presentation tools means

25 Tools for Creating and Delivering Amazing Presentations

Updated: August 10, 2022

Published: November 10, 2020

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

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

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

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Best Presentation Tools

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

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

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

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

3. PowerPoint

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

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

4. Slidesgo

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

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

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

Pricing: Free

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

Pricing : Free

7. SlideModel

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

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

8. Beautiful.ai

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

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

9. Haiku Deck

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

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

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

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

11. Storydoc

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

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

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

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

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

13. Camtasia

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

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

14. SlideShare

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

15. SlideDog

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

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

16. Presentation Assistant

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

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

17. authorSTREAM

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

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

18. Zentation

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

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

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

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

20. Brainshark

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

Pricing : Contact for pricing

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

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

22. ViewletBuilder

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

Pricing : Pro, $399; Enterprise, $599

23. Zoho Show

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

24. AhaSlides

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

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

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

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

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

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What is Presentation Software Anyway? A Complete Guide to Essential Features and Why Your Team Needs Them

It’s estimated that 30 million PowerPoint presentations are created on any given day— and those numbers have likely spiked even higher given our new norm of virtual communication and remote work. Between startup pitches, business plans, all-hands meetings, and school presentations, everyone has a different story to tell. Regardless of who you are and what you do, we’d be willing to bet that you’ve created a deck or two in your day. But having a handful of presentations under your belt doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an expert. 

In fact, it’s very likely that the majority of those presentations created on a daily basis are cobbled together the night before the deadline. The result? A poorly executed deck (or frankendeck, as we like to call them) that doesn’t support your overarching purpose. In fact, 79% of people think that most presentations today suck. Your content means nothing if it gets lost in transition, and a bad deck can derail your entire presentation in the blink of an eye. Luckily, presentation software can help you create something brilliant in a fraction of the time— with no design experience required. 

Sounds great, right? But what is presentation software , anyway? Let us tell you. 

What is presentation software?

Presentation software is the deck designer you’ve been looking for, without actually having to hire a designer. At its core it’s a platform or software that enables you to create visual presentations. Everyone knows the household names like PowerPoint , Keynote , and Google Slides , but there are plenty of PowerPoint alternatives out there making presentation design simpler and more innovative. Alternative software, like Beautiful.ai, offers unique features that are not available in the dated software like PowerPoint. 

What features should you look for?

Depending on whether you work for a small business, startup or larger enterprise, finding a good presentation software program is a must. There are many different softwares to choose from, but these are the key features that you should consider when choosing your app or platform. 

A lot of inexperienced designers might dread starting a presentation from scratch (can you blame them?). A big selling point for a lot of PowerPoint alternatives is that they offer pre-built templates to help get you started. But even still, presentation design can be a big undertaking if you don’t know how to structure your story. Beautiful.ai offers a free gallery of pre-built presentation templates by our resident designer to help you start inspired. Each template is fully customizable so you can make it your own, while using our layouts to spark your own creativity.

If you’re not a designer by trade, a presentation software with artificial intelligence is smart (literally, and figuratively). Beautiful.ai’s smart slides take on the burden of design for you so that you can focus on what’s really important: your message. With smart slide templates , we apply principles of good design to each slide restraint so that it’s nearly impossible to create something that doesn’t look good. Simply add your content and watch the slides adjust without having to worry about aligning text boxes, configuring charts, or resizing text. 

Some presentation softwares do animations better than others (no, we aren’t going to name any names). Your animations should be subtle, but effective. The last thing you want is your animations to give the audience motion sickness. But when done correctly, dynamic animations build in a way that directs the audience’s attention back to your slides.

We may be biased, but Beautiful.ai’s animations bring your slides to life without overwhelming viewers. We give you the power to decide how your animations will build on each slide. You control the speed, the order, and whether they build automatically or advance with a click. You can create a custom timeline, which is a manual control of your animation build. And you can also customize the animation timing and style to choose overlapping, simultaneous, sequential, or no animation at all. Depending on your content, and talking points, you may select a slow, normal, or fast animation speed— it’s all up to you. 

Collaboration

We can all agree that working in the cloud is better than working without it. Eliminating lengthy email chains and attachments from your workflow can save a lot of time. Especially when you’re working in tandem with colleagues or clients, the cloud ensures that you are always working in the most updated version. Collaborating in presentations means that you can work on building a deck in unison with your team, which is something that’s critical in a work-from-home environment. 

With Beautiful.ai, not only can you collaborate with teammates— internal and external— in real-time, but you can also comment on slides to provide feedback or questions. Each collaborator on the presentation will receive a notification via email and within the product when a comment or edit is made on the slide so nothing falls through the cracks. 

Shareability

Shareability is something that older presentation software— like PowerPoint— lacks. Instead of having to send a file attachment with every update, newer presentation software will allow links for simplified sharing. This also helps teams with version history and content management. 

In Beautiful.ai, it’s easy to share your link out via email, social media, or embed it on a webpage. Because everything is saved on the cloud, you can edit your presentations on the fly and it will be updated immediately without having to resend a new link to your colleagues or clients. This is a game changer for board meetings, pitches, or sales proposals when a piece of information might come in at the last minute but you have already sent a link out to the deck.

Analytics is an essential tool for any business. With analytics you can see which slides performed well, and which slides your audience skipped altogether. This allows you to evaluate which information is resonating well with your audience and what might be getting lost in transition. As a business, this can help you understand your final call-to-action, and how you need to pivot to encourage a more favorable outcome. 

Beautiful.ai’s analytics shows you time spent on the presentation, total views, when the presentation was last viewed, and completion rate all within the product. 

Jordan Turner

Jordan is a Bay Area writer, social media manager, and content strategist.

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Presentation Software Definition and Examples

Presentation software brings complex ideas to life, one slide at a time

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Many software suites offer a program designed to accompany a speaker when he or she delivers a presentation. The specific presentation program in this suite of programs is usually (but not always) in the form of a slide show. This category of program is well-established; it doesn't change much, and it supports not only online visual display but also, generally, the printing of related handouts and speaker notes.

Benefits of Presentation Software

These programs make it simple and often fun to create a presentation for your audience. They contain a text editor to add your written content; they support charts and graphic images such as photographs, clip art or other objects to enliven your slideshow and get your point across crisply.

For a deeper dive into some of the leading applications in this software category, check out:

Other Forms of Presentation Software

PowerPoint and its clones work on a slide-based logic: When you move to the next point in your conversation, you advance to the next slide. An alternative model of presentations sets aside the slide model in favor of some other navigation system. Examples include:

Prezi offers a visual navigation tool that allows for zoom-in/zoom-out detail across a logical map of your presentation.

Microsoft Sway

Besides PowerPoint, Microsoft also offers Sway, which is a presentation and newsletter designer that supports simpler and more image-focused designs along a familiar linear flow path.

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• Presentation Tools Software

Overview Of Presentation Tools

• Posted by Precious Abacan
• Posted on March 14, 2023
• Updated on March 14, 2024

Individuals and businesses can use presentation tools to share their ideas with other people. These are useful for visualizing a pitch, educational discussion, or other topics.

By understanding the various kinds of presentation tools, there’s an opportunity to research the one that fits the needs of your business or helps you accomplish your project. In this post, we will define presentation tools and list many to consider employing in the workplace.

Presentation Tools: What Are They?

Presentation tools are programs and software that allow individuals or organizations to display information as a slideshow. Most of the time, these presentation tools let editors add and format text based on their needs. There are also ways to add and change images with presentation tools. 

Individuals and businesses can use these to express their message and graphically engage audience members. Not only do these presentation tools give you a place in creating presentations, but they also have features like feedback and the ability to switch between files.

Why Are Online Presentation Tools Important?

Most professionals won’t have gone through their careers without using presentation tools and software at some point. Whether you’re talking about a product, giving a speech, or even hosting a webinar where you explain things like profit margins, revenue numbers, and so on, you’ll likely use slides with helpful information.

The most effective presentation software is an improvement over standard methods. In these challenging times, this is especially noticeable. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, most corporate work, teaching, and other similar jobs are done online from the comfort of people’s homes.

What Makes Great Presentation Tools?

When searching for the top presentation tools, look for slideshows for various purposes, such as pitch decks and product launches, classroom lectures, and church preaching. Keeping that in mind, here are some factors to look for:

Cost: It’s essential to make exciting presentations, but you shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to do so. Since there are many good free tools, price is a significant factor.

Sharing and teamwork options: More individuals to understand better. It should be easy to share files and work together in real-time, whether you want to share your webinar slides later or want to work on a presentation with a coworker.

Flexibility and customization options: Templates are fantastic, but the best presentation software should let you modify almost everything, allowing you to create the exact presentation you need.

Pre-built templates should be available in the top presentation tools so users can easily create presentations using eye-catching, professional templates.

How To Use Presentation Tools To Make A Presentation Interactive?

Dynamic slide designs.

Blocks of text on your slides are typically not read by audiences, especially if the font is small and difficult to read. Furthermore, putting your themes in bullet points on simple slides can get monotonous after a time.

Give your viewers an additional reason to glance at your slide and maintain their interest by including dynamic design elements that really make your presentation pop. Aim to switch up the design every few slides while maintaining a unified aesthetic to prevent the audience from being startled by the changes.

