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9 best PowerPoint apps and tools for Android

Published on March 22, 2024

Presentation software is a powerful tool in the workplace. It’s especially true for PowerPoint, the most popular presentation software. It helps freshen up lectures, organize information in an easily deliverable way, and is generally accessible to most people. There are a lot of options as well. You can find presentation software on computers and smartphones.

Additionally, some tools make each platform easier. We have a bit of everything on this list. Here are the best PowerPoint apps and tools for Android.

The best PowerPoint apps and tools:

Andropen office, google home, google slides, microsoft powerpoint.

• Remote desktop apps

Unified Remote

Price: Free / $12.99

AndrOpen Office is likely the best bet for Linux users. It fully supports OpenOffice file formats and includes Writer, Calc, and Impress. Impress is the presentation software. It can also read PowerPoint files as well. In terms of PowerPoint apps, it does pretty well. You can create a slideshow, add graphics, add text, and the basic stuff like that. The free version is more usable than the first free version of most paid software. The app also works perfectly with niche functions like Samsung DeX. It’s not quite as powerful as Microsoft PowerPoint, but it’s close enough for most people.

Price: Free / $2.99 per item

Clicker works a lot like ASUS Remote Link. It lets you connect to your computer and use your phone as a presentation clicker. It also seems to work on Mac, Linux, Windows, iOS, and Android. That should cover just about everybody. In any case, the workflow for this one is pretty obvious. You create your PowerPoint on your computer, where you have full access to all of the tools. Then, you use this app to present the PowerPoint at your meeting. There is also remote trackpad functionality, Samsung S-Pen support, and space to keep notes for your speech. There aren’t many presentation clicker apps like this one, so it’s nice to see that at least one is really good.

Price: Free

Google Home is an out-of-the-box idea. You use it with a Chromecast to mirror your phone screen to a display. You can then use your phone to present your PowerPoint. This lets you work on your PowerPoint either on desktop or mobile. You must put the project on your mobile phone, use Google Home to mirror it, and begin your presentation. Chromecasts are small, easy to carry, and very easy to use. It lets you use the presentation space’s existing resources without carting in some extra equipment. Plus, the app is free.

Google Slides is the presentation app from the Google Drive office suite. It’s largely considered the top or at least second-best option in terms of PowerPoint apps. You can mess with your presentation on your phone or desktop via the web. Plus, Google Drive has live collaboration tools and many other features. Your presentation is stored in the cloud, so you can access and download it whenever you want. Plus, it can read, edit, and save PowerPoint files for excellent cross-product functionality. It’s also, far and away, the best free option available. That makes it great for students without access to a Microsoft Office account.

Price: Free / $9.99 per month

Microsoft PowerPoint is the top one or two PowerPoint apps in the world. It’s so good that people refer to presentation apps as PowerPoint apps. The mobile version is more functional than its desktop equivalent, even if the desktop variant is more powerful. On top of the usual presentation features, the app also includes a Presenter Coach function to help you prepare for your speech. Luckily, Microsoft has adapted nicely to the times. You can start fresh or edit existing PowerPoint presentations that you started on your computer. The full functionality is available with an Office 365 subscription. The good news is the subscription unlocks both the desktop and mobile versions of PowerPoint with just a single subscription. You also get Microsoft OneDrive space to store and transport your PowerPoints.

Remote Desktop apps

Price: Free / Varies

Remote desktop apps are a slightly archaic but very functional method of presenting stuff. These apps let you connect directly to your desktop computer, mirroring everything on your mobile phone. There are usually tools to let you navigate around. Thus, you can connect to your computer and give a presentation straight from your phone without moving any files. You can also use these to work on your PowerPoints straight from your computer, so you don’t lose any functionality by being on a smartphone or tablet. We have Microsoft Remote Desktop linked since it covers most use cases, but others are available, too.

Price: Free / $1.99 per item

Unified Remote is another app that lets you control your computer remotely. It works a lot like the ASUS Remote Link. You connect to your computer and can use the app to navigate the UI, as a mouse and keyboard, and there is a built-in presentation setup. This one is different because it has dedicated “remotes” for many specific apps, like Google Chrome, Spotify, Winamp, and, you guessed it, Microsoft PowerPoint. Downloads are available for Windows, Mac, Linux (Debian and RPM distros), Raspberry Pi (ARMv6 and MIPS), and others. That makes it suitable for just about everybody.

Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $29.99 per year

WPS Office is just one of many alternative office apps that double as PowerPoint apps. WPS Office has a writer, spreadsheet, and presentation function. The presentation function lets you read and edit PowerPoint files, so it’s a good start there. The app includes various layouts, animations, transitions, and other effects. Additionally, it lets you draw on slides or use a built-in digital laser pointer during your presentation, which is a nice little feature. WPS Office is free to use if you don’t mind the occasional annoying advertisement.

