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Have you been looking for a presentation software that will help you stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations? Or an online solution that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time it takes with traditional tools? If so, we've researched some of the best presentation software options out there and visually compared them so that you can choose the ideal one for your specific needs.
What is Presentation Software?
For the sake of achieving an objective comparison, we should first define the term presentation software.
Presentation software, or a presentation program, is a desktop- or cloud-based application that allows the user to present information to an audience using a sequence of multimedia formats, such as images, video, audio and text. This visual presentation can be used to accompany a live talk or speech or as a standalone slide deck.
The first and most well-known presentation software that any of us has ever used is Microsoft PowerPoint. Along with its competition, Apple’s Keynote, these two are still widely used. Nevertheless, the necessity for easier and more accessible presentation software brought along the great collection of choices we have now.
Let’s look at some options in best presentation software. Compare the best ones in this handy visual guide we created to summarize the information in this post.
(Click on the Maximize button to the bottom-right of the graphic to view full screen.)
Visual Guide: Best Presentation Software
Embed on your site:
<script src="//my.visme.co/visme.js"></script><div class="visme_d" data-url="jwv6gr4v-presentation-software" data-w="2100" data-h="1861" data-domain="my"></div><p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; color: #333333" >Created with <a href="http://www.visme.co/make-infographics" target="_blank" style="color: #30a0ea"><strong>Visme</strong></a></p>
How to Decide on the Best Presentation Software
When choosing the right presentation software for your projects, there are some things to consider:
- Does the price point fit your budget?
- Is it easy to use?
- Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
- Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
- Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
- Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
- Can you add audio to your presentations?
- Can elements be animated?
- Is it desktop or cloud-based?
- Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
- Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
- Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
- Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
- Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
- Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
- Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
- Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?
We will look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.
1 Visme
Visme is one of the most complete presentation software options available online. Making professional presentations is easy and straightforward. Pretty much everything can be customized or moved around. That is not all that Visme can do, though. It also offers an infographic and social media image editor.
Price Tag
Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. You can create up to three projects.
For more access to all of Visme's capabilities, the paid plans are separated into Individual, Business and Education. Individual Plans start at USD 15 a month and the tiers go up to USD 90 a month for a Business Teams plan. There are discounts for yearly billing and non-profits.
Ease of Use
Visme is quite easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is uncomplicated. You can save a slide to use on another presentation by keeping it in a slide library. Slides can also be turned into a content block to reuse.
Who Is It For
Large Businesses, small companies, educators and bloggers. Visme is pretty much for everyone.
Template Options
The options are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many templates to pick from. The provided template slides can either be customized or used as is from the slide collection. Also a new blank slide can be added to any presentation. A presentation can also be created with a blank template and once in the editor, there are content block templates that can be used.
Graphic Assets Library
The assets library in Visme includes lots of icons, illustrations, stock photography and graphs to include in your presentations. The color of the icons and some of the illustrations can be easily changed to match your brand.
Videos and GIFs
It is easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation
Audio
Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.
Embed Third-Party Content
There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes, forms and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.
Animations
Features inside Visme presentations can be animated. An animation button gives options as to what can be done with animations, from “flying in” to “fading out” and more.
Desktop or Cloud
Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer.
Data Widgets
Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.
Offline Viewing
Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats. The best option is to download it as an HTML 5 file, that way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can be also downloaded as a collection of .jpg or .png images, or as a pdf.
Collaboration Possibilities
Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together.
Brand Kit
Visme has a brand kit feature to keep your presentations on brand when your teams are working together.
Share to Social Media
Once a presentation is finished it can be shared to social media quite seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it.
Analytics
When a presentation is shared to social media it can be analyzed for views and sharing.
Lead Generation
You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients.
Professional Reviews / Articles
Design Tool Review: I fell in love with Visme and so will you
By Veronika @Blogging Pro
Use Visme and Slideshare to show off what you know
By Orana @OranaCreative
Visme Review: All-In-One Presentation/Chart/Infographic Maker
By Timothy Shim @WHSRnet
2 Haiku Deck
Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.