Diagrams And Charts

As long as you have the necessary data, many presentation programs provide simple-to-use capabilities that enable you to design your graph. Simple graphs and charts provide a visual element that enhances audience comprehension of your issue, mainly if it is technical.

By using some or all of these slide additions, you can increase the effectiveness of your presentation on your audience, whether you’re delivering it live or remotely via screen-sharing technology.

Videos and GIFs

GIFs and videos give a presentation with a lot of text and some flair. An out-of-context GIF or video may weave into the presentation’s background, which will frequently help your audience understand and relate to your issue better.

Videos and GIFs are excellent ways to improve your presentation without worrying about them taking up too much space on your slides. Slide transition effects, which provide a visual impact while switching slides, follow the same logic.

Key Components of a Presentation

The presenter communicates the message or messages to the audience.

The message is sent through words (verbal communication) and techniques like voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact (nonverbal communication), and visual aids.

The expectations of the audience will also change the message. For instance, even if you provide strong presentation skills, the audience is unlikely to understand your message if you were scheduled to speak on one topic but prefer to discuss another. Because you didn’t meet their expectations, they will think your presentation was a failure.

The audience’s reaction and the presentation’s success will depend on how well the speaker communicates the message and whether or not it meets their expectations.

The audience’s expectations are outside of your control as the presenter. You can assess what information the organizing committee has told them about you and what they hope to hear from you. You can only be sure that your delivery will live up to expectations if you are aware of that.

In what manner will the presentation be given?

Most of the time, presentations are given directly to an audience. But sometimes, it may be provided to them from far away using video conferencing systems like Skype to send messages over the Internet.

Also, if your talk is recorded and published on the Internet, people may be able to watch it for a long time. It would be best if you used as few references to the present as possible.

Impediments

Many things can affect how well your message gets across to the audience.

Your audience’s concentration level can be affected by background noise or other distractions, a room that is too hot or cold, the time of day, and how alert your audience is.

To keep your audience focused on your message, you must be ready to handle any challenges.

How Do You Figure Out Which Presentation Software Will Work Best For You?

When deciding which presentation tools are the best for your needs, it is essential to consider them. As part of the Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft PowerPoint is a paid program, but many free online presentation alternatives exist.  When choosing the best interactive presentation software for your needs, your budget is often the deciding factor.

Knowledgeable With Presentation Formats

If you want to use a particular slide presentation program for your next project, how familiar you are with it could be a significant factor in your decision. If you already know how to use a specific PPT software (for example, MS PowerPoint), you might need help choosing the best interactive presentation software.

You can require the most features for your animated presentations, even if you have to choose something you have never tried before. How willing are you to try something different? How hard is it to learn the one you picked instead of the one you already know? Do you think it’s worth remembering the alternatives to Powerpoint you have in mind?

Adaptability

What good is a feature-packed incredible presentation program if you find the UI overpowering or the product itself challenging to use? We all want to be productive, after all. The ease of use of slide-show presentation software is a fundamental factor in choosing it.

It is often subjective, though; only some things suit everyone. Choose carefully to get the most out of the presentation software. There are a lot of examples of presentation software that might look good but not meet your exact needs. Some of us have already learned this the hard way.

People use different platforms. Only some people can work just as well on the same platform. My favorite platform could be Linux , while yours could be Microsoft Windows . Some people choose a cloud-based presentation tool that helps people work together. Among all the factors, platform selection can be the most important.

Most popular interactive presentation software these days has a lot of different features. Still, they are different. The way the features you need most are put together might differ from one another.

Best Presentation Tools

Some of these products are free and online, while others are enterprise versions with premium pricing and many features. Continue reading to learn about the most common presentation tools that work best for your business.

Canva: Best Free Presentation Software

Even marketers and salespeople who think they need to improve at design can do it easily with Canva. You can use one of the platform’s many presentation templates right away, and it’s easy to change them to fit your organization and the purpose of your presentation. It may also use several apps that connect to services like Google Drive, Instagram, and YouTube.

Visme : Free Presentation Software

Individuals with all levels of design experience can become presentation creators using the all-in-one online visual content platform Visme . The drag-and-drop interface allows users to create their presentations or use several trending style templates to make presentations.

Visme has more than 1.5 million stock images, thousands of icons, 50 tools for showing how data is organized, and 125 fonts. Teams can also choose who has the authorization to change presentations and define brand rules for particular brand colors using these tools.

Google Slides and Powerpoint

PowerPoint presentation and Google Slides, two of the most well-known slide-building apps, feel old-fashioned compared to many other tools on this list. Still, both apps are easy ways to learn how to make simple 2D designs and presentations that look good. PowerPoint Presentations and Google Slides let students create slideshows with transitions, animations, different layouts for each slide, and more.

These presentation software solutions help students figure out what information is most important to their audience and how to present it visually excitingly. They can also be used with screencasting or screen sharing to make presentations more real-time or interactive.

Slide Model

To help presenters create exciting and aesthetically beautiful presentations faster, SlideModel offers thousands of ready-made, fully editable presentation templates. They have a variety of business-related presentation templates in their library, and they regularly add new educational and business-related ones.

Depending on the requirements of your presentation, you can find a variety of visually appealing slides on the site, including dashboards, original infographics, editable maps, funnels, timelines, mind maps, and presentation slides. Their slide designs are compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides, making them simple to update.

Screencastify

Because it is made to be a closed, secure system for teachers and students, Screencastify Submit is easy to use. However, the more extensive Screencastify suite, one of the best Google Chrome extensions, has a lot of integrations with popular LMSs and ed tech platforms.

Another slide-based presentation tool is the Haiku Deck. Because it is entirely cloud-based, you may access Haiku Deck over the web. Haiku Deck’s main selling point is its automated image search. The software intelligently analyzes the content your students submit to their presentations and then provides photographs and slide designs appropriate for that text.

In addition to providing users with access to more than 40 million royalty-free photos (removing watermarks and pixelated backgrounds), Haiku Deck also offers hundreds of expertly designed themes, each with coordinating fonts.

The first Prezi was like a better-looking, faster version of PowerPoint. It removed the idea that every slide was a static rectangular image and allowed users to design presentations that seemed more like unique small worlds than conference room snooze-fests.

Prezi Next , built on HTML5, is the next generation of Prezi, offering features that make anyone a presentation pro. It has the same look and feel as the original and lets students make creative and valuable video presentations. Prezi Next templates enable students to be creative, thorough, and visually appealing.

In addition, Prezi connects with popular video conferencing programs like Google Meet and Zoom, enabling students to present their Prezi in real-time.

Looking into different presentation tools shows us how important they are for making communication better, whether it’s for work meetings, classroom talks, or anything else. These tools come with lots of features like cool slide designs, ready-to-use templates, and the ability to add videos and pictures. This doesn’t just help get ideas across but also keeps people interested.

Choosing the right tool for making presentations matters a lot. Across diverse sectors, presentation tools have proven invaluable. For example, marketing teams utilize Canva for crafting visually compelling campaign presentations, educators employ Google Slides for engaging classroom interactions, and businesses depend on PowerPoint for detailed financial reports and project proposals. These instances underscore the tools’ adaptability and effectiveness in enhancing communication, whether in educational environments or corporate settings.

If you want to learn more about presentation tools and get tips on how to use them better, check out our blogs. We’ve got lots of articles with expert advice, a detailed look at different tools, and new ways to make your presentations better. It doesn’t matter if you’re very experienced or just starting; our blog has something for everyone who wants to learn more about making great presentations. 

Why Use Presentation Tools?

Online presentation tools allow you to show information and data about a specific topic. It also lets you put pictures, tables, charts, graphs, etc., along with the text. The combination of all this data is presented as a slide show, making it simple for the audience to comprehend the subject.

What’s Good About Presentation Tools?

Here are the main reasons why presentation software is a good idea: a. Easy to share basic presentations b. It can drag and drop. c. Various customizing options d. There are no technical skills needed. e. It makes it easy to see what information means. f. It lets you add pictures, graphs, tables, charts, videos, and so on. g. Provides a huge selection of styles and templates

What Software Makes Dynamic Slideshows?

You can make dynamic slideshows with several computer presentation tools. Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Adobe Persuasion, and Openoffice are some of the most popular presentation tools.

Which Software Is Best For Video Presentations?

Here are some of the most effective video presentation software: a. PowerPoint b. Visme c. Powtoon d. Keynote

What Interactive Features Can I Add To My Presentation?

No matter what software you use to make presentations, you should work on the text, the images, and what learners can do with your presentation (like navigating through slides and triggering specific animations).

Avoid using too many texts, and add images, characters, and backdrops. Write lengthy texts in a script and record a voice-over for your presentation.

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• Presentation Design

The 10 Best Presentation Software for 2023: Complete Guide

There are literally hundreds of presentation software tools in the market today and keeping track is getting increasingly hard. Most of them have been optimized for a specific purpose or type of user from a wide range of possibilities, and it's very likely that THE ideal tool for you is actually one that you've never heard of.

We've created this best presentation software list to shed some light and to give you a comprehensive presentation software list to ensure you make the right call in the platform you select. This article is the result of several weeks of research and review of 50+ presentation tools currently available on the web.

What is a presentation software?