Zoho Show is one of the few reasonably good standalone PowerPoint apps. It’s not connected to an entire office suite, and it’s not a clicker or a remote desktop app. It’s an app dedicated to making presentations. It includes a bunch of stuff, including various types of charts, over 100 shapes, different formatting options, filters, animations, and other stuff. There are also templates to help you get started. It’s not quite as powerful as some competitors. At the time of this writing, the developers are still working on incorporating stuff like music into the app. However, this is an excellent alternative to Google Slides if you need a quick, free option.

If we missed any great presentation or PowerPoint apps and tools, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.

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

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

I've been testing these apps for the past few years, and this time, I spent several days tinkering with 25 of the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

The best presentation software

Beautiful.ai for AI-powered design

Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations

Powtoon for video presentations

Pitch for collaborating with your team on presentations

Gamma for conversational AI features

Mentimeter for audience engagement

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

While most apps now offer AI features in one way or another, it isn't a universal feature yet—and some apps' AI features leave a lot to be desired. For that reason, I opted not to make AI features a strict must-have for this year (though it probably will be a requirement next time I update the article). That means I've still included some apps that don't offer AI—if you opt for one of those, you can still easily get AI-generated images and text 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.

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

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

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

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

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

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

The best presentation software at a glance

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

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

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

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

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

Canva has added a number of AI-powered tools , but I wasn't super impressed by them yet. The Magic Design tool, for example, isn't much more useful than the many pre-designed templates already available, while Magic Write is basically just white-labeled ChatGPT. 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 $120/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

If you're looking for a capable free presentation tool with a more affordable upgrade, Zoho Show is worth a look. It's completely free for most features, offers a clean, intuitive editor, and includes a number of great templates. Plus, you can automate Zoho Show by connecting it with Zapier .

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

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

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

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

With 10 themes, several templated slides, over 40 fully-designed templates, and more than 20 different color palettes to choose from, Beautiful.ai strikes a perfect balance between automation and customization.

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

Note: I re-tested the generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) this year. It's great for adding individual slides to an existing presentation—automatically choosing the best layout and matching the design to the rest of the deck—but as with most other apps, it struggled to pull in relevant images.

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

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 a generative AI tool that builds a whole pitch deck based on your website. 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 can only be billed annually.

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's generative AI feature works ok, but it's more useful as a wireframe. When I asked it to create a presentation about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example, the resulting content read a lot like a student writing a term paper in the broadest strokes possible to avoid doing any actual research.

Prezi pricing: Free 14-day trial and a free plan that includes up to 5 visual projects; paid plans start at $7/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 $15/month and include white-labeling, priority support, additional storage, 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

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

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

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

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

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

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

Pitch pricing: Free plan offers unlimited presentations, custom templates, and live video collaboration; paid plans start at $22/month for 2 users with additional workspace features, presentation analytics, and more.

The best presentation app for conversational AI

Gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

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

Simply give the app a topic—or upload an outline, notes, or any other document or article—approve the outline, and pick a theme. The app will take it from there and create a fully fleshed-out presentation. It's far from perfect, but Gamma produces a very useful jumping-off point. (Last year, it was by far the best, but this year, other apps are catching up.)

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

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

Gamma pricing: Free plan includes unlimited users, 400 AI deck credits, and basic view analytics; upgrade to the Plus plan for $8/user/month to get unlimited AI credits, remove Gamma branding, and more.

The best presentation app for audience engagement

Mentimeter (web).

Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

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

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

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

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

Mentimeter pricing: Free plan includes 50 participants per month and 34 different slide types; upgrade to the Basic plan for $11.99/presenter/month to get unlimited participants and slide types, private presentations, and more.

The best presentation app for generative AI

Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

There's definitely a learning curve

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

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

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

Tome pricing: Free plan available for manual editing without AI; upgrade to the Professional plan for $16/user/month to use the generative AI and design tools, plus engagement analytics, branding tools, 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 really been focused on their respective presentation solutions just yet. Rest assured, I'm watching this space, and the next time we update this article, I'll re-test tools like Copilot for PowerPoint and Gemini for Google Slides to see what new features may be 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.

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

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

If you're looking to expand what you can do with PowerPoint or Google Slides, apps like Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Plus AI , Slidesgo , and Simplified can help you do things like access additional templates, save branded assets, and generate AI presentations from the app you're already using.

Related reading:

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 April 2024.

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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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With easy-to-use presenter view, speaker notes, and live captions, Slides makes presenting your ideas a breeze. You can even present to Google Meet video calls directly from Slides.

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Presentation Guru

The best presentation apps for android.

Desktop computers have become a rare commodity these day and although laptops are holding on to the last shred of anything that doesn’t resemble a smart device, it might not be long before they might be replaced for good. Even modern laptops have begun to resemble smart devices, as hybrid models aim to replace the conventional laptop.

Whether you are a PC user or someone who favours Mac, the chances are you need to be ready for a world ruled by Android. In fact, many PC and Mac users already own an Android device.

To help presenters prepare for things to come, we have compiled a list of the best presentation apps for Android. This list consists of not only apps that can be used for making and presenting your slide decks but also apps which can help you turn your Android device into a presentation remote or a tool for remotely delivering your presentations.

[This article contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here .]

