MEDevel.com: Open-source for Healthcare, and Education

27 Open Source Slideshow Presentation Editors and PowerPoint Alternatives

Hazem Abbas

Hazem Abbas

27 Open Source Slideshow Presentation Editors and PowerPoint Alternatives

Presentations and slideshows are essential tools for marketeers, strategists, teachers, and ofcourse students.

Basically, a slideshow is a presentation of series of still images on a projection screen or a projector (displaying device).

Microsoft powerpoint carries the same technique with more of magic transition effects, ability to add interactive diagrams, videos, and videos.

PowerPoint Open Source Alternative

Many think that there is a lack of alternatives for Powerpoint especially for Linux, but that is far from the truth as we are about to offer you many, so stay tuned.

Prezi, a new generation presentation

However, before we start we have to differentate between the old classicial slideshow presentation as MS PowerPoint, and the new fancy presentation by Prezi.com.

While PowerPoint and its open source counterpart in office suites keep the old approach, Prezi.com offered a large canvas presentation with stunning catching effect, that proven to be reliable for many enterprise users.

Presentation extensions and compatability

There are many presentation extensions that is supported by the popular office suites. Many of these extensions are supported in the open source apps as LibreOffice, Calligra suites. Also, in the free WPS Office suite.

On the otherhand, Prezi or canvas style presentation, has their own extension which is not compatable with the office suites.

Another note worth mentioning here is, Markdown and Terminal based presentation app, are often use Text-based Markdown files to build the presentation, which can be edited by any text editor, yet not compatable with any office suite presentation apps.

PowerPoint, and PDF Style Presentation Apps

1- libreoffice impress.

presentation for open source software

LibreOffice is an open source office suite and the ideal alternative for the commercial enterprise released office suites as MS Office. It includes a text processor, presentation manager, spreadsheet program and other apps.

The LibreOffice Impress has similar features as PowerPoint, It enables you to create a rich slideshow and presentation with dozens of customizable options. It contains a rich set of page transition animation, text styles, and dozens of shapes, diagrams, with a rich built-in 2D/ 3D library set.

LibreOffice works on Linux, Windows, macOS.

2- Calligra Stage

presentation for open source software

Calligra Stage is a presentation software and a part of Calligra office suite. It uses the OpenDocument file format standard which is compatible with other office suites.

With Stage, you can design your slides, control added shapes, charts, diagrams, and style your text. You can also add notes, change your page layout, and enjoy a long list of page transition and included animations.

Calligra Suite is an open source office and graphic suite by KDE; the popular Linux desktop environment. It also includes a text document editor (Words), a vector editor (Karbon), Spreadsheet editor (Sheet), Visual Database creator (KEXI), and an amazing project management application (Plan).

3- Impressive

presentation for open source software

Unlike the previous apps, Impressive is a standalone open source free presentation and slideshow generator that uses PDF to render your slides.

It contains many page translations, enable you to view your slides in an overview screen, highlight text boxes, and add spotlight effects.

The app is completely free, and open source for Linux systems.

4- Spice-up

presentation for open source software

Spice-up is a lightweight free presentation manager for Linux systems. It features a simple user-friendly interface, and allows you to create quick presentations without a fuzz.

Spice-up enables you to export your presentations directly to PDF.

5- Imagination

Imagination is a minimal yet feature-rich presentation software for Linux. Originally built by an open source enthusiast and Linux user who noticed a lack of presentation software for Linux systems.

It includes about 70-page transition effects, and enables you to export your presentation to video formats as OGV Theora/Vorbis, widescreen FLV video, 3GP for mobile phones, H264 and H265 for HD slideshows.

6- WPS Office (Free)

presentation for open source software

WPS Office is a free professional enterprise-grade office suite for people who look for a Microsoft Office replacement.

WPS Office enables you to edit and manage Writer, Presentation, Spreadsheet, and PDF with others at the same time. It is fully compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS and supports 47 file formats and 46 languages.

Prezi.com style presentation

Prezi.com is a commercial web-based presentation service, that allows you to create beautiful unique presentation as it treats the whole canvas as one slide, where you move, pane, or zoom to your next area of interest.

presentation for open source software

Unlike the classical slideshow presentation, Sozi is an amazing presentation program that allows you to create a catchy zoomable presentation. It is based on open standard and released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

Sozi can be installed on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It can also be installed using Docker for macOS and Linux.

presentation for open source software

With Sozi, you can add URLs, embed videos, and audios, and convert your presentation to PDF or videos.

2- DeckDeckGo

presentation for open source software

DeckDeckGo is a self-hosted collaborative web-based presentation manager, that also can be used directly from CDN or integrate with other frameworks such as React, Vue, Angular and Ember.

Although, the official commercial service is deprecated, the source code is available and supported by a good community of user and developers.

3- RevealJs

presentation for open source software

RevealJS is a popular JavaScript presentation and slideshow library that developers can install, integrate and use in their projects. It plays well with other JavaScript framework as React, Vue, and Angular.

RevealJS presentations are responsive and works smoothly with mobile browsers.

4- Impress.js

presentation for open source software

Impress.js is a presentation framework based on the power of CSS3 transforms and transitions in modern browsers and inspired by the idea behind Prezi.com.

Impress.js demo is pretty cool as it offers an interactive canvas that zoom into the point of interest and focus area in steps.

It also comes with amazing 3D transitions that you can customize.

The primary downside of this stunning framework is that it requires coding skills to make it work. However, this can be resolved by using some Impress.js based apps which you will find in this post.

5- Hovercraft

Hovercraft is a stunning presentation software that allows you to create Prezi grade presentation using Impress.js, without having to worry about any code.

Hovercraft feature highlights

  • Write your presentations in a text markup language. No slow, limiting GUI, no annoying HTML!
  • Pan, rotate and zoom in 3D, with automatic repositioning of slides!
  • A presenter console with notes and slide previews!
  • Support for showing mathematical formulas.
  • Styling is easy with CSS.
  • The slide show generated is in HTML, so you only need a web browser to show it.
  • Easy sharing, as it can be put up on a website for anyone to see!

presentation for open source software

Strut - An Impress.js and Bespoke.js Presentation Editor that is based on Impress.js. The project now is getting a new update as the old code is becoming obsolete.

7- Impressionist

presentation for open source software

Impressionist is a visual 3D editor for creating stunning impress.js presentations. It uses Electron to build a visual WYSIWYG for Jmpress.js.

However, it is tricky to install, therefore there are video tutorials on how to make your edition up and running on Windows and Linux.

8- Reveal.js with R Studio

The R language is a primary language for data scientists and engineers, many of them use it for everyday purposes. This is a handy tool for them to create a catchy presentation within R Studio using Reveal.js.

9- Reveal Hugo

presentation for open source software

This one is an addition for Hugo Static Site Generator to create presentation websites using Reveal.js.

10- Reveal.js 3D

presentation for open source software

Although, the Reveal.js library does not have 3D support , some developers decided to make a 3D Reveal.js edition. It works with Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox, yet the lazy-loading option does not work well with some browsers.

11- ShowPreper

ShowPreper is a free open-source web-based presentation that is based on Impress.js, and Bespoke.js libraries. It is released as an open source project under the MIT license.

presentation for open source software

Gosspi is an amazing web-based slideshow and presentation editor, It uses Impress.js. It is considered the open source alternative for Prezi.com

13- Reveal.js Simple Menu

presentation for open source software

This is a simple library that adds a simple navigation menu for your Reveal.js slides. You can customize the menu position, selection and auto-generate menus easily.

Terminal based presentation

This section for old school terminal users, who prefer doing many through their terminal apps.

Slides is a terminal-based presentation with Markdown file processor that supports tables, code, simple diagrams, and more useful features.

Slides is written with the Go programming language, and it is packed by many contributors.

presentation for open source software

The present app is a colorful terminal-based presentation written with Python. It supports colors, and comes with many fancy effects.

The app works directly with Markdown files, and converts Markdown directly into rich slides that you can view directly within your terminal.

The terminal Matrix effect is one of the best catchy transition you can use there.

presentation for open source software

patat ( P resentations A top T he A NSI T erminal ) is a small tool that allows you to show presentations using only an ANSI terminal. It does not require ncurses .

patat features highlight

  • Leverages the great Pandoc library to support many input formats including Literate Haskell.
  • Supports smart slide splitting.
  • Slides can be split up into multiple fragments
  • There is a live reload mode.
  • Theming support including 24-bit RGB.
  • Auto advancing with configurable delay.
  • Optionally re-wrapping text to terminal width with proper indentation.
  • Syntax highlighting for nearly one hundred languages generated from Kate syntax files.
  • Experimental images support.
  • Supports evaluating code snippets and showing the result.
  • Written in Haskell.

4- lookatme

presentation for open source software

lookatme is an interactive, extensible, terminal-based markdown presentation tool.

lookatme features highlights

  • Markdown rendering
  • Built-in tutorial slides lookatme --tutorial
  • Live (input file modification time watching) and manual reloading
  • Live terminals embedded directly in slides
  • Syntax highlighting using the Pygments library
  • Loading external files into code blocks
  • Support for contrib extensions
  • Smart slide splitting
  • Progressive slides with <!-- stop --> comments between block elements

5- SSH Slides

presentation for open source software

SSH Slides is an SSH server that hosts terminal-based presentations where your viewers can follow along in their own terminals. This service is currently located at slides.tseivan.com .

presentation for open source software

mdp is yet another terminal Markdown presentation tool. It is written in the C language. mdp can easily be installed on macOS using Homebrew and MacPorts. Debian and Ubuntu users can use the DEB package, while Arch Linux users can get it directly from the AUR repos.

7- Showtmux

presentation for open source software

Showtmux creates terminal-based interactive presentations. It can be used to script terminal-based demos ahead of time, and play them in tmux.

8- dss (Dead Simple Slides)

presentation for open source software

Dead Simple Slides (DSS) is a text/terminal based slide presentation tool that reads .txt files for formatted slides. These slides are then displayed to the terminal.

Presentation and slideshow apps are essential tools for making educational and informative document to present in meetings or in classroom. While they have different shapes, styles, extensions and features, we encourage you to go through and test the ones in the category you require, evaluate the features, and pick the one that fits your workflow.

If you are going with an office suite style presentation we recommend LibreOffice, as it is proven reliable and solid for countless users over the years.

Do you know any other open source free presentation app that we missed, kindly send us a hit, to add it to this list.

Read More Articles in office

24 free self-hosted spreadsheet solutions and libraries as google sheets and airtable alternatives.

