trial presentation software 2022

May 24, 2022 Litigation Management

Exhibit a: top trial presentation tools, by nicole black.

There are many tools now available to facilitate the in-person trial presentation of exhibits.

Stock photo.

I’ve watched clips of Johnny Depp's defamation trial with interest. The proceeding offers a fascinating view into the lives of the rich and famous and also is a prime example of how court will likely be conducted post-pandemic. This trial is notable not only because it is televised, but also because it includes testimony from many in-person witnesses and several others via videoconference. Of those participating remotely, some testified live and the testimony of others was pre-recorded.

As the Depp trial exemplifies, in-person court proceedings aren’t going away. Trials will occur in brick-and-mortar courtrooms moving forward, and technology will facilitate in-person proceedings just as it does virtual ones.

This “hybrid” trial is likely a sign of things to come as we head into the next phase of the pandemic, one where COVID-19 surges come and go. This continued unpredictability means that courts will need to embrace flexibility to remain operable no matter the circumstances. That’s why in my last two columns, I focused on deposition and court reporting software that enables the remote recording of testimony; these tools will be essential to the ability to administer justice in the weeks and months ahead.

After my most recent column covering court reporting tools was published, an email arrived from a reader of this column who wondered if I had any recommendations about tools to facilitate the in-person trial presentation of exhibits.

While this isn’t a topic I’ve yet covered in this column, there are many tools now available in this category of software. Most of the tools discussed below are cloud-based, although I’ll also briefly cover the tried-and-true—and often clunky-and-complex—premises-based trial presentation platforms as well.

But before I dive into the offerings, it’s important to note, as I always do, that the majority of software programs discussed below are cloud-based, which means data will be housed on servers owned by a third party. Because you’ll be entrusting your law firm’s data to a third party, you have an ethical duty to vet the technology provider hosting and storing your data thoroughly. This includes ensuring you understand how that company will handle the data; where the servers that will store the data are located; who will have access to the data; and how and when it will be backed up, among other things.

Make your case

Now I’ll review some of the options available, with a focus on the more modern, cloud-based tools discussed first.

Let’s start with four companion products from Lit Software that facilitate trial preparation and presentation: TrialPad, TranscriptPad, DocReviewPad and ExhibitsPad. These tools are designed for use on iPads only. Each app has its own trial function and offers unique ways to present your case to the finder of fact. A 7-day free trial is available for each app, and the pricing for the suite of all four apps is $399 per year. The apps cannot be purchased separately.

With DocReviewPad, you can annotate, review and produce documents. The companion app, ExhibitsPad, enables sharing trial exhibits with the fact finder so long as you provide jurors and/or the judge with an iPad for viewing and interacting with the exhibits.

TranscriptPad allows you to import deposition transcripts from a number of different sources, including many typical cloud providers and AirDrop. Once imported, you can read, annotate and search transcripts.

TrialPad is designed for trial presentation. You can organize, annotate and present trial evidence via an intuitive and easy-to-use interface using this app. Once files are imported from major cloud providers, AirDrop and more can be displayed using VGA or HDMI-compatible projectors. As is the case with most trial presentation software programs, you can call out certain sections of documents, zoom in and out and much more.

Next is ExhibitView Solutions. This company offers a number of trial preparation tools as well as both premises-based and cloud options. ExhibitView Trial Presenter is a premises-based trial presentation software tool that is compatible with PCs only. There is a 14-day trial available for ExhibitView, and the cost is $549 for two installations.

For lawyers seeking the ease and intuitiveness of an iPad interface, the company also offers a trial presentation iPad app, iTrial, which costs $99.99 and can be used as a standalone trial presentation tool. It also integrates with ExhibitView via Dropbox, which means you can prepare for trial using ExhibitView and then present at trial using iTrial.

TranscriptPro is another PC-compatible software tool that supports video deposition editing and facilitates digital transcript review. A 14-day trial is offered, and the cost is $249 for two installations.

Exhibit Presenter is another PC-based trial presentation tool. With this software, you can share and manipulate PDF exhibits in court as you present your case. This tool is an affordable one and costs $99 to download. There is a free demo version available as well.

Once it’s released, another option to consider for trial presentation is iLitigate, an iPad app. Right now, this software is available only to beta testers and pricing is not available. This software will provide tools to facilitate a legal team’s pre-trial case preparation and collaboration and includes document review functionality and trial presentation capabilities.

Finally, because I include premises-based software in this article, I would be remiss if I failed to mention TrialDirector and OnCue, two of the most well-known and robust trial presentation software suites. Both have been around for years and are popular choices, especially among larger law firm users, in part because those firms have the staff and resources needed for the implementation and training required to use these tools. The cost for TrialDirector is not available on the company’s website, and pricing for OnCue ranges from $80 per month to $780 per year for two activations per license.

The bottom line: If you’re in the market for trial presentation software, there is likely a tool that fits your needs. Your task will be to choose a program compatible with your firm’s operating systems and budget. Narrow your options accordingly, and take advantage of any free trials offered. Give the software a test run and determine if the interface is intuitive and robust enough for your needs. From there, you should be well on your way to effectively presenting your client’s case with ease.

