “Play” button. Then, you’ll be able to display your content from one computer while controlling it remotely, from your phone, while simultaneously allowing live sharing

You’ll also be able to keep your audience engaged with live polls and quizzes, so they can answer them from their tablets or smartphones.

SlideDog looks good because it lets you look good. You can switch between a website and a presentation – without the manual work of switching. You’ll come in with a simple presentation and take it where you need to.

Finally, SlideDog is designed around a drag-and-drop interface that makes it extremely easy to use. 

SlideDog Pricing

SlideDog starts from $19/month and has a free version that allows you to take it for a test drive!

3. FlowVella for In-Person Business Presentations

Most of the presentation software these days is great for online presentations, but only very few offer digital signage. FlowVella is one of them (in addition to SlideDog). It offers fantastic offline functionality and support for Windows, Mac OS, kiosks , iPads, and more, so you can wow with your presentation anywhere you go. 

FlowVella looks really good, thanks to its multimedia nature. You can combine videos, PDFs, standard presentations, and a few extra additions like galleries and navigation (hello, real estate!) to spice things up.

When it comes to the learning curve, it’s relatively straightforward to use. It has a “Flows” system to help you create a well-rounded presentation experience.

FlowVella Pricing

FlowVella starts from $10/month.

4. SlideBean for Startup Founders

If you’re tired of bootstrapping and need to raise capital fast , SlideBean’s approach to presentations can help. These days, it specializes in pitch decks . Slidebean lets you add content and automatically convert it to a completed online presentation, and there’s (limited) analytics, too.

In short, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to make your SlideBean presentation look good. The templates have got you covered!

When it comes to ease of use , SlideBean is a winner. You get templates, you get pitch deck best practices, and expert consultants for a surcharge. Even if you feel more comfortable writing code, you’ll get a pretty presentation to help you talk to investors. 

SlideBean Pricing

SlideBean has some free functionality and paid plans start from $199/year.

5. What If You Need Presentation Software for Your Whole Team? Try Google Slides or PowerPoint

I know, I know – this is supposed to be a list of alluringly modern presentation tools. But if you’re a manager and your whole team needs to create presentations on the daily, you may face limitations with standard software.

Plus, there is value in keeping to the same ecosystem (unless it prevents you from scaling).

Google Slides is a decent option for Google Workspace users, as is PowerPoint for the O365 aficionados. However, you will need additional functionality to stand out. 

While you can get it for Google presentations with Google Slides add-ons, PowerPoint is trickier.

In that case, I recommend adding a tool like SlideDog to your stack to help your team spice things up (without giving your CFO a migraine when it’s time to discuss the tool budget). 

Operating Systems and Pricing

You can use PowerPoint on your Windows device or online, while Google Sheets is a fully online tool.

Both are free and included in the O365 Suite, i.e., Google Workspace.

6. ZohoShow for Simple Presentations

While I like nothing more than adding some pizzazz to minimalist presentations, I can’t say Zoho Show doesn’t work. It takes a minimalist approach to help you create online presentations that look good, work the way they should, and keep the needle moving.

You’ll get plenty of professional templates to get you started, infographics, animations, and support for videos, too. This means your presentations look really classy, but it’s good to consider the lack of interactivity. 

One thing I like about Zoho Show is the team collaboration feature . Your whole organization can create a central repository of assets, fonts, colors, etc., so there’s no chance of someone getting the wrong color and making the whole presentation feel wrong.

This ties into ease of use , too. With its drag-and-drop editor, Zoho Show is easy to use!

ZohoShow Pricing

ZohoShow is free. 

7. Pitch – A Business Presentation Software for More than Pitches

Pitch is ideal for startup teams who need to create business presentations on the daily. The whole system is made to turn online presentation creation into a smooth and simple process. You can work with plenty of templates or create a custom one, quickly build layouts and add assets, and even record your narration.

Your Pitch presentation is embeddable, too, so you can add it to your website or start firing it away with your cold outreach emails. And if you want to make sure the team is on the same page, they can collaborate on the prez in real time. 

Now, do you get pretty presentations? Yep! Do they miss interactivity? Yep! Again, this isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker – not when a tool is as easy to use as Pitch is, but it’s something to be cognizant of before taking the plunge. 

Finally, if you’re anything like the typical startup, your stack probably has 10+ tools. Fortunately, Pitch integrates with most of them, including Loom, ChartMogul, Notion, and Slack. 

Pitch Presentations Pricing

Pitch has a freemium plan, with paid plans starting from €8/month.

8. My Thoughts on Canva for Business Presentations

I mean… sure, you can use Canva ’s online tool for business presentations. But do you really want to? The problem with Canva is that it’s drag-and-drop, which is usually great (and I’ve seen many a sales rep using it to pitch a product to me), but it can also get hectic if you’re not the most precise tool in the shed. 

However, Canva has a few things going for it when it comes to business presentations. Firstly, it has a massive asset library with anything from vector drawings to images and animations. Secondly, you can add some snazzy elements like confetti with keyboard shortcuts. And finally, it has more uses than just being a presentation maker. 

The presentations end up looking nice , depending on the template you select, but be careful not to go overboard. You might also have to tweak a few things yourself, as the templates usually don’t meet your intent 100%.

However, it’s relatively easy to use with its gridlines after a few hours of practice.

Canva Pricing

Canva has a freemium plan, and paid plans start from €109,99/year. 

What’s the Best Presentation Tool for Your Business?

I hate to say it, but – it depends.

If you need a tool for powerful sales presentations, you’ll need something like SlideDog and Prezi. However, if you only need presentations for talking to investors or your team, you could get by with a free tool like Zoho Show.

At the end of the day, test different options. See what’s missing and what’s perfect. Then, refine your search. 

You’re just a few steps away from wowing your clients, team, and everyone in between!

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

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

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

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

What makes great presentation software?

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

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

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

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

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

8 best presentation software options

1. zoho show.

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

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

Top features:

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

Limitations:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Google Slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. StoryDoc

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

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

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

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

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

7. Slidebean

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

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

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

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

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

8. Paste by WeTransfer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is the best presentation software for you?

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

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

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

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

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15 Best Presentation Software Alternatives To PowerPoint in 2024

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

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

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

Best Presentation Software for Building Stunning Slides

A free presentation software ideal for small and large companies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Collaborative Presentation Software for Modern Teams

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

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

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

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

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

You can contact a sales representative for a custom quote.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Google Slides

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

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

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

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

Google Slides is completely free.

A Native Apple Presentation Software Exclusive to Mac OS Users

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Popular Presentation Platform for Designers to Use its Broad Capabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Slidebean

A presentation software that designs its presentations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Zoho Show

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

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

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

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

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

9. Beautiful.ai

A presentation software with editable powerpoint.

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Genially

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Free Graphic Design Platform that Allows You to Create Presentations

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

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

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

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

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

12. Haiku Deck

A free app that makes presentations simple.

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

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

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

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

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

13. Powtoon

A visual communication platform for creating animated videos and presentations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. Microsoft Sway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Makes a Great Presentation Software?

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

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

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

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

How to Choose the Best Microsoft PowerPoint Alternative?

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

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

Presentation Software FAQ

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

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

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

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

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

Which Presentation Software Should I Pick for My Business?

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

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

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

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

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Anastasia belyh.

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

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

25 Tools for Creating and Delivering Amazing Presentations

Updated: August 10, 2022

Published: November 10, 2020

If you're in business, you need to know how to create captivating presentations. Whether you're trying to convince your boss to support a new campaign, talking with a prospect to close a deal, or building a new piece of marketing collateral, you need to know how craft a presentation that won't put people to sleep.

The best (and easiest) way to do that? Use the right tools to create and deliver your presentation.

If you're not sure which tools to use, look no further than this blog post. We’ve compiled our list of the top presentation tools for sales and marketing professionals. They’re listed below, in no particular order. But first ...

Why You Should Use Business Presentation Templates

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Best Presentation Tools

Canva makes design easy -- even for marketers and salespeople who feel like they're design-challenged. The platform gives you a bunch of presentation templates to use right away, and it's very easy to customize them to your organization and presentation objective. Plus, a variety of apps that integrate with Google Drive, Instagram, and YouTube, to name a few.

Pricing : Free; Pro, $12.95/month for up to five people; Enterprise, $30/month per person

Often, being different is what attracts prospects, and Powtoon can help you do that in your presentations. Powtoon’s animation software lets you easily create videos with props, characters, and more -- which can help you differentiate your company when talking with prospects.

Pricing : Pro, $19/month; Pro+ $49/month; Agency, $89/month

3. PowerPoint

For years, PowerPoint has been the standard in presentation software, but it hasn’t remained static. PowerPoint is full of features to make sales and marketing presentations dynamic and engaging. ( Here are just a few ways you can do that .)

Pricing : Business Basic, $5/user/month; Business Standard, $12.50/user/month; Business Premium, $20/user/month

4. Slidesgo

Slidesgo is your creative companion in the world of presentation design. This website specializes in crafting visually stunning Google Slides and PowerPoint templates that breathe life into your ideas, making them shine on any screen. With a wide variety of templates ranging from business and marketing to medicine and education, Slidesgo empowers presenters of all backgrounds to engage, educate, and inspire their audiences.

Pricing: Free plan, $0; Premium, $4.99; Education, $2.99

A PowerPoint add-in, Oomfo helps sales and marketing pros create those oh-so-important interactive charts for presentations. Specialized charts, live charts from multiple files, data from cloud applications, interactive options, one-click conversions -- it’s all possible, and more, with Oomfo.

Pricing: Free

Apple’s Keynote allows users to work between their Mac and iOS devices, as well as with people who use Microsoft PowerPoint. With easy-to-use visual tools, drag and drop functionality, interactive charts, and more, Keynote is a popular choice among sales and marketing professionals.

Pricing : Free

7. SlideModel

SlideModel contains thousands of ready-made and 100% editable presentation templates to help any presenter save time creating engaging and aesthetically pleasing presentations. Their collection of presentation templates covers a variety of business purposes and even gets updated periodically to add new business and education templates. You can find a collection of visually appealing slides on the site including dashboards, creative infographics, editable Maps, funnels, timelines, mindmaps, and presentation slides depending on the need of your presentation. Their slides templates are easy to edit and are compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Pricing :  Free plan, $0; One-Day Access, $24.50; Annual Unlimited, $199.90/year

8. Beautiful.ai

Create beautiful slides, pitches, and proposals without a team of designers. AI applies design rules in real time, and a library of free photos and icons are at your fingertips.

Pricing : Basic, $0; Pro, $12/month; Team, $38/user/month

9. Haiku Deck

Available for the web or iPad, Haiku Deck has become a favorite of sales and marketing pros. With Haiku Deck, professionals can quickly create presentations that can be "easily projected, shared, posted, embedded on a website or blog, or viewed on any web-enabled device." Though it's another tool that helps you create presentations from scratch, its ease-of-use sets it apart from the rest.

Pricing : Pro, $9.99 - $19.99/month; Premium, $29.99/month

Vyond is an online animation software that allows you to create animated videos for marketing campaigns, sales enablement, or even human resources. Use their library of customizable templates or create your own from scratch.

Pricing : Essential, $229/year; Premium, $649/year; Professional, $999/user/year; Enterprise, contact for pricing

11. Storydoc

With templates for all the most popular business use cases, Storydoc is an interactive presentation maker built to help sales teams and marketing professionals engage more prospects and boost conversion rates. 

You can create amazing and engaging decks where you can embed video and social media content to tell your story the right way. Then, integrate your CRM into Storydoc decks, as well as calendars, sign-up forms, and other solutions that will make your presentation. Additionally, you have access to Storydoc's tracking analytics which shows who viewed your presentation and which components they interacted with the most. 

Pricing :  Free trial 14 days); Starter Plan, $40/month

Busy sales and marketing pros choose emaze because it makes creating amazing presentations quick and easy. The options abound with emaze: Choose a professionally designed template and then create a slideshow, video presentation , or 3D presentation.