A presentation software is defined as an application built to display information in the form of a slide show. Any presentation tool must have three fundamental functions:

• ‍ A text editor: to input the contents of the presentation.
• ‍ An import function: to insert and manipulate images and other content.
• ‍A slide-show or presenter mode: that displays the content in a nice, formatted way, sometimes synced in real time with the presenter across devices.

Slide shows often consist of a combination of text, video, images and charts. Their primary function is displaying clear, readable and summarized data to an audience.

Most presentations are shared and presented on a larger screen or through a digital projector. In rare occasions, slide presentations are printed out as a replacement for text documents, but this is a really inefficient way to review data, that Garr Reynolds calls ‘ PresDocs ’ (Garr Reynolds is the author of Presentation Zen, one of the most important go-to reference for successful presentations).

Related Read: What Makes Up the Best Presentation Templates?

What makes a good presentation tool?

The functions and results of presentation programs have evolved significantly in the past decades, since the original launch of ‘Presenter’ (the PowerPoint predecessor) in 1984. In 1987 PowerPoint 1.0 was released for the Macintosh and it started a revolution in the way we prepare and consume content in meetings.

For the purposes of this article we are going to classify all presentation tools using 3 variables that we consider extremely important:

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This rating looks at the learning curve, or time required to learn to use the platform. An easy to use interface is fundamentally important to ensure that users feel confortable working with the platform and doesn’t require complex training to take advantage of its features. This also accounts for the average time it takes to build a presentation.

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The ability to customize a presentation to the smallest details. This varies depending on the number of advanced features in the platform, like the ability to set different transitions to each slide, the ability to add customized elements or to design/code the final outcome of the slides to the last font size and color code.

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This indicator looks at the outcome of a finished presentation, assuming the user is an average person with basic design skills and intermediate knowledge on the tool itself.

Best PowerPoint Alternatives (Death by Power Point)

As we mentioned before, PowerPoint is the most used presentation builder in the market today. It is distributed by Microsoft as part of their Office Suite, which is estimated to have over 500 million users worldwide. Microsoft has also revealed that approximately 35 Million presentations are delivered every single day, that’s a staggering 400 presentations per second.

But still, PowerPoint’s popularity has decreased significantly in the past few years. Their boring presentation templates, the large learning curve and complexity as well as the terrible slides many users end up making have started the Death to PowerPoint movement.

What presentation software is better than PowerPoint?

For this section, we summarize the top PowerPoint alternatives and examples, that is, presentation tools that work in a fairly similar manner and that provide similar (but significantly better) results. If you are an avid PowerPoint user, then migrating to these platforms should be rather easy for you.

Best 10 presentation software alternative list for 2023

(Updated December 2022)

• Keynote presentation
• Google Slides

1- SLIDEBEAN PRESENTATION SOFTWARE

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Slidebean is an online presentation tool that uses artificial intelligence to design beautiful slides. Simply add content blocks to your presentation without worrying about formatting. Slidebean’s AI finds the best possible design for every element on your slide. This level of automation allows you to create a professional looking presentation in a fraction of the time it normally takes on PowerPoint.

When comparing it to PowerPoint, Slidebean’s interface is much easier to learn and work with, and it lets you create fantastic looking presentations really fast. The platform is web based and allows you to export to both PowerPoint and PDF format. It also lets you track viewer interactions and activity from people you share your slides with!

Slidebean also has a unique advantage which is a rich gallery of presentation outline templates. These are pre-filled decks that work for numerous purposes, like business proposals, classroom decks, thesis presentations and even startup pitch decks : all you need to do is import them and fill in your content.

You can sign up free for Slidebean here

SIGN UP FREE

2- apple keynote.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Customization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Fantastic!

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Keynote is what PowerPoint should have been all along. Apple's version of the popular presentation tool has improved significantly in the last few years, and has recently included a cloud version that works on any browser on any computer (as long as you have at least one Apple device).

Keynote is basically an improved PowerPoint, it offers the same approach to creating slides, but offers nice and clean customizable templates, a simple interface and great details like smart guides.

The biggest issue with Keynote is the long learning process that it requires. Similar to Microsoft's tool, you'll need to sit down for a few hours to learn to use the platform, and another larger set of hours to make a professional presentation.

More info about Apple Keynote is available here

Final result: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Visme is a web based platform for building presentations. Their familiar interface is similar to PowerPoint, but they have successfully simplified a complex UI to a nicer and more understandable navigation. Still, you'll need to spend a few hours to get a good grasp of where all the customization options can be found.

The platform offers an interesting (but certainly limited) gallery of images, but they succeed at delivering beautiful infographic elements (which they call ‘Charts and Graphs’) that you can use to add some color and make your slides much more dynamic.

You can read more about them here . ‍

4- GOOGLE SLIDES

Customization: ★ ★ - Passable

Google's version of PowerPoint is hosted as part of the Google Apps suite, that you can access from Google Drive or from Google Apps for Work. Sadly, their presentation builder feels like a limited version of PowerPoint, with less features, limited fonts and very little customization options.

Still, Google's platform is available for free, has a lot of integrations and probably one of the best online collaboration systems out there. Checking it out is easy, just visit your Google Drive.

You can find a more detailed review here .

5- FLOWVELLA

Ease of use: ★ ★ - Passable

Customization: ★ ★ ★ - OK

Flowvella is available on the Mac App Store as a desktop application. It provides a simple interface (certainly cleaner than Microsoft PowerPoint and somewhat similar to Apple Keynote) and some very nice design templates, which set good grounds so you can start building a nice looking set of slides on top of them. This is by far their biggest strength! If you want to start from scratch, however, you might feel a little lost creating something that looks good.

We found, however, that the oversimplified interface makes some basic options hard to find, like changing the color of a shape. Also, while running as a desktop app it still requires an Internet connection to download some elements, which can lead to a slower performance than a 100% desktop tool.

Update: We also read recently that they launched a tvOS app for the new AppleTV, making them, as far as we know, the first presentation tool to leverage the new platform.

You can find more details here .

Customization: ★ ★ ★ -

Pitch offers an innovative solution for fast-paced teams looking to quickly create effective, stylish presentations. With a combination of productivity features and design elements, Pitch makes it easy to get professional results—quickly

You can find more information about them here .

Final result: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good!

The premise of Canva is an ‘amazingly easy graphic design software'. It lets you create anything from print design to banners and presentations. They provide an easy to use interface with a huge selection of pre-built designs that you can modify to your liking.

These pre-built elements let you quickly draft a nice presentation even if you have no design skills, but it does require you to drag and drop and arrange the content of your slide, which can become time consuming.

Canva has been gaining significant popularity in the last few years, especially after they hired Guy Kawasaki as a Chief Evangelist. Their platform is beautiful, you can find more about them here .

8- HAIKU DECK

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

Haiku Deck launched as an iPad app in 2011. They made a big bet towards mobile productivity and came up with a solid iPad application that allowed you to create slides in less time than the then-only alternative of Keynote for iOS.

Haiku Deck has a nice set of custom templates that you can use as a guideline for your slides, and their content input system is clear and easy to learn.

Still, we believe their approach that focused on mobile devices could only take them so far and they've since been working on a web version of their platform that works for any computer. As we mentioned, the personal computer continues to be a much more efficient productivity platform.

'Slides' is a nice website that lets you create and share presentations online. Formerly slides(dot)io and slid(dot)es, they finally settled for slides(dot)com. This startup was founded by Hakim El Hattab and Owen Bossola in Stockholm, Sweden, and it makes use of the reveal.js framework that we mentioned above.

Slides has a nice web interface that encourages you to create a nice and clean presentations, however, it still depends on the user’s ability to manipulate the elements and arrange them in a nice style. Still, their pre-defined formats and their grid system help guide you to a better result.

The platform also allows for custom HTML and CSS coding, which lets experienced users with coding skills, customize their templates even further.

Some more info about them here .

Ease of use: ★ - Bad

Prezi has been around for years and they have had a huge head start compared to any other online presentation tool out there. Their unique zoom styling makes it immediately obvious to the audience that they are looking at a Prezi deck.

Prezi has the advantage of allowing you to create really stunning interactive presentations if you know how to leverage their zoomable, infinite canvas. However, this can become a double edge sword if users overuse the feature and come up with a presentation that is literally capable of making people dizzy.

Still, Prezi's biggest weakness is on its ease of use. There's a long learning curve towards dominating their interface and even if you do, you need to be a designer to make a great presentation on the platform.

This is a huge company that is not going away anytime soon. With 50+ million users, they have proven the world wants and needs a PowerPoint alternative, and we have huge respect for them for doing so.

More information about them here .

‍Which one to pick?

In the world of presentation software, there's a big bunch to pick from. It's kind of like a crowded market with lots of options. And guess what? The best one for you might not even be on your radar.

Our list is here to help you out. We've put together this bunch of presentation software choices after digging into over 50 of them on the internet. We're here to give you the scoop on what's out there, so you can pick the one that suits you best.

Now, remember, presentation software is like your helper to make cool slideshows. These slideshows could be for showing stuff to people, like at school or work. These helpers, or software, should be good at a few things: putting words and pictures on slides, making things look nice, and showing your stuff in a cool way on a screen.

The options we've found have different things they're good at. Some use fancy computer thinking (AI) to make your slides look great without you doing much. Others let you customize your slides a lot, which is nice if you want them to look exactly like you want. And finally, how your slides look when you're done is super important too.