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based attorney, author and journalist, and she is the legal technology evangelist at MyCase, a company that offers legal practice management software for small firms. She is the nationally recognized author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers and is co-author of Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier , both published by the American Bar Association. She also is co-author of Criminal Law in New York , a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Law; has authored hundreds of articles for other publications; and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. Follow her on Twitter @nikiblack , or she can be reached at [email protected] .

This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Association.

8 Best Trial Presentation Softwares for Lawyers

• by Community Connect November 16, 2023

Digital tools play a crucial role in enhancing courtroom presentations and maximising the impact of legal arguments. From veteran solutions like TrialDirector to innovative options like TrialPad, we’ll explore eight standout software choices, highlighting their unique features and pros and cons. Whether you’re a seasoned litigator or a newcomer to the courtroom, this guide aims to equip you with the knowledge to choose the right trial presentation software for your needs.

Let’s dive in and discover how these tools can elevate your advocacy and ensure your clients’ voices are heard loud and clear.

Top Trial Presentation Software for Lawyers:

1. trialdirector.

TrialDirector is software that gives lawyers a way to clearly and concisely display their proof so the jury can understand. It makes a difference and sorts out documentary and tribute proof for easy presentation and gives advanced functionality and workflows that best assist lawyers in preparing for trial or elective dispute resolution. In other words, framed within the reality of the courtroom, TrialDirector is the workhorse that will offer assistance you win.

What makes it standout?

– Comprehensive Evidence Management: TrialDirector offers robust tools for managing, organising, and presenting evidence in the courtroom. Users can import a wide range of multimedia formats, including documents, images, videos, and audio recordings, and easily organise them into case folders for quick retrieval during trial.

– Intuitive Interface: With its user-friendly interface, TrialDirector is designed to be easy to learn and use, with a short learning curve. Users can quickly become proficient in navigating the software, annotating exhibits, and presenting evidence to judges and juries.

– Powerful Presentation Tools: TrialDirector provides a variety of presentation tools, including annotation features, exhibit highlighting, and exhibit callouts, allowing users to emphasize key points and enhance the clarity of their presentations.

Pros & Cons:

– Robust Feature Set: TrialDirector offers a comprehensive suite of features tailored specifically for legal professionals, providing all the tools necessary to organise, annotate, and present evidence effectively in the courtroom.

– Seamless Integration: TrialDirector seamlessly integrates with other legal software solutions, such as case management systems and document review platforms, allowing for the seamless import and synchronisation of case-related information and exhibits.

– Cost : While TrialDirector offers robust functionality, it may come with a higher price tag compared to some other trial presentation software options, making it less accessible for solo practitioners or small law firms on a tight budget.

– Learning Curve: Despite its user-friendly interface, TrialDirector may still have a learning curve for users new to the software, requiring some time and effort to become proficient in navigating its features and functionalities.

2. Sanction by Lexisnexis

The software is a part of the Lexisnexis Business Suite which is one of the leading legal software. Sanction can be used to enhance your case presentation with audio and video testimony, animations, and other vivid demonstrations. It also has handy organisation and layout tools that make it easy to do all this quickly. You can also save money by creating your own presentations without hiring a graphic designer.

You can quickly assemble all documents, exhibits transcripts, visuals, and videos in one place. No matter what time it arrives, seamlessly incorporate new evidence into your project. Clear, polished, and compelling presentation materials can be used in mediations, arbitrations or trials, settlement conferences, Markman hearings or summary judgment hearings, and even client meetings. You can simultaneously play audio and video, as well as images, timelines, animations, and documents.

Standout Features:

– Versatile Multimedia Support: Sanction supports a wide range of multimedia formats, including documents, images, videos, and audio recordings, allowing users to import and present evidence in a visually compelling manner.

– Synchronised Deposition Clips: One of Sanction’s standout features is its support for synchronised deposition clips, which allows users to play back deposition testimony alongside corresponding exhibits during trial, enhancing the clarity and impact of their presentations.

– Timeline Creation: Sanction offers tools for creating timelines and exhibit lists, enabling users to organise case materials chronologically and present evidence in a clear and logical sequence.

– Collaboration and Sharing: Sanction facilitates collaboration among team members, allowing multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously and share case materials with each other securely

– User-Friendly Interface: Sanction boasts a user-friendly interface with customisable layouts, making it easy for legal professionals to organise and present evidence effectively during trial. Smooth Integration with

– Veritext Services: Sanction offers seamless integration with Veritext deposition services, allowing users to import synchronized deposition clips directly into their presentations, enhancing the clarity and impact of their arguments.

– Excellent Customer Support: Sanction provides excellent customer support and training resources, ensuring that users have access to the assistance they need to maximise the software’s functionality

– Limited File Compatibility: Sanction may have limited compatibility with certain file formats, potentially requiring users to convert or reformat exhibits before importing them into the software.

– Higher Pricing for Smaller Firms: While Sanction offers robust functionality, its pricing structure may be higher for smaller firms or individual users, making it less accessible for those on a tighter budget

3. ExhibitView

This software provides all necessary tools readily accessible, eliminating the need for bulky exhibit boards and last-minute exhibit adjustments. ExhibitView facilitated the playback of an expert video during the case presentation and allowed for the use of bookmarked excerpts during closing arguments.