1) PowerPoint for Android

According to some estimates there are 30 million PowerPoint presentations delivered per day. It can be safely assumed that most presenters globally use PowerPoint for delivering their slides. Even many who use alternative apps, usually make use of applications which support PPT files. This is why PowerPoint for Android is number one of our list of best presentation apps for Android.

While users have complained about the need for an Office 365 account to use the PowerPoint app for Android , however, there is no denying the fact that it is indeed the real deal when it comes to Android presentation apps. PowerPoint for Android supports many features that many so called PowerPoint alternatives on the Play Store have failed to provide. This includes features like: support for PowerPoint charts; transitions and animations; and integration with SharePoint and major cloud storage services.

You can access files from not only your Android device but also via OneDrive, Google Drive, box, DropBox and SharePoint. Furthermore, you can create, edit and present presentations right from your Android device.

PowerPoint for Android is not without its limitations, as it is not as powerful as its desktop version. Unfortunately, you cannot do much with the app unless you are logged in with an Office 365 account.

If you’re wondering why would you use a paid app instead of the dozens of free alternatives on the Google Play Store, the answer is simple. PowerPoint for Android not only provides support for many native features that other apps can’t provide but also enables making high-quality slides; something a professional presenter desperately needs to have.

Furthermore, your imported PowerPoint files will not have any missing charts, animations or pixelated images when you open them on Android. Moreover, you can safely use PowerPoint for Android for presenting your slides by connecting your Android device to a projector using a PC, Chromecast, Miracast, etc.

2) Google Slides

If you don’t want to pay for an Office 365 subscription, Google Slides is the next best alternative. What started as a cloud based imitation of PowerPoint has come a long way. While Google Slides has a long way to go, as explained in our post about Google Slides Vs PowerPoint ; it gives adequate options for making a good looking presentation.

With the Google Slides app for Android you can create, edit and present your presentations from an Android device. Furthermore, it supports PowerPoint files, which can help you use this app as a free alternative to the Office 365 subscription based PowerPoint for Android app.

If you’ve never used the web based version of Google Slides or haven’t tried it since its rebranding, it has come a long way. A few years back I would not have fancied importing a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides but all that has now changed. The imported PowerPoint files have much better editability and few slides (if any) get botched after import.

The only downside of using Google Slides is that you can’t do much without internet connectivity. For example, you need online connectivity for making a presentation. This can be a buzzkill for people looking for an app they can use without keeping their mobile data packages on when making slides on the go.

Needless to say, Google Slides comes integrated with Google Drive and gives you access for your presentation files via your Google account. While Google Slides is no PowerPoint, however, it can help you get the job done with all basic functions a presenter might need. Furthermore, it’s also a good enough option for viewing and editing PowerPoint files for free on an Android device.

3) WPS Office+PDF

I have been using WPS Office for as long as I have owned an Android device. This is one of the oldest Office Suites for Android and one of the best ones available for free. With WPS Office you can create, view and edit Office files, including presentations, with support for PowerPoint files.

WPS Office also provides a number of other handy functions, such as wireless printing support for Office and PDF files, a reader-friendly mobile mode for PDF files and documents, built-in image editing functionality, track changes, etc.

It can be safely assumed that after PowerPoint for Android and Google Slides, WPS Office has the features and smooth functionality which makes it a viable Android app for creating, viewing, editing and presenting presentations.

4)  Polaris Office+PDF

Many Android devices come with the Polaris Viewer, which makes it possible to view MS Office files on Android devices. Polaris has many apps for Android, including separate apps for LG devices, Symantec mobility suite, and an enterprise version known as Polaris Good. Polaris Office+PDF is a free Office suite which can be used for viewing and editing MS Office files, including PowerPoint presentations.

Polaris Office also provides a number of other useful features, such as the ability to take notes with handwriting, passcode protection for documents, document sharing and commenting features, etc. Polaris Office+PDF is a free Android app, which offers in-app purchases.

5) Smart Office 2

Smart Office 2 for Android is one of many Office apps which came way before Microsoft woke up from its slumber. This app is not just a mere PowerPoint alternative for Android but an entire Office suite. Smart Office 2 is a free app, which supports creating, editing, viewing, printing and sharing Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. It also provides support for viewing PDF and image files, including GIF animations ad Vector Graphics (WMF & EMF).

Smart Office 2 also enables converting Office files to PDF format, with the utility to annotate PDF files. You can use Smart Office for presenting PowerPoint and PDF presentation using your Android device. Smart Office 2 also gives templates for creating Office files, including PowerPoint presentations.

While Smart Office 2 is not as feature rich as PowerPoint for Android or Google Slides, it does serve as the poor man’s PowerPoint and can perform many basic functions you would expect in an office suite. Something that I personally find lacking in this app is the lacklustre interface and slower functionality. This is why WPS and Polaris Office are ranked higher in our list.

Presentations aren’t necessarily supposed to be all about PowerPoint slides. There are many useful apps that can go beyond support for PPTs and actually deliver a platform which can make professional presenters stand out from the crowd. ShowPad is one such service, which makes it possible for presenters engaged in sales and marketing to deliver robust presentations on the fly.