Pricing : Business Plan, contact for pricing; Executive Plan, $40/month; Pro Plan, $13/month

13. Camtasia

TechSmith’s Camtasia is an amazing tool that helps you create professional videos. You can record screen movements, import HD video from another source, customize and edit the video, and then share the completed video presentation on practically any device. 

Pricing : Individual, $249.99/user/year; Business $249.99/user/year; Education, $169.99/user/year; Government and Non-Profit, $223.99/user/year

14. SlideShare

SlideShare is a popular choice for sales and marketing professionals looking for a way to share their content publicly. Because it already has a built-in audience, you can easily distribute your presentation out to lots of people -- and those people can embed your SlideShares on websites and blogs, or share them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

15. SlideDog

Sometimes, sales and marketing professionals need to be able to move between presentation tools, but it’s not always possible because of their technical limitations. SlideDog is the solution, as it enables users to switch between PowerPoint, Prezi, PDF, web pages and others.

Pricing : Free; Pro, $99/year; Pro Event, $49 for one-time payment

16. Presentation Assistant

Presentation Assistant lives up to its name: It assists professionals by enabling them to annotate, zoom, and more during a presentation. Sales and marketing professionals can clarify and emphasize points more clearly to their audience with Presentation Assistant.

Pricing : Presentation Pointer, $29.95; Presentation Screen Master, $29.95

17. authorSTREAM

Sales and marketing pros choose authorSTREAM to make their presentations dynamic and engaging. authorSTREAM allows users to share their PowerPoint presentations publicly or privately, broadcast them, convert them to video, communicate and collaborate about them, and more.

Pricing: Free or paid plans start at $4.20/month

18. Zentation

With Zentation, salespeople and marketers combine video and slides into a simulated live experience. Presentations created with Zentation become webinars, webcasts, and virtual events for prospects and customers -- all great collateral for marketing and sales.

Pricing : Free; Premium, $10 - $45/month; White-Label, contact for pricing

Sales and marketing professionals love Prezi because it is cloud-based. Prezi makes creating, editing, and presenting from your browser, desktop, iPad, or iPhone possible anywhere, any time.

Pricing : Standard, $5/month; Plus, $15/month; Premium, $59/month

20. Brainshark

Sales reps and marketers often choose Brainshark, a cloud-based presentation tool, because it allows them to create and deliver presentations live or on-demand (even using their iPad or iPhone), use on-demand video content, polls, or surveys for increased engagement, and embed presentations in websites and blogs.

Pricing : Contact for pricing

Vcasmo is a unique presentation tool -- it's a multimedia solution that enables users to synchronize a video and slideshow, side by side. Sales and marketing pros love Vcasmo because it supports playback in three forms: browser, mobile, and iPad. 

Pricing : Free; Standard, $10.99/month; Professional, $16.99/month

22. ViewletBuilder

ViewletBuilder is a different presentation tool; it captures critical screen updates and cursor position changes so sales and marketing pros can create presentations detailing how their product or sites work. With a plethora of features, ViewletBuilder allows for editing and enhancing and includes a variety of publishing and sharing options, too.

Pricing : Pro, $399; Enterprise, $599

23. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a top pick for sales and marketing pros because it lives online, making it possible to create, access, present, and more from anywhere, any time. The simple, intuitive interface and collaboration features are just two of its beloved benefits.

24. AhaSlides

Pricing : Free; Essential, $4.95/month; Pro, $15.95/month; Annual, Monthly & One-time plans available.

Visme is an all-in-one content creation platform with a vast library of professionally designed presentation templates, each tailored to your industry and specific proposal needs. Its beginner-friendly design platform allows you to drag and drop elements into place, use dynamic fields to update all your content in one place instantaneously and integrate your tools like Hubspot or Salesforce, and more to personalize each presentation.

Pricing: Free, Starter: $12.25/month, billed yearly, Pro: $30/month, billed yearly, Visme for Teams & Enterprises.

What are you waiting for? Pick a tool and start creating. Your prospects are waiting.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated for freshness and comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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15 Best Presentation Software for Business Professionals In 2024

Table of Contents

Business presentations serve as essential communication tools to convey ideas and create a favorable image for a brand. While Microsoft Powerpoint is popular and the default software for presentations, several advanced presentation software choices are available to help you create visually appealing presentations that stand out and keep your audience engaged.

However, the key challenge lies in finding the perfect presentation software with the appropriate features to build an exceptional business presentation. To guide you through this process, we have curated a list of the top 15 presentation software solutions, outlining their features, pros & cons, and crucial factors to consider during your decision-making process.

What is a Presentation Software?

Presentation software is a computer program that allows users to create visual and interactive presentations. It enables users to combine text, images, videos, charts, and other multimedia elements to convey information effectively. These software tools provide a user-friendly interface for arranging and organizing content in slides, making it easy for marketing and sales teams to structure and design presentations. Presenters can enhance their delivery by adding animations, transitions, and speaker notes.

Commonly used presentation software includes Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, and various other alternatives that offer a range of features to engage and captivate the audience during business meetings, educational sessions, or public speaking events.

Key Features of a Presentation Software

Key Features of Presentation Software include the following:

1. Slide Creation : The primary function of any presentation software is to create slides. This feature enables users to add text, images, videos, charts, and shapes to build visually engaging content.

2. Templates: Presentation software offers pre-designed templates for various purposes and industries. These templates provide a quick and professional starting point for users to customize their presentations.

3. Animations and Transitions: Presentations come to life with animations and slide transitions. These features add visual appeal and help maintain audience interest during the presentation.

4. Multimedia Support: Presentation software allows users to embed videos, audio clips, and other multimedia elements, making presentations more dynamic and interactive.

5. Collaboration: Many modern presentation tools offer real-time collaboration features, enabling multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously.

6. Speaker Notes: Presenters can add speaker notes to each slide to guide them through the presentation and ensure a smooth delivery.

7. Compatibility: Presentation software should be compatible with different devices and operating systems to ensure seamless sharing and viewing across various platforms.

8. Export Options : Users should be able to export presentations in various formats, such as PDF, PowerPoint, or video files, for easy sharing and distribution.

9. Audience Interaction: Some advanced presentation software allows audience interaction through polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions, enhancing engagement and participation.

10. Analytics and Tracking: For business and educational purposes, some presentation tools offer analytics to track audience engagement, slide views, and other performance metrics.

11. Customization: This feature allows users to customize fonts, colors, and layouts to align with their branding or personal preferences.

12. Cloud Storage: Integration with cloud storage services allows users to save and access presentations from anywhere, making collaboration and mobility more convenient.

13. Offline Access : Some presentation software provides offline access, allowing users to work on their presentations even without an internet connection.

Overall, the critical features of presentation software empower users to create compelling, interactive, and well-structured presentations that effectively communicate their ideas and messages to the audience.

Crucial Factors To Consider Before Choosing a Presentation Tool

Choosing the right presentation tool is essential to create impactful and engaging presentations that effectively convey your message to the audience. There are several crucial factors to consider before making your decision:

1. Ease of Use

Look for a presentation tool with a user-friendly interface and intuitive features. It should be easy to navigate and allow you to create slides quickly without much technical knowledge.

2. Features and Functionality

Assess the tool’s features and functionalities, including slide templates, animations, multimedia support, collaboration options, and audience interaction capabilities. Ensure it offers the tools you need to create the type of presentation you envision.

3. Compatibility

Check if the presentation tool is compatible with different devices and operating systems. This ensures seamless sharing and viewing across various platforms.

4. Templates and Customization

Look for a tool that offers a wide range of pre-designed templates to kickstart your presentation. Additionally, ensure you can customize the templates to match your brand identity and presentation style.

5. Collaboration Capabilities

If you are working on a presentation with a team, opt for a tool that allows real-time collaboration. This enables multiple users to work on the presentation simultaneously and provides a smoother workflow.

6. Cost and Pricing Model

Consider the pricing of the presentation tool, including any subscription plans or one-time purchase options. Evaluate whether the features offered align with the cost and fit within your budget.

7. Offline Access

If you often work in environments without internet access, choose a presentation tool that offers offline functionality, allowing you to continue working without interruption.

8. Data Security

If your presentations contain sensitive information, ensure the tool offers robust data security measures, such as encryption and secure login protocols.

9. Customer Support

Look for a presentation tool with reliable customer support to assist you in case of technical issues or inquiries.

10. Reviews and Rating

Read reviews and ratings from other users to gain insights into their experiences with the presentation tool. Positive feedback from users indicates a trustworthy and effective tool.

11. Learning Resources

Check if the presentation tool provides tutorials, guides, or a knowledge base to help you master its features and maximize its capabilities.

12. Export Options

Ensure the presentation tool allows you to export your presentations in various formats, such as PDF, PowerPoint, or video files, for easy sharing and distribution.

13. Trial Period

Many presentation tools offer a free trial or limited version for testing. Take advantage of these trial periods to assess the tool’s suitability for your needs before committing to a subscription.

Considering these crucial factors, you can select the best presentation tool that aligns with your requirements and empowers you to create impactful and memorable presentations.

Here are the 15 best presentation software that caters to various needs and preferences, allowing business professionals to create presentations for different purposes, such as sales pitches, training sessions, or marketing campaigns.

1. Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely-used presentation software developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite and is available for both Windows and Mac platforms. PowerPoint allows users to create visually engaging and professional PowerPoint presentations using slides. The software offers many tools, templates, and design options, making it versatile for business presentations, educational lectures, and marketing pitches.

Users can add text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and animations to each slide, creating dynamic and interactive presentations. PowerPoint also supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to simultaneously work on the same presentation locally or through cloud-based services like Microsoft OneDrive.

With its user-friendly interface and extensive features, Microsoft PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for creating compelling presentations that captivate audiences and convey information effectively. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft Office tools and widespread use in professional settings make it a powerful tool for business professionals worldwide.

Key Features of Microsoft PowerPoint

• Slide Creation: Create slides with text, images, shapes, charts, and multimedia elements.
• Templates: Access a wide range of professionally designed templates for quick, attractive presentations.
• Animations and Transitions: Add dynamic animations and slide transitions to enhance visual appeal.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with team members in real-time using cloud services like OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Presenter View: Utilize Presenter View to see your notes, slide previews, and upcoming slides during a presentation.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft Office apps, like Excel and Word.
• Charts and Graphs: Generate and customize various charts and graphs to present data visually.
• SmartArt Graphics: Convert complex information into easily understandable diagrams using SmartArt graphics.
• Recording: Record and narrate presentations for later playback.
• Export Options: Save presentations in different formats, including PDF and video.
• Widely-used and well-established presentation software.
• User-friendly interface with a shallow learning curve.
• Extensive features for creating versatile and visually appealing presentations.
• Excellent compatibility with other Microsoft Office products.
• Real-time collaboration with cloud-based storage options.
• Limited access to advanced design features compared to specialized graphic design software.
• Larger file sizes can be an issue when sharing presentations.
• Some advanced features may be overwhelming for casual users.

Who is it for

Microsoft PowerPoint suits individuals and professionals in various fields, including business executives, educators, students, salespeople, marketers, and trainers. It caters to anyone who needs to create engaging presentations for communication, persuasion, or educational purposes.

Microsoft PowerPoint is available as part of the Microsoft Office suite, which offers subscription plans like Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and one-time purchase options like Office Home & Student or Office Home & Business. Prices vary depending on the plan and the number of devices you want to use it on. The home plan starts at $69.99, while the basic business plan costs $6 monthly.

2. Google Slides

Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software developed by Google. It is a part of the Google Workspace suite (formerly known as G Suite) and allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on presentations online. Google Slides provides various tools and features to design and customize slides, insert multimedia elements, and share presentations with others for real-time collaboration.

Users can access Google Slides through a web browser or the mobile app, and all changes are automatically saved to Google Drive, enabling easy access and sharing across multiple devices. With its intuitive interface and collaborative capabilities, Google Slides is a popular choice for creating and delivering engaging presentations for educational, business, and personal purposes.