Despite previous apprehensions about cost and ease of use, ExhibitView proved affordable and easy to master, with proficiency achieved within a week of trial preparation. It is the most intuitive trial presentation software on the market. Organise and display every type of demonstrative evidence. ZOOM easy with ExhibitView for depositions or other virtual proceedings. Get a free trial today. NOBODY has better customer support/Coaching than we do! “ExhibitView was key to our trial presentation & victory” – Terry Wood, Esq. Wilson, Hinton & Woo

Some Special Ingredients:

– Wide Format Support: ExhibitView supports a wide range of file formats, including documents, images, videos, and audio recordings, making it easy for users to import and present evidence in various forms.

– Annotation Tools: ExhibitView offers intuitive annotation tools, such as highlighting, underlining, and text markup, allowing users to annotate exhibits and emphasise key points during presentations.

– Demonstrative Exhibits: Users can create demonstrative exhibits and timelines to help clarify complex concepts and present evidence in a visually compelling manner.

– Ease of Collaboration: ExhibitView facilitates collaboration among team members, allowing multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously and share case materials with each other securely.

– Affordable Pricing: ExhibitView offers affordable pricing compared to some other trial presentation software options, making it accessible for solo practitioners or small law firms on a tight budget.

– Intuitive Interface: With its intuitive interface and easy-to-use annotation tools, ExhibitView is designed to be user-friendly, allowing legal professionals to create and present compelling trial presentations with minimal effort.

– Excellent Customer Support: ExhibitView provides excellent customer support and training resources, ensuring that users have access to the assistance they need to maximise the software’s functionality

– Limited Advanced Features: While ExhibitView offers robust functionality, it may lack some advanced features found in more expensive trial presentation software options, potentially limiting its suitability for complex or high-stakes cases.

– Limited Integration: ExhibitView may have limited integration with other legal software solutions, potentially requiring users to manually input or duplicate case-related information across multiple platforms.

4. TrialPad

Organise and clarify all your proof, and make capable and successful proof introductions at hearings, mediations, assertions, or trials with the top-rated trial introduction app on the App Store: TrialPad ! It is a full-featured court introduction device. Callout and highlight segments of archives, compare records side by side, alter and appear video clips, include display stickers in archives, look at report content, and much more.

TrialPad can be coordinated with any stage or workflow, is just as powerful, far simpler to utilize, and could be a division of the toll of Windows or cloud-based programs, all while being portable and efficient. TrialPad has been granted various grants, such as “The Finest Trial Introduction App” with an A+ TechnoScore by LitigationWorld.

What makes it different?

– Mobile Presentation: TrialPad is designed as a mobile solution, allowing users to create, organise, and present evidence directly from their iPad devices, making it ideal for use in the courtroom.

– Easy Import : TrialPad offers easy import of exhibits from various sources, including cloud storage services, email attachments, and file sharing platforms, enabling users to quickly access and present evidence during trial.

– Annotation and Highlighting: The software also provides robust annotation and highlighting tools, allowing users to annotate exhibits, add callouts, and highlight key points to emphasise during presentations.

– Flexible Presentation Options: It offers flexible presentation options, including wireless mirroring to external displays, allowing users to present evidence in a visually compelling manner to judges  and juries. 

– Portability : TrialPad is a mobile solution designed for use on iPad devices, making it ideal for legal professionals  who need to present evidence in the courtroom while on the go.

– Intuitive Interface: TrialPad offers an intuitive interface optimized for touch-screen devices, allowing users to create and present compelling trial presentations with ease.

– Offline Access: TrialPad offers offline access to case materials, ensuring that users can access and present evidence even in environments with limited or no internet connectivity

– Limited Compatibility: TrialPad may have limited compatibility with non iPad devices, potentially limiting its accessibility for users who prefer to work on other platforms.

– Limited Feature Set: While TrialPad offers robust functionality, it may not offer as extensive a feature set as some desktop-based trial presentation software options, potentially limiting its suitability for complex or high stakes cases. 

CaseMap, developed by LexisNexis, is case analysis software that helps with case organization and investigation. It provides tools to assist you in tracking and constructing a case strategy. In CaseMap, you can organize basic data about facts, reports, and issues.

As you sort out what you know about each case, you gain a thorough understanding of the arguments and approaches for supporting case contentions. CaseMap also helps you quickly create case reports for case staff, your client, and the court.

CaseMap cases can be accessed by multiple case staff simultaneously. The case created should be stored in a shared location on your network to ensure that all users can access it. This way, all case users can collaborate to organize critical information about the facts, the cast of characters, records, and the issues regarding the case.

Highlighting Features:

– Case Analysis and Organization: CaseMap is a case analysis software that assists legal professionals in organizing and managing case-related information, including facts, documents, and evidence, within a centralized database.

– Timeline Creation: CaseMap provides tools for creating timelines and chronologies, enabling users to visualize case events and sequence evidence in a clear and logical manner.

– Customizable Databases: CaseMap allows users to customize case databases to meet their specific case requirements and personal preferences, offering flexibility in organizing and accessing case materials.

– Integration with Other Legal Software: CaseMap seamlessly integrates with other LexisNexis legal software solutions, such as Lexis Advance and Lexis for Microsoft Office, enabling users to import case-related information and exhibits directly into their case databases.

