Crafting a well-executed presentation can be a game-changer, whether you’re a student, professional, or entrepreneur. It’s not just about sharing information; it’s about weaving a story, painting a picture, and leaving a lasting impact on your audience’s minds. In today’s age of information overload, attention spans are shorter than ever. A good presentation slide takes this into account, breaking down complex information into bite-sized chunks and guiding your audience through a logical flow.
To help you stay ahead of the game, we have 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. So, let’s dive in and explore these top presentation software picks!
1. Venngage
If you’re looking for a presentation software that goes beyond just presentations to focus on data visualization and transforming complex information into visually appealing and engaging visuals, Venngage is your top pick. With its extensive library of infographic elements, Venngage simplifies the process of creating data-driven and visually appealing presentations.
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. With Venngage’s fully customizable, pre-designed infographic templates, you can save 20+ hours of designing and create visually appealing presentations with well-structured layouts.
Data visualization made easy
Venngage simplifies the process of data visualization, making it accessible to users of all backgrounds. With its data visualization tools, you can transform dull statistics into visually engaging charts and graphs that tell a compelling story.
Seamless real-time in-editor collaboration tools
Venngage enables real-time collaboration that makes working together becomes a breeze. With its seamless collaboration tools designed to foster collaboration across teams, departments and the entire organization, you can work with your team members in the same room or across the globe.
Consistently brand your designs with smart Autobrand features
With Venngage’s My Brand Kit, you can effortlessly infuse your presentation slides with your brand’s colors, fonts and logos. You can upload your brand assets and create engaging presentations by applying your branding to any template you create on Venngage.
Who is it for
Venngage is for marketers, designers, educators and businesses that require data-driven and visually appealing presentations.
Key features
Venngage’s key features include infographic elements, data visualization tools, collaboration options, and customizable templates.
Pricing
You can 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
Microsoft PowerPoint is a well-known presentation software that has been popular among users for many years. With its user-friendly interface, PowerPoint is suitable for individuals, students, educators, and businesses of all sizes. In fact, 89% of people still use PowerPoint presentations over competitor services.
Who is it for
PowerPoint is designed for anyone who wants to create engaging presentations with ease. Whether you are a student, teacher, business professional, or just a creative soul, PowerPoint’s features can help you deliver captivating and informative presentations.
Key features
PowerPoint offers a variety of features to help you create professional and dynamic presentations. Some of the key features include:
- Customizable templates: PowerPoint provides a wide range of customizable templates that you can use to create your presentation quickly and easily.
- Multimedia support: You can add images, videos, and audio files to your presentation to make it more engaging and interactive.
- Extensive slide editing options: PowerPoint offers a variety of slide editing options, including text formatting, color schemes, and layout customization.
- Robust animations and transitions: With PowerPoint, you can create eye-catching animations and transitions that can help you guide your audience through your content.
Pricing
PowerPoint is available as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription, with various plans tailored for businesses. The plans range from $6 to $22 USD/month. Additionally, you can purchase an unbundled PowerPoint account separately, priced at $159.99 USD. While the collaboration features in PowerPoint may not be as robust as those offered by specialized presentation tools, its seamless integration with other Microsoft Office tools makes it an excellent choice for users who need to incorporate charts, graphs, and written content from these tools directly into their presentation.
3. Google Slides
Who can use Google Slides?
Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software designed for remote teams, educators, students, and anyone looking for easy collaboration and access from any device. It is perfect for those who need to work on presentations with others in real-time or want to access their presentations from anywhere with an internet connection.
Key features of Google Slides
Google Slides stands out from other presentation tools because of 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.
Another key feature of Google Slides is its cloud-based storage and auto-saving feature. This ensures that your work is constantly saved, minimizing the risk of losing progress or important changes. Google Slides also has an offline mode available, but it has certain limitations and may not provide the same level of functionality as when connected to the internet.
Pricing for Google Slides
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.