In our fast-paced, data-driven business landscape, spreadsheets have become an essential tool. They're not just a place to crunch numbers anymore, they're now a powerful resource for managing and analysing a wealth of data, making them indispensable for businesses big and small. Two big players, Google

Teable.io: The Revolutionary Self-hosted Free Airtable Replacement

What is Airtable and its killer features Airtable is a cloud-based project management tool that functions like a spreadsheet but with the power of a database. It offers various views like grid, form, gallery, kanban, and calendar for different needs. It's highly customizable, promotes collaboration with multi-user access,

Take a Screen Record to GIT in Windows with ScreenToGif

ScreenToGif is a free, open-source application that enables users to record a selected area of their screen, live webcam feed, or live sketchboard drawings. Users can then edit and save the recording as a gif, apng, video, psd, or png image. Screenshots Downloads * Chocolatey * FossHub * Microsoft Windows Style License * MS-PL

DocLense is an Open-source Document Scanner for Android and iOS

DocLense is a completely free and open-source document scanner application that has been developed using the highly efficient and versatile Dart programming language and the powerful and flexible Flutter framework. This innovative and user-friendly application allows users to effortlessly scan their documents and convert them into digital format. With its

PDF4QT: Your Extraordinary and Free Open-Source PDF Editor

PDF4QT is a free PDF editor that is based on the Qt framework. It includes a C++ library, applications for viewing and editing PDF documents, and a command line tool. PDF4QT is available for Windows and Linux operating systems. It offers a modern solution for viewing, editing, and rendering PDF

Split and Merge PDF files with PDFSam

Split and merge PDF files with PDFsam, an easy-to-use desktop tool with graphical, command line and web interface. Features * Merge PDF files together * Split PDF files specifying the page number * Split PDF files specifying the level of bookmarks * Split a PDF in files of the given size * Rotate PDF files

NAPS2 - Not Another PDF Scanner, Scan your PDF Docs with full OCR support

NAPS2 is an exceptional document scanning application that prioritizes simplicity and user-friendliness. Effortlessly scan your documents using WIA- and TWAIN-compatible scanners, conveniently arrange the pages according to your preferences, and save them in various file formats such as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, and more. NAPS2 is compatible with Windows, Mac,

13 Top Open-source Free Screen Capture and Screenshot Tools for Windows, Linux, and macOS

A screen capture or screenshot tool is a software application that allows you to capture images or recordings of your computer screen. It can be useful in various scenarios such as: 1. Creating tutorials: Screen capture tools are commonly used by educators, trainers, and content creators to create step-by-step tutorials

Understanding the Benefits of an OCR System

In today's fast-paced digital world, the mountains of paperwork that used to clutter our desks are steadily giving way to neatly organized digital files. This transformation is made possible by a technology that has been quietly revolutionizing the way we handle documents: Optical Character Recognition, or OCR. OCR

18 Open-source Free OCR for Windows

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology that allows computers to recognize text in images or scanned documents and convert it to editable text. OCR tools are commonly used in various industries, including: * Digitization of printed materials: OCR can be used to convert physical books, magazines, and newspapers into digital

How Cloud Architectures Enable an Acceleration of the Digital Transformation of Enterprises

How Cloud Architectures Enable an Acceleration of the Digital Transformation of Enterprises

In a nutshell, digital transformation is the process where digital technology is used in integrating all business processes. This alters the way in which business operations are carried out to add more value to its customers. Digital transformation is not a mere shift from an analog to a digital enterprise;

Benefits of Monochrome LCD Screens and Their Use in Medical Imaging

Benefits of Monochrome LCD Screens and Their Use in Medical Imaging

With rising expenses and constant budget constraints in the healthcare sector, cost efficiency is becoming a top priority, and finding affordable yet effective solutions is more vital than ever. One such solution lies in the use of monochrome LCD screens. These screens reduce costs but maintain the high quality necessary

31 Free, Self-hosted, Open-source, and Web-based Color Palette Generators

31 Free, Self-hosted, Open-source, and Web-based Color Palette Generators

A color generator and color palette editing apps are indispensable tools for designers. These are software or online tools that help designers to create, edit, and manage color schemes for their design projects. Color generators allow designers to create a whole range of colors based on a particular color. This

The Gowebly CLI, Create Full-stack Web App with Golang, Alpine.js, HTMX, and Tailwind CSS

The Gowebly CLI, Create Full-stack Web App with Golang, Alpine.js, HTMX, and Tailwind CSS

Go, also known as Golang, is a statically typed, compiled language known for its simplicity and efficiency, making it ideal for web application development. The Gowebly CLI leverages these strengths and combines them with the flexibility of htmx and Alpine.js for frontend development. htmx allows you to access AJAX,

Development

Science - healthcare, open-source apps, medical apps, dev. resources.

The 7 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives for Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is great, but what if you can't afford it? Here are the best free PowerPoint alternatives for presentations.

Microsoft PowerPoint has been around for a long while and so far it has served users well. However, because it's a paid program, not everyone can afford it.

Thankfully, there are many options available for users who want the functionality of Microsoft PowerPoint in a free-to-use package. In fact, some of them don't even require any downloads and are completely web-based.

1. Google Slides

By far the most popular PowerPoint alternative out there, Google Slides shines when it comes to collaboration. Multiple people can work simultaneously on a presentation and add new slides.

This is further strengthened by its availability. Google Slides works on your web browser and has apps for both iOS and Android.

Additionally, Google Slides keeps a record of all the changes users have made to a presentation, and you can easily restore your slideshow to a previous version. While anyone with a Gmail account can use Google Slides, G Suite users get added data protection.

Compared to PowerPoint, the number of templates, animation forms, and fonts is somewhat lacking. However, businesses tend to overlook these shortcomings on a day-to-day basis.

While Canva is primarily known as a photo editor and design tool, it is also a competent MS PowerPoint alternative.

One of Canva's main strengths is its ease of use. There are many beginner tutorial videos on the website if users do not understand something. Complete beginners can easily navigate through the minimalistic interface.

With the free version of Canva, you get access to over 8000+ presentation templates that exponentially speed up your workflow. Additionally, Canva still remains one of the easiest services to create infographics and charts in.

The only limiting thing with Canva is that it offers a basic set of tools and transitions at users' disposal. It's apparent that the company places more focus on photo editing and design aspect than anything else.

The Prezi presentation format is unique in the way that it lets you view slides. Instead of addressing multiple elements at once, Prezi gives viewers a single canvas that allows them to zoom in on different presentation parts. This provides a much more immersive experience.

Similar to Google Slides, Prezi supports the real-time collaboration of up to 10 users. Users can also add comments to indicate changes or report missing information. Prezi works on any modern web browser, and there are Android and iOS apps available as well.

Related: Powerful Google Chrome PDF Extensions and Apps

The Prezi software also has an analytics feature that helps users optimize their presentation by showing them which slides were the most viewed as well as which ones were skipped.

Even though the basic version of Prezi is free to use, it doesn't allow users to control the privacy of their presentation, which could be a dealbreaker for many. Additionally, due to the way Prezi works, there is a steep learning curve associated with it.

4. WPS Office Free

WPS Office is the closest alternative to PowerPoint when it comes to functionality and user interface. Plus, unlike the other web-based services on this list, you don't always need an active internet connection to use it.

With its complete support for PowerPoint files, users can edit existing PowerPoint documents with ease in WPS Office. They can also embed videos and animate individual objects, just like in Microsoft PowerPoint. It also offers many templates, so users can pick their favorite.

However, users should keep in mind that while the software is free, it is supported by ads, which may be a bit intrusive at times. In addition to this, collaboration is less straightforward than with Google Slides.

WPS Office is available across all major platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux. iOS, and Android. There is a web-based version available as well. Alternatively, you can check out this handy guide to smoothen your transition to WPS Office from Microsoft .

Xtensio is one of the best options for business users. It has many templates available regarding various organization sections, such as marketing, UX design, etc.

With Xtensio's easy-to-use interface, even newbies can create professional-looking reports and presentations. Additionally, they offer even greater flexibility in terms of design. You can edit each object in a template to suit your specific needs.

But it does have some shortcomings. For one thing, users cannot export their presentations in PowerPoint format. Additionally, the free version supports only one user at a time with a storage space of 1MB.

6. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is open-source presentation software that does everything PowerPoint can do. Although it lacks functionality such as OneDrive Integration, its PowerPoint-like functionality more than makes up for it.

LibreOffice has its share of useful features, such as the ability to import Keynote files. In addition, LibreOffice has a vast collection of free templates that users can use to create their presentations.

If that's not enough, you can download additional templates from LibreOffice's online repository. LibreOffice is available across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

7. Zoho Show

There are several reasons to use Zoho Show for your next presentation. It's a great presentation tool that's similar to Google Slides, but even better. Users can also import and edit all their PowerPoint files in the online tool.

Users can create tables, infographics, and data charts within Zoho Show itself. In addition to this, the service also has in-built Google Image Search functionality that lets you search and insert images quickly.

Related: Tools to Give an Online Presentation From Anywhere

Additionally, Zoho Show supports collaboration in real-time and multiple users can edit presentations. Although there's not much to complain about in Zoho Show, many users would like to have more options when it comes to templates and animations.

Worthy PowerPoint Alternatives

Essentially, all these tools and services function the same way as PowerPoint without the cost. Furthermore, the web-based alternatives are more advanced such as automatic saving and cloud storage.

Despite this, PowerPoint remains the front-runner when it comes to presentation software. As such, it is important for users to know how to make the best out of its features.

The HTML Presentation Framework

Created by Hakim El Hattab and contributors

presentation for open source software

Hello There

reveal.js enables you to create beautiful interactive slide decks using HTML. This presentation will show you examples of what it can do.

Vertical Slides

Slides can be nested inside of each other.

Use the Space key to navigate through all slides.

Down arrow

Basement Level 1

Nested slides are useful for adding additional detail underneath a high level horizontal slide.

Basement Level 2

That's it, time to go back up.

Up arrow

Not a coder? Not a problem. There's a fully-featured visual editor for authoring these, try it out at https://slides.com .

Pretty Code

Code syntax highlighting courtesy of highlight.js .

Even Prettier Animations

Point of view.

Press ESC to enter the slide overview.

Hold down the alt key ( ctrl in Linux) and click on any element to zoom towards it using zoom.js . Click again to zoom back out.

(NOTE: Use ctrl + click in Linux.)

Auto-Animate

Automatically animate matching elements across slides with Auto-Animate .

Touch Optimized

Presentations look great on touch devices, like mobile phones and tablets. Simply swipe through your slides.

Add the r-fit-text class to auto-size text

Hit the next arrow...

... to step through ...

... a fragmented slide.

Fragment Styles

There's different types of fragments, like:

fade-right, up, down, left

fade-in-then-out

fade-in-then-semi-out

Highlight red blue green

Transition Styles

You can select from different transitions, like: None - Fade - Slide - Convex - Concave - Zoom

Slide Backgrounds

Set data-background="#dddddd" on a slide to change the background color. All CSS color formats are supported.

Image Backgrounds

Tiled backgrounds, video backgrounds, ... and gifs, background transitions.

Different background transitions are available via the backgroundTransition option. This one's called "zoom".

You can override background transitions per-slide.

Iframe Backgrounds

Since reveal.js runs on the web, you can easily embed other web content. Try interacting with the page in the background.

Marvelous List

  • No order here

Fantastic Ordered List

  • One is smaller than...
  • Two is smaller than...

Tabular Tables

Clever quotes.

These guys come in two forms, inline: The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from and block:

“For years there has been a theory that millions of monkeys typing at random on millions of typewriters would reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. The Internet has proven this theory to be untrue.”

Intergalactic Interconnections

You can link between slides internally, like this .

Speaker View

There's a speaker view . It includes a timer, preview of the upcoming slide as well as your speaker notes.

Press the S key to try it out.

Export to PDF

Presentations can be exported to PDF , here's an example:

Global State

Set data-state="something" on a slide and "something" will be added as a class to the document element when the slide is open. This lets you apply broader style changes, like switching the page background.

State Events

Additionally custom events can be triggered on a per slide basis by binding to the data-state name.

Take a Moment

Press B or . on your keyboard to pause the presentation. This is helpful when you're on stage and want to take distracting slides off the screen.