Price Tag
Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.
Ease of Use
Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.
Who Is It For
The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly at educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.
Template Options
Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.
Graphic Assets Library
The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.
Videos and GIFs
YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.
Audio
Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.
Embed Third-Party Content
Only videos can be embedded.
Animations
Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck
Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Haiku Deck is a cloud based app which is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.
Offline Viewing
Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.
Share to Social Media
Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.
Collaboration Possibilities
Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.
Brand Kit
There is no brand kit but you can add your logo to the finished product.
Privacy and Password Protection
Pro and Premium plans have private and password protected capabilities
Analytics
Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.
Lead Generation
Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.
Professional Review / Article
By Rebecca @ rebeccalitovsky.com
3 Emaze
Emaze is a powerful presentation software that lets you create and edit presentations with creative templates that can be customized upon choice on each slide. Emaze not only offers presentation creation but also capabilities for e-cards, websites, blogs and photo albums. Emaze presentations have 3D and parallax animation features.
Price Tag
Emaze can be used for free with access to create five presentations and five websites and one month of analytics support. For lots more capabilities in the emaze editor, the are two pricing plans: Business and Education. All plans are billed once a year, but the monthly breakdown would be as follows: Premium Pro plans would be USD 12.50 per month and Business plans, USD 39.99 a month. Education Pro plans would be USD 4.5 per month and Education Teams, USD 9.00 a month. Large team plans are available upon request.
Ease of Use
The Emaze editor is quite simple to use but there is a bit of a learning curve to figure out all its capabilities. Once you figure it out, it's quite easy and fast.
Who Is It For
Emaze is perfect for business and educators alike. It's mostly geared towards online use for website and social sharing.
Template Options
The Emaze presentation software offers lots of templates along with a blank template to create from scratch. The slides can be chosen one by one to put in any order. Templates can be customized for brand colors and color schemes, these changes will apply to all slides. Templates are available in the following styles: Slides, Picture HD, Pan and Zoom, 3D and Video.
Graphic Assets Library
Assets available to add into the presentations are photos shared from the internet, and a small collection of shapes and icons.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be embedded or uploaded. GIFs can be used as backgrounds.
Audio
Audio can be imported and added to any presentation.
Embed Third-Party Content
Lots of third party content can be added to an emaze presentation via html into an iframe. The newest addition to emaze is the capability of adding a live social media feed from Facebook, Twitter and the like.
Animations
Emaze includes automatic animations in their slide transitions. Some features can be given an extra animation by clicking on the FX (effects) button.
Desktop or Cloud
Emaze is a cloud based presentation software for use on desktops with an internet connection.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Emaze presentations can be viewed and shared on social devices but can only be edited on computers.
Offline Viewing
Presentations on Emaze can be downloaded as a .zip file. Once unzipped it is an html file that can be viewed on any browser. This is a premium feature.
Collaboration Possibilities
Presentations can be created as teams or collaborated with inside the Premium plans only. A premium user can share to collaborate with a free user but a free user cannot share to collaborate.
Brand Kit
Free users can customize the branding inside each template they choose for a presentation. Higher plans can have a branding setting for all creations.
Share to Social Media
Finished presentations can be share to social media easily.
Privacy and Password Protection
Premium users can set their presentations to team only and to private with password protection.
Analytics
Free plans have one month analytics and premium plans have unlimited analytics.
Lead Generation
This feature is not available within Emaze.
Professional Review / Article
Emaze New Features in 2018: A conversation with David Edri
By Gitesh Bajaj @Indezine
4 Prezi Next
As of May of 2017, Prezi is now Prezi Next. The previous version of Prezi is now Prezi Classic and users cannot get a new Prezi Classic account, only a Prezi Next account. Prezi Next is a bit more limited than Prezi Classic and has available capabilities according to the plan you get. The creative idea behind Prezi is an animated non sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom.