Key Features of Google Slides

• Cloud-based: Access and edit presentations from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can work on the same presentation simultaneously.
• Auto-Save: Changes are automatically saved to Google Drive in real time.
• Templates: Choose from a variety of pre-designed templates to create professional-looking slides.
• Integration: Seamless integration with other Google Workspace apps like Google Docs and Google Sheets. It also allows for a simple transition between presentation apps.
• Import and Export: Import presentations from other formats and export them as PowerPoint or PDF files.
• Animation and Transitions: Add animations and transitions to make presentations more engaging.
• Embedded Videos: Insert videos from YouTube or Google Drive directly into slides.
• Commenting: Users can leave comments on specific slides for collaboration and feedback.
• Offline Editing : Work on presentations offline with Google Slides Chrome extension.
• Free to use with a Google account.
• Cross-platform accessibility.
• Real-time collaboration fosters teamwork.
• Automatic updates and backups.
• Integration with other Google apps enhances productivity.
• Limited offline access without the Chrome extension.
• Fewer advanced features compared to some desktop-based alternatives.
• Internet dependency for real-time collaboration.
• Students, educators, and academic institutions for educational presentations.
• Small to large businesses for professional presentations and team collaboration.
• Non-profit organizations and individuals for personal projects and creative presentations.

Google Slides is available for free as part of the Google Workspace suite, which offers additional features and storage options with different pricing plans. The basic version is accessible with a free Google account, while the business plan starts at $12 monthly per year.

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that offers a unique and dynamic approach to creating and delivering presentations. Unlike traditional slide-based presentations, Prezi uses a zooming user interface (ZUI) to present content on a single large canvas. Users can create visually captivating presentations by zooming in and out, panning across the canvas, and transitioning between content in a non-linear manner. This innovative approach allows for more engaging and interactive presentations, making it ideal for storytelling, pitches, and educational purposes.

Prezi provides various templates and customization options to create visually appealing presentations. It also offers collaboration features, allowing multiple users to simultaneously work on the same presentation. With Prezi, presenters can emphasize connections between ideas, present information in a memorable way, and capture the audience’s attention with its dynamic visuals.

Key Features of Prezi

• Zooming User Interface (ZUI)
• Non-linear Presentation
• Templates and Customization
• Collaboration
• Offline Access
• Prezi Viewer App
• Animated Effects and Transitions
• Embedding Multimedia (Videos, Images, etc.)
• Analytics and Tracking
• Presenter Notes
• Remote Presenting
• PowerPoint Import and Export
• Cloud Storage
• Private and Public Sharing Options
• Cross-platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, Web)
• Real-time Editing and Commenting
• Integrations with other Platforms (Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
• Data Visualization Tools
• Interactive Polls and Surveys
• Prezi Video Integration for Virtual Presentations.
• Dynamic and engaging presentation style.
• Non-linear storytelling capability.
• Cloud-based, accessible from any device with an internet connection.
• Collaboration features for team projects.
• Prezi Viewer app for mobile presentations.
• The steeper learning curve for first-time users.
• Limited offline access in the free version.
• Some users might prefer traditional slide-based presentations.
• Professionals and business users for sales pitches, marketing presentations, and client meetings.
• Educators and students for interactive classroom presentations.
• Creatives and individuals who want to present their ideas innovative and visually captivatingly.

Prezi offers a free version with essential features and limited storage. It also provides premium plans, including Prezi Standard, Plus, and Premium, with varying subscription costs, additional features, and larger storage options. Custom pricing is available for enterprise-level needs with Prezi Business plans.

Canva is a graphic design platform that can help you create visually engaging and compelling presentations. It offers pre-designed presentation templates suitable for various purposes, such as business pitches, educational lectures, marketing presentations, and more.

With Canvas’s user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality, users can easily customize the templates by adding text, images, icons, charts, and other elements to create professional and eye-catching presentations.

Canva provides an efficient and convenient way for users to design and deliver impactful slideshows without requiring extensive design skills. It is a valuable tool for anyone looking to create visually impressive presentations.

Key Features of Canva for Presentation

• Templates: A vast library of pre-designed presentation templates for various purposes and industries.
• Customization: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface to personalize templates with text, images, icons, and more.
• Collaboration: Team members can collaborate in real-time on presentation designs.
• Multimedia Support: Ability to add videos, audio, and interactive elements to presentations.
• Animations: Access to animations and transitions for dynamic and engaging slideshows.
• Charts and Graphs: Integrated tools to create visually appealing charts and graphs.
• Export and Share: Options to export presentations in various formats and share them with others.
• The User-friendly interface is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.
• Extensive template library for quick and professional-looking presentations.
• Collaborative features enhance team productivity.
• Accessible on web browsers and mobile devices for on-the-go editing.
• Integrations with various platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Some advanced design features are limited in the free version.
• Offline editing requires a premium subscription.
• Customization options might be limited compared to dedicated presentation software.
• Business professionals, marketers, educators, students, and anyone looking to create visually appealing presentations without extensive design skills.
• Canva offers a free version with limited features.
• Canva Pro, which includes additional features like access to premium elements, animations, and collaboration tools, is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis.

Visme is a cloud-based presentation software that empowers users to create visually stunning and interactive presentations, infographics, charts, and other visual content. With its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates and design elements, Visme allows users to quickly and easily design professional presentations without needing advanced design skills.

Key Features of Visme for Presentation

• Templates: A wide range of customizable presentation templates for different industries and purposes.
• Drag-and-Drop Editor: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for easy content creation and customization.
• Interactivity: Ability to add interactive elements like animations, pop-ups, and hover effects to engage the audience.
• Charts and Data Visualization: Built-in tools to create dynamic charts, graphs, and data visualizations.
• Collaboration: Real-time collaboration and feedback features to facilitate teamwork.
• Embeddable Content: Option to embed presentations on websites, blogs, or social media.
• Analytics: Access to analytics to track the performance of presentations.

• The easy-to-use interface is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.
• Rich library of templates and design assets for creating eye-catching presentations.
• Interactive features enhance audience engagement.
• Cloud-based storage for easy access and sharing of presentations.
• Integrations with popular platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace.
• Some advanced features are only available in higher-priced plans.
• The free version comes with limited templates and features.
• Limited offline editing capabilities.
• Visme is suitable for business professionals, educators, marketers, and individuals looking to create compelling and interactive presentations to convey information effectively.
• Visme offers a free version with limited features.
• Paid plans, including Standard, Business, and Enterprise, are available on a monthly or annual subscription basis, each with varying features and pricing. The price starts at $12.25 per month annually.

Keynote is a presentation app developed by Apple Inc., designed specifically for macOS and iOS devices. It is a part of Apple’s iWork suite of productivity tools. Keynote allows users to create visually stunning and engaging presentations featuring multimedia elements like images, videos, charts, and animations.

Key Features of Keynote

• Intuitive Interface: Keynote offers a user-friendly and intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and design presentations.
• Media Integration: Users can seamlessly integrate multimedia elements, such as photos, videos, and audio files, to enhance the visual appeal of presentations.
• Animations and Transitions: Keynote provides a variety of dynamic animations and smooth transitions to add visual effects to slides.
• Real-time Collaboration: Users can collaborate with others in real time, allowing multiple contributors to work on the same presentation simultaneously.
• Compatibility: Keynote supports various file formats and can import and export presentations to and from PowerPoint and PDF.
• Apple Pencil Support: For iOS devices, Keynote offers Apple Pencil support, enabling users to draw and annotate directly on slides.

• Seamless integration with other Apple devices and services.
• Free presentation software with a wide selection of pre-designed templates and themes.
• Advanced animations and transitions for captivating presentations.
• Cloud-based storage for easy access to presentations across devices.
• Keynote is exclusive to macOS and iOS devices, limiting cross-platform compatibility.
• Users on non-Apple devices may encounter formatting issues when importing Keynote files.
• Some features may have a steeper learning curve for new users.
• Keynote is ideal for Mac and iOS users who want to create professional presentations on visual aesthetics and multimedia elements.
• Keynote is free on macOS and iOS devices, included with the purchase of the corresponding hardware. No separate subscription or purchase is required to use Keynote on Apple devices.

Powtoon is a cloud-based presentation software and animation tool allowing users to create animated videos, presentations, and explainer videos easily. It provides a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced creators. Powtoon offers a library of pre-designed templates, characters, objects, and backgrounds, enabling users to create visually engaging and interactive content.

Key Features of Powtoon

• Animated Presentations: Powtoon allows users to create dynamic and animated video presentations with various animations, transitions, and effects.
• Customizable Characters and Objects: Users can personalize characters, objects, and backgrounds to fit their specific content and brand identity.
• Voiceover Recording: Powtoon enables users to add voiceover narration to their presentations, providing a more interactive and engaging experience.
• Import and Export: Users can import images, videos, and audio files and export their presentations as video files or directly to YouTube.
• Real-time Collaboration: Powtoon offers collaboration features, allowing teams to work together on the same project in real time.
• Integration with PowerPoint: Powtoon provides a PowerPoint plugin for seamless integration with Microsoft PowerPoint.

• User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
• Extensive library of pre-designed templates and characters.
• Supports both animated and live-action presentations.
• Allows users to create professional-looking videos and presentations without extensive design skills.
• Limited free version with watermarked videos and reduced features.
• Some advanced features and elements may require a premium subscription.
• The steeper learning curve for complex animations and interactions.
• Powtoon is suitable for educators, marketers, business professionals, and content creators who want to create visually engaging and animated presentations and videos.
• Powtoon offers a free plan with limited features and a watermark on videos. Paid plans start at different pricing tiers, with more advanced features and options available at higher subscription levels.

8. Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a presentation software focusing on simplicity, visual appeal, and ease of use. It is designed to help users create stunning and visually engaging presentations with minimal effort. Haiku Deck provides a wide range of professionally designed templates, high-quality images, and an intuitive interface, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.

Key Features of Haiku Deck

• Visual Templates: Haiku Deck offers a variety of visually appealing templates that can be customized to match the user’s content and style.
• Image Library: The software provides access to a vast library of high-quality images to enhance the visual impact of the presentations.
• Effortless Charts and Graphs: Haiku Deck allows users to create charts and graphs with just a few clicks, making data visualization simple and effective.
• Integration with Popular Platforms: Users can import content from various platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Keynote to streamline the presentation creation process.
• Real-time Collaboration: Haiku Deck enables real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to collaborate on presentations remotely.

• Professionally designed templates for a polished and professional look.
• The abundance of high-quality images and icons enhances presentations.
• Seamless integration with popular platforms for easy content importing.
• Limited customization options compared to some other presentation software.
• Advanced features and options may be lacking for users who require highly complex presentations.
• The free version has certain limitations on the number of presentations and features.
• Haiku Deck is ideal for educators, entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, and individuals who value simplicity and want to create visually striking presentations quickly and easily.
• Haiku Deck offers both a free plan and paid subscriptions with additional features. The paid plans provide more customization options, advanced analytics, and access to premium content libraries.

9. Slidebean

Slidebean is an online presentation software that simplifies the process of creating professional and visually appealing presentations. It is designed to assist users, especially those with limited design skills, craft engaging slides with minimal effort. Slidebean’s AI-powered platform automates various design elements, making it easier for users to focus on their content and message delivery.

Key Features of Slidebean

• AI Design Assistance: Slidebean’s AI algorithms analyze content and suggest appropriate design elements, layouts, and color schemes for each slide.
• Customizable Templates: The platform offers various templates catering to different industries and presentation styles.
• Content Importing: Users can import content from various sources, such as Google Slides, Powerpoint, and Dropbox, to seamlessly integrate existing materials into their presentations.
• Collaboration Tools: Slidebean facilitates real-time collaboration among team members, making working remotely on presentations accessible.
• Slide Analytics: The software provides analytics on slide engagement, enabling users to understand how their audience interacts with their presentation.