  • Right-to-left support
  • Extensive JavaScript API
  • Auto-progression
  • Parallax backgrounds
  • Custom keyboard bindings

- Try the online editor - Source code & documentation

Create Stunning Presentations on the Web

reveal.js is an open source HTML presentation framework. It's a tool that enables anyone with a web browser to create fully-featured and beautiful presentations for free.

Presentations made with reveal.js are built on open web technologies. That means anything you can do on the web, you can do in your presentation. Change styles with CSS, include an external web page using an <iframe> or add your own custom behavior using our JavaScript API .

The framework comes with a broad range of features including nested slides , Markdown support , Auto-Animate , PDF export , speaker notes , LaTeX support and syntax highlighted code .

Ready to Get Started?

It only takes a minute to get set up. Learn how to create your first presentation in the installation instructions !

Online Editor

If you want the benefits of reveal.js without having to write HTML or Markdown try https://slides.com . It's a fully-featured visual editor and platform for reveal.js, by the same creator.

Supporting reveal.js

This project was started and is maintained by @hakimel with the help of many contributions from the community . The best way to support the project is to become a paying member of Slides.com —the reveal.js presentation platform that Hakim is building.

presentation for open source software

Slides.com — the reveal.js presentation editor.

Become a reveal.js pro in the official video course.

3 open source tools to make your presentations pop

IRC screenshot

Opensource.com

Love them or hate them, presentations are a major part of life in both academia and business. Traditionally, creating a presentation meant using Microsoft's PowerPoint, but Apple's Keynote and LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org's Impress are solid alternatives. The problem with all those applications (aside from the closed source nature of the first two) is that you need those applications installed in order to view the presentations you've created. You can try your luck opening the file in Google Drive or the like, but your success will vary.

In recent years, web frameworks designed for creating presentations have proliferated. These take advantage of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to create presentations that display in just about any modern web browser. And, as an added bonus, presentation designers remains in complete control of their presentations. They need not worry about file compatibility or being locked into a particular web-based service. Because these presentation frameworks are open source, they can be extended and enhanced in any way you wish—though to be fair, writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a little more complicated than just using PowerPoint, Keynote, or Impress.

One of the most interesting presentation frameworks is impress.js, which aims to move presentations beyond the standard slide deck. Below, I'll introduce you to impress.js and two tools that make it easy to create impress.js presentations.

Impress.js is a JavaScript presentation framework developed by Bartek Szopka. Inspired by Prezi , it makes use of CCS3 transformations to provide a presentation experience that goes way beyond the traditional slide deck. Using impress.js for presentations allows speakers to wow their audiences with presentations that slide, rotate, and zoom in three dimensions.

Being based on standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) means that impress.js does not lock users into using a particular application or web-based service to create presentations. Because it is released under the MIT and GPLv2+ licenses, if impress.js does not work the way you'd like, you have the freedom to change it yourself. However, unlike some other open source JavaScript presentation frameworks, impress.js requires a very modern web browser to view the presentations. It is designed to take full advantage of up-to-date web technologies. Legacy browser support is not a development priority. But recent releases of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer should work just fine with impress.js.

Creating an impress.js presentation is no easy task, even for someone with decent HTML and CSS skills. The basic markup is easy to understand, but impress.js presentations can be very complex and require a lot of thought and planning. There is no default theme, so you'll have to design the look and feel of your presentation yourself. And the flow of your presentation is entirely up to you, so you'll have to plan how each slide will transition to the next and the layout of the slides' relative positions in the canvas. Creating an impress.js presentation from scratch can be a lot of work, but the results can be impressive. A selection of demos and examples are available to provide inspiration and guidance, and there are tutorials for those who want to dig deeper and learn more.

If creating an impress.js presentation from scratch is too complicated for you, there are tools to make creating impress.js presentations easier. The two listed below have different strengths and weaknesses. Give them both a try, and see if one works for you.

Hovercraft simplifies the creation of impress.js presentations by allowing you to create presentations using reStructedText markup. Instead of having to write HTML markup while crafting a presentation, you can focus on just writing the text. You can move things around and change things without having to mess with complicated markup. For example, the following text creates a slide that is five times larger than the previous slide and rotated 90 degrees.

Creating an impress.js presentation using Hovercraft greatly simplifies the process and enhances impress.js. Hovercraft supports four different methods for positing slides in a presentation. If you specify no positing in your markup, you end up with a traditional slide-to-the-left slide show. If you want something a little fancier, you can use relative positioning and slides are positioned based on the offset you specify relative to the previous slide. This method allows you to easily insert a new slide in the middle of a presentation and have all the following slides readjust their positions. If you want total control, you can use absolute positioning, which allows you to specify the precise coordinates of a slide. And finally, you can specify a SVG path for the presentation to follow. According to Hovercraft's documentation, SVG layouts are "a bit fiddly to use," but having such precise control over the layout can result in some pretty impressive slide shows. In addition, Hovercraft supports syntax highlighting for any source code you want to include in your presentation, and it adds a presenter screen with timer and notes. When you're done writing your presentation (or want to test what you have written so far), a very simple command converts the reStructuredText file into an HTML presentation:

Despite Hovercraft's strengths, it still requires the user to be fairly CSS savvy. The default Hovercraft theme is extremely spartan, so you'll still need to stylize your presentation if you want anything fancier than plain black text on a white background. Adding CSS to a presentation is not complicated, but it is not as easy as selecting a new presentation theme in PowerPoint.

You can read Hovercraft's documentation to learn more.

Hovercraft was created by Lennart Regebro and is licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal license.

If you'd like a tool that works more like traditional presentation software, Strut is the tool for you. Strut is a web-based application that provides the traditional slide sorter and editing tools. The graphical tools let you add text, images, videos, websites, and pre-designed shapes to your slides. You can also easily change the color of the slides' backgrounds and the surface (the backdrop in front of which the slides appear) for the entire presentation all at once, or on a slide-by-slide basis. Strut also supports adding text to slides using Markdown . And for power users, you can apply custom CSS classes to objects and write custom CSS rules from inside Strut. Once you have your slides designed, you can switch to Overview mode and graphically layout your slides. You just drag around the slides and enter values for depth, rotation, and scale. In addition to creating impress.js presentations, Strut can also create presentations using the bespoke.js framework.

Strut is very nice, but it does still have a few rough edges. Users will encounter the occasional bug, and the project's to-do list is somewhat long (though that is not a major issue). The project has followed the "release early, release often" maxim, and anyone who wishes to can help make the project better by contributing on GitHub .

Give Strut a try using the editor on the project's site , or download the source from GitHub and run it locally (or on a server). You'll need Node.js's npm and Grunt to install the dependencies and build Strut.

Strut's creator, Matthew Crinklaw-Vogt, has released the application under the GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3 .

Avatar

Related Content

a checklist for a team

natterstefan

6 Open Source Tools to create inspiring presentations

6 Open Source Tools to create inspiring presentations

Stefan Natter's photo

Feel free to share your feedback with me on Twitter and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter. 👇🏻

6 Open Source Presentation Tools

As a software developer, PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Sheets quickly become boring for presentations. You want something different, you want to create the presentation with Markdown files, HTML, or JavaScript. There are some open source solutions for that, like reveal.js , mdx-deck , Spectacle , remark , webslides or impress.js . Each solution allows you to create presentations yourself in minutes, push them to GitHub, and share them with your audience.

Personally, I have tried mdx-deck and Impress.js in the past. Which one do you use?

⛓ Links of the Week

  • Last week I told you about ScrollMagic . This week I have another similar tool for you: lax.js . With lax.js you can also make great animations when the user scrolls too. Vaibhav Khulbe describes in his article "Create a crazy input interaction with lax.js. 🤪" how you can also use lax.js when the visitor fills in an input field.
  • I am a very big admirer of CSS-Art. I admire the patience, precision, and attention to detail that the artists invest. Among the CSS artists is Kass . Her Ring camera looks deceptively real , doesn't it?
  • With React Icons it's a breeze to add Bootstrap, Feather, Font Awesome, Hero-, VS Code, css.gg , and more popular icons to your React app.
  • Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to change anything in your Docker container image and could still shrink it by a factor of up to 30x? That's what docker-slim promises!
  • Static site generators are becoming more and more popular. Eleventy , a JavaScript alternative to Jekyll, promises to be another simple solution.
  • While we're on the topic of static site generators, Speedlify lets you quickly and easily create a web performance and accessibility benchmark. Here are some Eleventy benchmarks .
  • At work the other day we were discussing if and how it is possible to keep multiple React mini-apps in sync with Redux in one document. Here is a clear example that shows how it works. It's easier than you might think.
  • When I started streaming , I also looked into the topic of "virtual-cams". Not because I use it with OBS, but because I wondered if I could use OBS' output in Skype, Slack, and other apps. And lo and behold, it's actually possible on macOS as well. Thanks to the open-source solution of John Boiles and the other contributors.

📺 My latest Video

🐦 tweets of the week, 💜 special thanks to these inspiring people.

See you next week, Stefan

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter. 👇🏻

If you like my articles , you probably like my tweets and newsletter too. Let's stay connected on Twitter , LinkedIn , and GitHub .

This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

Picture: pexels.com/photo/man-in-beige-blazer-holdin..

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

English | 中文 (简体) | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | More...

logo

  • Download LibreOffice
  • Business users: click here
  • LibreOffice for Android and iOS
  • App Stores and Chromebooks
  • Release Notes
  • Development versions
  • Portable versions
  • LibreOffice as Flatpak
  • LibreOffice as Snap
  • LibreOffice as AppImage
  • LibreOffice Impress Remote
  • LibreOffice Online
  • What is LibreOffice?
  • LibreOffice vs OpenOffice
  • LibreOffice Technology
  • New Features
  • Writer – word processor
  • Calc – spreadsheet
  • Impress – presentations
  • Draw – diagrams
  • Base – database
  • Math – formula editor
  • What is OpenDocument?
  • Templates & Extensions
  • Who uses LibreOffice?
  • Screenshots
  • Community Assistance
  • Documentation
  • Installation Instructions
  • Professional Support
  • System Requirements
  • Accessibility
  • Mailing Lists
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Join us – start here!
  • What can you do for LibreOffice?
  • Infrastructure
  • Localization
  • Native-Lang Projects
  • Testing - QA
  • Community map
  • Grant Request
  • Who are we?
  • Advisory Board Members
  • LibreOffice Certification
  • Source Code
  • LibreOffice Timeline
  • Privacy Policy
  • Foundation's Reports
  • Merchandise
  • Read our blog
  • --> --> --> --> --> -->

presentation for open source software

Presentations done right

In Impress, creating and editing slides is very versatile thanks to different editing and view modes: Normal (for general editing), Outline (for organizing and outlining your text content), Notes (for viewing and editing the notes attached to a slide), Handout (for producing paper-based material), and Slide Sorter (for a thumbnail sheet view that lets you quickly locate and order your slides).

Rich content for outstanding presentations

Impress has a comprehensive range of easy-to-use drawing and diagramming tools to add style and sophistication to your presentation. What's more, you can bring your presentation to life with slide show animations and effects. The Fontworks tool lets you create attractive 2D and 3D images from text. Impress enables you to build and control 3D scenes incorporating a large variety of objects and components.

