For years, Microsoft PowerPoint has led the presentation apps market. But this practice has grown in ways nobody would have expected. A presentation's room for creativity and engagement is endless, and many other apps know this. Regarding creativity, the more tools and services you have, the better, especially when the alternatives offer variety and suit your needs. Here are five Microsoft PowerPoint alternatives, along with their pros and cons.
Mentimeter is a presentation tool whose emblem is interactivity and engaging presentations, allowing users to get closer to their audience by making them part of it. In just a couple of clicks, you have a presentation ready to make everyone feel involved.
Interactivity and Audience Engagement: Mentimeter provides polls, quizzes, and word clouds to interact and engage with the audience through real-time participation and feedback from an unlimited number of users.
Become a better presenter: Mentimeter offers the tools to help you with your presentations and creates spaces for its users to form better presenters with webinars and free short courses you can find on their webpage.
Integration with PowerPoint: Mentimeter offers a PowerPoint integration, allowing users to enhance their existing PowerPoint presentations with interactive elements, providing the best of both worlds. You can use the Mentimeter Plug-in in PowerPoint or upload your .pptx to the Mentimeter platform to make it interactive.
Limited Design Options: Some have manifested that the quizzes, polls, and other features could have more designs, especially in the free version.
Dependency on Internet Connection: As a web-based platform, Mentimeter could get slow or laggy in places with poor connectivity.
Limited Offline Access: Some users have stated that Mentimeter may present limitations in offline scenarios or organizations with strict data security policies.
If your priority is to engage your audience by actively interacting with them throughout your presentation, then Mentimeter could be your way to go. Just make sure to have a good internet connection.
Google Slides the Google response to Microsoft PowerPoint. It is a versatile online presentation tool that allows users to create, edit, and format presentations and collaborate with others in its creation and edition. It is part of the Google Workspace suite of professional office tools and is a cloud-based application.
Free to use: Its free version still has more than enough features to make attention-catching and accessible presentations. It is known for being both versatile and user-friendly.
Collaboration: When thinking of creating a presentation online and collaboratively, the first option that comes to mind is Google Slides. It allows multiple people to work on a presentation simultaneously and seamlessly.
Interactivity: Google Slides also has features to make interactive presentations by integrating Google Forms with Google Slides. This allows the presenter to add quizzes, polls, or surveys in their presentation and have the answers collected in real time during the presentation.
Limited offline access: Being a web-based app also comes with some disadvantages, the biggest being not being accessible for creation or editing while offline. Which can be a problem in places with limited or null internet connections.
Advanced features and aesthetics: Google Slides may have fewer advanced features than PowerPoint, but with the new competitors arriving, there have been new aesthetic proposals that can be more attractive to some users.
Compatibility issues with PowerPoint: Some formats may translate poorly when importing or exporting presentations between Google Slides and PowerPoint, which can lead to compatibility issues and the need for manual adjustments.
Overall, Google Slides is an excellent option for those whose priority is the collaboration feature, who can do just fine without super advanced features, and who are looking for a widely known, versatile, and intuitive app that mixes perfectly with the Google productivity suite.
Throughout the years, Prezi has managed to become one of the most known alternatives for presentations. Its templates and distinctive dynamic have helped Prezi make a strong entrance into this scene.
Unique presentation dynamic: Prezi’s presentations are characterized by seamless zoom-in and out features. Plus, it allows your presentation to be non-linear, giving you more storytelling options.
Web-based: By being online-based, you can access your presentation from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You can also edit it collaboratively in real-time.
Dynamic and diverse: Prezi is a great app for storytelling and narrative presentations. Its up-to-date features and templates give its users a plethora of possibilities when creating presentations.
Motion Sickness Risk: Being so dynamic has its risks, too. Prezi's zooming and panning effects can cause discomfort for some viewers, potentially leading to motion sickness. You must be careful with how many zooms you add to your presentation to avoid overwhelming your audience.
Learning Curve: People are usually more familiar with interfaces similar to PowerPoint. Therefore, it makes Prezi have a steeper learning curve in comparison.
Limited Access and Compatibility: While there is a desktop app for Prezi, offline access is limited, especially with the free or lower-tier versions. Plus, it has presented some issues when integrating with other software or platforms.
If you’re looking for an app that will help you create more narrative-oriented and dynamic presentations, Prezi might fit you. As long as the content you add to your presentation comes from a platform that doesn’t present problems with the app.
Canva is a powerful presentation app that allows users to create beautiful slides easily. Whether you're looking to create a professional or fun and engaging presentation, Canva has got you covered.
Easy-to-use interface: Despite not being so similar to PowerPoint, its interface has been designed to make it intuitive, speeding up the learning curve and making it easy to use.
Wide range of design elements: Canva has a vast library of templates, graphics, and stock photos that users can choose from and quickly adapt to your needs so you can create visually appealing presentations.
More than just presentations: Canva is not limited to presentations and can be used to create a wide range of designs, such as posters, flyers, social media graphics, and even video editing.
Limited customization options: Some users have manifested that Canva needs more advanced features like 3D graphics, complex animations, and customizable chart types. Design-wise, there is also some room for improvement. This can be seen in the amount of fonts available, for example.
Risk of being generic: Since Canva is a widely known tool, its tools and resources can easily fall into feeling generic. This means you must be aware of it and try to customize the templates and designs to avoid projecting a lack of originality.
Limited Help Center: The lack of live chat or phone assistance can be concerning for many users. Regarding the other contact options, most paid plans' estimated time response is around 24 hours. But for free users, the waiting time can be up to a week.
If you need a tool to create beautiful presentations and graphic pieces fast and efficiently, then Canva could be a great alternative, allowing you to access and edit them from anywhere in the world with a good internet connection.
LibreOffice Impress is a presentation program included in the LibreOffice suite. Its most remarkable features are its wide range of advanced features, versatility, and accessibility.
Cross-Platform Support: LibreOffice Impress is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This makes it a versatile tool for users on different platforms, offering flexibility and accessibility.
Open-source: By being an open-source app, LibreOffice Impress enjoys many benefits, such as high customization, transparency, community support, and compatibility with other office suites.
Feature Parity: It offers compelling features comparable to Microsoft PowerPoint. You can create slides with text, lists, tables, bulleted and numbered lists, tables, and charts for organizing your information. It also offers graphic objects such as clipart, drawings, and photographs. For many users, it provides a robust alternative without compromising essential functionalities.
Limited Templates: The designs and aesthetics LibreOffice Impress offers are not necessarily people’s favorites. Its interface may feel outdated, with fewer templates than Microsoft PowerPoint, and the available templates are relatively simple and visually unappealing.
Less Comprehensive Features: While LibreOffice Impress offers compelling features when creating presentations by yourself, it may not be as comprehensive as Microsoft PowerPoint. For example, Impress cannot collaborate on presentations as a group and does not have animated diagrams.
Less User-Friendly: Some users may need time to get used to LibreOffice Impress' interface and dynamics, especially if they are very used to PowerPoint. This can disadvantage users who need to create presentations quickly and efficiently.
LibreOffice Impress is a great option for those who value robust features over how pretty they look as long as it's organized and easy to understand, with diverse ways of showing data and sources to make an impeccable presentation while giving format alternatives and a community to work with.
These alternatives were created because some people value some aspects of presentation creation more than others. Whether you're looking for advanced design capabilities, seamless collaboration, or a free and open-source solution, there are plenty of options to explore. You’ll probably find your perfect match if you have your priorities straight and take the time to explore the vast ocean of possibilities that the internet is.