• AI-powered design assistance streamlines the creation process.
• A diverse selection of customizable templates for various presentation needs.
• Easy content importing from other platforms.
• Real-time collaboration for effective teamwork.
• Some advanced features may be limited compared to more robust presentation software.
• The free version has certain limitations on the number of slides and exports.
• Slidebean is suitable for startups, entrepreneurs, educators, and individuals who want to create professional presentations quickly, especially those without advanced design skills.
• Slidebean offers a free plan with essential features and paid subscriptions with additional benefits such as unlimited exports, premium templates, and priority customer support.

10. Genially

Genially is an online platform that empowers users to create interactive and visually stunning presentations, infographics, and other visual content. It offers a wide range of pre-designed templates and interactive elements that can be customized to suit various needs, making it easy to engage and captivate audiences.

Key Features of Genially

• Interactive Content: Genially allows users to add interactive elements such as animations, pop-ups, hotspots, and quizzes to create engaging and immersive presentations.
• Wide Variety of Templates: The platform provides a diverse collection of pre-designed templates for different purposes, saving time and effort in creating visually appealing content.
• Collaboration and Sharing: This presentation program facilitates real-time collaboration, making it ideal for presentations and visual project teamwork. It also enables easy sharing via links or embedding in websites and social media.
• Data Integration: Users can integrate data from spreadsheets, surveys, and other sources to create dynamic and data-driven content.
• Analytics and Tracking: Genially offers insights on how viewers interact with the content, providing valuable feedback on audience engagement.

• A vast library of interactive elements and templates.
• Suitable for creating interactive presentations, infographics, social media posts, and more.
• Supports collaboration and sharing among team members.
• Some advanced features may require a learning curve for first-time users.
• The free version has limitations on the number of projects and interactive elements.
• Genially is suitable for educators, marketers, designers, and anyone seeking to create interactive and visually rich content to engage and impress their audience.
• Genially offers free and paid plans with additional features, including templates, storage space, and collaboration options.

11. SlideShare

SlideShare is a web-based platform owned by LinkedIn, designed for sharing and discovering presentations, documents, and professional content. It allows users to upload and share presentations, PDFs, infographics, and other documents with a global audience. SlideShare is a valuable resource for professionals, educators, and businesses to showcase their expertise, insights, and ideas through visual content.

Key Features of SlideShare

• Presentation Sharing: Users can upload and share presentations in various formats, such as PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote, and more.
• Document Hosting: SlideShare hosts many professional documents, including reports, whitepapers, and case studies.
• Embedding and Sharing: Content hosted on SlideShare can be easily embedded on websites, blogs, and social media platforms for broader visibility.
• Social Sharing and Engagement: Users can like, comment, and share content, fostering community engagement and interactions.
• Content Categorization: SlideShare categorizes content into topics, making it easy for users to discover relevant presentations and documents.

• Access to a vast collection of professional presentations and documents on diverse topics.
• Opportunity to showcase expertise and insights to a global audience.
• Provides a valuable platform for lead generation, content marketing, and branding.
• Easy social media sharing and embedding options.
• Limited editing capabilities, as SlideShare primarily focuses on content sharing rather than content creation.
• Some features may require a LinkedIn account for full functionality.
• SlideShare is beneficial for professionals, marketers, educators, and businesses looking to share and discover informative and visually engaging content for a wider audience.
• SlideShare offers free accounts for content sharing and viewing. However, additional paid features are available for businesses and marketers looking to enhance their visibility and analytics.

12. SlideDog

SlideDog is a multimedia presentation software that allows users to seamlessly blend different media types into a single, interactive presentation. It enables presenters to combine PowerPoint slides, PDFs, videos, web pages, and more into a cohesive presentation experience. SlideDog is designed to streamline the process of delivering multimedia-rich presentations, making it easy to switch between various content formats without interruptions or technical glitches.

Key Features of SlideDog

• Media Integration: Users can incorporate diverse media types like PowerPoint, PDF, videos, images, websites, and live web pages into a single presentation.
• Seamless Transitions: SlideDog allows smooth transitions between different media elements, providing a fluid and engaging presentation experience.
• Live Sharing and Polling: Presenters can share real-time presentations with remote audiences and even conduct polls for audience engagement.
• Presenter View: SlideDog offers a presenter view, allowing speakers to preview and control the presentation while the audience views the main screen.
• Playlist Management: Users can create playlists to organize and manage their multimedia content for efficient presentation delivery.

• Supports a wide range of media types, enabling dynamic and interactive presentations.
• Easy-to-use interface, making it user-friendly for both presenters and audiences.
• Suitable for both in-person and online presentations, enhancing versatility.
• It provides live-sharing options, making it ideal for remote and virtual events.
• Limited design and customization options compared to traditional presentation software like PowerPoint.
• Some advanced features may require a premium subscription.
• SlideDog is ideal for presenters, educators, event organizers, and businesses looking to create engaging multimedia presentations and streamline the delivery of content-rich materials.
• SlideDog offers a free version with basic features. It also provides premium plans with additional features and functionality at various price points.

Pitch is a modern presentation software designed to empower teams and individuals to create compelling and visually stunning presentations. It aims to enhance collaboration and streamline the process of building impactful pitch decks and proposals. Pitch provides a range of features and templates that enable users to craft persuasive presentations, making it an excellent tool for sales pitches, investor pitches, and other business communications.

Key Features of Pitch

• Collaborative Workspace: Pitch offers real-time collaboration, allowing multiple team members to simultaneously work on the same presentation.
• Smart Slide Templates: It provides professionally designed templates and customizable slide layouts to ensure a consistent and polished look for the presentation.
• Library of Assets: Users can access a library of stock images, icons, and illustrations to enhance the visual appeal of their slides.
• Data Visualization: Pitch supports interactive charts, graphs, and data visualizations to make complex information more accessible to the audience.
• Integration with Other Tools: It integrates with popular productivity tools like Slack, Trello, and Google Drive for seamless workflow management.

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface for easy navigation and presentation creation.
• Allows real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to collaborate on presentations.
• Offers a wide range of customizable templates and design elements.
• Supports seamless integration with other productivity tools, enhancing workflow efficiency.
• Some advanced features in the free version may be limited, requiring a premium subscription for full access.
• Occasional minor bugs and performance issues may arise.
• Pitch is ideal for businesses, startups, and professionals looking to create visually appealing and collaborative presentations to convey ideas, pitches, and proposals effectively.
• Pitch offers free and premium plans, with the premium plan providing additional features and customization options.

14. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a cloud-based presentation software developed by Zoho Corporation. It is designed to help users create, collaborate, and quickly deliver visually engaging presentations. Zoho Show offers a range of tools and features to streamline the presentation creation process and enhance the overall productivity of individuals and teams.

Key Features of Zoho Show

• Collaborative Editing: Zoho Show allows multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously, facilitating real-time collaboration.
• Pre-designed Templates: It offers a collection of professionally designed templates to jumpstart the presentation creation process.
• Charts and Graphs: Zoho Show supports interactive charts and graphs, making it easy to visualize data and statistics.
• Integration with Zoho Apps: Users can seamlessly integrate Zoho Show with other Zoho productivity apps, such as Zoho Docs and Zoho CRM.
• Privacy and Security: Zoho Show ensures data privacy and security through encryption and secure cloud storage.

• User-friendly interface, suitable for both beginners and experienced users.
• Real-time collaboration enhances team productivity and efficiency.
• Offers a variety of presentation templates and customization options.
• Integrates well with other Zoho applications, simplifying workflow management.
• Advanced features may require a paid subscription.
• Limited integration with third-party applications outside the Zoho ecosystem.
• Zoho Show caters to individuals, businesses, and educational institutions seeking a versatile and collaborative presentation tool to create professional-grade presentations.
• Zoho Show offers a free version with basic features. Premium plans with additional features are available at various subscription levels.

15. ClearSlide

ClearSlide is a cloud-based sales engagement platform that aims to empower sales teams with powerful tools to create, deliver, and track engaging sales presentations and content. It provides a comprehensive solution for sales professionals to enhance their communication with prospects and customers, leading to more effective sales conversations and better results.

Key Features of ClearSlide

• Content Management: ClearSlide offers a centralized content library to organize and manage sales collateral, including presentations, documents, videos, and more.
• Analytics and Reporting: It provides detailed analytics and insights into how prospects engage with sales content, allowing sales teams to prioritize leads and improve their outreach strategies.
• Email and Online Presentations: ClearSlide enables sales reps to deliver presentations remotely through email or online meetings, facilitating seamless virtual interactions.
• Integration with Sales Tools: It integrates with popular CRM platforms, such as Salesforce, enabling seamless data synchronization and streamlining the sales workflow.
• Real-time Engagement Tracking: ClearSlide tracks real-time viewer engagement, notifying sales reps when prospects open, view, or interact with the content.

• User-friendly interface and easy content management.
• Powerful analytics and insights to optimize sales strategies.
• Integration with CRM systems enhances sales efficiency.
• Mobile app allows sales reps to access and share content on the go.
• Some advanced features may require a higher-tier subscription.
• Limited integrations with other third-party applications.
• ClearSlide is designed for sales teams and professionals looking to streamline their sales communication, improve content management, and enhance engagement with prospects and clients.
• ClearSlide offers multiple pricing plans tailored to the needs of individual sales reps, teams, and enterprises, with various features and customization options available.

These 15 Online Presentation tools come with different features and capabilities to help you create visually appealing and engaging presentations that convey your messages and move your audience

How Can All Time Design Help You Create Engaging Presentations?

All Time Design can help you create engaging presentations by providing expert design services catering to your needs. Our team of skilled graphic designers understands the principles of effective presentation design and can craft visually appealing slides that capture your audience’s attention.

Here’s how All Time Design can assist you in creating engaging presentations:

• Custom Designs: We can create custom presentation templates that align with your brand identity and style, ensuring a consistent and professional look throughout your slides.
• Visual Storytelling: Our designers excel at visual storytelling, using compelling graphics, images, and icons to enhance your message and make your presentation memorable.
• Data Visualization: We can transform complex data into clear and understandable visualizations, making it easier for your audience to grasp critical insights.
• Animation and Interactivity: All Time Design can add subtle animations and interactive elements to your slides, bringing your content to life and keeping your audience engaged.
• Content Organization: Our designers can structure your presentation logically and engagingly, guiding your audience through your key points with clarity and flow.
• Infographics and Charts: We can create eye-catching infographics and charts that effectively communicate information and statistics.
• Branding Integration: All Time Design ensures that your company’s branding elements are seamlessly integrated into your presentation, reinforcing your brand identity.
• Revision and Feedback: We welcome your input and offer revisions to fine-tune the design according to your preferences and feedback.
• Timely Delivery: We understand the importance of deadlines and strive to deliver high-quality presentations within your specified timeframe.
• Consultation: Our team is available for consultation to understand your presentation goals and provide tailored design solutions.

By partnering with All Time Design, you can create visually stunning and engaging presentations that captivate your audience, convey your message effectively, and leave a lasting impact. Click here to get started.

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Best Business Presentation Software to Turn Data to Stories

The ultimate list of the best presentation software apps, including tools for slideshows, interactive, and animated presentations. Free presentation software covered!

8 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What is the best business presentation software?

• Beautiful.ai

You need to leave static slides behind if you want to make an impact

Let's face it, unless you're a design wizard, the thought of crafting a presentation probably doesn't fill you with excitement.

You've seen them all – those templates that scream 'I'm a template!' with their predictable layouts and yawn-inducing designs.

You see, most business presentation software still clings to a relic from the 80s: the slideshow. Meanwhile, modern audiences are craving something entirely different.

They're all about engaging, scroll-based web pages and snappy animated clips. Sticking to static slides? You might as well be speaking a foreign language to your audience.

Now, here's the deal: if you skip out on this read, you risk being overshadowed by those who've embraced the new wave of business presentation tools.

But, if you stick with me, you're in for a treat. I'm about to introduce you to a world of presentation apps that will hold your audience's attention and elevate your message, making it resonate like never before.