Stay in control - Master your performance

When the time comes to present your work, a powerful Slide Show mode gives you total command over how your slides are displayed and sequenced, so that you can focus on addressing your audience (which slides get shown; manual or timed slide transition; pointer visible or invisible; navigator visible/invisible; and much more).

Impress supports multiple monitors, and its bundled Presenter Console extension gives you even more control over your slide show, such as the ability to see the upcoming slide, view your slide notes, and control the presentation timer while the audience is looking at the current slide.

A touch of creativity

Take your presentations to the next level and save even more time by downloading templates from the LibreOffice template repository .

  • @libreoffice
  • @LibreOfficeBugs

Reddit

Impressum (Legal Info) | Datenschutzerklärung (Privacy Policy) | Statutes (non-binding English translation) - Satzung (binding German version) | Copyright information: Unless otherwise specified, all text and images on this website are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License . This does not include the source code of LibreOffice, which is licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0 . “LibreOffice” and “The Document Foundation” are registered trademarks of their corresponding registered owners or are in actual use as trademarks in one or more countries. Their respective logos and icons are also subject to international copyright laws. Use thereof is explained in our trademark policy . LibreOffice was based on OpenOffice.org.

presentation for open source software

FreeShow Logo

Elevate Your Presentations with FreeShow

A dynamic, user-friendly, and open-source presenter built for all of your presentations.

Download for Linux

Download another version:

Person using FreeShow at computer

Our Mission

Every year churches spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the software needed to operate effectively and efficiently. We believe that within the Church the talent exists to create all the software that churches need and provide it free of charge.

Changing how we handle church software can not only save a lot of money, but also bring believers together. If we use the skills within our own community, we can make the software that the Church needs without the costly expense. This way, more of our funds can go directly to the Church's mission instead of overhead. It's about working together, saving money, and focusing on what truly matters.

Divider

What is FreeShow

documentation

Video thumbnail

FreeShow Key Features

Powerful editing.

Limitless Customization: A Robust editor to alter text font, size, color, and add outlines, shadows, with almost boundless possibilities.

On-the-Fly Text Editing: Make live changes to your text during presentations with the Edit mode.

Person editing slides in FreeShow

Timed & Automated Play

Autoplay: Set timers on slides for seamless transitions.

Countdowns: Easily let your congregation know when services will start with built in countdowns.

MIDI Controls: Receive MIDI commands to advance slides or send MIDI commands on slide change to trigger lighting and other changes.

Esthetic waves start

Multiple Views

Simultaneous Outputs: Show the same presentation with different looks for your in-person audience, online audience, and a stage view for leaders.

Web Output: Users can connect to the presentation from their mobile devices. Perfect for pastor sermon notes or musicians.

NDI Support: We fully support output over NDI. No need for converters or SDI cables to send your lyrics to the computer running your online stream.

Remote Control: Allow your pastor or worship minister to control the show directly from their mobile device. Excellent for rehearsals of for smaller churches.

Person working with FreeShow

Template & Design

Sleek Templates: Modify your slide styles swiftly with a variety of templates.

Dynamic Layouts: Resize and organize your display areas as per your requirement.

Create & Show

Create Impactful Shows: Easily arrange slides and layouts for lyrics, presentations, events, and more, ensuring a smooth flow in your presentations.

Dynamic Media Integration: Effortlessly drag images and videos into your slides as backgrounds enhancing the visual appeal of your presentations.

Preview of software. Drawer with templates open.

Scripture & Lyric Integration

Scripture Integration: Easily look up passages and turn them into slides with one click.

Lyric Integration: It's no longer necessary to manually enter the lyrics to all the songs. Just enter the title and click search and be amazed as the slides are automatically created for you.

Distant background of person working on FreeShow

Plays Well With Others

Import: Import Presentations from PowerPoint, ProPresenter, EasyWorship, OpenSong, and other platforms.

Export: You're not locked in and can export your content in multiple formats at any time.

Cloud Sync: Allow multiple people within your church to work on presentations from different computers with cloud sync.

Computer sitting on desk with FreeShow open

How FreeShow Compares

Unlike other presentation software providers, we are not a business. We are a non-profit that exists solely to serve churches. Our biggest difference is in the name. FreeShow is and always will be free. This is possible due to the generous support of donors. Learn more. That isn't the only way FreeShow stands above the alternatives. It is also a very feature-rich application. Here is how we stack up.

What Others are Saying

Creating presentations is extremely easy. The quality of presentations we can create without having to spend a dime is mind-blowing.

Divider

  • Open source

Top 3 open-source alternatives to PowerPoint

The presentation software PowerPoint is proprietary, and hence not so transparent and less cost-effective than some competitors. Discover the best open-source PowerPoint alternatives in this article.

Top 3 open-source alternatives to PowerPoint

ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors

ONLYOFFICE presentation editor for desktop is a free PowerPoint alternative for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The app is open-source and you can find the code on GitHub.

With the existing functionality of ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, you can make creative slides and add text, objects, tables, background patterns etc. Your presentations can become even more interactive with transitions and customizable animations. The interface looks exactly the same as you have in PowerPoint, so it won’t take much time to adapt to a new application.

Plugins extend the basic functionality of the ONLYOFFICE presentation editor. For example, you can insert YouTube videos or translate text in presentations using Google or DeepL really quickly.

The core ONLYOFFICE formats for presentations are PPTX and PPT, but ODP and PPSX are also supported. Also, you can save each slide as a PNG or JPG image and use the pictures in another type of content.

ONLYOFFICE presentation editor has a special Presenter View mode, where you can add notes to highlight important parts of your speech and comfortably navigate between slides.

Unveil your creativity with the best open-source PowerPoint alternative for Windows, Linux, and Mac — ONLYOFFICE. Installation options include Snap, Flatpak, and AppImage. Also, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are pre-installed on many Linux distributions .

ONLYOFFICE also provides a collaborative open-source office suite for self-hosting with text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and fillable forms.

LibreOffice Impress

LibreOffice is another open-source alternative to PowerPoint, which allows creating, editing, and saving presentations in the ODP (OpenDocument) format.

Top 3 open-source alternatives to PowerPoint

The interface in LibreOffice is just a bit similar to what you see in Microsoft PowerPoint. You’ll need to play with the elements to get used to their location on your screen, but indeed they are positioned logically.

As for presentation features, you’re able to draw and add objects, such as diagrams, create 2D and 3D images from text with the Fontworks tool, and use animations and transitions to let objects and slides move.

LibreOffice also provides a gallery of presentation templates if you’re not sure where to start.

Calligra Stage

Developed by KDE, Calligra Stage is a powerful and free open-source alternative to PowerPoint. It allows working with various objects, such as text, charts, images, graphics.

Top 3 open-source alternatives to PowerPoint

Calligra Stage also uses the ODP (OpenDocument) format as the primary one. That means, your presentations will be displayed without distortions in other apps working with this extension, but also OOXML-based suites, such as ONLYOFFICE Docs and Microsoft 365.

This open-source presentation app is built by developers from many countries and includes all necessary features: layouts, presenter slide overview, multiple master sliders in one presentation, transitions and notes.

Useful links

7 best open-source project management tools in 2022

5 open-source Monday.com alternatives

How to include animation in PowerPoint presentation?

How to add transitions in PowerPoint slides?

Recent posts

Integrating ONLYOFFICE DocSpace into a Single Page Application

Integrating ONLYOFFICE DocSpace into a Single Page Application

Footnotes in Word documents: a brief guide

Footnotes in Word documents: a brief guide

How to delete specific words in spreadsheets using an ONLYOFFICE macro

How to delete specific words in spreadsheets using an ONLYOFFICE macro

The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

Hero image with logos of the best presentation software

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

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

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

The best presentation software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beyond that, I also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

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

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

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

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

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

The best presentation software at a glance

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

Canva, our pick for the best free presentation app

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

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

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

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

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $120/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

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

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

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

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

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

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for video presentations

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

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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

Pitch, our pick for the best presentation software for collaborating with your team

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational AI

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

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for audience engagement

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

Mentimeter, our pick for the best presentation software for audience engagement

Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for generative AI

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

Tome, our pick for the best presentation software 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.

What about the old standbys?

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

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

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

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

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

Related reading:

This post was originally published in October 2014 and has since been updated with contributions from Danny Schreiber, Matthew Guay, Andrew Kunesh, and Krystina Martinez. The most recent update was in April 2024.

Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox

We’ll email you 1-3 times per week—and never share your information.

Kiera Abbamonte picture

Kiera Abbamonte

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

  • Presentations

Related articles

A hero image with the logos of the best social media design tools

The best free graphic design software to create social media posts in 2024

The best free graphic design software to...

Hero image with the logos of the best pay-per-click tools

The 9 best pay-per-click (PPC) tools to optimize your ad spend in 2024

The 9 best pay-per-click (PPC) tools to...

Hero image with the logos of the best keyword research tools

The 4 best free keyword research tools in 2024

The 4 best free keyword research tools in...

Hero image with the logos of the best team chat apps for business and the workplace

The 5 best team chat apps for business in 2024

The 5 best team chat apps for business in...

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'

  • I Tried Both: Apple Watch 9 vs Fitbit Charge 6
  • Best Places to Print Photos Online

The 8 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives

Professional results for tight budgets

presentation for open source software

  • 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. 

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

  • Best Free Family Feud PowerPoint Templates
  • How to Create a Microsoft Sway Presentation
  • The 8 Best Slideshow Apps of 2024
  • The 8 Best Gmail Alternatives of 2024
  • The Best Free Productivity Apps for the iPad
  • 5 Best Free Presentation Software Programs
  • 10 Free PowerPoint Game Templates
  • How to Use Microsoft's Free PowerPoint Viewers
  • The 8 Best Spotify Alternatives in 2024
  • The 8 Best Android Productivity Apps of 2024
  • 19 Best Free Cloud Storage Services for Backup in 2024
  • 5 Best Free PowerPoint Background Sites
  • The 8 Best Google Drive Add-ons for 2024
  • The Best Free Skype Alternatives of 2024
  • 5 Best Free Online Word Processors for 2024
  • The 10 Best Note Taking Apps of 2024

15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

By Bilyana Nikolaeva

in Insights

4 years ago

Viewed 8,345 times

Spread the word about this article:

The Best Presentation Software for 2021

On average a presentation takes up to 20 minutes and experts say we make an impression within the first 30 seconds. That is why it’s important to “dress” our great product/idea with an equally exciting design. Most often, presentations are cooked up by non-designers, which creates a specific need – for powerful presentation software, which can help communicate a message beautifully, effectively, and to suit any user’s skill level. We hand-picked 15 of the best presentation software for 2021 , which will help you create presentations online, share them, while shining in your best light. In the meanwhile, check out some useful ideas tips to spice up your presentations .

A web-based presentation tool, which means you can access your presentations wherever you are, with an internet connection. It is known for its animations, cartoons, and infographics, which help the user to create more interactive presentations and explainer-style videos.

Example by Focusky

Best Features:  Very interactive; you can create a unique to your story by combining different “frames” (slides); create your own animations within the presentation Price:  Free, but heavily subscription-based Learning curve:  Very intuitive, nicely organized by categories, but it would require some time to learn the animation controls Available for:  Online Perfect for: Marketing and education

To summarize, this presentation tool is best for marketers and education, where the creator can get the most out of the cool animation and cartoons available. In the last years, there is an increased interest in Powtoon and RenderForest and we expect that more and more people will use them in 2021. No surprise – if you look at our article about Graphic Design Trends in 2022 , everything is moving towards animation, cool 3D-s, cartoons, and illustrations – and these are all things that this software can offer for your presentation.