Limitations of Google Slides
Although Google Slides is a great tool for collaboration, it has 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. Additionally, Google Slides heavily relies on an internet connection for full functionality and access is more limited compared to desktop-based software.
Overall, Google Slides is an excellent tool for anyone looking for easy collaboration and access from any device. Its real-time collaboration, shared commenting, offline mode, and built-in sharing options make it a great choice for remote teams, educators, and students alike.
4. Keynote (for Mac users)
Who Can Benefit from Keynote?
If you’re a Mac user, creative, professional, educator, or anyone who wants to create visually stunning presentations, Keynote is the perfect tool for you. Keynote is a presentation software designed exclusively for Apple devices, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. It offers a sleek and intuitive interface that reflects Apple’s design aesthetics.
Key Features of Keynote
Keynote offers a wide range of advanced multimedia options that allow you to create polished and modern-looking presentations. It includes visually appealing templates, animations, and transitions that enable you to incorporate images, videos, audio files, and interactive elements seamlessly into your presentations. The presentation software also includes a wide range of animations and transitions, enabling smooth and cinematic effects that bring slides to life.
One of the standout features of Keynote is 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.
Keynote also 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.
Pricing
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. However, since Keynote is exclusively designed for Apple devices, 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.
5. Prezi
Who is it for
Prezi is an ideal presentation tool for creative professionals, educators, and individuals who want to create visually captivating and non-linear presentations. Its unique zooming and transition effects create a sense of movement and spatial relationship between ideas, enhancing engagement and making it a great choice for those who want to deliver a memorable presentation.
Key features
Prezi offers a range of features that make it stand out from other presentation tools. Its zooming presentation style is one of its most renowned features, allowing presenters to navigate through a virtual canvas seamlessly. Prezi presentations also include interactive elements such as embedded videos, images, and hyperlinks, enabling presenters to create interactive presentations and engage their audience on a deeper level.
In addition, 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 also provides reusable templates that allow users to create visually appealing presentations quickly and easily.
Pricing
Prezi offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. For individuals and business professionals, the pricing plans are as follows:
- 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 and educators, Prezi offers the following pricing plans:
- EDU Plus: Starting at $3/month.
- EDU Pro: Starting at $4/month.
- EDU Teams: Enquiry required with Prezi sales team.
Overall, Prezi is a powerful and visually engaging presentation tool that offers a range of features to help users create memorable and effective presentations. While it may have a steeper learning curve compared to more traditional presentation tools, the benefits of its unique style and collaboration features make it a great choice for those who want to deliver impactful presentations.
6. Canva
Who is it for
Canva is a user-friendly presentation tool that is suitable for individuals, students, small businesses, and startups seeking professional-looking marketing materials and presentations. With its vast collection of pre-designed templates, Canva allows users to jumpstart their design projects with professional-looking layouts, saving valuable time and effort.
Key features
Canva offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, which makes it super easy to use even if you’re not a design pro. Users can simply drag and drop elements to create their presentation slides without breaking a sweat. Additionally, Canva provides extensive template options, built-in multimedia support for adding videos, images, and audio to slides, and the ability to share presentations as downloadable files or online links.
Pricing
Canva offers a free version that 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.
It is important to note that 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. However, for those seeking a user-friendly and efficient presentation tool with a vast collection of pre-designed templates, Canva is a great option.
7. Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a presentation software that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. It is designed to provide a simplified and user-friendly interface, making it easy for both design professionals and individuals without extensive design experience to create visually stunning presentations.
Who is it for
Adobe Express is ideal for designers, creative professionals, individuals and businesses seeking professional-grade presentation design. With its intuitive interface and extensive multimedia support, Adobe Express is perfect for those who want to create engaging and interactive presentations.
Key features
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 also offers professional design options, allowing users to create visually stunning presentations with ease. Its extensive multimedia support enables users to incorporate videos, audio files and interactive elements to keep their audience engaged.
Pricing
While the free version of 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
Haiku Deck is a presentation software that focuses on visual storytelling and minimalist design. It offers a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to create eye-catching presentations on both computers and mobile devices.