Picking the right presentation tool is a bit like picking the best tool for a job. You wouldn't use a hammer to write a story, right? So, whether you want something easy, something that lets you be creative, or something that gives you good results, our list has got you covered. Your choice will help you make cool presentations that people will remember. Our recommendation is to give Slidebean a try, but is up to you to consider the options. So, pick smart and happy presenting.

Try Slidebean

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15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

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By Bilyana Nikolaeva

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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!

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.

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.

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:

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.

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:

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:

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

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Best presentation software of 2024

Make perfect slides for speeches and talks

Best overall

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

• How we test

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

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

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

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

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

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

We've also listed the best free presentation software .

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

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

You can sign up to Microsoft 365 here .

The best presentation software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. PowerPoint

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

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

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

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

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

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

Read our full Microsoft PowerPoint review .

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2. CustomShow

Reasons to avoid.

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

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

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

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

3. ClearSlide

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

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

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

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

4. Haiku Deck

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

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

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

5. SlideDog

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

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

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

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

Read our full SlideDog review .

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

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

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

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

Read our full Prezi review .

Other presentation software to consider

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presentation software FAQs

Which presentation software is best for you.

When deciding which presentation software to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free platforms may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require for your presentation needs.

How we tested the best presentation software

To test for the best presentation software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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

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

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AI Presentation Maker

Top 21 Presentation Tools for Creating Engaging and Interactive Slides

Table of Contents

In a world full of smart gadgets and wearable tech, old-style PowerPoint presentations might not grab people’s attention like they used to. But instead of just making old things seem outdated, progress means finding new ways to make presentations more engaging.

That’s why we’ve gathered a range of interactive presentation software and tools. Choose the one that suits you best and watch as the learning experience for your students takes a step forward.

What are Online Presentation Tools?

Online presentation tools are software programs that allow you to build presentations with more engaging elements than just text and bullet points. You can add images, animations, and more, making your content more interesting for your audience.

Plus, many of these tools work on different devices, so you can work on your presentation from anywhere. With the right online presentation tool, you can easily create clear and effective presentations for any occasion.

Why are Online Presentation Tools Important?

Effective presentations require engaging visuals and delivery and must captivate the audience for information to be conveyed efficiently and leave a lasting impression. The key benefits of presentation tools include the following:

• Enhanced Visual Communication: Presentation tools enhance visual communication by incorporating images, charts, and videos. Thus, complex information can be conveyed professionally and interactively while keeping the audience engaged.
• Improved Audience Engagement: Integrating interactive features using presentation tools such as polls, quizzes, and audience response systems actively involves the audience and makes the presentation more engaging and interactive. This leads to better audience engagement and helps presenters better communicate their ideas.
• Organized Content Delivery: Presentation software can assist in creating well-organized and captivating content by using clear headings, bullet points, and divisions that allow for the interactive delivery of information. This layout enables a natural information flow, which makes it simple for the audience to interact with the content.
• Efficient Editing and Collaboration: Presenters can easily alter and improve presentations with the help of editing features offered by presentation tools. These tools also support teamwork, allowing multiple users to contribute to and edit the presentation simultaneously. Presentations become more dynamic and engaging when modifications can be made quickly and efficiently, making them a crucial tool in the workplace.
• Multimedia Integration: You can add multimedia components like music and video clips to presentations using presentation software to improve them and engage people. So, as long as a professional tone is maintained throughout the presentation, the audience is given a richer, more dynamic experience.
• Time Management: Effective presentation tools come with helpful features like timers and slide transitions, which allow presenters to manage time efficiently, leaving a lasting impression on their audience. With these features, transitions between different sections of the presentation become smoother and more engaging.
• Portability and Accessibility: Presentation software enables easy sharing and access of presentations across devices. This capability allows for convenient distribution of information to wider audiences. Moreover, presentation software lets you create engaging and informative slideshows that capture your audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

What to Look for in Online Presentation Tools?

1. Pre-designed Templates

A good presentation tool should come with ready-to-use templates that look professional, making it easy to create presentations quickly.

2. Sharing and Collaboration

It should be simple to share files and work together with others in real time, whether you’re sharing webinar slides or collaborating on a project with a colleague.

3. Customization Options

While templates are helpful, the best presentation apps let you customize everything to suit your needs exactly the way you want.

4. Affordability

Making great presentations is important, but it shouldn’t break the bank. There are plenty of free tools available, so cost is something to keep in mind.

5. Stand-alone Use

You shouldn’t need multiple tools to make a presentation. A good presentation app should do everything you need on its own.

6. Enhancing Presentations

Including multimedia elements like audio and video in your slides can make your presentation more interesting and engaging. Look for online presentation platforms that support audio and video well.

7. Encouraging Collaboration

Working together with colleagues can improve your work and make things go smoother. When picking a presentation platform, choose one that lets you collaborate easily with others online.

8. Providing Technical Support

Sometimes, you might run into technical issues when making slides. Make sure the presentation platform you choose has good technical support to help you out quickly if you need it.

9. Making it Easy to Use

Choose an online presentation platform that’s easy to use and navigate. Take some time to research different platforms and read reviews to find one that’s simple and functional.

10. Using Cloud Storage

Picking a presentation platform with cloud access means you can save and access your slides from anywhere. This makes it easier to manage your files and work on them from different devices.

11. Importing and Exporting Files

Make sure the presentation platform lets you bring in files from other places and export them when you need to. It’s also helpful if it works well with different types of video files.

21 Best Online Presentation Tools 

1. slidesai.

SlidesAI is an awe-inspiring presentation tool that leverages the power of AI to create stunning visuals. The tool boasts extensive features such as templates, themes, fonts, color schemes, images, and radials. Moreover, it offers various quick edit capabilities inside its Magic Write tab like paraphrasing sentences and searching images according to your own need.

Canva is an exceptional online design tool with a wide array of customizable presentation templates. Its straightforward drag-and-drop functionality allows users to create stunning and engaging slides in a snap. And that’s not all— Canva integrates seamlessly with popular apps like Google Drive, Instagram, and YouTube, which makes its features all the more accessible and useful.

Powtoon focuses on animation and allows users to create animated videos and presentations. It offers a unique approach to presentations by incorporating characters, props, and other animation elements. This tool helps users differentiate their presentations and dynamically engage with their audience.

4. PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a highly recognized presentation software among professionals. It offers a comprehensive range of features, such as slide layouts, animation, charts, graphs, and multimedia integration, helping users create engaging and expert presentations. Additionally, Microsoft consistently updates PowerPoint, offering new and improved features over the years.

Prezi is a presentation software that allows users to create non-linear, dynamic presentations. It uses a zooming user interface to create engaging visual journeys through the presentation content. Prezi offers a unique alternative to traditional slide-based presentations.

Nearpod is an interactive presentation tool that is helpful for different learning modes, including in-person, remote, and blended learning. Its broad range of interactive features makes it a versatile choice for educators. Specifically, it is an ideal tool for distance learning. Nearpod offers a free basic version for classes of up to 40 students, and it also has advanced plans available at different price points to meet the needs of larger classrooms.

7. AhaSlides

AhaSlides is a professional, interactive presentation platform that enables presenters to captivate their audience in real-time using live polls, quizzes, and games. With a plethora of customizable presentation templates to choose from, AhaSlides ensures an engaging and interactive experience. Plus, a free basic version and advanced plans are available with flexible pricing options for everyone.

8. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a well-designed interactive online presentation tool that provides real-time response data and analysis. It helps gather feedback-based statistics at companies, schools, and universities. Mentimeter offers a free basic version and advanced plans with different pricing options.

9. ClassFlow

ClassFlow is a presentation tool that allows you to create in-class, online, or hybrid presentations. It provides real-time statistics and can include a reward badge system. ClassFlow is suitable for schools and universities that want to enhance their classes but have a limited budget. Further pricing details are not provided in the given information. 

10. iSpring Suite

iSpring Suite is an interactive presentation software that allows you to build engaging, device-friendly web presentations. This comprehensive tool offers interactive hotspots, pop-up boxes, navigational options, and animations. This enables you to make presentations that have a significant effect and leave an impression on your audience.  It’s a straightforward solution for scaling content extensively employed by small to medium sized organizations and educational institutions.

Visme is a versatile presentation tool with various features and templates to create visually appealing slides. It provides options for collaboration, multimedia integration, animation, and extensive customization capabilities. Visme suits businesses, educators, bloggers, and social media managers.

12. Google Slides

Google Slides is a must-have cloud-based presentation tool that offers an extensive range of features, making creating and working on presentations a seamless and collaborative experience.  You’ll appreciate its diverse selection of templates, slide transitions, multimedia embedding options, and quick and easy creation of stunning presentations. And, if you value cloud-based solutions and seamless integration with other add-ons like SlidesAI, then Google Slides is the perfect ally for you.

13. Keynote

Keynote is an exclusive professional presentation software designed for Apple users. Its user-friendly interface allows you to create compelling presentations with ease and seamless integration across Apple devices. 

With a plethora of templates, animation effects, and advanced graphic capabilities, engage your audience and deliver an impressive presentation. The stunning visual effects of Keynote make it a must-have for all your presentation needs.