Prezi is an online presentation software, which resembles a mind map. In comparison, PowerPoint offers a linear way of presenting, whereas Prezi allows you to better show relationships between different elements of your presentation, show details, zoom in and zoom out and show an overall view of your topic. Compared to PowerPoint is more interactive, but with fewer functionalities and a choice of templates.

Example by PreziBase

Best Features:  Interactive presentations and interesting transitions, zoom in/out details Price:  The very basic features are free, but most of the interesting ones are paid, starting from $3/month and reaching up to $59/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  it requires learning and going through a lot of menus and functionalities, similar to PowerPoint Available for:  Online / Limited use for iOS and Android (only viewing, not creating and editing) Perfect for: teachers, businesses, more experienced designers, and specific presentations needs, but not recommended for newbies

Prezi is best in showing relationships between different parts of your presentations. There are some challenges in editing, and viewing across devices and its best features are paid for. We recommend it for quick, mind-map-like presentations without the need for ultra-special design.

3. RenderForest Presentation Maker

RenderForest is an online presentation tool, which is famous for its explainer style and whiteboard animations. The presentation templates often offer various motion/video backgrounds, which helps to grab your audience’s attention. Currently, the company is working on releasing its Graphic Design Software, which will allow users to create printables and beautiful designs for social media. This shows that RenderForest’s team knows the market well and does its best to cater to its needs!

presentation for open source software

Example by Renderforest

Best Features:  Video holders with text on shapes, cool transitions Price:  There is a free version, the paid ones start at $20.34 per user/month Learning curve:  Relatively easy to use, the simple interface helps the user Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  Education and business

Although not one of the cheapest solutions, it allows you to create engaging and interactive presentations with lots of cool animations. That makes RenderForest a great choice for more educational and marketing explainer-type videos/presentations.

4. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a very interesting online presentation software. It allows your audience to engage with your presentation in real-time and you can create polls, ask questions, which are then displayed to your presentation. The answers from the audience remain anonymous so people are even more encouraged to participate.

Example by Mentimeter

Best Features:  Launch live, interactive polls, surveys, quizzes and create things like word clouds in real-time Price:  It has a free version, but the paid plans offer most of the attractive features – the basic plan costs $9.99 per user/month and the more advanced plan is $24.99 per user/month Learning curve:  Easy to use; might need to explain to a less tech-savvy audience how to connect to your presentation Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  Educators, speakers, business and competitions

An excellent choice for educators, speakers, and businesses who want to engage the audience in real-time and display the results immediately. Clean, simple designs, that help you focus on the content.

5. Libre Office Impress

Libre Office is free presentation software, an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. As you can expect from a free product, it offers only the main features of its “big brother”, but it’s a good solution for people used to Microsoft’s productivity suite. The interface is very similar to PowerPoint, which again makes it comfortable to use for a certain audience. Users who need collaboration on presentations, clean interface, and more creative design solutions should steer away from this free presentation software because it will simply not cover their needs.

presentation for open source software

Example by Theodoros Bousios

Best Features:  Free, compatible with older versions (Windows XP for example) Price:  Free Learning curve:  It will take some time to go through all the options and to get familiar with the interface; Available for:  Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS. Perfect for:  people who want to use a free product and people with older operation systems

To summarize, Libre is free, compatible with older versions, it can cover your basic needs for a presentation, but the options are too many and available templates too little.

6. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is also an online presentation software, which has a very friendly user interface and great collaboration features. There are many functionalities, which help you create a beautiful design, but require some time and design knowledge to get it right. The premade templates are limited and this presentation software needs an internet connection to be able to edit and present.

presentation for open source software

Image by Zoho

Best Features:  Live broadcasting a presentation with live chat and commenting Price:  Zoho Show is free for personal use. For business users, Zoho Show is included in the Zoho Docs enterprise pricing packages – €5 or €8 per user/month Learning curve: Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  non-profits, start-ups, personal use, teachers

To summarize, Zoho offers great collaboration features, but you need a connection to edit and present. It is suitable for quick, non-pretentious presentations, where you need some kind of collaboration.

7. ClearSlide Presenter

ClearSlide is a sales engagement platform, including an online presentation tool. Another online tool – SlideRocket, was acquired by ClearSlide and one of the differences is that ClearSlide is more costly and targeted at larger businesses. It’s a great platform for very specific needs – collaborating between sales and marketing teams, to achieve the company’s goals. It’s clear even by the interface:

presentation for open source software

Image by ClearSlide

Best Features: Analytics for costumers’ engagement, video conferencing, screen sharing Price:  They offer a free trial and you can see more about the payment plans here. Learning curve:  Clear and simple interface, but it requires some time to get used to the tools Available for:  Online Perfect for: Sales/business, managers (for coaching); not suitable for newbies, teachers, students

To summarize, ClearSide is perfect for presenting sales pitch , graphics, collaborate in larger teams. It is somehow restrictive for a non-designer because the templates are specific.

8. Piktochart

Piktochart allows you to make infographics, presentations, and printables quickly. Primarily known for its easy customizable infographics, Piktochart also has simple presentation templates and the company is constantly trying to update its library.

Example by Piktochart Knowledge Base

Best Features:  Turning data-heavy content into simple visuals; nice transitions between slides Price:  There is a free version and a paid one, starting at $29 per user/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  It requires time to get used to the options available and to navigate through Available for:  Online Perfect for:  Designers, teachers; it does not offer collaboration options, which might be needed by teams, students, etc.

Compared to other online presentation software is a bit costly and we could still ask a bit more from the presentation templates. We’d recommend it to someone who often uses infographics and wants to use a single platform to combine the infographics with a presentation. But why not check our free infographics as well?

Slides is online presentation software, initially aimed at developers and covering their presentation needs. Thus said, it does not offer offline editing, but you can present offline, after exporting your presentation.

Best Features:  It allows you to use your phone as a remote control; Live Present Mode allows you to control what your audience sees; drop in code, iframes, and SVGs with ease. Price:  Free, with paid plans starting at $7.00/month and $14-$18/month for pro and team packages. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  friendly interface, but too many functions and options, which might overwhelm the average user and beginner Available for: Online Perfect for:  developers, designers, a little bit too specific for newbies

To summarize, it’s a very cool tool, giving you complete design freedom, but that is also why we do not recommend it to teachers, non-designers, or marketers. Developers and design gurus will love it.

Canva is a web-based solution that started with a mission – to make beautiful designed content available to everyone. The whole platform is organized so that a person without any prior design knowledge can easily create graphs, images, and presentations to impress. Although it is not the best tool for data visualization, it scores high in any other category. Needless to say, it has become a popular choice amongst non-designers.

Image by Iconfinder

Best Features:  Plenty of beautiful templates to choose from and Canva school has plenty of tutorials and tips for free. It offers more free functionalities compared to other competitors. Price:  Free, the offer different subscription plans, starting at $9.95 per user/month Learning curve:  Very easy to use, most of the actions can be performed by drag-and-drop Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  newbies, marketers (who need a unified look across all their social media), non-profits, and teachers

Canva is becoming one of the most popular tools amongst non-designers for creating beautiful unified content. You can create entire presentations, flyers, and other materials with a single drag and drop.

11. Slidebean

Slidebean is the go-to online presentation software for last-minute projects, that look original and professional. Slidebean offers clean and easy-to-use templates and keeps track of your audience’s engagement.

Source Slidebean

Best Features:  It allows you to arrange your content with the help of AI, which saves time creating a beautiful layout. You just pick a template, upload content, and let the AI offer you a nice layout. Premade animations, effects, and alignments are automatically applied to your content and create a cohesive look. Price:  Free, paid versions starting from $8/month Learning curve:  very easy to use since everything is made to fit the premade templates Available for:  Windows / Mac / Android / iOS Perfect for:  financial, academic, pitch, marketing, sales; everything quick with a clear structure

To summarize, if you are in a hurry, Slidebean will offer several layouts for your slides and speed up the process of creation. The platform targets primarily sales, marketing, and financial fields, and the available templates reflect that.

12. Google Slides

Google Slides is part of the G Suite business application. Its popularity has increased in the last years since it’s a web-based platform, allowing you to store, edit, and share your presentation, without the need of installing presentation software on your computer. All you need is a Google account and you are good to go.

Image by G Suite Updates blog

Best Features:  It’s free for personal use, and offers great paid features for business – for example, seamless collaboration and commenting on a presentation, converting other presentations to Google Slides. Some other great features are the wide variety of fonts available (GoogleFonts, not need installing), easy embedding, plus it’s super intuitive and easy to use! Price:   It’s free for individual use. For business use, the price starts at $5/user/month and plans of $10 and $25/user/month, for unlimited cloud storage and extra features Learning curve:  Simple interface, but it will require some time to pick up. Similar to PowerPoint, only a bit lighter. Available for:  Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for:  businesses, freelancers, who need a user-friendly app with elementary features; great for collaborating teams, not so perfect for complex designs and tools, required by big enterprises

Perfect for personal use, well synchronized across different devices, similar to PowerPoint. Maybe you are a teacher and you like GoogleSlides because it is free and easy to use? Well, we’ve gathered some awesome FREE GoogleSlides and PowerPoint templates , specially made for education needs.

If you need something along the lines of PowerPoint but need the option for collaboration – a paid plan for GoogleSlides is your go-to choice.

13. Keynote

Keynote is an Apple product, very similar to Google Slides. All you need to do is create an iCloud account (similar to a Google account) and start using Keynote from there. Running Keynote on Windows also requires an internet connection and a modern browser. The latest version can also import and export PowerPoint formats if needed. All this sends Keynote higher in the list regarding the accessibility and shareability of this presentation software.

presentation for open source software

Image by Envato tuts+

Best Features:  Simplicity of design, great drag and drop functions, polished transitions and animations, easy image editing/cropping; works great with multimedia; design templates with better aesthetic than an average slide deck; Price:  Free for macOS and iOS Learning curve:  Pretty easy to use for Mac users, a bit of learning curve for users, having experience with other software. Available for:  Mac / Windows / Online Perfect for:  businesses, marketers, people with not much of a design experience

Bottom line, if you are a Mac user, you love the sleek design and you are looking for cool aesthetics – Keynote is simple to use and free, why not use it?

14. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a web and mobile-based media creation application, which helps you create social graphics, short videos, and web pages. What is immediately noticeable is the clean, crisp, simple, and modern designs, which focus you on the content. If you are looking for a funky, ornate design – Adobe Spark is not the right pick for you.

Example by Cikeys

Best Features:  Beautiful templates, user-friendly interface, step-by-step creation, you can add audio to your slides (narrating) Price:  There is a free version, the paid on starts at $9.79. The best templates, as with the competitors, are paid. They do not offer a free trial. Learning curve:  Easy to use Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  quick presentations, teachers, basic presentations without jamming them with too much cool stuff.

Adobe Spark eliminates the cluster of design options and leads you step-by-step in creating elegant, simple presentations. Ideal for basic presentations, not the best for sales and marketing.

15. PowerPoint

PowerPoint certainly is a “classic” – it’s has been the most popular tool for creating presentations so far. What first started as a component of the Microsoft Office suite, now has improved shareability and accessibility. It can be used on the web (as part of Office on the web), works with Android, and iOS, and there is a Mobile app, as well as presentation software for mac.