ShowPad is a sales enablement platform. In other words, it is a service which allows bringing together all your marketing data to create custom presentations according to specific customer needs. This might include PPTs, PDF files, Word documents, videos and relevant images.

The ShowPad app for Android is an extension of the ShowPad web service, which gives a plethora of options to access sales data for presenting your sales pitch anytime, using interactive tools. ShowPad is a paid service which can be tested out using a free trial account.

7) MightyMeeting

MightyMeeting is not your average presentation app, as it integrates web conferencing with polls, whiteboards and PowerPoint slides to provide a comprehensive platform for presenters. MightyMeeting is perfect for remote presentations and for delivering your presentation during a webinar or online conference.

Like ShowPad, MightyMeeting app for Android is an extension of a web service. You can instantly start online meetings, invite attendees and begin presenting your content using PowerPoint slides, whiteboards, videos and even conduct polls to gather opinion from meeting participants.

MightyMeeting is a paid service but you can take it for a spin using a trial account. Read a more detailed review of MightyMeeting here .

8)  AIO Remote

You might have used apps that turn your Android device into a presentation remote. And when it comes to the best Android presentation remote app, AIO Remote is a clear winner. When I first installed this app, I didn’t expect much, however, I was amazed by its smooth functionality and wide range of features.

AIO Remote can not only be used if you are presenting PowerPoint slides on your computer but even if you are using another presentation app. This is because AIO has features for controlling not just PowerPoint slides but your entire computer. With AIO Remote you can control your mouse pad, turn your Android device into a joystick, browse your PC files, control your media player, as well as create custom remotes by specifying control variables.

AIO Remote for Android is free to use and works with Windows, Mac and Linux. AIO also has a mobile version for Kindle tablets. You can connect AIO Remote via Android to your computer using a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

You can find a more detailed review of AIO Remote here.

9) Office Remote

Office Remote is an official app by Microsoft which is meant to remotely control Office apps on PC using Android devices. Office Remote can not only control PowerPoint running on a PC but also other Office apps like Word and Excel.

Office Remote is a free app and requires Bluetooth connectivity between a PC and Android device. Like any remote control app for Android, you will require installing a desktop plugin for MS Office on your PC and the Android app for Office remote on your Android smartphone or tablet.

10)  AirDroid

When it comes to Android apps providing remote control, AirDroid is indeed a novelty. This is not your conventional Android remote, since it does pretty much the opposite of what AIO Remote and Office Remote Offer; i.e. you can remotely control your Android device via PC, Mac or web browser.

Now, being a presenter you might be wondering what good can AirDroid be for you? The answer is simple. AirDroid be useful to remotely accessing your Android device to Mirror it on a PC or Mac connected to a projector. Moreover, you can use it to remotely send SMS, transfer files, control your mobile camera, play and manage audio and video files, as well as transfer files to your computer without the need for wired connectivity.

In other words, whether you want to mirror your Android on a projector via computer, remotely control your Android device during a presentation or need to quickly transfer a file from your Android device to a computer, AirDroid can help you do all that. Furthermore, if you intend to share something like a WhatsApp chat, video or need to demonstrate something using your Android device, you can show it all on the big screen.

AirDroid is a free app but offers some in-app purchases.

The above list is meant to provide our fellow presenters with useful apps to help them use their Android devices more effectively for presenting presentations. We excluded apps which we thought were not user-friendly enough or lacked essential features.

This is why Prezi did not make it to our list. Unfortunately, Prezi currently only has a Prezi Viewer for Android and its mobile site doesn’t make it any easy to create presentations from an Android browser.

Similarly, we did not include many presentation remote apps, since the ones mentioned in this post come with comprehensive features that are hard to match by other Android apps.

If you think we missed out a presentation app for Android which should be on this list, feel free to share your thoughts via our comments section.

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Salehe Abdallah

1st February 2018 at 3:07 pm

Very useful post. When you prepare another list for PowerPoint sites to shop, include this PowerPoint Templates site will add value to your list as it is modern slides with very competitive price starting from $0.05. Thank you

20th March 2018 at 1:15 pm

Can these all be used offline? Thank you!

23rd March 2018 at 1:47 pm

Some features of certain apps might require online connectivity. However, most of the apps have some kind of offline support. WP Office for instance provides complete offline support, similarly, you can connect AIO Remote via Bluetooth.

David Contreras-Sáez

18th June 2018 at 2:26 pm

Great info. I actually read this because I am looking for a tool that would allow me to use my Android phone to remotely control my Android tablet, where I would have my PowerPoint or Prezi presentation..could I merge the two using like AIO Remote? Thanks for your help!

Rosie Hoyland

19th June 2018 at 9:06 am

Hi David – check out our article about the AIO Remote: https://www.presentation-guru.com/how-to-control-your-computer-using-an-android-device-and-its-free/ – I think that might answer your question.