Who is it for
Haiku Deck is ideal for educators, individuals, and professionals who appreciate the power of visual storytelling and minimalist design. It’s perfect for those who want to create presentations that are visually engaging and easy to understand.
Key features
Haiku Deck’s key features include:
- Image-focused templates: Haiku Deck offers a variety of beautiful templates that are designed to showcase your images and make your presentations visually appealing.
- Easy-to-use interface: Haiku Deck’s interface is straightforward and intuitive, making it easy to create presentations quickly and efficiently.
- Cloud-based collaboration: Haiku Deck allows you to collaborate with others on your presentations in real-time, making it easy to work together and get feedback.
- Seamless image search integration: Haiku Deck seamlessly integrates with image search engines, making it easy to find and add high-quality visuals to your presentations.
Pricing
Haiku Deck offers a free trial that allows you to experience the software with one presentation. If you decide to upgrade, they offer different pricing plans. The Pro plan is available at $9.99 per month with annual billing or $19.99 per month with monthly billing. The Premium plan, which includes advanced features, is priced at $29.99 per month. Additionally, Haiku Deck offers special pricing to qualifying nonprofit organizations, students, and educators.
9. Ludus
Who is it for
Ludus is an excellent choice for designers, creatives, marketing professionals, and anyone who wants to create interactive and visually appealing presentations that leave a lasting impression. The software is perfect for those who want to incorporate multimedia elements like videos, audios, and web content to create interactive presentations that captivate the audience.
Key features
Ludus offers a range of 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. The software is rich in multimedia capabilities, allowing users to seamlessly integrate videos, audio, and elements to create interactive presentations that captivate the audience. Ludus also offers collaborative editing, allowing multiple users to edit presentations simultaneously.
The software provides extensive design customization options, enabling users to create presentations that align with their brand’s visual identity. Real-time comments and feedback are also available, making it easy to collaborate with team members and stakeholders.
Pricing
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.
While the customization options are vast, users might find themselves starting from scratch or investing more time in creating the initial design. Additionally, individuals new to the platform might experience a learning curve involved in fully harnessing all of Ludus’ features and capabilities. However, 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.
10. Slidebean
Who is it for
If you’re a startup, entrepreneur, small business owner, or an individual who needs to create professional presentations quickly, Slidebean is the perfect tool for you. With its automated design and content suggestions, Slidebean simplifies the process of creating polished presentations, saving you valuable time and effort.
Key Features
Slidebean’s AI-powered slide design functionality is the highlight of the tool. The software analyzes the content provided and generates visually appealing slide layouts, making it easy for users to create professional-looking presentations. Additionally, Slidebean offers collaboration tools, allowing multiple team members to work on a presentation simultaneously.
Another great feature of Slidebean is its AI-powered content suggestions. The software analyzes the presentation content and provides helpful suggestions for improving the messaging and overall flow, ensuring that users can effectively communicate their ideas and engage their audience.
Slidebean also offers pitch deck-specific templates, making it easy for startups and entrepreneurs to create compelling investor pitches.
Pricing
Slidebean offers a free version with limited functionalities, providing users with an opportunity to experience its 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, which includes unlimited access to all features. Additional services such as startup expert consultations and pitch deck and financial model services are available for separate purchase.
It’s worth noting that certain advanced features are only available in premium plans, which may require an upgrade for those seeking more advanced functionality. However, for startups and entrepreneurs who need to create professional presentations quickly and easily, Slidebean is an excellent tool that simplifies the design process and saves valuable time and effort.
11. Beautiful.ai
Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that simplifies the process of creating visually stunning and professional-looking slides with minimal effort. It offers a collection of smart templates and design suggestions that are intelligently designed to provide visually appealing layouts, saving users valuable time and effort in creating presentations.
Who is it for
This platform is suitable for individuals, startups, and professionals who want visually impressive presentations without extensive design skills.