Example by Abris DC

Best Features:  Many people are familiar with the software, a wide variety of templates; improved accessibility across platforms; extensive tools and options Price: If you want to enjoy the full features of PowerPoint, you’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 – they have payment plans for personal or business use. The price for personal use starts at $5.99/month or $59.99/year, and business plans start at $12.50 per user/month with an annual commitment. You can find more information here . The mobile applications are completely free to use, of course with some limitations. You can compare the available features across different platforms  here. Learning curve: Due to the variety of options and the complexity of the menus, it might take some time to master all of its features. Something that could take a lot of time is editing the text, arranging the visuals, and picking the right transitions – overall, is time-consuming. Still, the interface remained easy to navigate over time and if you trust your design sense, you can achieve satisfying results. Available for: Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for: business, medical, accounting and students; creating concise presentations; but not so suitable for teachers, educators, start-ups and marketers who want to create more interactive and story-based presentations.

To this date, PowerPoint is keeping the lead as the most popular tool for creating presentations. Some of the downsides are that sometimes it can be time-consuming to come up with a good design and PP doesn’t offer collaboration tools and compared to other platforms. But we have a solution for at least one of your problems – we’ve selected 31 Modern PowerPoint templates to set the right tone for your presentation. 

We made a quick summary for you…

Ok, not that we’ve looked at the 15 best presentation software for 2021, we decided to go one step further and compare them by price and popularity. Let’s have a look first at the new-comers:

presentation for open source software

As you can see, the leaders from the uprising platforms are Canva and Mentimeter, with relatively low prices and with huge success amongst users . Powtoon, Piktochart, and Renderforest are a bit costly , but they are popular since they offer a lot of animation and interactive elements. Hey, but maybe some of the other tools are right for you? We encourage you to go on their websites, contact their support team, and see what they have to offer.

Then, let’s see how the veterans are ranking:

presentation for open source software

It’s no surprise that PowerPoint and Google Slides are at the top – people are used to their products, have familiar interfaces, and offer a lot of functionalities at a good price. Although, for quick, unpretentious results, their competitors are a very attractive solution.

Final words

We can conclude that there are many useful tools to help you create beautiful presentations. Some of them are well-known and have been here for a while, while others are uprising… No matter the case, we notice a trend for presentation tools catering not only to the designers’ needs but also to the newbies, marketers, and teachers. That way, enabling everyone to create stunning presentations in no time and share them easily.

We hope this presentation software list shed some light on different options out there and that we helped you evaluate quickly what would work for your situation best.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

  • 12 PowerPoint Presentation Tips To Dramatically Boost Your Efficiency
  • 35 Free Google Slides Infographic Templates to Grab Now
  • 23 Online Collaboration Tools for Your Remote Team

Infographic templates for PowerPoint

Add some character to your visuals

Cartoon Characters, Design Bundles, Illustrations, Backgrounds and more...

Like us on Facebook

Subscribe to our newsletter

Be the first to know what’s new in the world of graphic design and illustrations.

  • [email protected]

Browse High Quality Vector Graphics

E.g.: businessman, lion, girl…

Related Articles

How to create flyer design: tutorials & ideas for non-professionals, 7 most popular software for presentations, 10 tips you should read before hiring a freelancer, infographics for marketing: how to grab and hold the attention, graphic design trends in 2021 that will cause revolution, take a look at graphicmama’s infographic templates collection. over 500 premade templates for your presentations:, enjoyed this article.

Don’t forget to share!

  • Comments (0)

Bilyana Nikolaeva

Bilyana is an inspiring content writer and illustrator at GraphicMama with years of experience in art and design. When she’s not busy writing for the blog, you will usually see her working hard on new illustrations and graphic resources.

presentation for open source software

Thousands of vector graphics for your projects.

Take a look at GraphicMama's Infographic Templates Collection. Over 500 premade templates for your presentations:

Hey you made it all the way to the bottom.

Here are some other articles we think you may like:

The Best Minimalist Website Designs

20 Beautiful Minimalist Website Design Examples for Your Inspiration

by Lyudmil Enchev

Best Logo Creator Tools

Best Logo Creator Tools & Generators: Fast, Easy, Cost-Effective

by Iveta Pavlova

The best illustration makers

The Best Illustration Makers For Stunning Visuals [+AI Generators]

Looking for design bundles or cartoon characters.

A source of high-quality vector graphics offering a huge variety of premade character designs, graphic design bundles, Adobe Character Animator puppets, and more.

presentation for open source software

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.

A person setting up files to import into Powerpoint.

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

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.

Microsoft PowerPoint website screenshot

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

CustomShow website screenshot

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.

ClearSlide website screenshot

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.

Haiku Deck website screenshot

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.

SlideDog website screenshot

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 website screenshot

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 .

Get in touch

  • Want to find out about commercial or marketing opportunities? Click here
  • Out of date info, errors, complaints or broken links? Give us a nudge
  • Got a suggestion for a product or service provider? Message us directly
  • You've reached the end of the page. Jump back up to the top ^

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

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!

  • Jonas P. DeMuro

Adobe Fresco (2024) review

Adobe Illustrator (2024) review

Shop the 5 best TVs under $1,000 at Best Buy's Memorial Day sale

Most Popular

  • 2 'Today’s computers are horribly inefficient': How a US startup is going Apple's way — combining hardware and software to crack AI's big 99% power consumption problem
  • 3 Here’s what iPad upgraders are doing with their old iPads, instead of trading them in
  • 4 7 new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend (May 24)
  • 5 Intel says its supercomputer broke the exascale barrier – and what makes that claim even more impressive is it's still being built
  • 2 Build or buy? How smart TV OEMs choose an OS in a market that’s getting ever smarter
  • 4 These luxury smart binoculars from Swarovski Optik use AI to identify up to 9,000 birds and other wildlife, and I’m hooked
  • 5 Obscure startup unveils record-breaking LED display that would be perfect for the next Apple Vision Pro — Q-Pixel delivers highest resolution color display, squeezing a whole 4K screen into something barely bigger than a thumbnail

presentation for open source software

Apache OpenOffice

  • Extensions & Templates
  • Get Involved
  • Focus Areas
  • Native Languages

Apache OpenOffice

I want to learn more about openoffice.

What is Apache OpenOffice? And why should I use it?

I want to download Apache OpenOffice

Download Apache OpenOffice for free, or find out about other ways of getting it.

I need help with my OpenOffice

Help is at hand whenever you need it.

I want to do more with my OpenOffice

Extend Apache OpenOffice with additional functionality, templates and clipart.

I want to participate in OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice is made with help from people all over the world. Feel free to contribute!

I want to stay in touch with OpenOffice

Follow the progress of OpenOffice via announce list, our blog or social media.

Blog

Recent Blog Posts

03 April 2024: Development Update - April 2024 22 December 2023: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 27 February 2023: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 30 August 2022: 333,333,333+ Downloads of Apache OpenOffice 22 July 2022: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.13 4 May 2022: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.12 6 October 2021: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.11 4 May 2021: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.10 7 February 2021: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.9 6 January 2021: New release for Apple's macOS 11 (Big Sur) - Also with fixes for Linux and Windows 10 November 2020: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.8 29 October 2020: 300 Million Downloads of Apache OpenOffice 15 October 2020: The Apache Software Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of OpenOffice® 17 May 2020: Apache OpenOffice needs your help 22 October 2019: 1.6 million downloads of Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 21 September 2019: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 18 November 2018: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.6 31 January 2018: Over 3.2 million downloads of Apache OpenOffice 4.1.5 30 December 2017: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.5 19 October 2017: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.4 28 November 2016: Over 200 million downloads of Apache OpenOffice 12 October 2016: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.3 28 October 2015: Announcing Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2 27 September 2015: Coming soon... Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2 13 May 2015: Authoring e-Books in Apache OpenOffice 13 April 2015: Collaboration is in our DNA

Recent News

Archived News

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 released

22 December 2023: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.15 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 released

27 February 2023: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.14 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

More than 333,333,333 downloads

30 August 2022: The Apache OpenOffice project announces that Apache OpenOffice was downloaded more than 333,333,333 times. Further information are in the Blog available.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.13 released

22 July 2022: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.13 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.12 released

4 May 2022: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.12 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.11 released

6 October 2021: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.11 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.10 released

4 May 2021: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.10 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.9 released

7 February 2021: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.9 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.8 released

10 November 2020: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.8 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 released

21 September 2019: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.7 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.6 released

18 November 2018: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.6 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.5 released

30 December 2017: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.5 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.4 released

19 October 2017: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.4 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.3 released

12 October 2016: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.3 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2 released

28 October 2015: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.2 . In the Release Notes you can read about all bugfixes, improvements and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Udine moves to OpenOffice, will save 360,000 Euro

16 September 2014: The City of Udine, in Italy, announced a process that will lead to the installation of OpenOffice on 900 municipal desktops, saving the city 360,000 Euro. ZDNet's Raffaele Mastrolonardo has the details .

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.1 released

21 August 2014: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.1 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new features, functions and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.0 released

29 April 2014: The Apache OpenOffice project announces the official release of version 4.1.0 . In the Release Notes you can read about all new features, functions and languages. Don't miss to download the new release and find out yourself.

100 Million downloads

17 April 2014: The Apache OpenOffice project is proud to tell you that our software was downloaded over 100 million times . Join us in celebrating this big achievement!

Italian region adopts OpenOffice, saves 2 Million Euro

10 October 2013: The Italian administrative region of Emilia-Romagna announced plans to move to OpenOffice, saving 2 million euro .

Volunteers, not Amateurs

8 January 2013: Apache OpenOffice is developed 100% by volunteers. Apache does not pay for developers, for translators, for QA, for marketing, for UI, for support, etc. Of course, we're happy to accept donations to the Apache Software Foundation , to keep our servers runnings and for similar overhead expenses. But our products are developed entirely by volunteers.

Some users are initially worried by this statement: How can software for free, developed by volunteers, be any good? Read on for an answer...

Apache Software Foundation

Copyright & License | Privacy | Contact Us | Donate | Thanks

Apache, OpenOffice, OpenOffice.org and the seagull logo are registered trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. The Apache feather logo is a trademark of The Apache Software Foundation. Other names appearing on the site may be trademarks of their respective owners.

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Planet Money

Planet Money

  • LISTEN & FOLLOW
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts
  • Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

The hack that almost broke the internet

Jeff Guo, photographed for NPR, 2 August 2022, in New York, NY. Photo by Mamadi Doumbouya for NPR.

Nick Fountain

Headshot of Jess Jiang

Emma Peaslee

Guinness World Records challenge Jenga enthusiasts to build 30 levels of the popular building game in the fastest time possible at The Walkways, Tower Bridge on March 22, 2005 in London.

Last month, the world narrowly avoided a cyberattack of stunning ambition. The targets were some of the most important computers on the planet. Computers that power the internet. Computers used by banks and airlines and even the military.

What these computers had in common was that they all relied on open source software.

A strange fact about modern life is that most of the computers responsible for it are running open source software. That is, software mostly written by unpaid, sometimes even anonymous volunteers. Some crucial open source programs are managed by just a single overworked programmer . And as the world learned last month, these programs can become attractive targets for hackers.