– Seamless Integration with LexisNexis Solutions: CaseMap integrates smoothly with other LexisNexis legal software solutions, enabling users to import case-related information and exhibits directly into their case databases. This streamlines the trial preparation process.

– Flexible Customization Options: CaseMap offers flexible customization options, allowing users to tailor their case databases to meet their specific requirements and personal preferences. This provides a high level of flexibility and adaptability.

– Excellent Customer Support: CaseMap provides excellent customer support and training resources, ensuring that users have access to the assistance they need to maximize the software’s functionality

– Learning Curve: Despite its user-friendly interface, CaseMap may have a learning curve for users who are new to the software. It may require some time and effort to become proficient in navigating its features and functionalities.

– Not Specifically Designed for Trial Presentation: While CaseMap offers robust case analysis and organization features, it may not be specifically designed for trial presentation. This could mean it lacks some of the advanced presentation tools found in dedicated trial presentation software options.

6. Propresenter

ProPresenter is a multimedia presentation software often used in churches and events, but it can also be adapted for trial presentations, particularly in smaller cases or non-legal settings. ProPresenter is a versatile multimedia presentation software initially designed for use in churches and events but has found applications beyond these settings, including in the legal field for trial presentations. With its intuitive interface and robust feature set, ProPresenter offers legal professionals a powerful tool for organizing, annotating, and presenting evidence in the courtroom.

– Multimedia Support: ProPresenter supports a wide range of multimedia formats, including images, videos, and slideshows, enabling users to create dynamic and engaging presentations that capture the attention of judges and juries.

– Customizable Presentation: ProPresenter offers customizable slide layouts, transitions, and themes, allowing users to create visually appealing presentations tailored to their specific case requirements and personal preferences.

– Live Video Integration: ProPresenter seamlessly integrates with live video feeds, enabling users to capture and display courtroom proceedings in real-time. This enhances the presentation’s interactivity and provides a dynamic viewing experience for participants.

– Portability : ProPresenter can be adapted for use on portable devices, such as laptops or tablets, making it a convenient solution for legal professionals who need to present evidence on the go.

– Flexible and Easy-to-Use Interface: ProPresenter provides a flexible and user-friendly interface suitable for users with varying levels of technical expertise. This enables the creation of professional-looking presentations with minimal effort.

– Affordable Pricing: ProPresenter offers competitive pricing compared to other trial presentation software options, making it accessible for solo practitioners or small law firms with limited budgets.

– Cross-Platform Compatibility: ProPresenter is compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, allowing users to seamlessly work across different platforms. This provides flexibility and convenience for users who use multiple operating systems.

– Limited Legal-Specific Features: While ProPresenter offers robust functionality, it may lack some specialized features tailored specifically for legal presentations. This could potentially limit its suitability for complex or high-stakes cases.

– Limited Support Resources: ProPresenter may have limited support and resources available for legal professionals compared to dedicated legal software solutions. This might require users to rely on third-party resources for assistance and training.

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that offers a unique zooming interface for creating dynamic and engaging presentations. While not specifically designed for trial presentations, it can be adapted for use in legal settings.

Prezi provides legal professionals with a powerful and visually compelling tool for creating trial presentations that effectively convey their arguments and evidence to judges and juries. With its engaging presentation style, intuitive interface, and collaborative features, Prezi is a valuable asset for enhancing courtroom advocacy and making a lasting impression on participants.

Top Features:

– Zooming Interface: Prezi’s zooming interface allows presenters to navigate through presentation content in a nonlinear fashion, providing a more interactive and engaging viewing experience for judges and juries.

– Visual Storytelling : Prezi enables users to create dynamic presentations that combine text, images, videos, and animations to convey their message effectively. This enhances the clarity and impact of their presentations.

– Cloud-Based Platform: It is a cloud-based platform, enabling users to access and edit their presentations from anywhere with an internet connection. This facilitates collaboration and enables seamless sharing of presentations with colleagues and clients.

– Customizable Templates: The software offers customizable templates and themes, allowing users to create professional-looking presentations with minimal effort. These templates provide a starting point for users to customize their presentations to suit their specific case requirements and personal preferences.

– Unique and Visually Engaging Presentation Style: Prezi offers a unique and visually engaging presentation style that can capture the attention of judges and juries. This allows for the creation of dynamic and memorable presentations.

– Easy-to-Use Interface : Prezi boasts an easy-to-use interface with intuitive design tools for creating professional-looking presentations. This allows users to create visually compelling presentations with minimal effort.

– Limited Offline Functionality: While Prezi offers cloud-based access to presentations, it may have limited offline functionality compared to desktop-based trial presentation software options. This limitation could potentially restrict its accessibility in environments with limited or no internet connectivity.

– May Lack Legal-Specific Features : While Prezi offers robust functionality for creating presentations, it may lack some features specific to trial presentations found in dedicated legal software solutions. This could potentially limit its suitability for complex or high-stakes cases.

8. PowerPresentor

PowerPresenter is a trial presentation software designed for legal professionals, offering features for organizing, annotating, and presenting evidence in the courtroom. With its robust feature set and user-friendly interface, PowerPresenter provides legal professionals with a powerful tool to enhance their courtroom presentations and streamline their trial preparation process. While PowerPresenter offers competitive pricing compared to some other trial presentation software options, it may still represent a significant investment for solo practitioners or small law firms on a tight budget.