Key features
Beautiful.ai offers a range of features that streamline the presentation creation process. Some of its key features include:
- Smart templates: The platform offers a collection of smart templates that are designed to provide visually appealing layouts, saving users valuable time and effort in creating presentations.
- Automated design suggestions: Beautiful.ai leverages AI-powered technology to offer layout optimization, ensuring that slide elements are positioned optimally for maximum impact.
- AI-powered layout optimization: The software automatically adjusts the layout and formatting as users add or modify content, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.
- Easy slide customization: While the platform provides smart templates and design suggestions, users can still customize their slides with ease.
Pricing
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. Users who need to subscribe for ad hoc projects can access 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.
12. Pitch
Who is it for
Pitch is an ideal presentation software for teams, startups, and businesses that prioritize collaboration, feedback, and the ability to iterate on their presentations. The software is designed to cater to the needs of professionals from different industries and backgrounds, making it suitable for anyone who wants to create visually stunning presentations without compromising on the quality.
Key features
Pitch is known for its robust collaboration tools that allow team members to work together in real-time. With version control, users can keep track of changes made to their presentations and revert to previous versions if needed. The software also offers seamless integration with project management tools, enabling users to sync tasks, deadlines, and other project-related information with their presentations.
Pitch boasts an extensive slide library that includes a wide range of professionally designed templates. 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 specific needs.
Pricing
Pitch offers a starter plan that is free and allows users to create unlimited presentations. For users who want to access more features, they can upgrade to the Pro plan, which costs $8 USD/month, billed annually. The Pro plan offers additional features such as custom branding, advanced analytics, and more. The pricing is affordable, making it accessible to professionals from different backgrounds.
In summary, Pitch is a modern video presentation maker that offers robust collaboration tools, an extensive slide library, seamless project management integration, and affordable pricing. It’s an ideal software for teams, startups, and businesses that value collaboration, feedback, and the ability to iterate on their presentations.
Conclusion
Now that you have reviewed the top 12 presentation tools of the year, you can confidently choose the one that suits your needs. Whether you prioritize simplicity, collaboration, automation, design versatility, or data visualization, there is a solution for you. With your selected software, it’s time to start creating your slides and deliver an outstanding presentation. Remember to utilize the tool’s features to enhance your presentation’s impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which presentation software offers the best features for free?
There are several presentation software options available for free that offer great features. Google Slides is a popular choice that offers collaboration, cloud storage, and a variety of templates. Canva is another option that offers a wide range of design tools and templates. Both of these options are user-friendly and offer a great selection of features at no cost.
What are some creative alternatives to traditional presentation applications?
There are several creative alternatives to traditional presentation applications that can help you stand out from the crowd. Prezi is a popular option that offers a unique zooming feature that can make your presentation more engaging. Haiku Deck is another option that offers a variety of stylish templates and allows you to easily create visually appealing presentations.
Which presentation tools are most popular among students for academic use?
PowerPoint and Google Slides are the most popular presentation tools among students for academic use. Both offer a wide range of features and are easy to use. PowerPoint is often the go-to choice for Windows users, while Google Slides is popular among those who prefer cloud-based applications.
How do Prezi and PowerPoint compare in terms of presentation capabilities?
Prezi and PowerPoint both offer a variety of presentation capabilities, but they differ in their approach. Prezi offers a more unique and engaging presentation style with its zooming feature, while PowerPoint offers a more traditional slide-by-slide approach. Both options have their strengths and can be effective depending on the specific presentation needs.
Can you list two well-regarded examples of presentation software?
Two well-regarded examples of presentation software are Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. PowerPoint is widely used in business and academic settings and offers a wide range of features. Keynote is popular among Apple users and offers a sleek and modern design.
Are there any robust presentation apps available at no cost?
Yes, there are several robust presentation apps available at no cost. In addition to Google Slides and Canva, LibreOffice Impress is a free and open-source option that offers a variety of features and templates. Additionally, Slidebean is a free option that offers AI-powered design tools to help you create professional-looking presentations.