In this case, the hackers had infiltrated a popular open source program called XZ. Slowly, over the course of two years, they transformed XZ into a secret backdoor. And if they hadn't been caught, they could have taken control of large swaths of the internet.

On today's show, we get the story behind the XZ hack and what made it possible. How the hackers took advantage of the strange way we make modern software. And what that tells us about the economics of one of the most important industries in the world.

This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Nick Fountain. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney .

Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Google Podcasts , the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter .

Music: NPR Source Audio - "Strange Tango," "Warped Worlds," and "Detective Dan"

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

  • Piktochart Visual
  • Video Editor
  • AI Design Generator
  • Infographic Maker
  • Banner Maker
  • Brochure Maker
  • Diagram Maker
  • Flowchart Maker
  • Flyer Maker
  • Graph Maker
  • Invitation Maker
  • Pitch Deck Creator
  • Poster Maker
  • Presentation Maker
  • Report Maker
  • Resume Maker
  • Social Media Graphic Maker
  • Timeline Maker
  • Venn Diagram Maker
  • Screen Recorder
  • Social Media Video Maker
  • Video Cropper
  • Video to Text Converter
  • Video Views Calculator
  • AI Brochure Maker
  • AI Document Generator
  • AI Flyer Generator
  • AI Infographic
  • AI Instagram Post Generator
  • AI Newsletter Generator
  • AI Report Generator
  • AI Timeline Generator
  • For Communications
  • For Education
  • For eLearning
  • For Financial Services
  • For Healthcare
  • For Human Resources
  • For Marketing
  • For Nonprofits
  • Brochure Templates
  • Flyer Templates
  • Infographic Templates
  • Newsletter Templates
  • Presentation Templates
  • Resume Templates
  • Business Infographics
  • Business Proposals
  • Education Templates
  • Health Posters
  • HR Templates
  • Sales Presentations
  • Community Template
  • Explore all free templates on Piktochart
  • Course: What is Visual Storytelling?
  • The Business Storyteller Podcast
  • User Stories
  • Video Tutorials
  • Need help? Check out our Help Center
  • Earn money as a Piktochart Affiliate Partner
  • Compare prices and features across Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans.
  • For professionals and small teams looking for better brand management.
  • For organizations seeking enterprise-grade onboarding, support, and SSO.
  • Discounted plan for students, teachers, and education staff.
  • Great causes deserve great pricing. Registered nonprofits pay less.

AI-Powered Poster Generator

With the Piktochart AI poster generator, you can turn any prompt into a gorgeous poster in seconds. No design skills? No problem. Just tweak it as you wish, then share your poster.

The new way of creating posters

Create in a Flash

Prompt to poster in 10 seconds

Say goodbye to complicated design steps. Simply type in your theme and watch as our AI poster maker transforms it into reality.

piktochart ai poster templates

Create Without Limits

Where every idea finds its canvas

For events, marketing, learning, or personal creations, Piktochart AI delivers captivating poster designs for every need. Dive into a universe of impressive imagery tailored to suit any subject.

posters for branding using piktochart ai

Create Your Vision

Piktochart starts, you put the finishing touches

Our AI sets the stage with a professionally crafted poster, then passes control to you, allowing you to modify and refine each detail to amplify your visual impact while keeping true to your brand.

Posters created using Piktochart’s AI-powered poster maker

work conference poster template by piktochart ai

Professionals like you use Piktochart’s free online poster maker to:

marketer

  • Create eye-catching promotional materials that align with brand identity, ideal for advertising campaigns, product launches, and trade shows.
  • Design captivating posters for corporate events, webinars, and conferences.
  • Communicate new offers, services, or store openings.

SMEs and enterprises persona

HR & Internal Comms

  • Internal announcements, motivational quotes, or event notifications.
  • Job advertisements and onboarding materials to attract and welcome new employees.
  • Convey important company policies and reminders through clear, engaging posters, ensuring better compliance and awareness.

NGOs and government persona

NGOs and Government Organizations

  • Develop impactful posters for awareness drives, fundraising events, and community outreach programs.
  • Attract volunteers, highlighting the roles, benefits, and the difference they can make.
  • Announce charity events, workshops, and seminars.

business owner

  • Create informative posters on health topics, wellness tips, and medical advisories.
  • Showcase healthcare services, specialist departments, and new medical technologies available at healthcare facilities.
  • Display important health and safety protocols within healthcare settings.

How to Make a Digital Poster

1. Define Your Story

Briefly describe (within 120 characters) the purpose behind your poster. Whether it’s for promotion, making an announcement, driving awareness, or sharing health information.

2. Select from Our Varied Poster Designs

Jumpstart your project with our array of ready-to-use poster templates, perfect for shining a spotlight on any subject. After picking your preferred design, you’ll find yourself in our editing suite.

3. Tweak the Design with Piktochart Editor

With your template chosen, hitting the “Edit” button grants you entry into the Piktochart editor. This is your playground to adjust, alter, and align the design to reflect your personal touch and message.

4. Enhance with Visual Elements

Piktochart’s user-friendly drag-and-drop editor makes personalization a breeze. Tap into our rich collection of complimentary photos, icons, illustrations, and text options to craft a poster that stands out. Enhancing and tailoring colors is just a click away with our versatile design tool.

5. Publish and Promote

Once your poster is exactly as you envisioned, it’s time to save and share your work. Export in various formats like JPG, PNG, or PDF, catering to both digital platforms and print materials.

AI-Powered Visualization for Any Topic

What kinds of posters can be generated using this AI tool?

Navigating design elements and finding the right visual style can be daunting. With Piktochart AI, it’s easy to transform data into high-quality posters . Excellence made simple, just for you.

Event posters

Drum up buzz and awareness for an upcoming event. Piktochart AI transform dense data and information into engaging invitational posters for your events.

Advertising posters

Spark emotions that incite action – whether it is to make a purchase, improve brand opinion, donate to a cause, or make a lifestyle change. With Piktochart AI, it’s achievable at the click of a button.

Conference posters

Inform your audience with a glance about an upcoming conference. Whether it’s for a medical conference, marketing conference, or any conferences, Piktochart AI’s user-friendly poster maker helps you catch the attention of your audience effortlessly.

Ready to use AI to design posters like a pro?

Join more than 11 million people who already use Piktochart to create stunning posters.

Is it possible to personalize my poster with my own photos and diagrams?

What’s the limit on poster creation, how do i enhance the quality of my posters, is signing up mandatory to use piktochart, poster resources.

how to make a poster, how to make an eye-catching and effective poster

How to Make a Poster in 6 Easy Steps [2023 Guide With Templates]

featured image for poster ideas and templates

25 Poster Ideas, Templates, and Tips for Creative Inspiration

types of posters

Communications

7 Types of Posters and What Makes Them Stand Out

What else can you create with piktochart ai.

Sonatype_logo_full_color

A guide for open source software (OSS) security

May 10, 2024 By Aaron Linskens

7 minute read time

presentation for open source software

When you search for a dependable open source software (OSS) component to integrate into your software supply chain , evaluation of the component's security emerges as a critical task. This involves not only examining the immediate functionalities of the component but also the overall state of the software project itself, including the maintainers and contributors that stand behind it and drive its development.

An evaluation entails:

  • scrutinizing the development methodology;
  • gauging the project community's activity;
  • analyzing the codebase's security, particularly in terms of open source vulnerabilities ; and
  • assessing the open source project maintainer's level of involvement and responsiveness to security issues serves as an important element for review.

In this blog post, we explore OSS security and highlight key aspects to consider, given the myriad of unique development processes and widespread usage of open source components.

Defining OSS security

OSS security is the practice of ensuring the safe usage of software components that are developed and distributed as open source.

Evaluation of OSS security encompasses a variety of factors, many of which will be unique to different organizations. Notably, these factors pertain to the software's design, code quality, and level of support from the OSS community.

When you leverage OSS, you put your trust in the developers of that specific software project and their presumable commitment to ensuring its security. However, this trust remains incomplete until you assess the software yourself and measure its security against a defined set of standards. Your assessment is necessary. It's assurance of the software's security posture in the larger context of your software development life cycle (SDLC) .

Understanding security risks inherent in OSS

While OSS presents an array of advantages due to its open and adaptable nature, it also contains security complexities that require specific attention, especially in the context of software supply chains.

Consider the following usage risks inherent in OSS:

  • Challenges stemming from a project's open nature : The free accessibility of the source code allows for collaborative improvements in which maintainers and contributors find and fix bugs. However, this openness also means threat actors can readily analyze the code to find and exploit vulnerabilities.
  • Lack of comprehensive testing : Open source projects typically lack centralized quality control, resulting in no guarantee that the code has been rigorously tested for security flaws. An absence of efficient testing procedures can lead to latent bugs or vulnerabilities slipping through the cracks.
  • Limited vendor accountability : Unlike commercial software vendors, who often provide dedicated support, open source projects tend to lack the structure or resources required to take accountability for security issues. A decentralized structure, or a reduced resource, could lead to delays in addressing vulnerabilities, potentially exposing users of that OSS software to related risks.

While OSS's collaborative spirit can facilitate bug identification and remediation, it can also expose the code to exploitation by threat actors. By prioritizing OSS security in your SDLC, you can harness open source’s advantages while proactively addressing its associated risks.

Evaluating OSS security

To fortify the security posture of OSS in your SDLC, take a proactive approach. As you explore strategies to elevate your OSS security, several critical aspects come into play.

Below, we delve into strategic measures that can substantially enhance your OSS security posture:

  • Review code quality : Before utilizing an open source codebase, it's crucial to check the quality of the code. This is pivotal because code quality directly influences security. Inadequate code quality increases susceptibility to security vulnerabilities.
  • Evaluate open source licensing : Thoroughly assess the software's licensing terms. Confirm whether or not the license permits redistribution or modification and if there are any special conditions. Also, consider the potential ramifications of the license in your specific use case, particularly in a case such as GPL which might introduce risks for closed-source products as opposed to licenses such as BSD or MIT.
  • Gauge community involvement : Ensure the software project is actively maintained by a community. Continued involvement from its original maintainers can be a good sign as well, but note that they could also have passed the reins to new champions to improve upon or carry on the success of the project. A balanced combination of community contributions and oversight can enhance the software’s stability and security over the long term.
  • Check code maintenance : To gauge the software's health and security status, pay attention to both code maintenance practices and repository updates. Ensure maintainers or the community promptly address bug reports and security vulnerabilities. Assess the frequency of repository updates, as regular updates often indicate a well-maintained project, while prolonged inactivity might suggest potential risks. Also, check the version of the open source project you're considering. Generally, the earliest versions tend to exhibit more security issues due to a gradual identification of vulnerabilities over time.
  • Make security assessments : When evaluating software security, consider two risk factors: vulnerabilities, which are often unintentional weaknesses, and malicious contributions, which are deliberate insider threats to software. Gather insights from news, blogs, and developers to gain a comprehensive understanding of potential vulnerabilities or past instances of harm associated with the software. This approach ensures a thorough assessment of security challenges and risks.

By using these strategies to evaluate OSS, you give your organization the best chance to remain empowered against the evolving landscape of security threats and challenges .

Elevating OSS security into your development workflow

Incorporating robust security measures into your SDLC isn't just a best practice — it’s a necessity in today’s threat landscape. If your SDLC processes are firmly rooted in infosec best practices, you can significantly bolster your application and minimize risks of vulnerabilities and malware .