Special Ingredients:

– Comprehensive Evidence Management: PowerPresenter offers robust tools for managing, organizing, and presenting evidence in the courtroom. Users can import a wide range of multimedia formats and easily organize them into case folders for quick retrieval during trial.

– Intuitive Interface: With its user-friendly interface, PowerPresenter is designed to be easy to learn and use, with a short learning curve. This allows users to quickly become proficient in navigating the software, annotating exhibits, and presenting evidence to judges and juries.

– Powerful Presentation Tools: PowerPresenter provides a variety of presentation tools, including annotation features, exhibit highlighting, and exhibit callouts. These tools allow users to emphasize key points and enhance the clarity of their presentations.

– Seamless Integration: PowerPresenter seamlessly integrates with other legal software solutions, such as case management systems and document review platforms. This integration allows users to import case-related information and exhibits directly into their presentations, streamlining the trial preparation process and ensuring that all relevant evidence is readily accessible during presentations.

– User-Friendly Interface with Easy-to-Use Annotation Tools: PowerPresenter features a user-friendly interface that allows for intuitive navigation and easy access to its annotation tools. These tools enable legal professionals to annotate exhibits, highlight key points, and emphasize critical evidence effectively during presentations.

– Flexible Licensing Options for Firms of All Sizes: PowerPresenter offers flexible licensing options, making it suitable for law firms of all sizes. Whether a solo practitioner or a large firm, users can choose a licensing plan that aligns with their needs and budget.

– Seamless Integration with Other Legal Software Solutions: PowerPresenter seamlessly integrates with other legal software solutions, streamlining the trial preparation process. This integration allows users to import case-related information and exhibits directly into their presentations, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

– Limited Integration with Other Legal Software Solutions: While PowerPresenter offers seamless integration with some legal software solutions, it may not offer as extensive integration with other platforms compared to some competitors. This limited integration could require users to manually input or duplicate case-related information across multiple platforms, potentially increasing the risk of errors and inefficiencies.

– Availability of Support Resources May Vary: The availability of customer support and training resources for PowerPresenter may vary depending on the vendor. Some users may find that they have limited access to support and training materials, potentially hindering their ability to maximize the software’s functionality and effectiveness in the courtroom.

Wrapping Up

These are just a few examples of trial presentation software options available to legal professionals, each with its own unique features, strengths, and weaknesses. When choosing trial presentation software, it’s essential to consider factors such as the specific needs of the case, budget constraints, and the technical expertise of the legal team. Additionally, many vendors offer free trials or demonstrations, allowing you to evaluate the software and determine if it meets your requirements before making a purchase decision.

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Exhibit A: Top trial presentation tools

By Nicole Black

May 24, 2022, 11:30 am CDT

Nicole Black.

I’ve watched clips of Johnny Depp's defamation trial with interest. The proceeding offers a fascinating view into the lives of the rich and famous and also is a prime example of how court will likely be conducted post-pandemic. This trial is notable not only because it is televised, but also because it includes testimony from many in-person witnesses and several others via videoconference. Of those participating remotely, some testified live and the testimony of others was pre-recorded.

As the Depp trial exemplifies, in-person court proceedings aren’t going away. Trials will occur in brick-and-mortar courtrooms moving forward, and technology will facilitate in-person proceedings just as it does virtual ones.

This “hybrid” trial is likely a sign of things to come as we head into the next phase of the pandemic, one where COVID-19 surges come and go. This continued unpredictability means that courts will need to embrace flexibility to remain operable no matter the circumstances. That’s why in my last two columns, I focused on deposition and court reporting software that enables the remote recording of testimony; these tools will be essential to the ability to administer justice in the weeks and months ahead.

After my most recent column covering court reporting tools was published, an email arrived from a reader of this column who wondered if I had any recommendations about tools to facilitate the in-person trial presentation of exhibits.

While this isn’t a topic I’ve yet covered in this column, there are many tools now available in this category of software. Most of the tools discussed below are cloud-based, although I’ll also briefly cover the tried-and-true—and often clunky-and-complex—premises-based trial presentation platforms as well.

But before I dive into the offerings, it’s important to note, as I always do, that the majority of software programs discussed below are cloud-based, which means data will be housed on servers owned by a third party. Because you’ll be entrusting your law firm’s data to a third party, you have an ethical duty to vet the technology provider hosting and storing your data thoroughly. This includes ensuring you understand how that company will handle the data; where the servers that will store the data are located; who will have access to the data; and how and when it will be backed up, among other things.

Make your case

Now I’ll review some of the options available, with a focus on the more modern, cloud-based tools discussed first.

Let’s start with four companion products from Lit Software that facilitate trial preparation and presentation: TrialPad , TranscriptPad , DocReviewPad and ExhibitsPad . These tools are designed for use on iPads only. Each app has its own trial function and offers unique ways to present your case to the finder of fact. A 7-day free trial is available for each app, and the pricing for the suite of all four apps is $399 per year. The apps cannot be purchased separately.

With DocReviewPad, you can annotate, review and produce documents. The companion app, ExhibitsPad, enables sharing trial exhibits with the fact finder so long as you provide jurors and/or the judge with an iPad for viewing and interacting with the exhibits.