12th July 2018 at 3:15 pm

Good article. If someone needs, here is a presentation online maker: Wilda.me Here you can create a great business or education presentation, save it in pdf, jpeg or publish on the website. In addition to presentations, you can make any business documents: brochures, business cards, price lists, proposals, flyers, logos etc. Many samples and templates will help you in creation your docs. https://wilda.me/presentation-templates Enjoy

13th July 2018 at 10:04 am

Thanks for the link Mike – we will check it out.

Sunny Kumar

23rd February 2021 at 5:07 pm

It often happens that our laptop is not with us, but for some urgent office work, we have to make a presentation from the phone itself. So for them, these editing APPs can be utilized.

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Best presentation software of 2024

Make perfect slides for speeches and talks

Best overall

Best for branding, best for marketing, best for themes, best for media, best unique.

• How we test

The best presentation software makes it simple and easy to create, manage, and share slideshow presentations.

1. Best overall 2. Best for branding 3. Best for marketing 4. Best for themes 5. Best for media 6. Best unique 7. FAQs 8. How we test

Presentation software runs at the heart of business sales, management, and development, so it's important to ensure you have the best presentation software for your needs. This is especially when looking to share ideas, concepts, and workflows, and the ability to present these in a simple and understandable way is essential.

However, while presentation software has been traditionally limited to text and images, it has widened its ability to work with different media such as video and audio. 

Therefore it's important for the best presentation software to not simply be easy and simple to use, but also be able to support additional media so that presentations can be more engaging, lively, and ultimately serve their purpose in educating and updating their intended audience.

Below we've listed the best presentation software currently on the market.

We've also listed the best free presentation software .

The best office software in the world is: Microsoft 365 There are many different office software suites out there, but Microsoft Office remains the original and best, offering an unsurpassed range of features and functionality that rivals just can't match.

Even better, Microsoft 365 - previously branded as Office 365 - is a cloud-based solution which means you can use it on any computer, mobile device, or smartphone, without having to worry about compatibility. All your files are saved in the cloud and synced between devices, so you can begin work on a document at home or in the office, then continue working on it on the go.

You can sign up to Microsoft 365 here .

The best 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.

1. PowerPoint

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

For most people, Microsoft 's PowerPoint remains the original and best of all the presentation software platforms out there. While other companies have managed to catch up and offer rival products worthy of consideration, the fact is that PowerPoint's familiar interface and ubiquitous availability means it remains a favorite for the majority of people.

On the one hand, it's long been a staple of the hugely popular Microsoft Office suite, meaning that for most users this is going to be the first - and last - presentation software they are going to need to use.

Additionally, Microsoft has made PowerPoint, along with their other office products, available as free apps (with limited functionality) on both iOS and Android for mobile use, meaning it's even harder to avoid them. And this is before we even consider the inclusion of PowerPoint in Microsoft's cloud-based Microsoft 365.

It does everything necessary that you'd expect of presentation software, allowing you to add text and media to a series of slides, to accompany a talk and other presentations. There are easy-to-use templates included to help spice things up a little, but even a general user with little experience of it is likely to find themselves able to use PowerPoint without much trouble at all.

Overall, it's hard to go wrong with PowerPoint, and although Microsoft 365 has a nominal cost, the apps are free to use even if they do have more limited functionality.

Read our full Microsoft PowerPoint review .

• ^ Back to the top

2. CustomShow

Reasons to avoid.

Branding says a lot about a business, and it’s something firms need to get right from day one – from a good logo to a suitable font. CustomShow is business presentation software that puts all these elements of branding first.

Using the system, you can design and present customized, branded presentations that reflect your company and the products you offer, featuring the aforementioned logo and custom fonts. As well as this, you get a slide library and analytics to ensure your presentations are a success.

What’s more, you can import presentations into the software, and use it to tweak them further. There’s also integration with SalesForce , and because the platform is cloud-based, you can access your presentations on computers, tablets, and smartphones. 

Considering the focus on branding, this offering could be good for marketing and sales teams, and it's used by major companies such as HBO and CBS Interactive.

3. ClearSlide

Just like CustomShow, ClearSlide has a niche focus for companies. The platform is targeted at firms looking to generate successful marketing campaigns, pushing sales via presentations (and more), not least through a range of analytics and metrics to work for sales and marketing.

With the product, you can upload a range of files, including PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, and Excel. ClearSlide is integrated with other platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce.

This system is pretty complex and may offer too many irrelevant features for some businesses, but you can create customized content that reflects your company and the message you’re trying to get out to customers. There are also some good metrics and analysis features, and you can sign up for a free trial before making any decisions.

The real strength of ClearSlide comes from its focus on sales and marketing data, not least being able to track user engagement alongside other metrics.

4. Haiku Deck

Any presentation app will allow you to personalize your slides to at least some extent, but Haiku Deck goes one step further than the competition. It comes with a wide range of themes suited to different needs, and you also get access to 40 million free images from the Creative Commons collection.

When it comes to creating a presentation, you have the option to do so on the web, which means your presentation is accessible across a range of mobile devices as well as desktops. Regardless of the device used, you’re able to select from a variety of different fonts, layouts, and filters to make the perfect presentation.

