8 Presentation Software & Powerpoint Alternatives for 2017
When it comes to creating digital presentations, the first name that pops up in most people’s minds is Microsoft PowerPoint. This tool was widely used in 2000s and still remains one of the most popular presentation creators for PC and Mac. However, there are many similar programs available on the market today, each with its own pros and cons.
In this article, we list the most popular software for presentations and detail their strengths and weaknesses to help you find the one that fits your needs best. We chose eight programs for our review:
- Movavi Slideshow Maker
- Prezi
- SlideDog
- ClearSlide
- Haiku Deck
- PowToon
- Slides
- Slidebean
1. Movavi Slideshow Maker
An easy-to-use app that lets you create animated presentations. Instead of making traditional slides, the program helps you transform your content into an eye-catching slideshow with smooth transitions and animated captions – with plenty of styles to choose from. On top of this, you can also overlay music, filters, and even special effects to create amazing designs for your presentations. A range of export settings let you save slideshows to your computer in any popular format (for example, MP4, AVI, MOV, and more.) as well as tweak picture quality, resolution, and other adjustments. You can learn more about Movavi Slideshow Maker by watching this video tutorial.
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Many customization features
- Flexible export settings
Price
$39.95 (lifetime license)
Cons
- No traditional slides
Platforms
Windows, macOS
2. Prezi
Prezi is a well-known app that is great for making so-called non-linear presentations. You won’t see traditional slides with this program, either. Instead, you’ll find a massive canvas that you can fill with your content and jump from place to place during the presentation. However, the templates provided don’t offer many editing options. Plus, jumping around the screen may cause motion sickness for some viewers.
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Dynamic non-linear presentations
Price
Paid plans start from $10 a month
Cons
- Lack of customization options
- No traditional slides
- Animation effects that can cause motion sickness
Platforms
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web.
3. SlideDog
This program is great for anyone using multiple media formats in their presentations (i. e., PowerPoint slides, movie clips, photos, websites, PDF files, etc.). With SlideDog, you can combine all the materials you need into a single presentation playlist and display them in any order. The main disadvantage of this program is that you can’t create actual presentations in it - it’s more of a launch pad than a presentation maker.
Pros
- Handy tools for making multimedia presentations
- Ease of use
Price
Has a free version. Paid plans start from $14.99 a month
Cons
- Inability to create slides from scratch
- No support for macOS
Platforms
Windows, Android
4. ClearSlide
ClearSlide is an advanced tool designed for making sales and analytics reports as well as other types of professional business presentation. The program focuses on numbers and statistics rather than creative slides. If you often work with marketing reports, then ClearSlide is a great choice for you. However, you'll need time to get the hang of the program – the interface may be too complex for some users.
Pros
- Support for PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF and other file formats
- Lots of options for presenting statistics
Price
Paid plans start from $35 a month
Cons
- Poor slide design features
- Complex interface
Platforms
Web
5. Haiku Deck
Haiku Deck is a good PowerPoint alternative that has become popular because of its easy-to-grasp interface and large number of built-in templates and images. The software is fully web-based and stores all files in the cloud, making it possible to view and edit your presentations on multiple devices. One of the main drawbacks of this program, however, is that the templates provided are not very customizable.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Many templates and images
Price
Paid plans start from $19.99 a month
Cons
- Limited customization features
Platforms
Web
6. PowToon
If you are into animated presentations, PowToon may be a good option for you. This tool offers many cool templates and visuals that let you create interactive presentations. However, some users claim that the program is difficult to work with because of its complex interface. Another downside may be its unsuitability for business presentations because of the program’s cartoon style.
Pros
- Great-looking visuals
Price
Has a free version. Paid plans start from $89 a month
Cons
- Complex interface
- Cartoon style may be unsuitable for business presentations
Platforms
Web
7. Slides
If you have little or no experience and need to learn how to do a presentation, Slides is a good starter tool. It’s a simple program that you can use to quickly create PowerPoint-like slides that’s easy to use and includes all the tools you might need. The main disadvantage is that the program may be too basic for some users.
Pros
- Ease of use
- Basic set of tools
Price
Has a free version. Paid plans start from $7 a month
Cons
- Lack of advanced options
Platforms
Web
8. Slidebean
Slidebean is another online presentation tool. This is a good option for those who don’t have the time or inclination to design their own slides. With Slidebean, all you need to create a presentation is to add content, and the slides will be generated automatically. However, the result may be not as good as you expect, so you will need to manually edit the slides, using the limited customization options.
Pros
- Ease of use
- Automatic generation of slides
Price
Paid plans start from $49 a month
Cons
- Lack of customization features
Platforms
Web
Movavi Slideshow Maker
As you can see from the information above, there is no truly ideal all-purpose presentation software – so choose the option that suits your needs best. But if you want to create engaging slideshows without putting much effort into it, we recommend Movavi Slideshow Maker. Try it out for free or visit the product page to learn more about the software.
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