Dive in, and let's turn those snooze-fest slides into something spectacular.

Static vs. interactive business presentation software

In the world of presentations, static presentation programs are like that old, reliable sedan. They'll get you from point A to B, but don't expect anyone to turn their heads.

These tools rely on a series of slides, each a frozen moment in time, offering little beyond basic visuals and text.

The problem? They're predictably dull. Your audience has seen it all before – slide after slide, a one-way street of information.

Enter interactive business presentation software, the flashy sports car of the presentation world. These tools are all about engagement and versatility. They invite your audience on a journey, not just a lecture.

With interactive elements like clickable content, embedded videos, and dynamic animations, they transform passive viewers into active participants.

For more information, check out our resource on why static slides are bad for you .

And here's the change adding some interactivity can make:

What features should you look for in online presentation tools?

Navigating the sea of online presentation tools can feel like sailing without a compass – exciting but a bit overwhelming. But don't worry, the secret is in knowing which features are your true north. Here's your navigational chart:

User-friendly interface: Opt for a tool that's as intuitive as your favorite social media app. Complexity is the last thing you need.

Rich multimedia integration: The power to embed videos, audio, and interactive elements is crucial. It turns a presentation into a conversation.

Customizable templates: A variety of templates is your fast track to sleek, professional presentations without starting from scratch.

Real-time collaboration: A tool that supports teamwork in real-time is invaluable. It's about bringing minds together effortlessly.

Analytics and feedback tools: Insights into audience engagement can transform your future presentations from guesswork to precision.

Cross-platform compatibility: Ensure your presentation shines on any device, be it a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Cloud-based access: The freedom to access and tweak your presentation from anywhere is a modern-day necessity.

Interactive elements: Engage your audience with polls, Q&A sessions, and clickable content. Interaction is the heartbeat of a great presentation.

Best business presentation software to get viewers hooked

I've scoured the Internet to bring you a selection of the best apps for presentations currently available. These are the tools that promise to hook your viewers from the first click, transforming your ideas into captivating visual stories .

But how did I assess these tools? Let's dive into the 3 main categories that guided my selection:

1) Ease of use

This category is all about how user-friendly each presentation tool is. I looked for software that welcomes new users with an intuitive interface, making it easy to jump right in.

The learning curve shouldn't be steep; you want to spend your time crafting compelling content, not wrestling with complicated features. Accessibility is key, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their tech-savviness, can create stunning presentations with ease.

2) Versatility and customization features

A top-notch presentation tool must serve various needs, from sales pitches and educational content to business proposals. I explored the versatility of each software, assessing its ability to adapt to different scenarios.

Customization is equally important; your presentation should reflect your unique style and message. The best tools offer a wide range of templates, design elements, and the flexibility to personalize every aspect of your presentation.

3) Engagement and conversion features

Engaging your audience is one thing, but prompting them to take action is where the real magic happens. I focused on features that elevate presentations from passive to interactive experiences.

This includes embedding call-to-action buttons, integrating forms for instant feedback or inquiries, and even scheduling meetings directly from the presentation.

Additionally, tracking engagement analytics can provide valuable insights, helping you understand what resonates with your audience and refine your approach.

You might notice that PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote are absent from my list of top business presentation tools.

While these platforms are widely used and familiar to many, they often fall short in offering the innovative features and customization options that modern businesses require to truly stand out and engage their audiences.

With that out of the way, let's explore the tools that made the cut and how they can transform your next presentation into an unforgettable experience.

Jump ahead to page section

1. Storydoc

We’re a bunch of content geeks crazy about effective storytelling and Storydoc is our beloved brainchild. So, of course, we’re going to kick off the list with our product—because we want you to love it too.

Storydoc is a professional presentation software tool created to meet the needs of contemporary business.

Forget the days of flipping through static slides. The content created with Storydoc comes alive, allowing you to scroll through beautifully animated narratives that capture and hold your audience's attention from start to finish.

We've made sure the editor is super user-friendly, so you don't need to be a tech wizard to create something amazing. It's all about letting your creative juices flow without getting bogged down by complicated processes.

For when that writer’s block hits, you can also use the help of our AI assistant to create the content and images for you, or brainstorm different ideas.

And here's the cherry on top: our analytics panel lets you peek behind the curtain to see exactly how readers are interacting with your deck.

You'll get the lowdown on how much time they're spending on each slide, pinpoint where they're dropping off, and even find out if they've been sharing your deck internally.

You can then use those insights to finetune your presentation for maximum impact.

What’s best about it

In a word: results. Storydoc presentations have helped businesses across various industries instantly boost their key metrics.

Our users have seen their engagement metrics shoot up, and that's because Storydoc isn't just about looking good (though it definitely does that).

It's about making sure your message hits home and drives action. We're all about boosting those conversion rates, and we've got the data to prove it .

You can amp up your deck with smart CTAs, like embedding a calendar for instant meeting bookings or an accept button for your proposals, giving your readers a gentle nudge towards taking action right when their interest peaks.

Who it’s for

We created Storydoc primarily with sales and marketing teams in mind. As presentation software for business, Storydoc is best suited for sales presentations, proposals, pitch decks, and company collateral.

Using our CRM integrations, you can then personalize each deck at scale to make it feel tailor-made for each recipient.

14-day free trial

Starter plan: $30/month per user (billed annually)

Pro plan: $45/month per user (billed annually)

Team plan: Talk to sales

2. Slidebean

Marketed as an interactive presentation software powered by no magic at all but Artificial Intelligence , Slidebean does give off a sense of riding on the cutting edge of content creation .

You can write an outline for your presentation in their no-code content-brief and editor, and the tool will automatically format your slides, according to a set of predefined best practices. I took Slidebean for a test drive and was genuinely impressed by how accurate it was at understanding my intentions.

Their claim about letting you make a presentation “in minutes instead of hours” stretches it a bit yet it’s true that Slidebean is one of the quickest presentation software tools out there. Despite the AI-engineered experience you maintain a healthy degree of control: you can have the tool rearrange the slides you don’t like or use fill-in-the-blank templates if you’re in more of a DIY mood. The only downside lies in the very basics: the slide designs feel a bit dated and somewhat crowded for a piece of presentation software based on the technology of the future.

While you’ll be able to create a presentation easily, it might not impress your audience as much as you’d like.

Slidebean excels in removing the friction from presentation design. If you're looking to bypass the nitty-gritty of formatting and jump straight to a polished end product, Slidebean is your go-to.

It's about getting your ideas formatted correctly without the fuss, making your presentation journey as smooth as possible.

And here's where it gets even cooler: Slidebean isn't just about making your slides look good. It's about giving you insights into how your pitch is performing.

Want to know if your deck is hitting the mark? Slidebean's analytics have got you covered, tracking how viewers interact with your presentation, from start to finish.

Slidebean is the go-to for startups eyeing funding. It's a hit with entrepreneurs, marketers, and anyone in between who's got a big idea and needs to get investors on board.

Basic plan: Free

All-Access plan: $149/year

Incorporation bundle: $649/year, down to $499 after the first year

3. Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is like having a design pro at your fingertips, ready to transform your presentations from basic to breathtaking in minutes. Their smart templates act as your guide, making it super easy to kick off any presentation with confidence.

Thanks to brand control, you can rest assured your presentations are always on brand, using the right colors, fonts, and logos effortlessly. Their vast library of modern images and icons means every slide isn't just consistent; it's creatively yours.

And with the Team Plan, managing your brand's story across the organization becomes a breeze, ensuring every presentation is a pitch-perfect reflection of your brand.

When it comes to conversion features, Beautiful.ai lets you add a clear next step to ensure that your presentations don’t just end with applause but with action. And with viewer analytics, you get a behind-the-scenes look at how your presentation is performing.

The genius of Beautiful.ai is all in the simplicity. You bring the vision, and Beautiful.ai brings it to life with smart templates that adapt on the fly.

Imagine never having to fuss over aligning text boxes or resizing images at 2 a.m. again. Instead, you get slides that look like they’ve spent hours in the design studio, all without breaking a sweat.

Beautiful.ai works great for, well, pretty much everyone.

Got a startup pitch? It’s got you covered. Crafting a marketing plan? No problem. Educators, business pros, and even the most design-challenged among us can jump in and create something beautiful.

Free 14-day trial

Pro plan: $12/month (billed annually)

Team plan: $40/user/month (billed annually)

Single ad hoc project: $45

Enterprise plan: Contact sales

4. Genially

Genially is your go-to platform for creating interactive and animated content that truly stands out.

The tool stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it a breeze for anyone to create professional-looking interactive content. The drag-and-drop editor is a game-changer, allowing for seamless collaboration on designs.

Whether you're a seasoned designer or a complete novice, Genially ensures a smooth creation process, turning your ideas into interactive masterpieces with minimal effort.

From marketing materials and pitch decks to educational resources and quizzes, Genially's versatility is unmatched. It offers over 1400+ ready-made, easy-to-customize templates, including interactions and animations, catering to a wide range of needs.

Genially also takes engagement to the next level with gamification elements like virtual escape rooms and drag-and-drop puzzles. These features not only make learning more effective but also enhance information retention and boost brand loyalty.

By building positive feedback loops and game mechanics into your content, Genially encourages active participation, increasing views, interactions, and follow-through.

The heart of Genially lies in its ability to make your content do more. With over 50 interaction and animation settings, it empowers you to create content that's not just seen but experienced.

Imagine adding hotspots, hover-over labels, pop-up windows, and even interactive data visualizations to your designs with just a couple of clicks.

Plus, with Genially's rich media integration, including click-to-play audio and videos, your presentations, infographics, and educational materials become immersive stories that captivate your audience.

Genially is a perfect fit for educators, marketers, sales professionals, and anyone looking to elevate their content game.

Free plan available

Pro plan: $7.49/month (billed annually)

Master plan: $20.82/month (billed annually)

Team plan: $79.15/month (billed annually)

Discounts for education

Pitch is the modern presentation software designed for fast-moving teams who aim to create stunning decks that not only look good but get tangible results.

It's a tool that understands the importance of collaboration, brand consistency, and engaging storytelling in today's dynamic work environment.

The platform offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for anyone to generate, discover, or build presentations.

Editing is a breeze with features that allow you to quickly add text, images, video embeds, and elegant animations, ensuring your slides stand out.

Customization is at the heart of Pitch, allowing users to use brand colors, custom fonts, and a brand asset library to ensure every presentation is on-brand.

You can also create tailored links for different recipients, track when someone opens your deck, and see which slides capture the most attention. This insight allows teams to refine their presentations based on real engagement data.

Plus, the ability to collaborate with others in real-time means feedback loops are shorter, and presentations can be refined faster.

Pitch combines AI-driven drafting, a wide range of templates, and smart editing features to speed up the creation process.

Whether you're starting from scratch, using a template, or leveraging AI to jump-start your deck, Pitch ensures your presentations are not just visually appealing but also aligned with your brand's identity.

The platform's real-time collaboration capabilities allow teams to work together seamlessly, no matter where they are, making the process of crafting a presentation truly collaborative.

Pitch offers over 100 expert-made templates that cater to different use cases, from pitch decks and sales presentations to team meetings and board decks.

Starter plan: Free

Pro plan: $17/month for 2 seats when billed annually, additional seats cost $13 each

Business plan: $68/month for 5 seats when billed annually, additional seats cost $17 each

Enterprise plan: Talk to sales

Ludus is a presentation tool designed for creative professionals who crave the freedom to design without limits.

The platform allows teams to work together in real-time on any presentation, organizing workflows with shared channels and defining roles to let each member focus on their strengths.

Each piece of content in Ludus is treated as a block that can be sourced from anywhere—be it Unsplash, GIPHY, Dropbox, Google Drive, or your own custom creations, dubbed Smart Blocks.

This modular approach to building presentations means that telling your story is as simple as assembling the right blocks together, allowing for endless possibilities in how you convey your message.