The great thing about these various customization options is that they’re categorized into different industries and use cases. For instance, you’ll find themes for teaching, cooking, real estate, and startups. Most of the features require you to be online, but hopefully, you’ll have a sturdy net connection wherever you go.

5. SlideDog

It’s all too easy to end up creating a presentation that’s unappealing, and the last thing you want to do is make the audience fall asleep. SlideDog lets you combine almost any type of media to create a rich presentation that’s sure to keep the viewers’ peepers open, avoiding the ‘cookie cutter’ look that makes presentations seem dull.

Marketed as a web-based multimedia presentation tool, it gives you the ability to combine PowerPoint presentations, graphics, PDF files, Prezi presentations, web pages, pictures, videos, and movie clips. You can drag these into custom playlists and display them to your audience with ease.

You’re able to remotely control your presentations and playlists from your smartphone, the web, or a secondary computer, and there’s also the option to share slides in real-time. Audience members can even view your slide from their own devices by clicking a link. That’s a handy feature if you’re looking to create an immersive presentation experience.

SlideDog is probably the cheapest of the presentation software featured, with a free account that will cover the essential features. However, for live sharing and premium support, you need to upgrade.

Read our full SlideDog review .

Prezi is one of the more unique presentation tools. Instead of presenting your graphics and text in a slide-to-slide format, you can create highly visual and interactive presentation canvases with the goal of “emphasizing the relationship between the ideas”.

Presentations can also be tailored to the specific audience, as this is a flexible platform that’s capable of skipping ahead, or veering off into a side topic, without having to flip through all the slides to get to a particular bit.

For business users, there are a variety of handy tools available. By downloading Prezi , you can build and edit presentations with your colleagues in real-time, which is perfect for companies with teams based around the globe.

When you have created a presentation you’re happy with, you can present it live (in HD) and send a direct link to viewers. There are some analysis tools here, too – you can see who’s accessed your presentation, which parts of it, and for how long. The app is available for Mac and Windows devices.

Read our full Prezi review .

Other presentation software to consider

Google Slides  is part of the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) office platform intended as an online alternative to Microsoft Office. It may seem a little limited by comparison to PowerPoint, but as it's browser-based that means cross-platform compatibility. Additionally, it allows for collaborative work, and Google Slides really works well here. On top of the fact that it integrates with the rest of the Google Workspace apps, not least Google Drive, and you have a contender. 

Zoho Show  is another of the many, many tools and apps that Zoho has made available for business use. It also operates in the cloud so it's accessible to any device with a browser, and it also allows for collaborative work. You can also easily share the link for users to download, or provide a live presentation online. The updated version has a simpler and easier to use interface and comes with a free version and a paid-for one with expanded features.

Evernote  is normally thought of as just note-taking software, but it does provide the option to create a presentation you can share online or with an audience. In that regard, it's a little more limited than the other options in not being dedicated presentation software. However, as an easy and handy way to pull together a presentation quickly, it could serve as a backup or last-minute option, especially if Evernote is already being commonly used by you.

LibreOffice Impress  is part of the open-source suite offered as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and comes with a powerful array of tools and editing options for your presentation, not least working with 3D images. It's supported by a large community, so it's easy to find an array of additional templates. If there is a limitation it's that it's software you download and install rather than web-based, but any presentations created should be easily portable to the web if needed.

Adobe Spark  does things a bit differently, as rather than just use images it's geared toward video as well. This makes for potentially more powerful multimedia presentations, especially as Adobe also has a big selection of photos and images available for its users. There is a free tier for core features but requires a subscription for custom branding, personalized themes, and support.

Slides  comes with a lot of features in an easy-to-use interface, and involves setting up presentations using drag and drop into an existing grid. It's also internet-based so there's no software to download, and it only requires a browser to use and access. 

Presentation software FAQs

Which presentation software is best for you.

When deciding which presentation software 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 for your presentation needs.

How we tested the best presentation software

To test for the best 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 .

We've also featured the best alternatives to Microsoft Office .

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Nicholas Fearn is a freelance technology journalist and copywriter from the Welsh valleys. His work has appeared in publications such as the FT, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Next Web, T3, Android Central, Computer Weekly, and many others. He also happens to be a diehard Mariah Carey fan!

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The 8 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives

Professional results for tight budgets

• Swansea University, Staffordshire University

Microsoft PowerPoint is a great tool for creating professional-looking slideshows and presentations. However, the home version requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, and the free mobile app locks some features behind the sub as well. Fortunately, there are plenty of free PowerPoint software alternatives out there. Here's a look at some of the best options and how they compare to PowerPoint. 

Best Direct PowerPoint Replacement: Google Slides

Very similar to PowerPoint.

Free to use. 

Compatible with PowerPoint.

An internet connection is strongly recommended. 

Where there's a need for an app, Google seems to have it covered. Google Slides is its PowerPoint equivalent and it's a lot like Microsoft's app. Very simple to use and offering full compatible with the alternative, you can access Google Slides via your browser and easily create custom presentations with audio and your own images, all entirely for free. It also offers great live collaboration features for teamwork purposes.