Ludus is a versatile web-based presentation tool that provides an extensive range of visually appealing templates, interactive elements, and advanced customization options to design captivating, interactive presentations. It’s suitable for anyone, from aspiring presenters to professionals, who needs to create engaging content. 

15. FlowVella

FlowVella is one of the leading presentation software which is available to access offline as well. Given its interactive approach to modern presentations, FlowVella is one-of-a-kind presentation-making software.  

16. DocSend

DocSend is a top-notch presentation software that allows you to create interactive slide decks on the go. It comes with a range of amazing customization tools and templates that integrate seamlessly with audience response systems and video conferencing software. 

Additionally, it monitors audience interaction and offers thorough analytics to help you understand what’s working and what isn’t.

17. Renderforest

You may make personalized slides using the free presentation tool Renderforest , which is interactive, straightforward, and user-friendly. It supports a variety of media kinds, including videos and photos, and provides a large selection of layouts and customization possibilities. 

Furthermore, Renderforest provides tools for live participation and analytics so your audience remains engaged throughout the presentation.

18. Zoho Show

Zoho Show provides a free presentation platform as part of its office suite. The free version includes useful features like collaboration tools and secure in-app chat, catering to teams of up to five individuals.

19. Speaker Deck

Speaker Deck , offered by GitHub, is a free presentation tool. While it doesn’t support slide creation within the platform, users can upload existing slides in PDF format. These PDFs are then converted into shareable slideshows, accessible via a unique URL or embeddable code for websites. Speaker Deck is handy for converting PDFs into slideshows, such as for promotional purposes on websites.

20. Genially

Genially specializes in interactive slides, allowing users to create traditional slides, infographics, and interactive projects. The platform offers options for animations and visuals, with user-friendly features complemented by online tutorials and blogs for additional guidance.

Pitch is a collaborative platform for team presentations, considered a viable alternative to your current presentation tool. It offers sleek templates and easy customization for professional presentations. What sets it apart is its focus on teamwork—you can manage projects, assign slides, and communicate with your team seamlessly. Plus, you can invite external partners to collaborate. With additional perks like shared folders and live video calls, Pitch makes teamwork a breeze. 

Choosing the Right Fit for You

Presentation tools have become a game-changer for how we share information. With easy-to-use visuals, interactive features, and collaboration options, these platforms let you create clear and engaging presentations that leave a lasting impression. Whether you need a straightforward presentation with bullet points or one with animations and data charts, there’s a tool out there that fits your needs.

And when it comes to choosing the right fit, everyone knows that there’s no better tool than  SlidesAI . With SlidesAI, you can transform your tedious design work into professional-grade masterpieces in no time! 

The AI-powered technology behind SlidesAI affords you all the tools to create an impactful presentation and captivate your audience. Our interactive presentation feature provides easy-to-use, powerful captions, impressive summaries, and professional-grade content—achievable in just a few clicks.

Moreover, our SlidesAI tool is perfect if you’re unfamiliar with advanced design skills or manual PowerPoint creation, so you can still confidently create captivating presentations.

Create captivating presentations that will keep your audience engaged throughout. Moreover, with the ability to incorporate SlidesAI into your automated presentation workflow, you can save both time and effort while significantly enhancing your presentation skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is an effective tool for presentation.

Though several options exist for choosing the best presentation tool online, SlidesAI is an absolute game changer in the industry. Packed with advanced design templates, automated tools, and much more, SlidesAI provides three free presentations for you to try before choosing a plan.

What are the tools of PowerPoint?

Some PowerPoint tools include: Theme, Slide layout, Text style and formatting, Add-ons.

Can I edit presentations without an internet connection?

It depends on the presentation tool you use. Some tools, like web-based editors, require an internet connection to function. But there are also desktop programs that allow you to work offline and save your progress for later.

How secure are my presentations in online tools?

Security is a major concern for everyone using online tools. You must always check the privacy settings and security features offered by any online presentation tool before uploading your work. Choose a reputable company with a strong track record of data protection.

Are there free online presentation tools?

Yes! Many online presentation tools offer free plans with basic features like creating and editing presentations. These plans might have limitations on storage space or collaboration features.

How much do paid plans typically cost?

Pricing varies depending on the tool and the features you need. Most online presentation tools use a subscription model, with monthly or annual fees. Some might offer per-user pricing for business accounts.

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What is Presentation Software?

Why a great presentation software is crucial to the success of organization

Any experienced salesperson knows that words can only get you so far. You can articulate the features and benefits of your product or service to perfection. But eventually, the prospect will want to see it for themselves.

This is especially true in the world of software. Where users spend hours navigating apps, sites, and programs as part of their daily responsibilities.

According to research gathered by 3M (known for their invention of the Post-It Note) visuals are processed by the human brain 60,000 times faster than text.

Presentations can truly make or break a prospect’s experience with your brand. A great presentation is engaging and conveys value through visuals. And it helps prospects visualize themselves as beneficiaries of your product or service.

What is presentation software?

A presentation software (sometimes called a presentation program) is a digital tool. It utilizes sequences of graphics, text, audio, and video to accompany a spoken presentation. These sequences, often called slides, are consolidated in virtual files called “slide decks.”

Presentation software across the web vary greatly in their capabilities, but they must offer at least three essential features:

• A text editor with custom formatting
• A means of inserting, editing, and resizing digital graphic
• A slideshow system for displaying these visuals sequentially

Some presentation programs, like Microsoft PowerPoint, must be downloaded onto a computer’s hard drive before they can be used. Others, like Google Slides and Prezi, can be accessed from an internet browser.

Why is a Good Presentation Software Important?

Oftentimes, if a prospect agrees to view a presentation, you’ve at least piqued their interest.

You’ve likely spent some time on the phone or exchanged a few emails. Perhaps the prospect has visited your website a couple times. They’re likely not sold on you and actively forming their opinion of your brand.

This is why it’s imperative that your first presentation is a slam dunk. When a prospect sees you, your brand, and your product on display, you want them to leave excited for the benefits you can offer them.

A great presentation software gives you the tools and functionality you need to create a winning presentation. And create it quickly and easily.

In addition to usability, below are more benefits a good presentation software can bring to your organization.

Consolidation of information

A great slide deck combined with quality content is often one of the best single sources of sales information in your company.

Most sales decks contain a complete pitch all the way from pain point identification to feature/benefit pairings. Testimonials, best practices, and case studies are often scattered throughout.

This means you have a single file you can hand off to new sales reps for training. Or, if you need to pull a testimonial from a happy customer, you can find it in the slide deck. This one-stop shop for valuable sales information is made possible by a good presentation software.

Mobility for reps on the go

If your sales reps are doing a lot of physical site visits, having a mobile sales presentation that they can carry around in their pockets is a whole lot easier than lugging around a laptop. Almost every modern presentation software offers robust mobile functionality.

Having the consolidated information mentioned in the last point available at all times is a powerful asset for the rep doing on-site visits or demos.

For an example of how impactful a mobile presentation can be, check The Real Problem of Humanity as it pertains to technology by Tristan Harris.

Consistency across the team

Most presentation solutions allow for the creation of custom templates. This, combined with a “master slide deck” means that you can ensure greater alignment across your sales reps. This, with a content management platform , means your content is version-controlled and up-to-date. Which is important as its being presented to prospects.

Rapid content personalization

Let’s say you’re about to hop on a presentation call with a prospect. Right before the call, you receive an email from him letting you know his boss will be on the call as well. As it turns out, she’s particularly interested in one specific feature of your product.

With a great presentation tool, you can edit slides immediately (often from your mobile device, if needed). You can also delete, append, or customize information. This allows you to quickly tailor your messaging and visuals to fit the needs of a particular prospect or market segment.

Firsthand feedback from prospects

There are a lot of advantages of making sales presentations a two-way conversation as opposed to a monologue. Even if you can’t meet in person, real-time verbal feedback from prospects is incredibly valuable information.

A good sales rep will listen closely for clues that certain slides are holding the attention of the audience. These are moments that likely deserve to be highlighted or more deeply articulated.

A great presentation software will allow you to add slides, write copy, and format visuals immediately after the prospect hangs up. All while the information is fresh in the presenter’s mind. That way you can elevate their points of interest.

Thus, an easy-to-use presentation software is key to a sales team’s ability to quickly iterate on and improve effective content.

Getting the Most Out of Your Presentation Software

Vastly more important than your tool of choice is how you use it. Modern presentation software can produce razor-sharp, engaging presentations that convert prospects to sales. But they’re also capable of producing abominations that no prospect should ever see.

Abide by the following guidelines and you’ll be on the right track. Not only to avoid common presentation pitfalls, but also to help your message stick.

Utilize your Notes section

While a more conversational tone is obviously the goal, hitting all the important beats of a sales presentation from memory can be tough. This is where presentation notes come in handy.

Whether it’s a word-for-word script or bullet points, every presentation software offers the ability to write formatted notes associated with your slide decks.

When you present, these notes will be visible to you alone. This is especially useful when delivering presentations remotely over the web. If you’re going to read a word-for-word script, be sure to add some inflection and natural pauses to avoid sounding robotic.

Utilize grids when formatting visuals

Pixelated graphics and misaligned visuals in slide decks can make you look like an amateur. Which is not the message you want to send to your audience.