Price Tag
Prezi is Free for basic capabilities and limited templates. There are three different pricing tiers: Basic, Individual and Teams. The Basic plan without analytics and offline use is USD 15.00 a month, Individual Plans start at USD 7.00 and go up to the Premium Business plans which are USD 59.99 a month with full capabilities. Team plans are upon request.
Ease of Use
Prezi Next is easy to learn but features are not very customizable inside the templates. Once you create one or two prezis, it’s easy going since it’s all very similar.
Who Is It For
Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So who Prezi Next is for depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.
Template Options
There are plenty of templates to choose from but there are no blank ones to start from scratch with. The templates are different in color and style but the main of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.
Graphic Assets Library
The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Images can only uploaded from your computer.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.
Audio
Voice over can be added in premium plans
Embed Third-Party Content
No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.
Animations
Prezi next is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.
Desktop or Cloud
Prezi Next is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Prezi Next can only create on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.
Collaboration Possibilities
Prezi Next for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.
Brand Kit
Brand Kits aren’t possible inside Prezi Next but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.
Share to Social Media
Prezis can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.
Offline Viewing
Prezi Next presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi next app. There are two options, as EXE for PC and Zip for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi Next app.
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.
Analytics
Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to prezis you share via a link to someone.
Lead Generation
There is no lead generation capabilities with Prezi Next
Professional Review / Article
Prezi Business Review: A Prezi Expert’s look at the latest alternative to PowerPoint presentations
By Chris Connick @Medium
5 Keynote
Keynote is the native Apple presentation software. One of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.
Price Tag
Keynote is free for downloading and also via the cloud with an apple ID.
Ease of Use
If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze.
Who Is It For
Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.
Template Options
The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.
Graphic Assets Library
There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.
Videos and GIFs
Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.
Audio, Embed Third-Party Content
Including these is not available
Animations
Elements can be animated a number of ways, there is an “effects” tab.
Desktop or Cloud
Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PCs.
Offline Viewing
Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.
Collaboration Possibilities
Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.
Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation
None of these are available on Keynote.
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.
Professional Review / Article
Keynote vs. Powerpoint: Which Presentation Software is Better?
@InfoGraphic Design Team
6 Ludus
Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the amount of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography, to .svg to code builds.
Price Tag
The free plan is pretty extensive but doesn’t include collaborations or offline viewing. The Pro plan is USD 99 a year and a Team plan is USD 49 a month.
Ease of Use
Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.
Who Is It For
This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners that have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.
Template Options
There are no templates to choose from, you have to start from scratch or use Smart Blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.
Graphic Assets Library
Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.
Videos and GIFs
Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.
Audio
Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.
Embed Third-Party Content
You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and html options.
Animations
Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.
Desktop or Cloud
Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.
Collaboration Possibilities
Collaborations are possible with the team plans.
Brand Kit
With collaborations and smart blocks, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.
Share to Social Media
Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.
Offline Viewing
Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.
Privacy and Password Protection
Pro Plans have password protection.
Analytics and Lead Generation
There are no analytics or lead generation available in Ludus.
Professional Review / Article
Build and share interactive content in a new way with Ludus
By Dorian Van Bever @ Siftery
7 Slides
Slides is the only presentation software which promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.
Price Tag
Slides can used for free but finished presentations will be public and available to see and copy in the Browse / Explore tab. The paid plans start at USD 5 and go up to USD 20 for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.
Ease of Use
Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.
Who Is It For
Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities
Template Options
There are no templates available. Finished presentations (decks) can be cloned and edited.
Graphic Assets Library
The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.
Videos and GIFs
Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.
Audio
Including audio is not possible with Slides.
Embed Third-Party Content
Anything with code can be added in an iframe.
Animations
All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.
Desktop or Cloud
Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.
Collaboration Possibilities
Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities
Brand Kit
There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.
Share to Social Media
Yes, quite easily.
Offline Viewing
A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.
Privacy and Analytics
Possible with paid plans.
Lead Generation
This is not possible on Slides.
Professional Review / Article
Create hassle free slideshow presentations online with slides
By Matthew Lynley @ Tech Crunch
8 Slidebean
Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks. The biggest attraction to Slidebean is their “giving back” project, Contrast, in which they donate 1% of all revenue to projects that use design to change the world.