TranscriptPad allows you to import deposition transcripts from a number of different sources, including many typical cloud providers and AirDrop. Once imported, you can read, annotate and search transcripts.

TrialPad is designed for trial presentation. You can organize, annotate and present trial evidence via an intuitive and easy-to-use interface using this app. Once files are imported from major cloud providers, AirDrop and more can be displayed using VGA or HDMI-compatible projectors. As is the case with most trial presentation software programs, you can call out certain sections of documents, zoom in and out and much more.

Next is ExhibitView Solutions . This company offers a number of trial preparation tools as well as both premises-based and cloud options. ExhibitView Trial Presenter is a premises-based trial presentation software tool that is compatible with PCs only. There is a 14-day trial available for ExhibitView, and the cost is $549 for two installations.

For lawyers seeking the ease and intuitiveness of an iPad interface, the company also offers a trial presentation iPad app, iTrial , which costs $99.99 and can be used as a standalone trial presentation tool. It also integrates with ExhibitView via Dropbox, which means you can prepare for trial using ExhibitView and then present at trial using iTrial.

TranscriptPro is another PC-compatible software tool that supports video deposition editing and facilitates digital transcript review. A 14-day trial is offered, and the cost is $249 for two installations.

Exhibit Presenter is another PC-based trial presentation tool. With this software, you can share and manipulate PDF exhibits in court as you present your case. This tool is an affordable one and costs $99 to download . There is a free demo version available as well.

Once it’s released, another option to consider for trial presentation is iLitigate , an iPad app. Right now, this software is available only to beta testers and pricing is not available. This software will provide tools to facilitate a legal team’s pre-trial case preparation and collaboration and includes document review functionality and trial presentation capabilities.

Finally, because I include premises-based software in this article, I would be remiss if I failed to mention TrialDirector and OnCue , two of the most well-known and robust trial presentation software suites. Both have been around for years and are popular choices, especially among larger law firm users, in part because those firms have the staff and resources needed for the implementation and training required to use these tools. The cost for TrialDirector is not available on the company’s website, and pricing for OnCue ranges from $80 per month to $780 per year for two activations per license.

The bottom line: If you’re in the market for trial presentation software, there is likely a tool that fits your needs. Your task will be to choose a program compatible with your firm’s operating systems and budget. Narrow your options accordingly, and take advantage of any free trials offered. Give the software a test run and determine if the interface is intuitive and robust enough for your needs. From there, you should be well on your way to effectively presenting your client’s case with ease.

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based attorney, author and journalist, and she is the legal technology evangelist at MyCase , a company that offers legal practice management software for small firms. She is the nationally recognized author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers and is co-author of Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier , both published by the American Bar Association. She also is co-author of Criminal Law in New York , a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Law; has authored hundreds of articles for other publications; and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. Follow her on Twitter @nikiblack , or she can be reached at [email protected] .

This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Association.

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15 Best Presentation Software for 2024 (Full Comparison Guide)

Written by: Orana Velarde

In this comparison guide, we’ll analyze each of these tools and many more to understand what the difference is between them so you can  choose the best presentation maker for your business.

So, if you want to stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations and have a reliable presentation software that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time, you’ll need this guide. 

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• Google Slides
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Beautiful.ai
• Microsoft Sway

What are Presentation Tools

Presentation tools are software applications that enable users to visually present ideas or share knowledge. These presentations are delivered in a slide-show format using a combination of text, images and other graphic elements.

Presentation software is frequently used to pitch an idea to investors , present proposals to clients , introduce new products or services to customers, train staff on new policies or ideas , or teach your students new or complex concepts.

Best Presentation Software: A Visual Comparison

When choosing the right presentation programs for your projects, there are some things to consider:

• Does the price point fit your budget?
• Is it easy to use?
• Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
• Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
• Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
• Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
• Can you add audio to your presentations?
• Can elements be animated?
• Is it desktop or cloud-based ?
• Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
• Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
• Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
• Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
• Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
• Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
• Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
• Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?

We'll take a look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.

Last updated on May 30, 2024.

Visme is a powerful presentation software and all-in-one content authoring tool. It has a user-friendly interface and an extensive set of tools that make it easy for both beginners and experienced professionals to design and deliver impactful presentations.

Presentations made with Visme go beyond the standard slide deck to incorporate interactive elements and easy, full-featured offline sharing.

Making professional presentation slides with Visme is easy and straightforward. Create slides from scratch using content blocks and the extensive slide libraries categorized by style. Browse the presentation template library to find pre-designed slide decks which you can easily customize to fit your needs.

That's not all that Visme can do, though.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as digital documents, animated infographics, interactive reports and whiteboards. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the app.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as infographics, reports and interactive charts. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the software.

Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. With a free account, you can create up to three projects.

To access all of Visme's capabilities, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans .

• Starter: $12.25/month paid annually
• Pro: $24.75/month paid annually
• Visme for Teams: Custom – learn more here

If you're a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for a discount. Visme also offers separate Education plans for students and teachers.

Ease of Use

Visme is incredibly easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is a breeze, and you can even save a slide to your content block or slide library to reuse later.

The editor comes with a handy sidebar that lets you browse media, graphics and data tools and drag and drop relevant elements onto your slides. You can also use the /shortcut feature to open a search bar and quickly find what you need.

The dynamic fields feature ensures you don’t miss out on any critical information. With single click, you can easily update content throughout your presentation.