It’s safe to say that most sales reps are not also trained graphic designers. It’s all the more important that we rely on grids to line up our images in an aesthetically-pleasing way.

All modern presentation tools offer some sort of grid for optimal image placement. Cross-referencing your visuals against the grid takes mere minutes. But it could potentially save you embarrassment and help build credibility with your prospect.

Tell a story

Real-life stories are what captivate and unite humans. It’s been neurologically proven that stories engage more areas of the brain than the parts that store and recall facts. In fact, science shows us that our brains don’t distinguish between hearing a story and actually experiencing it.

That means your prospect will tune out if you’re reciting a laundry list of features and benefits. They’re more likely to stay engaged if you tell a real story of how your product helped a real person.

This also means that when you describe a real-life pain point of someone in a similar position, the odds are high that your prospect will feel that pain. It follows that they’ll also feel a greater urgency for whatever you’re offering.

The Hero’s Journey is a popular storytelling framework that’s been used ever since humans could communicate with drawings on cave walls. Using this template is one of the most effective ways to integrate storytelling into your presentations. So, try making them the hero, not your product.

Keep it simple

Keep the amount of information you give the prospect down to a few important things. Don’t burry the resources they need to see with lots of little insignificant things. Don’t get bogged down in feature explanations. Keep things brief and high-level. If you have to ask yourself if you should cut a section, the answer is yes.

Avoid animations (unless they’re custom)

As a general rule, when animations in presentations are good, they’re really good. When they’re bad, though, they’re really bad. I have seen some beautiful animations done in PowerPoint for large-scale conference presentations. Important note: they were created by a trained graphic designer with weeks of prep time and years of experience.

If you don’t have time or expertise to make your animations great, keep them simple and minimal. Or avoid them altogether. The animation presets in modern presentation tools are guaranteed to make your content look cheap.

The occasional fade-in can be tasteful. But beyond that, it’s probably wise to stay away from any distracting spins, swipes, or bounces.

Rehearse on your target machine

This tip is more about technology than technique. I can’t count how many times I’ve been in the audience of a presentation where the presenter advances to a broken or unformatted slide. “Whoa,” they say. “That’s so weird. That worked on my computer.”

Perhaps you’ve experienced the same thing. It’s definitely not something you want your prospect experiencing as they’re forming their opinion of your brand.

So, if you’re building a presentation on your home PC to transfer to your work laptop, make sure you test it on your work laptop before unveiling to the world. It seems obvious, but it takes mere minutes to troubleshoot and could save you a sale and a stressful situation.

Start with a template

A great way to ensure aesthetic consistency and alignment is a custom template. One that’s designed with your organization’s branding. If you don’t have an in-house designer, there will be an initial investment. But it’s well worth it considering it may be the first impression a prospect gets of your brand. As well as, how many eyeballs will be on your slides over time.

This will help you avoid the distraction of mismatched fonts and colors. But this will also help you ensure that every prospect gets a consistent experience, regardless of the presenter. Nothing is left up to chance.

Almost every modern presentation software has a “New from Template” or equivalent option. These save time during the start of each slide deck as well. Branded templates mean you’re never left wondering if your team has the right content.

Speaking of saving time, Accent Connect keeps all of your presentation decks neatly organized and updated. Your sales reps can access them from any device, anywhere, at any time.

To learn more about how we can help you optimize your presentation workflow and sell more effectively, reach out to our team today for a live demo .

By Accent Technologies

12th june 2020.

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What is the Best Presentation Tool in 2024? Comparing 16 Tools

Head of Product at Gloww

• Published on January 2, 2024

No matter what line of business you’re in, you’re probably using presentation tools regularly. Whether it’s a pitch to clients or something designed to enrich the onboarding process, an online interactive presentation needs to inspire its audience. However, not all presentation software offers the same level of functionality as others. 

A standard slide format is only effective in small doses. If you want to keep audiences enthused as you cover large volumes of content, you’ll need a tool that allows you to create captivating interactive presentations with plenty of scope for engagement. What is the best presentation tool for your requirements? Read on for a handy guide on what to look for, as along with our pick of the best presentation tools currently on the market. 

What To Look For in a Presentation Tool

Before you sign up for a subscription plan with a new presentation tool provider , take a moment to consider what you actually need the software for. Are you searching for a tool to cover basic information in bite-sized form? A standard presentation app with minimal features should be sufficient. However, if you want to create unique presentations for different audiences, you’ll need something far more adaptable to changing requirements. 

Are you planning a virtual event ? With these kinds of events, engagement matters, so a basic slide-by-slide format isn’t going to cut it. At the very least, you’ll need a tool with access to an extensive library of audio and visual assets. Don’t have much experience assembling presentations? Choose software with ready-made themes or interactive presentation templates that can be customized. 

Accessibility is also important. A cloud-based solution offers maximum convenience for audiences and creators alike. If an entire team is going to be involved in drafting a presentation, you’ll also want something that supports collaboration .

16 Best Presentation Tools

Wondering what is the best presentation tool for creating a webinar ? Perhaps you’re planning an interactive presentation to help welcome new hires to your business. Below, you’ll find 16 of the best presentation tools currently available. 

With an exhaustive range of advanced features , Gloww has everything you need to create captivating presentations in no time at all. Whether you’re aiming to secure new customers or want to inspire your employees, Glow’s interactive elements are on hand to help You can enrich your slides with music and HD videos, or bring polls, quizzes, and live reactions into play. Putting together a presentation for your own teams? There’s no better choice than Gloww for gamification, while a vast library of ready-made templates means you don’t need to be an expert to get started. Seamless integration also comes as standard, making Gloww the perfect option if you want to utilize your favorite marketing tools. 

Canva is worth checking out if you’re looking for an interactive presentation platform with powerful editing capabilities. The free version provides all the tools everyday bloggers and smaller businesses might need. However, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium account to access the full suite of features. What’s more, with a lack of analytics, it’s not ideal for bigger businesses with an eye on lead generation. 

If you’re looking for a more creative approach to presentations, try Prezi . With this tool, you can create animated presentations, rather than stick to the usual sequential formats you’re used to. There are plenty of templates available, but there is a learning curve involved here. It’s perfect for those who want to break from convention but may prove too left-field for those looking for a more traditional approach. 

4. Genially

There’s a variety on offer with Genially , making it worth looking at if you have extensive experience with other presentation tools. If you’re prepared to pay for a premium account and have a solid understanding of how presentation software works, there’s a lot to enjoy here. However, those seeking a user-friendly presentation app that anyone can utilize will be better served by more accessible alternatives. 

Advanced users will find plenty to get excited about with Pitch . You can use generative AI to get a draft off the ground, while there are plenty of professional-looking templates to choose from. You can also collaborate in real-time, with smart workflow support making it easy for an entire team to work on a presentation. Although Pitch is reasonably priced and comes with many superior features, there has been some criticism about a lack of variety when it comes to basic elements like gallery content and the scope of its analytics. 

Designed with the beginner in mind, Visme is a complete presentation creation tool with all the standard features you’d expect. You can use templates to get started quickly, add interactive elements, or enrich your slides with quality content from an extensive asset library. However, you’ll have to shell out for a fairly pricey subscription plan if you want to access advanced features like collaboration tools and analytics. 

7. PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most familiar pieces of presentation software on the planet. It’s user-friendly and familiar, with an intuitive interface that makes creating presentations simple. Use existing themes and an extensive assets library to populate your slides or enrich your presentation by embedding third-party content. Despite its simplicity, PowerPoint does have its limitations. Analytics aren’t providers, so you won’t be able to share your presentation on your social media channels. 

8. VideoScribe

If you’re after user-friendly functionality, VideScribe is an obvious choice. This intuitive platform lets you design your own slides from scratch, while an extensive template library is on hand to inspire you. Accessible via mobile or the cloud, those with basic requirements should find everything they need here. If you want to create an interactive presentation or need access to detailed analytics, you’re best off looking elsewhere. 

9. Zoho Show

Although it’s in design to PowerPoint, Zoho Show goes beyond the basic functionality of Microsoft’s software. Here, you have a presentation tool that’s designed with a wide range of users in mind. A fairly extensive assets library, collaboration tools, and theme options make it a viable option. However, essential features like analytics are only available to premium users. 

10. PowToon

With PowToon , you can make your presentations more engaging. This software lets you create animated videos to spice up your presentation content, with a massive range of videos and image assets to choose from. Although fairly user-friendly, creating animations takes time, while basic features like voice-overs aren’t currently supported.  

11. Google Slides

If you have a Gmail account, you’re probably already aware of Google Slides . This cloud-based solution integrates with other Google products seamlessly, while a huge library of templates and add-ons broadens your horizons. However, basic features like custom fonts aren’t supported here, while integrating charts can prove tricky for inexperienced users. 

12. Beautiful.ai

This presentation creation tool uses artificial intelligence to help you create standout slides in moments. You don’t need to be an expert to get started with Beautiful.ai , with an intuitive design making it easy to get started. Sadly, customization options are fairly limited here, while hefty subscription plans make it an expensive choice. 

With Gamma , you can add all types of media to your presentations, making it ideal if you’re worried about audience engagement. There’s even the option to make your presentations interactive with immersive quizzes and other games. However, there’s a lot to learn here, making it unsuitable for the absolute beginner. 