Price Tag
The Free trial has limited capabilities but its enough to see how Slidebean works. There are three price levels from USD 8 to USD 29 and all levels can have an additional collaborator for an extra USD 10.
Ease of Use
Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a a pop up. Editing can be done in outline mode and in design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up but there are lots of choices. There is no free size changing or moving around.
Who Is It For
Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Template Options
There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Facebook and AirBnb.
Graphic Assets Library
There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.
Videos and GIFs
GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.
Audio
There are no audio capabilities
Embed Third-Party Content
The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.
Animations
Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.
Desktop or Cloud
Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
It can be used to edit or view on any device.
Collaboration Possibilities
Collaboration is possible in the paid plans
Brand Kit
This feature is available in the paid plans.
Sharing to Social Media
This feature is available in the paid plans.
Offline Viewing
Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.
Privacy and Password Protection
This feature is not available
Analytics
Analytics are available in the paid plans
Lead Generation
This feature is not available.
Professional Review / Article
By Adam Noar @ Presentation Panda
9 Zoho Show
Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics microsoft programs in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. This program is similar to PowerPoint and can be used by anyone that knows how to uses PPT. They do have a “new version” in Beta and it is much nicer and agreeable to use. Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and Show is only one of their programs.
Price Tag
The free version is pretty good with lots of possibilities. For even more detailed and professional features, there are paid plans for USD5 per team member to USD8 per team member. The free plan is available for teams up to 25 members but storage and other features are limited.
Ease of Use
Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.
Who Is It For
Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.
Template Options
There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.
Graphic Assets Library
The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.
Audio
Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.
Embed Third-Party Content
There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.
Animations
All elements and transitions can be animated.
Desktop or Cloud
Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
You can only create presentations on a computer.
Collaboration Possibilities
Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.
Brand Kit
Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.
Share to Social Media
Sharing to social media is not possible, unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.
Offline Viewing
Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.
Privacy and Password Protection
Yes, this is possible on all plans.
Analytics
Analytics are possible on the paid plans.
Lead Generation
This feature is not available.
Professional Review / Article
By Andrew Kunesh @ Zapier
10 Powtoon
Powtoon presentation software is all about animations. Their style of presentation design is unique and different to all others. Most of the designs are cartoonish but there are also more professional style templates. Their best feature is the square video feature still in beta.
Price Tag
Powtoon has premium plans, educational plans, pay per export plans and on demand enterprise plans. The free plan is complete enough to get to know the program but finished presentations come with a big watermark logo. Premium plans start at USD19 per month and go up to USD 299. Educational plans start at USD 2.99 and go up to USD16 with great options for classrooms. The pay per export plans start at 5 exports for USD24 each and go up to a plan of 25 exports for USD8 each.
Ease of Use
This presentation program is easy to use after taking a look around and getting to know the features, and the different way of building presentations. If the user has a background in video editing or animation then it will be even easier. There are also keyboard shortcuts.
Who Is It For
Powtoon is perfect for anyone that needs a different and innovative style of presentation. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, teachers and students.
Template Options
There are lots of templates in different styles and themes to choose from. There are also single templates to use for slides. The five main themes are; Modern Edge, Whiteboard, Cartoon, Infographic, Corporate. Presentations can also be created from scratch.
Graphic Assets Library
The graphic assets library is quite extensive for all themes and styles. Photos can be uploaded from your computer or imported from Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox and Google Photos.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be uploaded from your computer but there is also an integration with Storyblocks that offers videos with a search function. GIFs can be uploaded via the image tab.
Audio
There is an extensive music library to choose from. Music can also be uploaded from your computer of dropbox. Voiceovers can uploaded or recorded directly via your computer’s microphone.
Embed Third-Party Content
You cannot add code via an iframe on Powtoon.
Animations
Powtoon is all about animations. Everything is animated from the start so the user just needs to adjust the playback of the animation to their liking.