Consider the strategies below which can be augmented with Sonatype's solutions:

  • Strengthen your application's defenses : Strengthen your application's security by implementing best practices for writing clean and secure code . Prioritize readability and maintainability to reduce the possible introduction of vulnerabilities. Boost these efforts by automating your security processes with Sonatype Repository Firewall , which enables early identification of vulnerabilities and blocks malicious components automatically.
  • Advocate rigorous code review and testing : Instill a code review culture within your team with repeatable practices to proactively uncover security flaws. Incorporate diverse perspectives and expertise into the review process. Security testing tools and techniques normalize your analysis, help identify vulnerabilities, and enforce compliance with security standards. Streamline security endeavors with Sonatype Lifecycle to receive ongoing monitoring alerts for vulnerabilities on any component, and enforce custom policies tailored to your compliance goals.
  • Prioritize dependency management : Recognize the pivotal role of streamlined management of software dependencies . Today's software often hinges on a diverse array of open source libraries and components. Regularly scrutinize and update these dependencies to preempt vulnerabilities stemming from outdated code. Stay vigilant about security advisories and patches. Sonatype Lifecycle enables you to know the location of each of your components and their dependencies, so you can quickly generate a software bill of materials (SBOM) for any application, both to provide full visibility of your application’s dependencies and to help efficiently remediate vulnerabilities as well.
  • Extend your secure design principles to OSS components : Aligning your design decisions with security principles builds a foundation to defend against vulnerabilities throughout development. Apply these principles to your use of OSS as well. Sonatype Lifecycle makes this easier by offering real-time, data-driven insights into the security health of your software components, so you can ensure that you are using OSS components safely.

Building confidence in the security of your OSS use

OSS brings immense flexibility and collaborative potential to the table, yet it carries with it inherent complexities that demand careful attention — especially in the context of a software supply chain.

By implementing robust security measures in your SDLC, you can transform your software's security landscape:

  • shielding it from potential threats; 
  • enhancing threat detection capabilities; and
  • proactively identifying vulnerabilities, while still reaping the benefits of OSS components.

Sonatype Repository Firewall and Sonatype Lifecycle operate as potent allies in your quest for fortified security. Sonatype Repository Firewall guards against vulnerabilities, preventing malicious components from infiltrating your systems. Sonatype Lifecycle serves as a comprehensive toolkit for ongoing monitoring, compliance enforcement, and visibility into your software components.

By fostering a culture of security awareness and embracing OSS security, you build not only stronger applications but inspire trust, resilience, and innovation. Ultimately, securing your use of the OSS ecosystem translates into safeguarding your product's future.

Picture of Aaron Linskens

Written by Aaron Linskens

Aaron is a technical writer on Sonatype's Marketing team. He works at a crossroads of technical writing, developer advocacy, software development, and open source. He aims to get developers and non-technical collaborators to work well together via experimentation, feedback, and iteration so they can build the right software.

Get Sonatype Blog Digest

IMAGES

  1. Top 10 Best Open-source Software

    presentation for open source software

  2. Open Source ¿qué es y cómo funciona?

    presentation for open source software

  3. PPT

    presentation for open source software

  4. The Best 4 Free and Open-Source Presentation Software

    presentation for open source software

  5. What is Open-Source Software?

    presentation for open source software

  6. What Is Open Source Software? The Definitive Guide

    presentation for open source software

VIDEO

  1. Embedr.eu & Omeka at IIIF: Access to the World's Images

  2. CodeIgniter Application Flow Chart

  3. Open Source Software Licenses

  4. Open Source Autopilot for Drones With PX4

  5. OCP Tech Talk Series: Open System Firmware (OSF) May 17, 2022

  6. BlackHat Arsenal Presentation

COMMENTS

  1. 3 open source alternatives to PowerPoint

    Vimdeck is an MIT-licensed tool that turns Markdown into a set of files, one per slide, which are then opened in Vim, and then sets up some keybindings for easy movement through your deck. You can give your slides a surprising amount of customization, including syntax-highlighted, a headline text font, and more.

  2. Open Source Microsoft PowerPoint Alternatives: 25+ Presentation Makers

    Other interesting open source alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint are reveal.js, OpenBoard Whiteboard, Sozi and impress.js. Microsoft PowerPoint alternatives are mainly Presentation Makers but may also be Slideshow Makers or Code Editors. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of ...

  3. 27 Open Source Slideshow Presentation Editors and PowerPoint Alternatives

    3- Impressive. Unlike the previous apps, Impressive is a standalone open source free presentation and slideshow generator that uses PDF to render your slides. It contains many page translations, enable you to view your slides in an overview screen, highlight text boxes, and add spotlight effects. The app is completely free, and open source for ...

  4. The 7 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives for Presentations

    Additionally, the free version supports only one user at a time with a storage space of 1MB. 6. LibreOffice. LibreOffice is open-source presentation software that does everything PowerPoint can do. Although it lacks functionality such as OneDrive Integration, its PowerPoint-like functionality more than makes up for it.

  5. Home

    Free office suite - the evolution of OpenOffice. Compatible with Microsoft .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx. Updated regularly, community powered. English | 中文 (简体) | Deutsch | Español ... LibreOffice is Free and Open Source Software. Development is open to new talent and new ideas, and our software is tested and used daily by a ...

  6. The HTML presentation framework

    Create Stunning Presentations on the Web. reveal.js is an open source HTML presentation framework. It's a tool that enables anyone with a web browser to create fully-featured and beautiful presentations for free. Presentations made with reveal.js are built on open web technologies. That means anything you can do on the web, you can do in your ...

  7. What is LibreOffice?

    LibreOffice includes several applications that make it the most versatile Free and Open Source office suite on the market: Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing). ... LibreOffice is Free and Open Source Software, available for ...

  8. Open Source Prezi Alternatives: 25+ Presentation Makers

    Free • Open Source. Mac. Windows. Linux. Inkscape. 70 Sozi alternatives. Sozi is an open-source browser-based presentation software using SVG and JavaScript to play animated presentations. - Sozi is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Prezi. - Sozi is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Prezi.

  9. 7 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives For Your Business

    1. Apache OpenOffice. Apache OpenOffice is an open-source software suite that offers a presentation tool to design multimedia slides. The presentation software lets you add 2D and 3D clip art, special effects (such as slide transitions), and animation to your presentations.

  10. 3 open source tools to make your presentations pop

    Because these presentation frameworks are open source, they can be extended and enhanced in any way you wish—though to be fair, writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a little more complicated than just using PowerPoint, Keynote, or Impress. ... no offence to more appealing presentation software, but maybe impress!ve can be an option to use and ...

  11. 6 Open Source Tools to create inspiring presentations

    There are some open source solutions for that, like reveal.js, mdx-deck, Spectacle, remark, webslides or impress.js. Each solution allows you to create presentations yourself in minutes, push them to GitHub, and share them with your audience. Personally, I have tried mdx-deck and Impress.js in the past.

  12. Impress

    LibreOffice, Impress, presentation, ODF, open standards. In Impress, creating and editing slides is very versatile thanks to different editing and view modes: Normal (for general editing), Outline (for organizing and outlining your text content), Notes (for viewing and editing the notes attached to a slide), Handout (for producing paper-based material), and Slide Sorter (for a thumbnail sheet ...

  13. FreeShow

    Creating presentations is extremely easy. The quality of presentations we can create without having to spend a dime is mind-blowing. Kingsley N. FreeShow is a free and open-source presenter software for anyone to use with ease.

  14. Apache OpenOffice Impress

    Apache OpenOffice Impress. Impress your audience with your presentations! Impress is a truly outstanding tool for creating effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will stand out with 2D and 3D clip art, special effects, animation, and high-impact drawing tools. Master Pages simplify the task of preparing your materials.

  15. Top 3 open-source PowerPoint alternatives

    The presentation software PowerPoint is proprietary, and hence not so transparent and less cost-effective than some competitors. Discover the best open-source PowerPoint alternatives in this article. ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors. ONLYOFFICE presentation editor for desktop is a free PowerPoint alternative for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The app is ...

  16. The best presentation software in 2024

    The best presentation software. Canva for a free presentation app. 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.

  17. Best free presentation software of 2024

    Best free presentation software of 2024. The best free presentation software makes it simple and easy to create presentations as an alternative to subscribing to Microsoft PowerPoint. 1. Best ...

  18. The 6 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives in 2023

    Google Slides. Google Slides is the one-size-fits-all inheritor of the PowerPoint mantle. If you have used PowerPoint, you'll already be pretty familiar with Google Slides. There's nothing fancy, nothing unexpected. It's just a reliable web-based presentation platform that's greatest strength lies in the familiarity of its capabilities ...

  19. The 8 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives

    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.

  20. 15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

    5. Libre Office Impress. Libre Office is free presentation software, an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. As you can expect from a free product, it offers only the main features of its "big brother", but it's a good solution for people used to Microsoft's productivity suite.

  21. Best presentation software of 2024

    The best presentation software makes it simple and easy to create, manage, and share slideshow presentations. ... LibreOffice Impress is part of the open-source suite offered as a free alternative ...

  22. Best Open Source Presentation Software 2024

    Examples of open source presentation software include LibreOffice Impress, Apache OpenOffice Impress, and HTML 5 Slides. LibreOffice Impress is a free and powerful open source presentation tool that includes features such as support for multimedia, animation effects, and graphs.

  23. Apache OpenOffice

    I want to stay in touch with OpenOffice. Follow the progress of OpenOffice via announce list, our blog or social media. Official Blog Facebook Twitter YouTube. The official home page of the Apache OpenOffice open source project, home of OpenOffice Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base.

  24. The hack that almost broke the internet

    A strange fact about modern life is that most of the computers responsible for it are running open source software. That is, software mostly written by unpaid, sometimes even anonymous volunteers.

  25. Free AI Poster Maker—Piktochart AI

    4. Enhance with Visual Elements. Piktochart's user-friendly drag-and-drop editor makes personalization a breeze. Tap into our rich collection of complimentary photos, icons, illustrations, and text options to craft a poster that stands out. Enhancing and tailoring colors is just a click away with our versatile design tool. 5.

  26. A guide for open source software (OSS) security

    Defining OSS security. OSS security is the practice of ensuring the safe usage of software components that are developed and distributed as open source. Evaluation of OSS security encompasses a variety of factors, many of which will be unique to different organizations. Notably, these factors pertain to the software's design, code quality, and ...

  27. OpenSSF Siren to Share Threat Intelligence for Open Source Software

    Source: MaximP via Shutterstock. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) has launched Siren, an email mailing list to share threat intelligence about vulnerabilities in open source software ...

  28. How Open-Source Software Empowers Nonprofits And The Global ...

    The Role of Open-Source Software. As the world faces escalating environmental and social challenges, the role of open-source software technology and open data becomes increasingly vital. Open ...

  29. IBM Releases Granite Code AI Models To Open-Source Community

    IBM Research introduced its Granite foundation models (go deeper with IBM's Research Paper on the models) to meet the stringent demands of enterprise applications of AI. The models support ...

  30. Download qbittorrent_4.6.5_x64_setup.exe (qBittorrent)

    qBittorrent Overview. A free and reliable P2P BitTorrent client. An advanced and multi-platform BitTorrent client with a nice Qt user interface as well as a Web UI for remote control and an integrated search engine. qBittorrent aims to meet the needs of most users while using as little CPU and memory as possible.