14. FlowVella

You can use this presentation tool offline once it’s downloaded, with simple controls and an intuitive design making it suitable for the beginner. A free version of FlowVella is available, although you’ll need to upgrade to a premium account to remove watermarks and access every feature. 

15. Microsoft Sway

An alternative to PowerPoint, Microsoft Sway is a less conventional approach to presentation creation. Rather than a standard slide deck, you use a storyline editor to put together a compelling presentation. It’s free to use for Microsoft Office 365 subscribers but might prove too alternative for standard users. 

With Ludus , you can create professional-looking presentations in no time. Intuitive controls make it easy to access the full suite of features here, although you’ll find that basic asset libraries are pretty limited. Sadly, you’ll need to pay a premium to get the most from Ludus, while lead generation and analytics tools aren’t available. 

Tips On Creating Engaging Presentations

Do your presentations tend to fall flat? Keep these handy tips in mind the next time you’re editing slides and playing around with your presentation timeline. 

Start with a Compelling Hook 

Make sure your audience is captivated right from the off with a powerful statement that grabs their attention. You can refer back to this throughout your presentation to drive the point home. 

Visual Appeal Matters

If you’re introducing audiences to a lot of new information, they’re going to have trouble retaining it if you depend on large chunks of text. Break up the monotony by leaning on visuals instead. Use an image instead of words when you can, embrace infographics, and mix things up with HD video content.

Interactive Elements 

One of the best ways to keep your audience engaged is to encourage them to interact with your presentation. An interactive presentation can involve survey polls, quizzes, and even games. 

Tell a Story

Help your audience make sense of complex information by introducing a narrative to your presentation. A storytelling approach not only makes your presentation content more accessible, it will also increase the odds of your audience remembering what they’ve learned. 

Know Your Audience and Adapt 

A presentation might land well with one audience segment, but there’s no guarantee it will do the same with another group. Rather than reel out the same presentation every time, make sure you’re fine-tuning slides and interactive elements to accommodate different audience needs and interests. 

Here’s more on how to plan virtual events , but also how to spice them up . If you need help kicking things off, we also have a list of the most effective ice breakers .

Unlock the Potential of Presentations with Gloww

Tired of delivering tepid presentations to uninterested clients? Need to re-energize your team with compelling presentation content ? It’s time to ditch the presentation tools you’ve been using and introduce yourself to Gloww instead. 

This powerful platform makes it easier than ever to connect with remote teams and create powerful presentations in moments. All the features you’ll need for assembling inspiring presentations are at your fingertips. Enrich your slides with high-quality image and video assets or introduce interactive games to keep everyone on their feet. Don’t have any experience in creating presentations? A huge library of templates means you don’t have to worry about inspiration, although you’re free to create your own thanks to the intuitive user interface. Check out our wide range of templates such as ” know your team ” or Monday Morning for a fresh start to the week. For templates specific to presentations, have a look at the interactive presentation maker and product roadmap presentation .

You can start using Gloww today. Alternatively, take a look at our pricing tiers to learn about Gloww’s advanced platform features and premium perks. Don’t think we’ve covered it all? Drop us a message if you have any questions.

Ben Aflalo heads Gloww's product team with over two decades of leadership experience. Passionate about leveraging innovative technology, he is committed to building products for the greater good.

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What is presentation software.

• May 14, 2021

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Presentation software is an often overused and misinterpreted term. And in some cases, it’s become a catch-all for a variety of applications that generally help you tell your story. But there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Presentation Basics

At its simplest, presentation software is a digital application that allows you to present information in the form of slides or slide decks. In many cases, it gives you the ability to add text, graphics, and video. And since most presentation software today allows you to design your own slides or use templates, depending on your preference, you can tailor your presentations to your taste.

Ultimately, this type of app is extremely common and heavily used. But not all presentation software gives you the features you want. And that’s why it’s important to consider the best software before you sign up.

Basic Presentation Features

Presentation software comes with a host of features, but most come with the same, basic set of options. They include the ability to create slides, of course, as well as the option to add text, graphics, and video to your slides . You can also count on presentation software to add other basic features, like graphs and tables. And with plenty of formatting features, you should be able to make your presentation software look the way you want, regardless of whether you use templates or you design your own slides.

How to Use Presentation Software

Of course, presentation software is ideal for, you guessed it, presenting your ideas and concepts. But it can — and often is — used in a variety of other ways. For instance, you may use it to collect surveys , create proposals, and even build a simple photo or video gallery.

Additionally, many companies and consumers use it in a variety of use cases. You may use it in an education setting , for instance, or you may opt to use presentation software for that important business report you’re working on. Sales teams look at presentation software as an integral part of day to day work. You can also count on presentation software for investor decks, webinars, and board meetings. Need some online training? Presentation software will handle it with ease. The same is true for any number of thought leadership or employee onboarding implementations.

Popular Presentation Software

There are a variety of presentation apps available that can help you design what you want, when you want, and when it’s time to build presentations. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the most popular presentation software and add-on tools available now:

• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Google Slides
• Apple Keynote
• Beautiful.ai

How AirDeck Is Changing the Game

AirDeck’s mission is to flip the switch on presentation software. And if you ask our customers , you’ll quickly find that how we’re doing it is working — really well.

First and foremost, AirDeck is designed to help you add video and audio narration to your presentations . And since it works with PowerPoint, Keynote, and even PDF files, you can use popular presentation software and enhance them with AirDeck’s help.

But the work doesn’t stop there. AirDeck also allows you to quickly modify your slide layout and easily record video from your desk. Add that to the ability to quickly add surveys and content personalization, and AirDeck can help you take your presentation software to the next level. Schedule a DEMO today !

Get Started with AirDeck!

Similar Posts:

What’s New At AirDeck: December 2023 Updates

How to be a more impactful presenter with airdeck , what’s new at airdeck: october 2023 updates.

The Secret to Keep Your Remote Audience Engaged with Audio and Video Voiceovers

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Presentation Tools, Tips and Techniques

• Presentation Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint

Google slides, beautiful.ai, keynote for mac, which presentation software works best for....

• Screen Recording
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• Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint homepage listing downloads, general information and technical support.
• PowerPoint (Office 365) training courses, videos and tutorials From beginner to advance, watch videos to learn the basics of creating a PowerPoint presentation and also advanced applications.
• Google Slides Create and edit polished presentations in your browser—no software required. Multiple people can work at the same time so everyone always has the latest version. Google slides is one of the applications with Google Docs. Requires free Google account.
• Google Slides Help How to get started, create, edit, embed and use Google slides with Android or IOS.

David Lee EdTech. (2017, July 16).  How to: Quick tutorial for new Google Slides presentation 2018 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/kYA6GLAzz9A

• Beautiful.ai Easy to use slide presentation maker. Has templates that adjust to added content with built in design principles. Paid and Free accounts available.

• Prezi- Create Free Basic Account Prezi Next is a cloud-based presentation software and storytelling tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas.The product employs a zooming user interface, which allows users to zoom in and out of their presentation media. Prezi Classic is original platform. Free or paid accounts available.

• Keynote for Mac Keynote for Mac makes it simple to create and deliver beautiful presentations. Updated for OS X Yosemite, Keynote employs powerful tools and dazzling effects that bring your ideas to life. You can work seamlessly between Mac and iOS devices. And work effortlessly with people who use Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Keynote for IOS Keynote for iOS makes it simple to create and deliver beautiful presentations — with nothing but your fingers. Powerful tools and dazzling effects bring your ideas to life. You can work seamlessly between Mac and iOS devices. And work effortlessly with people who use Microsoft PowerPoint.

Touch Technology Review. (2014, June 2) Learn how to use Apple's Keynote for iPad in less than 3 minutes [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/7MT_GExNGos

Wilmington University Library. (2020, June). Presentation tools, tips and techniques guide.  https://libguides.wilmu.edu/presentations

[Revised by . K. Neal: March, 2024]

Canva is a online software that can be used to create presentations or other documents. It is very easy to collaborate with others on a project, or just create your own using free templates. Has free images available or upload your own and edit with Canva's photo editor tool. Free and paid accounts available.

• Canva Presentation Templates

Piktochart comes with a set of features that enable anyone to create stunning masterpieces. These features include: ready to use graphics, charts and maps, High-res downloads, functional innovation, and design flexibility. Anything you need to create impressive printable posters, reports, and slides for your presentation is provided.  In such way, Piktochart helps you create infographics that work perfectly with your social media channels and blogs. Free and Paid accounts available.

• Genially - Create Interactive Slides

This presentation software specializes in letting you create interactive content. It also features many animation effects. Not only can you use Genially to create online presentations, you can also create infographics and other interactive projects. Most people should find this software easy to learn. The website includes a frequently updated blog with some helpful tips and I was also able to find some third-party tutorials for this presentation software tool. Free or paid accounts available.

• Adobe Express

Adobe Express  enables you to quickly and easily create standout social graphics, flyers, logos, and more on mobile and web. No design skills necessary. Combine photos and video clips with music to create a captivating slideshow in minutes.

PechaKucha or Pecha Kucha (Japanese for chit-chat) is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds). The format keeps presentations concise and fast-paced.

• PechaKucha 20X20

 To create your own, use the PechaKucha template that is already formatted. 