Who Is It For

Visme is perfect for small and large businesses, enterprises, marketing teams, project managers, educators, content creators and so much more. The resources and tools available in Visme reach far beyond the ability to create presentations.

• Social media teams can create content for their company’s social channels.
• Sales agents can create branded and personalized proposals in minutes.
• Professionals can build visual CVs to find the next ideal job.
• Project managers can conduct team meetings with a collaborative whiteboard.

Template Options

The template options in Visme are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many presentation styles to pick from.

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Company Ethics Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

You can choose from dozens of fully designed presentations tailor-made for specific industries and topics or mix and match hundreds of slide layouts by choosing a presentation theme.

You can also start with a blank canvas, add new blank slides to existing presentation templates, and save custom slides to use later as your own templates.

Graphic Assets Library

When selecting the best tools for presentations, the visual capabilities and creative design elements should be a top consideration. Visme’s graphic library includes thousands of free icons, illustrations, stock photos, videos , 3D graphics , audio clips, charts and graphs to include in your presentations.

The best part is that every graphic asset that comes built-in with the Visme editor is fully customizable. Resize, rotate or change colors to fit your brand, content and theme.

AI-Powered Tools

Visme comes with a wide variety of useful AI-powered tools, making it one of the best presentation software.

Let's start with the AI presentation maker . This advanced tool is engineered to make your presentation creation process as quick and efficient as possible.

To create a presentation using this tool, you only need to provide a text prompt outlining your requirements. The tool will then generate the slides, complete with text, images, illustrations and any other content you specify.

After that, you can use Visme's presentation tools to personalize the AI-generated slides and add the final touches.

Next up is the AI writer . This user-friendly tool is your key to overcoming writer's block and crafting engaging copy for your presentation. It can help you create layouts, edit and proofread text, summarize the content and much more. Explain to the AI writer what you want to generate, and it will take care of the rest.

Visme offers several AI image editing tools , including erase and replace, background remover, unblur, and upscaler. These tools can be used to edit the image content or enhance its quality. For example, you can use the Image Upscaler to resize your image without sacrificing quality, ensuring your visuals always look high-quality.

And as always, you just need to provide the right text prompts. Feel free to tweak the prompts as many times as you want until you achieve the perfect outcome.

Videos and GIFs

It's easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation. This is another that makes Visme a powerful video presentation software .

To insert a video, upload a video from your computer or cloud storage and place it on a slide of your choosing. Once you’ve uploaded it, it’ll be in your Media library for future use.

If you don’t have videos of your own, Visme has hundreds of stock videos to choose from in lots of categories. Browse them by clicking the / shortcut on your keyboard and opening the videos tab.

Edit your videos with the integrated timeline feature. Trim video clips and customize playback settings. Resize the video on your slide easily by dragging the corner. Or you can resize any video into another shape for more flexibility.

GIFs are available through the Giphy integration, which you’ll find in the Media tab. These are a great choice when you want to make a meme-based presentation.

Take note that all presentations that have videos or GIFs in the slides must be shared as a live link or downloaded as HTML5 or MP4. If you download it as a PDF or PPTX, all the interactive elements won’t play back.

Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.

Another great option is accessing our Presenter Studio to record a video of yourself presenting your content. You can turn on your camera or record audio only before sending a link to your audience. This is a great way to present asynchronously or save your presentation for people to view again and again.

Embed Third-Party Content

There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes , forms , online videos and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.

You can also take advantage of several integrations to embed even more engaging and interactive content into your slides.

Some of our integrations include SurveyMonkey, Hubspot, Giphy, and many more.

Animations and Transitions

With Visme, you can animate your content and create interactive experiences such as:

• Hover effects or clickable pop-ups, link your slides or content blocks to objects
• Pre-animated assets like characters, illustrations and gestures
• Custom animation and motion effects

Features inside Visme presentations can be animated, and we also have a number of seamless slide transitions that make your content pop, like "Enter from Side" or "Staggered Fade."

If you want to make your content even more dynamic, you can access our Custom Animation feature. This is perfect for creating video presentations or making your elements look like they're floating on your slide.

Visme also comes with a 3D Character Creator that helps you elevate your storytelling and connect with your audience. You can create and customize 3D animated characters to embody your brand or message.

Tweak everything, from gender and hairstyles to outfits and skin tone, until you achieve the perfect look. You also have the ability to choose their entry, waiting and exit poses.

Desktop or Cloud

Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer. We also provide a desktop app that you can download and use outside of your regular browser for seamless content creation.

And if you need to create content on the go, you can easily edit existing projects right from your mobile device or tablet using the Visme iOS app .

Data Widgets

Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.

Data visualization in Visme goes beyond widgets. Add tables, graphs, and charts to your presentation slides and connect them to a live data source . Create a data stream from Google Sheets or Google Analytics into customized data visualizations.

Offline Viewing

Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats.

The best option is to download it as an HTML5 file. That way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can also be downloaded as a collection of JPG or PNG images, as a PDF or as an editable PowerPoint file.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

Collaboration Possibilities

Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together. Leave comments with edits and feedback, edit projects simultaneously and easily share with other people on your team to move the project along.