Desktop or Cloud
This program is a cloud based software and cannot be downloaded.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Powtoon is only available on desktop or laptop computers.
Collaboration Possibilities
Powtoons can be sent from one user to another but cannot be edited as a team.
Brand Kit
There are no custom branding capabilities but elements can be changed to fit your color palette.
Share to Social Media
Presentations can be shared to social media via the export tab.
Offline Viewing
Powtoons can be downloaded as .mp4 , .pdf and .pptx to view offline.
Privacy, Analytics and Lead Generation
These features are not available with Powtoon presentation software.
Professional Review / Article
Powtoon Review: Create Animated Video without Animation Skills
By: Kim Barloso @ Shout me loud
11 Canva
Canva is not only a presentation software but actually a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become one of the favorites with bloggers and home based businesses.
Price Tag
The free version of Canva is pretty extensive. The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought on a one by one basis or through the Canva for Work plan. Canva for Work is charged by team member at USD12.95 per month or USD9.99 when billed yearly.
Ease of Use
Canva is pretty easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling, there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides all at once.
Who Is It For
Bloggers, small home based businesses and startups
Template Options
There are lots of template options and each slide inside the templates can be used individually. Everything is customizable.
Graphic Assets Library
There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library. Some free and some have to paid for.
Videos and GIFs
Videos and GIFs cannot be added to Canva Presentations.
Audio and Embed Third-Party Content
These are not available in Canva.
Animations
There are no animations on Canva.
Desktop or Cloud
Canva is a cloud based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.
Collaboration Possibilities
Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.
Brand Kit
Canva for Work has a brand kit feature.
Share to Social Media
Presentations can be shared to Twitter and Facebook.
Offline Viewing
Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf.
Privacy and Password Protection
All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password protected sharing though.
Analytics and Lead generation
These features are not available in Canva.
Professional Review / Article
By: Alexia P. Bullard @ CMS Critic
12 Genial.ly
The main idea behind the Genial.ly presentation software is interactivity. This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations, but also for all sorts of other visual graphics. It’s pretty complete if what you need is a modern interactive feel to your presentations.
Price Tag
The free plan gives you unlimited creations but limited resources. Genial.ly has two types of price groups; education and professional. The education plans start at EUR1.25 and go up to EUR20.82 per month. Professional plans start at EUR 7.49 and go up to EUR 79.15 a month.
Ease of Use
Genial.ly is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genial.ly. Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a ‘design view’ and a ‘layers view’.
Who Is It For
Professionals and educators of any field that can benefit from interactive presentations.
Template Options
There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentations templates are available also as ‘video presentations’.
Graphic Assets Library
The graphic assets in Genial.ly are quite varied, there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the pixabay integration.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.
Audio
Audio can be added via link from SoundCloud and a couple other integrations.
Embed Third-Party Content
Third party content can be added with links from the site integrated with the program. For example, Google Maps.
Animations
All elements can animated as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.
Desktop or Cloud
Genial.ly is a cloud based presentation program.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.
Collaboration Possibilities
It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where all creations are stored.
Brand Kit
Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.
Share to Social Media
Finished presentations can be shared to social media.
Offline Viewing
Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.
Privacy and Analytics
Premium plans have these features.
Lead Generation
This is not available in Genial.ly
Professional Review / Article
By Wendy Torres @ Tech Snacks
13 GoAnimate
GoAnimate is a presentation software that lets you create animated presentations in video form. The most important aspect of GoAnimate is that you can create your own character and upload a voiceover that will look like it is talking in your voice. Finished presentations are downloaded and exported as video files, not static slide documents. There is a specialized GoAnimate “for schools” version.
Price Tag
GoAnimate is available to try for free in a 14 day free trial. After that, the plans range from USD39 a month to USD159 a month.
Ease of Use
GoAnimate is easy to use for those who know how to edit videos. Otherwise, it could take some learning.
Who Is It For
Educators professionals and startups.
Template Options
There are lots of template options. The main style choices are Business and Whiteboard. There are background scenes and the characters can have all sorts of positions and expressions.