Educational Foundations and Research, University of North Dakota. (2014, January 17). How to make a Pecha Kucha [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/32WEzM3LFhw 

• PetchaKutcha Template
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• Guide URL: https://libguides.wilmu.edu/presentations

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Microsoft Pitched OpenAI’s DALL-E as Battlefield Tool for U.S. Military

Any battlefield use of the software would be a dramatic turnaround for OpenAI, which describes its mission as developing AI that can benefit all of humanity.

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Microsoft last year proposed using OpenAI’s mega-popular image generation tool, DALL-E, to help the Department of Defense build software to execute military operations, according to internal presentation materials reviewed by The Intercept. The revelation comes just months after OpenAI silently ended its prohibition against military work.

The Microsoft presentation deck, titled “ Generative AI with DoD Data ,” provides a general breakdown of how the Pentagon can make use of OpenAI’s machine learning tools, including the immensely popular ChatGPT text generator and DALL-E image creator, for tasks ranging from document analysis to machine maintenance. (Microsoft invested $10 billion in the ascendant machine learning startup last year, and the two businesses have become tightly intertwined. In February, The Intercept and other digital news outlets  sued Microsoft and OpenAI  for using their journalism without permission or credit.)

The Microsoft document is drawn from a large cache of materials presented at an October 2023 Department of Defense “AI literacy” training seminar hosted by the U.S. Space Force in Los Angeles. The event included a variety of presentation from machine learning firms, including Microsoft and OpenAI, about what they have to offer the Pentagon.

The publicly accessible files were found on the website of Alethia Labs, a nonprofit consultancy that helps the federal government with technology acquisition, and discovered by journalist Jack Poulson . On Wednesday, Poulson published a broader investigation into the presentation materials. Alethia Labs has worked closely with the Pentagon to help it quickly integrate artificial intelligence tools into its arsenal, and since last year has contracted with the Pentagon’s main AI office. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.

One page of the Microsoft presentation highlights a variety of “common” federal uses for OpenAI, including for defense. One bullet point under “Advanced Computer Vision Training” reads: “Battle Management Systems: Using the DALL-E models to create images to train battle management systems.” Just as it sounds, a battle management system is a command-and-control software suite that provides military leaders with a situational overview of a combat scenario, allowing them to coordinate things like artillery fire, airstrike target identification, and troop movements. The reference to computer vision training suggests artificial images conjured by DALL-E could help Pentagon computers better “see” conditions on the battlefield, a particular boon for finding — and annihilating — targets.

In an emailed statement, Microsoft told The Intercept that while it had pitched the Pentagon on using DALL-E to train its battlefield software, it had not begun doing so. “This is an example of potential use cases that was informed by conversations with customers on the art of the possible with generative AI.” Microsoft, which declined to attribute the remark to anyone at the company, did not explain why a “potential” use case was labeled as a “common” use in its presentation.

OpenAI spokesperson Liz Bourgeous said OpenAI was not involved in the Microsoft pitch and that it had not sold any tools to the Department of Defense. “OpenAI’s policies prohibit the use of our tools to develop or use weapons, injure others or destroy property,” she wrote. “We were not involved in this presentation and have not had conversations with U.S. defense agencies regarding the hypothetical use cases it describes.”

Bourgeous added, “We have no evidence that OpenAI models have been used in this capacity. OpenAI has no partnerships with defense agencies to make use of our API or ChatGPT for such purposes.”

At the time of the presentation, OpenAI’s policies seemingly would have prohibited a military use of DALL-E. Microsoft told The Intercept that if the Pentagon used DALL-E or any other OpenAI tool through a contract with Microsoft, it would be subject to the usage policies of the latter company. Still, any use of OpenAI technology to help the Pentagon more effectively kill and destroy would be a dramatic turnaround for the company, which describes its mission as developing safety-focused artificial intelligence that can benefit all of humanity.

“It’s not possible to build a battle management system in a way that doesn’t, at least indirectly, contribute to civilian harm.”

“It’s not possible to build a battle management system in a way that doesn’t, at least indirectly, contribute to civilian harm,” Brianna Rosen, a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government who focuses on technology ethics.

Rosen, who worked on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, explained that OpenAI’s technologies could just as easily be used to help people as to harm them, and their use for the latter by any government is a political choice. “Unless firms such as OpenAI have written guarantees from governments they will not use the technology to harm civilians — which still probably would not be legally-binding — I fail to see any way in which companies can state with confidence that the technology will not be used (or misused) in ways that have kinetic effects.”

The presentation document provides no further detail about how exactly battlefield management systems could use DALL-E. The reference to training these systems, however, suggests that DALL-E could be to used to furnish the Pentagon with so-called synthetic training data: artificially created scenes that closely resemble germane, real-world imagery. Military software designed to detect enemy targets on the ground, for instance, could be shown a massive quantity of fake aerial images of landing strips or tank columns generated by DALL-E in order to better recognize such targets in the real world.

Even putting aside ethical objections, the efficacy of such an approach is debatable. “It’s known that a model’s accuracy and ability to process data accurately deteriorates every time it is further trained on AI-generated content,” said Heidy Khlaaf, a machine learning safety engineer who previously contracted with OpenAI. “Dall-E images are far from accurate and do not generate images reflective even close to our physical reality, even if they were to be fine-tuned on inputs of Battlefield management system. These generative image models cannot even accurately generate a correct number of limbs or fingers, how can we rely on them to be accurate with respect to a realistic field presence?”

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In an interview last month with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Capt. M. Xavier Lugo of the U.S. Navy envisioned a military application of synthetic data exactly like the kind DALL-E can crank out, suggesting that faked images could be used to train drones to better see and recognize the world beneath them.

Lugo, mission commander of the Pentagon’s generative AI task force and member of the Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, is listed as a contact at the end of the Microsoft presentation document. The presentation was made by Microsoft employee Nehemiah Kuhns, a “technology specialist” working on the Space Force and Air Force.

The Air Force is currently building the Advanced Battle Management System, its portion of a broader multibillion-dollar Pentagon project called the Joint All-Domain Command and Control, which aims to network together the entire U.S. military for expanded communication across branches, AI-powered data analysis, and, ultimately, an improved capacity to kill. Through JADC2, as the project is known, the Pentagon envisions a near-future in which Air Force drone cameras, Navy warship radar, Army tanks, and Marines on the ground all seamlessly exchange data about the enemy in order to better destroy them.

On April 3, U.S. Central Command revealed it had already begun using elements of JADC2 in the Middle East.

The Department of Defense didn’t answer specific questions about the Microsoft presentation, but spokesperson Tim Gorman told The Intercept that “the [Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office’s] mission is to accelerate the adoption of data, analytics, and AI across DoD. As part of that mission, we lead activities to educate the workforce on data and AI literacy, and how to apply existing and emerging commercial technologies to DoD mission areas.”

While Microsoft has long reaped billions from defense contracts, OpenAI only recently acknowledged it would begin working with the Department of Defense. In response to The Intercept’s January report on OpenAI’s military-industrial about face, the company’s spokesperson Niko Felix said that even under the loosened language, “Our policy does not allow our tools to be used to harm people, develop weapons, for communications surveillance, or to injure others or destroy property.”

“The point is you’re contributing to preparation for warfighting.”

Whether the Pentagon’s use of OpenAI software would entail harm or not might depend on a literal view of how these technologies work, akin to arguments that the company that helps build the gun or trains the shooter is not responsible for where it’s aimed or pulling the trigger. “They may be threading a needle between the use of [generative AI] to create synthetic training data and its use in actual warfighting,” said Lucy Suchman, professor emerita of anthropology of science and technology at Lancaster University. “But that would be a spurious distinction in my view, because the point is you’re contributing to preparation for warfighting.”

Unlike OpenAI, Microsoft has little pretense about forgoing harm in its “responsible AI” document and openly promotes the military use of its machine learning tools .

OpenAI Quietly Deletes Ban on Using ChatGPT for “Military and Warfare”

Following its policy reversal, OpenAI was also quick to emphasize to the public and business press that its collaboration with the military was of a defensive, peaceful nature. In a January interview at Davos responding to The Intercept’s reporting, OpenAI vice president of global affairs Anna Makanju assured panel attendees that the company’s military work was focused on applications like cybersecurity initiatives and veteran suicide prevention, and that the company’s groundbreaking machine learning tools were still forbidden from causing harm or destruction.

Contributing to the development of a battle management system, however, would place OpenAI’s military work far closer to warfare itself. While OpenAI’s claim of avoiding direct harm could be technically true if its software does not directly operate weapons systems, Khlaaf, the machine learning safety engineer, said, its “use in other systems, such as military operation planning or battlefield assessments” would ultimately impact “where weapons are deployed or missions are carried out.”

Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine a battle whose primary purpose isn’t causing bodily harm and property damage. An Air Force press release from March, for example, describes a recent battle management system exercise as delivering “lethality at the speed of data.”

Other materials from the AI literacy seminar series make clear that “harm” is, ultimately, the point. A slide from a welcome presentation given the day before Microsoft’s asks the question, “Why should we care?” The answer: “We have to kill bad guys.” In a nod to the “literacy” aspect of the seminar, the slide adds, “We need to know what we’re talking about… and we don’t yet.”

Update: April 11, 2024 This article was updated to clarify Microsoft’s promotion of its work with the Department of Defense.

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