The only minor downside is you need an internet connection to at least get started but the service does also work offline with presentations syncing once you're back online.

Best for Designers: Prezi

Video editing included.

Can easily make data visualizations. 

Stylish user interface.

Free option is pretty basic.

No support.

Presentations viewable by all.

Prezi is a great option for designers who have a vision but aren't technically proficient at achieving it. Its simple drag and drop interface makes it a breeze to organize your presentation just how you want it. Backed up with other Prezi apps that mean you can create videos or more stylish data visualizations than simple graphs, it's ideal for industries that are more visual than others. A series of pre-made templates makes it all the more attractive. 

Prezi isn't as free as it seems though. To get the full wealth of features like advanced image editing, offline access, and narration, you'll need to pay a subscription fee.

Best for Quick Results: Zoho Show

A theme for every occasion.

Quick to create something.

Intuitive interface.

Need to be online to use it.

Simple to use yet highly effective is the sweet spot for quick results, and that's certainly the case with Zoho Show. You might need to be online to use it, but it's worth the connection with an intuitive user interface that adapts to what you need to do. You can easily embed videos, tweets, and images into your presentations with some neat transition effects making things more interesting. 

Collaboration tools further sweeten the deal with annotation features meaning you can work together well as a team and fast.

Best for Animations: Powtoon

Great animation tools.

Easy to use.

Can export to social media platforms.

Branding applied on free presentations.

More about animations than slideshows. 

PowToon tackles PowerPoint presentations from a slightly different angle than a lot of its competitors. It's primarily great for creating full animations and videos rather than presentations that you would click through and present yourself. That lends itself perfectly to the internet which is why it's so useful that you can export your presentations to various forms of social media. 

With a drag and drop template, you can create something within about 20 minutes from your browser. The free version bundles in branding logos so viewers will always know you've used PowToon to create them but that's a small price to pay for an otherwise very accessible and simple to use piece of software. 

Best for Mass Branding: Renderforest

Plenty of options for expanding branding.

300MB cloud storage for free.

Unlimited exports.

Exports can be low in quality.

Content is watermarked.

RenderForest thinks of itself as more than just a PowerPoint alternative. It tackles everything you might need from creating logos to designing promo videos, music visualizations, landing pages, and websites. That's on top of its extensive animations and intro creation. That might sound intimidating but the service keeps things simple, so it won't take you long to mock something up and develop it.

Stick to the free version and there are some restrictions such as branding on your videos, lower quality logos, and so forth, but it's a solid start for an otherwise entirely free service. In particular, if you just need to concoct a quick 3-minute video for a presentation, RenderForest has you covered.

Best for Non-Designers: Visme

Plenty of templates to choose from.

Can set up five projects at once.

Charts and widgets support.

Limited cloud storage.

Visme branding on free plan.

Been asked to make a presentation and you don't know where to start? Visme is perfect for those that aren't well versed with graphics as it offers an extensive template library. The free plan limits your options a little but there are still some decent choices here. In addition, the service provides cool ways to make stats and data look exciting thanks to chart and widget support. It's all done through a simple drag and drop interface too that makes it super simple to add video and embed other content. 

Just bear in mind that storage options are a little limited and everything on the free plan will contain Visme branding. 

Best for Office Replacement: LibreOffice Impress

Full program rather than browser-based.

Extensive support. 

Similar experience to Microsoft Office.

Requires installation. 

Not quite as intuitive as alternatives.

LibreOffice is a popular free alternative to Microsoft Office, so it makes sense to use LibreOffice Impress if you want the closest experience to Microsoft's package. Unlike most of the others here, you need to install LibreOffice on your PC or Mac which means it's no good for Chromebooks or moving between different systems. However, in exchange, you get an intuitive experience that makes it simple to create slideshows, whether you're handing them out to a class or conference afterwards, or simply projecting them on screen. 

Bear in mind you have to seek out templates yourself though which may be off-putting for the least technically minded user out there. 

Download for:

Best for Apple Users: Keynote

Simple to use. 

Apple Pencil support. 

Cloud based as well as app based.

App is only on Apple devices.

Keynote is Apple's direct competitor to Microsoft PowerPoint and it's a great alternative, especially if you're a Mac user. With app support for iOS and Mac, it takes seconds to get started. Alternatively, PC users can use Keynote via the iCloud website and easily work across multiple devices. 

One of the best features is the ability to use the Apple Pencil on an iPad to create diagrams or illustrations making it great for skilled artists. As well as that, Apple provides plenty of convenient templates for personal and professional projects. 

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Record your presentation

You can record your PowerPoint presentation—or just a single slide—and capture voice, ink gestures, and your video presence. The completed recording is like any other presentation. You can play it for your audience in Slide Show or you can export it as a video file. So instead of just handing the deck to someone, people can see your presentation with all your passion and personality intact. 