The platform also offers options for live presentations or sharing through customized URLs, with added features like Ludus Vox for embedding video recordings of yourself directly into your slides.

This level of personalization and flexibility ensures that your presentations can connect with your audience on a deeper level, making your message more memorable and impactful.

Ludus is like a playground for designers, offering an environment that feels familiar yet is packed with powerful features that push the boundaries of traditional presentation design.

The ability to build and reuse smart blocks means that your presentations can evolve and improve over time, becoming more sophisticated and aligned with your creative vision.

Ludus is the ideal tool for designers, marketers, educators, and anyone in between who values the power of a well-crafted presentation.

It's particularly beloved by teams that prioritize design and creativity in their presentations, offering them a space to collaborate, innovate, and impress.

That said, it has an extensive range of personal templates, so if you’re looking for a platform that’s strictly business, it might not be your best choice.

30-day free trial

Teams of 1-15 people: $14.90/month (when billed annually)

Teams of 16 people and over: Contact sales

Visme is your go-to platform for crafting presentations from scratch, offering a user-friendly, template-based approach that's perfect for individual users.

With a vast array of templates and themes, Visme ensures you'll find exactly what you need for any project. Whether you're looking to pack your presentation with graphics, charts, and other media, or prefer a clean, uncluttered look, Visme has you covered.

Visme prioritizes a straightforward, intuitive experience, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.

The platform's emphasis on ease of use means you can focus more on your content and less on navigating complicated design tools. It's all about bringing your ideas to life with minimal fuss and maximum impact.

While Visme's templates are slightly on the "art for art's sake" side, they don't skimp on features that enhance message delivery.

The platform provides all the necessary tools to create presentations that are not just informative but also engaging, helping you to communicate more effectively with your audience.

The real charm of Visme lies in the diversity of templates available. Finding the perfect template might take a moment, but with so many options at your fingertips, you're guaranteed to discover one that fits your needs perfectly.

This variety allows for a high degree of customization, ensuring your presentation stands out in just the right way.

Visme is an excellent choice for anyone looking to create professional, non-generic presentations without the need for extensive design skills.

It's particularly suited for individual users who value simplicity and effectiveness in their presentation tools.

Starter plan: $12.25/month (billed annually)

Pro plan: $24.75/month (billed annually)

Visme for Teams: Contact sales

With its user-friendly interface and vast library of templates, Canva empowers users to design everything from business presentations and social media graphics to resumes and marketing materials.

Its appeal lies in its simplicity and the ability to produce elegant, professional-looking designs with minimal effort.

Canva's platform is designed with the user in mind, making it accessible to people with all levels of design experience.

From drag-and-drop functionality to intuitive editing tools, Canva simplifies the design process, allowing you to focus on bringing your creative vision to life.

This ease of use has made Canva a favorite among non-designers and professionals alike, democratizing design and enabling anyone to create stunning visuals.

Users can easily adapt templates to fit their brand by changing colors, fonts, and images, ensuring that every design is uniquely theirs.

Its extensive range of templates, created by design professionals. Whether you're piecing together a standout presentation, looking to boost your social media game, or creating a flyer that demands attention, Canva's got you covered.

Canva is for anyone who's ever thought, "I wish I could design that." It's a game-changer for small business owners, teachers, and social media enthusiasts alike.

If you're looking to make your ideas visually appealing but don't know where to start, Canva is your go-to.

It democratizes design, making it accessible and achievable for everyone, regardless of their design background.

That said, while it’s great if you want to whip up a simple deck, you need something more advanced to impress potential investors or sales prospects.

Pro plan: $14.99 billed monthly or $119.99 billed annually

Canva for Teams: Contact sales

Free for education and non-profit organizations

9. Zoho Show

A part of a powerful software suite of 60+ products, Zoho Show presentation app deserves a separate mention on our list. In short, it could be described as Google Slides on steroids. The tool offers real-time collaboration and full integration with other formats, including the said Google Slides and PowerPoint.

What gives Zoho an edge are really solid customization options including animations, video, and interactive charts and graphics (note, however, that animated elements won’t work when you send Zoho deck in PDF).

Plus, Zoho comes with very convenient Android and iOS apps: easier to use than its Google counterpart.

They said it and they were right: “Minimalist and contextual UI.” Zoho is fun to use even for a presentation newbie. With the same amount of effort, you can create slideshows that look way more professional than those made with GSuite or Microsoft products.

Anyone, really! Especially those who need a presentation for personal use will appreciate the free access for individuals. If your business is using other Zoho tools and you haven’t tried their presentation software yet, give it a go, too.

But, bear in mind there are more advanced tools out there for complex business presentation needs.

Free for individuals

Professional plan: Starting at $2.50 per user/month (billed annually)

10. Powtoon

The only presentation software tool on our list dedicated solely to creating videos.

Powtoon offers video templates that are extremely easy to fill out and customize so you can create video presentations in minutes. You can add voiceover, customize the templates, and add extra animations.

The premise of this presentation app is commendable and if you need to have an explainer video about your brand or product now, it should be your go-to tool.

The problem is, videos created with Powtoon give out an amateurish vibe, nothing like content you’d get from a professional video editor or a presentation deck that is truly on brand.

Probably the most affordable tool to create product videos available online.

Brand managers, internal communications teams, or HR. If you need a video that will make or break your project or campaign, reach out to an agency (and be prepared to pay at least 10x more).

Lite plan: $15/month (billed annually)

Professional plan: $40/month (billed annually)

Business plan: $125/month (billed annually)

Enterprise plans: Contact sales

11. SlideDog

SlideDog offers a fresh take on presentation software, blending multimedia files, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and web pages into a seamless viewing experience.

It's the solution for those looking to break free from the one-dimensional slide show, offering a platform where videos, web pages, and documents coexist in harmony.

It’s built for ease, with a drag-and-drop interface that’s as simple as setting up your morning playlist. This means you spend less time fiddling with tech and more time engaging with your audience.

Whether you’re tech-savvy or a bit tech-shy, SlideDog has your back, making sure your presentation game is strong, and your focus stays on your message.

And, with features designed to make your audience part of the story, like live polling and interactive Q&As, SlideDog turns passive listeners into active participants.

This interactive twist not only makes your presentations more memorable but also gives you instant insights into your audience’s thoughts and preferences.

What sets SlideDog apart is its ability to handle a wide array of file types and sources.

Whether you're incorporating a live poll, a YouTube video, or a PDF document, SlideDog handles it all, offering a level of customization that ensures your presentation stands out from the crowd.

SlideDog is the go-to for anyone ready to step up their presentation game.

From educators looking to bring lessons to life to professionals aiming to nail that pitch with a mix of media, SlideDog is about empowering you to make an impact.

Monthly plan: $19 per 2 seats

Annual plan: $99 per 2 seats for the first year, 20% renewal discount

Lifetime plan: $299 per 2 seats

12. FlowVella

FlowVella focuses on multimedia integration, aiming to enhance storytelling through a mix of videos, GIFs, and interactive elements.

It's designed for users seeking to enrich their presentations with dynamic content, offering a platform that supports a variety of media types to captivate audiences effectively.

The interface is clean, almost minimalist, making sure you don't get lost in a maze of buttons and settings. It's all about dragging, dropping, and watching your presentation take shape, which is pretty neat for those of us who'd rather not spend hours on design.

When it comes to customization, here’s where FlowVella starts to show its age a bit.

Sure, you can mix and match different media types, but when it comes to truly making your presentation your own, you might find the toolbox a bit... well, basic. It's great for a quick fix but might leave the more creatively ambitious wanting more.

Interactive features are also a little limited. You've got your videos and clickable elements, but if you're looking to really engage your audience with something more immersive, you might feel a bit handcuffed.

The charm of FlowVella lies in its simplicity and the sheer ease with which you can bring a variety of media into your presentations.

With a selection of ready-to-use templates, FlowVella can help you launch your presentation from zero to hero without breaking a sweat.

FlowVella is your go-to if you're all about getting a decent-looking presentation ready without needing a degree in design. It's perfect for educators, small business owners, and anyone in a hurry to get their point across with some extra flair.

But for those dreaming of crafting a presentation that's truly out of this world, you might find yourself sketching rocket ships with a box of crayons.

Premium plan: $60/year (billed annually)

Pro plan: $200/year (billed annually)

Vyond is the tool you need when you want to turn complicated ideas into fun, animated stories. It comes with a bunch of templates and features, allowing you to include everything from videos to 3D elements in your animations.

And if you want to give your story a personal touch, Vyond lets you play around with voice-overs and customizable characters.

It's important to mention that getting the hang of Vyond might take a bit of time, even for those who've done some video editing before. But, once you get used to how things work, you'll find it opens up a lot of creative possibilities.

By mixing in images, videos, and even 3D elements, plus adding your own narration or creating characters that speak directly to your viewers, you make each video an experience that grabs and keeps their attention.

What really sets Vyond apart is its huge selection of templates and the ability to make your animations richer with different types of content. This means you can create videos that are not just informative but also really engaging and unique to your message.

Vyond is perfect for anyone in business or education who wants to make their messages stand out through animation.

Whether you're explaining a complicated concept, welcoming new team members, or keeping students interested, Vyond provides the tools to do it creatively and effectively.

However, if you’re looking to create traditional business presentations, there are more suitable options out there.

Essential plan: $25/month for a single user (billed annually)

Premium plan: $54/month for a single user (billed annually)

Professional plan: $92/month per user (billed annually)

Enterprise plan: Get in touch with sales

14. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is all about transforming your audience from passive listeners to active participants, making every session a two-way street.

It's the perfect tool for anyone looking to make their meetings, classrooms, or workshops not just informative but interactive and fun.

With Mentimeter, you can create dynamic word clouds, conduct live polls, and run interactive quizzes, ensuring everyone's voice is heard and valued.

Jumping in is straightforward, making it easy for new users to start creating interactive presentations.

However, it's worth noting that exploring all its features to their fullest might take a little time. But once you're familiar, the potential to enhance your presentations is great.

The core of Mentimeter's appeal is its engagement tools. By allowing your audience to contribute through word clouds, answer polls, or participate in quizzes, you're not just presenting information; you're creating a shared experience.

Mentimeter shines by turning presentations into engaging conversations.

Whether you're in a corporate meeting, an educational setting, or leading a workshop, Mentimeter's tools like word clouds, polls, and quizzes make your sessions more inclusive and productive.

Plus, its seamless integration with platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams means you can easily fit it into your existing workflow.

Mentimeter is a versatile tool that's great for anyone looking to boost interaction in their presentations.

It's particularly useful for professionals in work settings, educators aiming to engage students more effectively, and workshop leaders looking to gather real-time feedback.

If you're ready to move beyond traditional presentations and make your sessions more interactive, Mentimeter is ready to help you make that leap.

However, for those of you interested in sales, marketing, or investor presentations, you’re better off checking out other options on my list.

Basic plan: $11.99 per presenter/month

Pro plan: $24.99 per presenter/month

Campus plan: Talk to sales

Discounts for teachers and students

Last but not least, a dinosaur in the presentation-making business (but a very lively one), Prezi. They burst onto the scene in 2009, offering one of the first ever alternatives to traditional slide decks.

Their USP is a particular kind of movement across consecutive slides, giving an impression of seamlessly flowing through content.

And, while that caused a sensation in the early 2010s, today it looks much more like a gimmick than means to any effective end.

Prezi’s templates and animations they feature are, no doubt, unique. Perhaps paradoxically, though, this is exactly what makes it really hard to focus on the content.

On the flip side, Prezi went into overdrive adjusting their product to contemporary realities, substantially improving their “Prezi Video” solutions, enabling users to appear on live video alongside their content while presenting to their audience.

The introduction of Prezi AI also marks a significant leap forward, offering users the ability to refine, enhance, and tailor their content more efficiently than ever.

Today, Prezi's still in the game, largely thanks to innovations like Prezi Video. This nifty update lets you share the spotlight with your slides, literally putting you next to your content during live presentations.