Graphic Assets Library
There are plenty of props and shapes to choose from in the graphic assets library.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be uploaded in the import tab but GIFs are not supported.
Audio
Audio can be added as an audio file or can be recorded as a voiceover and lip sync.
Embed Third-Party Content
There are no integration, code or iframe embedding capabilities.
Animations
Everything in GoAnimate can be animated quite easily.
Desktop or Cloud
This presentation software is cloud/internet-based. The animated presentations can be viewed on any device when downloaded or shared to YouTube.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Editing on GoAnimate is only possible on computers.
Collaboration Possibilities
Premium team plans have collaboration capabilities.
Brand Kit
A main character can be customized to be your branded character. It can look like you or someone in your company! There is no brand kit feature.
Share to Social Media
Presentations can be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo and other video players.
Offline Viewing
A GoAnimate presentation can be downloaded as an .mp4 video that is able to be viewed offline.
Private and Password Protection
Premium plans have this features.
Analytics and Lead Generation
These features are not available.
Professional Review / Article
GoAnimate Review - Easiest Way to Make Animated Explainer Videos?
By Admin @ 2D Animation Software Guide
14 Google Slides
Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with ‘docs’ and ‘sheets’, you can create presentations with ‘slides’. The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.
Price Tag
Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a google account. All features are available to everyone. There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at USD per user and range to USD25 per user per month.
Ease of Use
Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to docs and sheets.
Who Is It For
Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.
Template Options
There is a general collection of templates but not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.
Graphic Assets Library
The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.
Audio and Embed Third-Party Content
Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.
Animations
Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.
Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Google Slides is a cloud based program that can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for android and iphone.
Collaboration Possibilities
Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides
Brand Kit
There is no brand kit feature.
Share to Social Media
Presentations can be shared to G+, Facebook and Twitter.
Offline Viewing
Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations can be shared privately but there is no password capabilities, only invitations.
Analytics and Lead Generation
These features are not available.
Professional Review / Article
By: Wendy Russell @ Thought.Co
15 FlowVella
FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode in which you can create interactive presentations like they ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.
Price Tag
FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark.
Ease of Use
FlowVella is pretty easy to use, the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.
Who Is It For
This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.
Template Options
The template options are quite varied and well designed.
Graphic Assets Library
The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.
Videos and GIFs
Videos can be uploaded or found via the YouTube and Vimeo integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.
Audio
Audio can be uploaded from your computer.
Embed Third-Party Content
You can add PDF files.
Animations
Only the transitions are animated minimally.
Desktop or Cloud
This is a desktop based application. It must be downloaded.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.
Collaboration Possibilities
Paid premium plans can work with teams.
Brand Kit
Brand kits are not available.
Share to Social Media
Presentations cannot be shared to social media.
Offline Viewing
Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.
Privacy and Analytics
These features are available in the paid plans.
Lead Generation
This feature is not available on FlowVella.
Your Turn
Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.
Making great presentations are essential. Choosing the best software can be very difficult. Thank you for making this guide and comparison.
Hi Serena, thanks for saying so! We took care to show everyone all the options out there. Which presentation software are you using?
Thank you so much for your translations! Much appreciated!
You’re welcome Farzad! We are glad to help
Orana, that’s AMAZING article. Being myself presentation skills lecturer, I didn’t actually know few titles (but in the end it’s about quality and focus, isn’t it:)
I’m using mainly Keynote because I have best flow when creating decks on Macbook (e.g. that included haptic feedback is amazing). Currently I’m exploring Visme in more depth and am positively surprised – next plan is to master it and spread the good news.
For newbies and those lost in gfx design, Canva is interesting alternative for small projects.
Not sure if you tried Paste from Paper53 — one of the most innovative approach in presentation sw field.
thanks again
I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, thank you for all the great articles.
Amazing piece of analysis and fascinating post. This help both beginner and experienced webmaster combined. Thanks a lot for taking your time and putting in so much effort to write this up. Thanks for the great article like always!