Record is an improved version of Record Slide Show for PowerPoint for Windows. The feature replaces the older experience and provides enhanced capabilities for capturing your presentations for later viewing.

What's new?

New access points for recording a video of the presentation .

New features added for recording video

The new Record window has two screens: Record and Export .

When you select Record , the Record screen opens by default.

If you select Export in the top right of the Record screen, the Export screen opens.

You can switch between the Record and Export screens using the  Record  and Export  buttons in the top bar of the window. 

New features added to the Record window

You'll see the following new features in the Record window:

You can also use the seek bar to skip to any point while you're previewing the video on the current slide.

New Export window

The  Export  window is another change with the Record feature. After recording, you’ll be lead through instructions to create a shareable video file of your presentation. By default, the video is in Full HD 1080p resolution in an mp4 format and will be saved to the same location where the presentation is stored.

The exported video includes all recorded timings, narration, animations, transitions, media, ink, and laser pointer gestures. If there's no recorded timings for a slide in the presentation, the slide will be displayed for 5 seconds in the exported video by default. 

By default, the exported video has the same filename as the presentation, but you can create a unique filename for the exported video, if you want. 

Depending on the size of your presentation, it may take a few minutes to export. After the export starts, you can track its progress in the  Export  window. You can also exit the  Record  window and track the progress in the status bar in PowerPoint. 

The  Customize Export  button takes you to the backstage export menu to change resolution and time spent on each slide in the exported video. 

Recording tips

Recordings are added to the presentation on a per-slide basis. If you want to change a recording, you can re-record one or more slides. You can rearrange the order of slides in a recorded presentation without having to re-record anything. This also means it's easy to pause for a break while recording a presentation.

PowerPoint doesn't record audio or video during transitions between slides, so be sure not to narrate while advancing the slide. There's also a brief buffer of silence at the beginning and the end of each slide.

Use video preview to make sure everything is set up correctly before recording.

Presentation recording works best with touch-screen PCs that have a web camera but you can use an external webcam and/or microphone.

If you're using PowerPoint on a tablet or laptop and you're inking with a stylus, you can use an external camera and microphone to minimize stylus noise.

After you finish your first slide recording, play it back to make sure your audio and video are set up the way you expect.

You can adjust and edit the size of video and ink in edit view.

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Software Presentation templates

Software refers to a set of instructions or programs that tell a computer what tasks to perform. it includes all of the programs, applications, and operating systems that run on computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices. do you have a console that uses discs alright, those discs are software (and the console would be hardware). if you wish to give a presentation about software development, for example, these google slides themes and powerpoint templates might come in handy.

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Engineering Software Pitch Deck

With so many tools and apps on the market, it can be difficult to convince investors or potential clients that your software is worth investing in. It's clear to us that the software market, especially that intended for engineering, is a difficult one. This customizable template is designed to help...

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Software Development Business Plan

People in the IT sector will be glad to know that Slidesgo has created a new template especially for them! Describe in these slides your software development business plan and try to convince possible partners of the viability of your idea. The palette is composed of cool colors, which are...

Hardware and Software

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IT Support Technician Resume

Download the IT Support Technician Resume presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Having a good CV can make all the difference in landing your dream job. It's not just a piece of paper, it's your chance to showcase your skills, experience, and personality. If you want to stand out from...

Software Development School Center

Every day for years the range of things you can do with computers has expanded continuously and is continuing to do so, making software developers among the most sought-after employees just about everywhere. So yes, it’s the perfect timing to open a software development school and help people achieve their...

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Software Developer Engineer Job Description

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Software Packages Marketing Plan

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Attendance Tracking Software Pitch Deck

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Design Software Interface CV

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Engineering Software Marketing Plan

We heard you have a software for engineering and that you need to present it. Is it for a marketing plan? Then you need something especially visual! Marketing plans need to be eye-catching and very representative of the theme. This is why this template fits a software vibe so well!...

Software Development Agency

Software development sounds super dark and complex, like a hacker in a hood from a movie typing neon numbers on a black screen really fast. But we’re sure it has nothing to do with that vision and it can be seen as very approachable and interesting for everyone! Present your...

Innovation Through Software Projects Meeting

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Procurement Software Consulting Toolkit

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Software Engineer Portfolio

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Software Engineering Business Plan

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A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

Copilot in powerpoint.

Transform how you make slideshows with the versatile AI in Copilot for PowerPoint.

Improve your presenting skills

Practice presenting with an AI speaker coach to get feedback on body language, repetition, and pronunciation.  

Six slideshow tips and tricks

Read up on tips about how to finesse your slideshows to give your most confident presentations.

Get free PowerPoint templates

Show your style with PowerPoint templates in more than 40 categories.

How to make a branded slideshow

Create a cohesive visual identity for your brand that goes beyond adding a logo to every slide.

Try a photo album template

Relive your favorite memories with photo album templates designed for all your unforgettable moments.

The benefits of visual aids in slideshows

Discover why using visual aids helps communicate ideas and messaging more effectively.

Slideshows that reach all learners

Explore the different ways that people learn and how to include all learning styles in your presentations.

Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

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