It's a solid attempt to keep up with the times, especially in our video-call-laden lives.

And let's not forget Prezi AI, which promises to make putting together a presentation less of a headache.

With its latest updates, Prezi has certainly become a more attractive option for businesses than in its early days. The ability to integrate live video with presentations is a game-changer for engaging clients or teams remotely.

However, when it comes to crafting more advanced sales pitches or wooing investors, there are more sophisticated paid options out there that might better serve those needs.

Plus plan: $12/month

Premium plan: $16/month

Teams plan: $29/month/user

Here’s a table summarizing all the tools:

How can I design an effective presentation?

Designing an effective presentation is an art form in itself. It starts with a crystal-clear message – your presentation's backbone.

Layer this with a visually engaging design: think bold colors, compelling graphics, and fonts that pop off the screen. Your slides aren't just information carriers; they're the canvas for your ideas.

But a great presentation is more than just a pretty face. It's about creating a connection with your audience, making your message interactive, and weaving a narrative that sticks.

Balance your content with design, ensuring each slide tells a part of your story compellingly and cohesively.

Craving more insights on crafting presentations that not only inform but also inspire? Dive into our comprehensive guide on how to make your presentation more creative .

How to choose the best online presentation maker?

Selecting the best online presentation maker is like picking the perfect outfit for a big event – it needs to match your style, occasion, and comfort level.

First, identify your needs. Are you crafting a quick pitch or an in-depth report? This will determine the complexity and features you require.

Next, consider usability. You want a tool that’s intuitive, not something that requires a manual the size of "War and Peace." A user-friendly interface is key, especially if you need to whip up presentations on the fly.

Don’t forget about customization. Your presentation should be a reflection of your unique style and message. Look for a maker that offers a wide range of templates and design options.

Consider multimedia integration. Today's audiences expect dynamic content. Your tool should effortlessly incorporate videos, animations, and interactive elements.

Look at the pricing model. Whether you're a one-time user or need a long-term solution, the pricing should align with your usage and budget.

Don't overlook support and resources. A robust support system and a library of resources can be lifesavers, especially when deadlines loom.

Lastly, think about collaboration and sharing capabilities. In today's connected world, the ability to collaborate and share your work easily is non-negotiable.

Remember, the best presentation maker is the one that fits you like a glove – enhancing your message and making your presentation process smoother and more enjoyable.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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Best free presentation software of 2024

Find an alternative to PowerPoint

Best overall

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

• How we test

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best free presentation software of 2024 in full:

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

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

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

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

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

Read our full Prezi review .

• ^ Back to the top

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

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

Read our full Canva review .

3. LibreOffice

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

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

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

Read our full LibreOffice review .

4. Google Slides

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

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

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

Read our full Google Slides review .

5. WPS Office Free

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

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

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

Read our full WPS Office Free review .

We've also featured the best free office software .

Best free presentation software FAQs

Which alternative to powerpoint is best for you.

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

How we test the best free presentation software

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

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

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

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Synergy and success: The best business collaboration tools in 2024

Check out some of our favorite business collaboration tools which integrate with Slack.

By the team at Slack March 29th, 2024

Nearly 13% of all full-time workers are remote-only, while more than 28% are on a hybrid schedule . And these numbers are projected to grow over the next year. This means that widely dispersed teams have become the new normal, making collaboration tools for business increasingly important. But with so many options on the market, how do you know which to choose?

This guide serves to explore the best business collaboration tools for 2024 for both enterprise companies and startups. We’ll look at what they are, why they’re important and most importantly, which would best suit your business’s needs. What’s more, these top-notch tools fully integrate with Slack, the AI-powered platform for work, for effortless collaboration in a single place.

Business collaboration tools in the modern workplace

Simply put, business collaboration tools are software applications that help teams work more efficiently. What this looks like is unique to each company. That means the best business collaboration tools are customizable and user-friendly and can integrate into a single platform.

Understanding different types of collaboration tools

Collaboration tools can range from video-conferencing software to shared digital documents that more than one person can update. But typically, collaboration tools fall into three basic categories:

Tools for creative collaboration

Creative collaboration tools are designed for teammates to build something together. It might mean sharing code or working on the same graphic design or document. These tools make it easy for two or more team members to update the same file in real time.

Tools for effective team communication

Collaboration tools for remote work should include apps that facilitate communication for people in different locations. Whether jumping on a video call or sending asynchronous messages for each person to respond to during their work hours, these tools give team members plenty of options to get their message across.

Project management tools for efficient teamwork

Project management tools keep work moving in an organized way. With these tools, everyone can see who is working on what, when the deadlines are and what steps are involved in each project. Whether your team members are remotely distributed or in the office every day, they need a way to stay up to date on the status of their projects.

Best online collaboration tools for businesses in 2024

Here are our picks for the top online business collaboration tools in 2024, including a mix of the three types detailed above. They are user-friendly, customizable and easily integrated.

Think of Slack as your overall platform for getting work done. From channels, for organizing your projects, to huddles and clips, for real-time or recorded messages, Slack offers a variety of features to keep your teams connected and your workflows moving smoothly. Features such as Slack’s no-code Workflow Builder, which helps everyone get work done faster by automating routine tasks and processes, and Slack AI, which harnesses the collective knowledge within a company’s workspace for quick answers and recaps, helping everyone to work smarter. And Slack fully integrates with a wide range of real-time collaboration tools to power your work forward.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a popular solution for creative collaboration. It’s a cloud-based solution that lets team members collaborate on all Google Suite apps, from Docs to Sheets to Slides. No more sending documents back and forth for edits, you can update them from any device in real time.

Asana , a well-known project management tool, is helpful for assigning tasks, implementing rules for process automation and more. Asana can help keep all your projects running smoothly.

Trello is an excellent project management option for those who are highly visual. It organizes projects onto boards, letting everyone quickly see what is happening at a glance.

Zoom has become nearly synonymous with modern video conferencing. It offers customizable tools that make it easy to keep meetings moving smoothly. These include, but are not limited to, screen sharing and instant message chatting.

Freshdesk offers everything that customer support team members need to keep tickets organized and flowing. It lets you easily move between different types of support, from email to chat, while also prioritizing and routing tickets as needed.

What to look for in collaboration software

What should you look for when evaluating additional options? The best collaboration software solutions share a few key features. They are:

Integration capabilities

Constantly switching applications costs teams valuable time and makes it harder for them to stay in the zone. Look for tools that are well-integrated with each other, as well as with your primary workspace platform. The goal is to allow everyone to quickly move between apps without worrying about multiple logins and startup screens.

An easy-to-use interface and smooth experience

Your team members all have different levels of tech knowledge and savvy. You don’t want them wasting time trying to figure out how a specific tool works. Choose solutions with a clean, easy-to-follow user interface that provides a smooth experience as users navigate the different functions.

Supports real-time and asynchronous collaboration

It’s important to keep in mind that remotely distributed and hybrid teams may not work the same hours. Some teams are even spread across multiple time zones. And everyone has their own individual daily calendar filled with projects and priorities. Real-time collaboration features are important, but so is the ability to collaborate asynchronously. This means that each person works on their part of the project, or sends a message to the team, on their own schedule … and everything is right there for a team member who logs in at a later time.

Uses AI and automation to make work more efficient

Automating basic tasks can streamline your operations and help your teams become more productive. Look for tools that use customized commands to automate actions such as assigning tasks, updating production timelines and generating standard monthly reports.

Think big: Works well for enterprise companies

Collaboration tools for enterprise companies are largely the same as those for smaller organizations. But there are two additional factors to consider: scalability and security. A tool that works beautifully for a company with 20 employees may not be able to keep up with the demands of an enterprise business with 500 people. And the larger your company is, the more potential points of entry exist for a would-be hacker.

Make sure you choose solutions with a proven track record at the enterprise level. The best business collaboration tools for enterprise companies offer a variety of customizable options to help you meet the needs of your entire organization.

Small but mighty: Works well for startups and small businesses

Essential digital tools for startups and small businesses help your company compete with the bigger players in your industry. At a minimum, you’ll need a way to keep your projects organized, a method for communicating both asynchronously and in real time, and a platform for collaborating on shared files. Slack offers a single-platform solution for all these needs. As your business scales, you can add new tools from the Slack App Directory , which has over 2,600 tools to choose from. Your team members can use these fully integrated tools without ever leaving the platform.

Putting it all together

With today’s emphasis on remote and hybrid work, companies of all sizes need a variety of business collaboration tools. The best tools for 2024 integrate well with other tools, support both real-time and asynchronous collaboration, offer automation for basic tasks, and are scalable as your company grows. If you’re ready for a platform that offers all this and more, contact the Slack sales department or sign up today!

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10 Best Reporting Tools and Software of 2024

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• Best for comprehensive data integration: Zoho Analytics
• Best for task-based reporting: Asana
• Best for high-level project reporting: Hive
• Best for data-driven decision-making: Google Looker
• Best for customizable project reporting: Wrike
• Best for visual project tracking: monday.com
• Best for all-in-one project management: ClickUp
• Best for agile project management: Jira Software
• Best for data visualization: Tableau
• Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration: Power BI

Reporting tools and software are crucial to teams, especially in terms of project management as they provide a structured way to track progress, identify risks and make informed decisions. They offer a sweeping view of project health that helps managers to not only pinpoint areas of concern but also identify successes. With effective reporting, an organization gets transparency and ensures its stakeholders are aligned, which plays a part in making projects successful since everyone involved has access to the same information and insights. We’ve analyzed 10 top reporting tools and software worth your consideration.

Top reporting software: Comparison table

Zoho analytics: best for comprehensive data integration.

Zoho Analytics is a reporting tool that excels at aggregating data from a wide array of sources as it connects with over 250 data sources, including files, feeds, databases and cloud services. Its comprehensive suite of reporting options includes charts, pivot tables, summary views, tabular views and more. Zoho Analytics also offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface to further simplify the report creation process and make it accessible for users of varying skill levels.

Zoho Analytics offers plans starting at $22 per month for the Basic plan, while the Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans cost $45, $112 and $445 per month, respectively, when billed annually. There’s also a Custom plan for prospective users to share their requirements.

• Extensive data integration from over 250 sources.
• Data preparation and management tools for accurate analysis.
• A wide array of visualization options for insightful reporting ( Figure A ).
• AI and ML-powered augmented analytics for guided insights.

Integrations

Zoho Analytics’s integrations include Zoho CRM, Salesforce CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, HubSpot CRM and Zoho Bigin.

• Comprehensive data integration capabilities.
• Wide range of visualization tools.
• Advanced augmented analytics features.
• May be complex for beginners.
• Customization can require a learning curve.

Why we chose Zoho Analytics

We selected Zoho Analytics for its broad range of reporting capabilities and user-friendly design. Its ability to present data in various visual formats makes analysis flexible and insightful and caters to diverse reporting needs as well as a wide variety of users.

Learn more about other Zoho products, like Zoho Projects and Zoho Vault .

Asana: Best for task-based reporting

Asana simplifies project management with its Universal Reporting feature, which provides teams with a clear overview of task progress and project health. Its visual reporting format is designed for easy interpretation, meaning that users at all levels within an organization can easily access and use Asana.

Asana’s paid plans include the Premium plan at $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, and the Business plan at $24.99 per user per month. Its Enterprise plan’s pricing hasn’t been listed publicly.

• Visual and intuitive reporting tools for task and project tracking ( Figure B ).
• Goal tracking to align daily tasks with strategic objectives.
• Real-time updates to keep teams informed on project progress.
• A variety of highly customizable charts.

Asana’s top integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, the Asana for Gmail add-on, Asana for Adobe Creative Cloud and Google Calendar.

• User-friendly reporting and task management.
• Effective goal alignment features.
• Wide range of integrations.
• Limited depth in analytical features.
• Real-time analytics are somewhat restricted.

Why we chose Asana

We simply selected Asana for its user-friendly approach to task-based reporting. Asana is also highly effective when it comes to aligning tasks with organizational goals.

For more information, check out our full Asana review .

Hive: Best for high-level project reporting

Hive is recognized for its high-level reporting capabilities, offering a suite of options for a variety of project management use cases. With features like goals, analytics dashboards and timesheet reporting, Hive provides a comprehensive tool for gaining visibility and gathering insights into projects.

Hive has two premium plans atop a free plan. Teams at $12 per user per month when billed annually and $18 when billed monthly, and Enterprise, whose prices aren’t publicly listed.

• Goals for setting, tracking and monitoring goals across teams.
• Analytics dashboards to showcase project status, project breakdowns and more.
• Timesheets reporting to analyze data across timesheets.
• Multiple views like Portfolio, Summary, Table, Kanban and more ( Figure C ).

Hive’s top integrations include Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Drive and Slack.

• Customizable high-level reporting options.
• Variety of views for different reporting needs.
• Efficient project and action management features.
• May require initial setup time to customize views.
• Some advanced features might be available only on higher-tier plans.

Why we chose Hive

We selected Hive for its versatile high-level reporting options and customizable views. They bring a flexible and comprehensive overview to projects.

For more information, check out our full Hive review .

Google Looker: Best for data-driven decision-making

A rather different entry from most tools on this list, Google Looker stands as a unified business intelligence platform that excels at turning data into actionable insights. It offers self-service BI that allows users to access, analyze and act on up-to-date, trusted data. As a reporting tool, Looker offers reliable data experiences at scale and empowers users with real-time insights.

Looker has a 30-day free trial, and its Standard plan costs $5,000 per month. For an annual quote, as well as quotes for the Enterprise and Embed plans, contact Google sales.

• Embedded analytics and applications for enhanced data experiences.
• Data modeling to unify business metrics across teams and applications.
• Real-time insights to empower users with up-to-date information.
• An extensive template gallery for templates on many of Google’s applications ( Figure D ).

Looker offers extensive integration capabilities, including BigQuery, Spanner, Cloud SQL and Cloud Storage.

• Unified platform for all BI needs.
• Real-time insights for up-to-date decision-making.
• Extensive integration capabilities with data sources.
• Pricing transparency could be improved.
• May require a learning curve to fully utilize advanced features.

Why we chose Google Looker

Google Looker’s reporting capabilities can be seen particularly through its embedded analytics and real-time insights. It easily unifies business metrics across teams and applications. It’s also a great tool for users predominantly using applications in the Google ecosystem.

Wrike: Best for customizable project reporting

Wrike stands out for its highly customizable reporting features. This flexibility, combined with Wrike’s thorough resource management and advanced analytics, makes Wrike competent enough to provide detailed insights into project performance and resource allocation and flexible enough to adapt to various workflows.

Wrike has five plans: the ones with prices listed are the Free plan, Team plan at $9.80 per user per month and Business plan at $24.80 per user per month. The Enterprise and Pinnacle plans’ pricing plans aren’t publicly listed.

• Customizable reports for tailored project insights ( Figure E ).
• Resource management to monitor progress and identify risks.
• Advanced analytics for deep visibility into project performance.

Wrike’s top integrations include Jira, GitHub, Google Sheets, Azure DevOps and HubSpot.

• Highly customizable reporting options.
• Comprehensive project and resource monitoring.
• Advanced analytics capabilities.
• Customization options may require time to master.
• Extensive features can be overwhelming for newcomers.

Why we chose Wrike

Wrike has robust reporting capabilities and customizable features, which give users the flexibility and depth needed to gain extensive insights into their projects and resources.

For more information, check out our full Wrike review .

monday.com: Best for visual project tracking

monday.com is a favorite among teams that love visual task management and prioritize ease of use as it offers a visually intuitive platform for project tracking. Its advanced reporting features, such as stacked charts and workload views, provide a thorough overview of project progress and team capacity. monday.com’s dashboard customization is very flexible; this enables teams to mold their reporting to meet their project needs.

monday has a free plan and a handful of premium plans, namely, Basic at $9 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat billed monthly; Standard at $12 per seat per month, billed annually, or $14 per seat billed monthly; Pro at $19 per seat per month, billed annually, or $24 per seat billed monthly; and Enterprise, which offers customized pricing.

• Stacked charts for multi-dimensional data analysis.
• Workload views for balanced resource allocation.
• Pivot tables for detailed data breakdowns.
• Customizable dashboards for tailored project insights ( Figure F ).

Some of the best monday.com integrations include GitLab, OneDrive, Todoist, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

• Highly visual and intuitive interface.
• Advanced reporting for comprehensive project insights.
• Flexible dashboard customization.
• Can be overwhelming for new users due to numerous features.
• Some advanced features require higher-tier plans.

Why we chose monday.com

monday.com is a visually intuitive platform and has advanced reporting capabilities. It delivers a balance between visual project tracking and in-depth reporting.

For more information, check out our full monday.com review .

ClickUp: Best for all-in-one project management

ClickUp is recognized for its all-in-one approach to project management, offering a wide range of features from task management to time tracking and goal setting. Its reporting features are designed to provide teams with insights into productivity and project progress, supporting data-driven decision-making. ClickUp’s customizable dashboards and reporting tools allow teams to monitor key metrics and track performance effectively.

ClickUp offers a generous free forever plan alongside three premium tiers: Unlimited at $7 per user per month when billed annually, or $10 per user per month when billed monthly; Business at $12 per user per month when billed annually, or $19 per user per month when billed monthly; and Enterprise that needs prospective users to contact ClickUp for a custom quote.

• Comprehensive dashboards for project overview ( Figure G ).
• Customizable reporting for tailored insights.
• Goal tracking to align efforts with objectives.
• Time tracking to monitor task durations and productivity.

Some of ClickUp’s top integrations include Gmail, Zoom, HubSpot, Make and Google Calendar.

• Versatile all-in-one project management solution.
• Extensive customization options for dashboards and reporting.
• Generous free plan with substantial features.
• Steep learning curve due to feature richness.
• Customization can be time-consuming.

Why we chose ClickUp

We included ClickUp because of its comprehensive feature set and flexibility, offering teams an all-in-one solution for project management and reporting. It proves suitable for a wide range of project types and sizes.

For more information, check out our full ClickUp review .

Jira Software: Best for agile project management

Jira Software is tailored for agile project management with specialized reporting features like sprint reports, burndown charts and velocity charts. These agile-centric reports give teams critical insights into their agile processes to help them optimize workflows and improve sprint planning. It’s worth considering for software development teams and those that follow scrum or kanban frameworks.

Jira offers a free plan for 10 users max. Its premium plans are the Standard plan at about $8.15 per user per month and the Premium plan at about $16 per user per month. It also offers an Enterprise plan that’s billed annually. However, you need to contact Jira for a quote.

• Sprint reports for tracking sprint progress ( Figure H ).
• Burndown charts for visualizing task completion.
• Velocity charts for assessing team performance over sprints.
• Cumulative flow diagrams for Kanban teams.

Jira has extensive integrations with development tools like Bitbucket, Confluence, GitHub, Opsgenie, Jenkins and Dynatrace.

• Tailored for agile project management.
• Comprehensive reporting for scrum and kanban teams.
• Wide range of integrations with development tools.
• Primarily focused on software development teams.
• Can be complex for non-technical users.

Why we chose Jira Software

Jira Software has robust agile reporting features and is capable of providing deep insights into agile project management processes, especially for teams practicing scrum or kanban methodologies.

For more information, check out our full Jira Software review .

Tableau: Best for data visualization

Tableau sets the standard for data visualization, offering a wide range of chart types and interactive dashboards that make complex data understandable at a glance. As reporting software, it offers a user-friendly interface and powerful data handling capabilities for users to create detailed and insightful visual reports.

Tableau’s pricing starts at $15 per user per month, with its highest tier costing $75 per user per month, both billed annually.

• Wide range of visualization options.
• User-friendly interface for non-technical users ( Figure I ).
• Powerful data handling and processing capabilities.

Tableau’s top integrations include Salesforce, Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, Amazon Redshift and Snowflake.

• Leading data visualization capabilities.
• Intuitive interface for easy use.
• Strong data connectivity options.
• Higher price point compared to some competitors.
• Can require significant resources for large datasets.

Why we chose Tableau

We considered Tableau because of its unparalleled data visualization capabilities and user-friendly interface. It should make it to your shortlist if your teams value both data accessibility and detailed reporting.

For more information, check out our full Tableau review .

Power BI: Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration

Power BI is a key player in the reporting and analytics space, especially for those deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, like Excel and Azure, makes it a no-brainer for teams that want compatibility and ease of use with their reporting tools. What makes it a great reporting and analytics tool is its ability to handle large datasets and provide advanced analytics, including AI capabilities and custom visualizations.

Power BI offers a free version, with premium plans starting at $10 per user per month for the Pro plan and $20 per user per month for the Premium plan.

• Seamless integration with Microsoft products.
• Advanced analytics with AI capabilities.
• Custom visualizations for personalized reporting ( Figure J ).

Aside from a variety of tools in the Microsoft ecosystem like Microsoft Office 365, Power BI’s top integrations include Asana, HubSpot, Google Sheets and Salesforce Pardot.

• Strong Microsoft integration.
• Comprehensive analytics and AI features.
• Flexible pricing with a robust free version.
• Can be complex for new users.
• Limited integration outside the Microsoft ecosystem.

Why we chose Power BI

We chose Power BI due to its strong analytics capabilities combined with its seamless integration with tools in the Microsoft ecosystem. It’s a particularly fitting choice for teams that already use Microsoft products.

For more information, check out our full Power BI review .

Key features of reporting software

Real-time analytics.

Real-time analytics allows users to view, assess and analyze data as it flows into the business, which can be displayed on dashboards or reports. With this, users get to make decisions faster since they get instant, descriptive insights from the most current data.

Custom reports

Custom reports save time as they automate the data gathering and report generation processes. After the initial setup, reporting processes can be entirely streamlined, with live data feeds ensuring that any additional requests can be quickly addressed by making changes to existing reports.

Dashboard customization

Dashboard customization is crucial in reporting software as it allows users to set up their reporting environment based on their needs. Custom dashboards can provide in-depth data on various aspects of business operations, illustrating potential revenue and areas where improvements are needed. Businesses can mix and match data sources for a comprehensive view of their digital environment.

Automated reporting

This kind of reporting streamlines the process of generating regular reports and reduces the manual effort required while making sure that stakeholders receive timely updates. Users can schedule report generation and ensure that reports are always current and reflect the latest data.

Data visualization

Data visualization transforms complex datasets into graphical representations, making it easier to understand trends, patterns and outliers. This feature helps to make data more accessible and actionable, which enables users to quickly grasp the insights presented in the data.

How do I choose the best reporting software for my business?

First things first, when it comes to choosing the best reporting software for you, you must match a tool’s capabilities to your needs. For small to medium-sized businesses, tools like Zoho Analytics and ClickUp offer a vast feature set at a more accessible price point, which makes them great options when seeking value without compromising on functionality. Larger enterprises or those with more complex reporting and data analysis needs might lean towards Power BI or Tableau, known for their advanced analytics and integration within larger ecosystems.

Consider the types of reports you need, the data you’re working with and who will be using the tool. For teams that prioritize real-time data and collaboration, monday.com and Asana provide user-friendly interfaces and seamless integration with other productivity tools. On the other hand, if your focus is on in-depth data analysis and visualization, Tableau’s extensive customization options and Power BI’s deep Microsoft integration stand out.

In essence, the best reporting tool is one that not only fits your budget and technical requirements but also grows with your business, adapting to changing needs and helping you make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data.

Methodology

Our approach to identifying the top reporting tools for 2024 involved a detailed examination of each tool’s core features, ease of use, use cases and pricing. This allowed us to provide popular tools that cut across industries, use cases and team sizes. Additionally, we tested the tools where possible to understand how they approached reporting and compared our findings to verified reviews by real users. From this, we got to understand the pros and cons of each tool.

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