Plus, Visme's workflow management features give the project admin complete control over your team's collaboration process. You can assign tasks, manage roles, set deadlines and more, all from a centralized platform. These features are useful for streamlining communication and reducing the time between briefing and final presentation design.

Branding Capabilities

Visme's brand design tool makes it easy to keep all of your content on-brand regardless of who's creating it. It works in three easy steps:

1. Upload all of your branding assets (colors, fonts, logo) to Visme with the Brand Wizard . Input your website URL and watch as our Brand Wizard automatically pulls in all of your branding.

2. Access a bundle of 30+ automatically branded templates that have your logo, fonts and colors already ready to go.

3. Easily access thousands of other templates and input your brand fonts and colors with just a click in Visme's editor.

Then boom! All of your content will always have the same branding, helping increase brand strength and recognition.

Share to Social Media

Once a presentation is finished, it can be shared to social media seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.

Privacy and Password Protection

Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it. It is advisable to only use strong passwords for this purpose. There are a few free password managers that could help you do that and keep your account secure .

Visme’s analytics is what makes it stand out as the best tool for presentation. When a presentation is shared via a live link, it can be analyzed for views and sharing.

Access in-depth analytics that show you how much of your presentation is typically viewed, for how long and which slides seem to be the most popular.

Lead Generation

You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients. Simply head over to our  Advanced Settings tab before sharing your project and turn on  Requires Registration to collect emails from each person who views your content.

The best part of using Visme is that you get access to an interactive online form builder that's proven to generate 2X more conversions than traditional forms. You can choose your preferred form type and customize every aspect, including character appearance, color, background and animations to match your design and branding requirements.

Prezi offers a great alternative to the traditional presentation format that goes slide by slide. The creative idea behind Prezi is you can create an animated, non-sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom in.

While Prezi's interface can be slightly complicated to use, it's a good option for people who need to add a creative touch to their presentations.

Prezi is free for basic capabilities and limited templates.

For the paid plans, there are three tiers.

• Standard: $5/month
• Plus: $12/month
• Premium: $16/month
• Teams: Upon Request

There are separate plans available for students and teachers.

Prezi has a slight learning curve, but once you create a couple of presentations, you get the hang of it. However, it doesn't offer too much customizability inside the templates.

Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So, who Prezi is for really depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.

There are plenty of templates to choose from, and you can also start from scratch. The templates are different in color and style, but the idea of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.

AI Presentation Assistant

Prezi has an AI assistant that automatically generates presentations for users.

The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Premium plans get access to over 80,000 icons and 500,000 images.

Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.

Voice over can be added in premium plans.

No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.

Prezi is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.

Prezi is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.

Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Prezi presentations can only be created on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.

Prezi for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.

Brand Kits are only available with Prezi's team plans, but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.

Prezi presentations can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Prezi presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi app. There are two options, as an EXE file for PC and a ZIP file for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi app.

Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.

Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to Prezi presentations you share via a link to someone.

There are no lead generation capabilities with Prezi.

3 Google Slides

Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with Google Docs and Sheets, you can create presentations with Google Slides.

The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite, which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.

Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account. All features are available to everyone.

There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at $6/user/month and go up to $18/user/month.

Compared to other examples of presentation software, Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to Google Docs and Sheets.

Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.

There is a general collection of templates, but there are not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.

The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.

Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.

Audio and Embed Third-Party Content

Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.

Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.

Google Slides is a cloud-based program.

Google Slides can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for Android and iPhone. Presentations can be edited and viewed on all devices.

Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides

There is no brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared via email or link.

Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.

Presentations can be shared privately, but there are no password capabilities, only invitations.

Analytics and Lead Generation

These features are not available.

Read this article about Google Slides vs Visme to get a detailed overview of each tool and find the perfect presentation software for your needs.

Keynote is the native Apple presentation software — one of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.

Keynote is free for downloading and also accessing via the cloud with an apple ID.

If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze. This feature makes it stand out as one of the best tools for presentation.

Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.

The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.

There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.

Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.

You can upload existing audio files in Keynote to play on specific slides. There's also an option to record your own voiceover to create a narrated presentation.

Including these is not available

Slides and objects can be animated in a number of ways, including path creation, scaling, bounce or jiggle effects, and more.

Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.

You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PC.

Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.

Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.

Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation

None of these are available on Keynote.

Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.

5 Microsoft PowerPoint

This list wouldn't have been complete without the most popular presentation software in the world. Even though there are tons of more advanced presentation tools out there now, PowerPoint is still a favorite of many because of its familiarity, ease of use and availability.

The desktop-based PowerPoint program is part of Microsoft 365, which has different plans for businesses that start from $6/month and go up to $22/month. You can also buy an unbundled digital PowerPoint account for $159.99

PowerPoint Online is free on any device, including mobile.

Most, if not every, computer user knows how to work a PowerPoint. The traditional sidebar interface is easy to use simply because it's familiar. But for people who are using PowerPoint for the first time, there might be a slight learning curve.

Businesses, individuals, students, teachers and anyone who uses a Windows PC or device. PowerPoint is also a good fit for people who want to create simple, conventional presentations, and aren't looking for fancy new features or capabilities.

There are dozens of themes that come built-in with PowerPoint, and there are all customizable so you can play around with the styles.

You can browse stock images, icons, stickers and more by searching for relevant keywords in PowerPoint's graphic library.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also embed videos from YouTube and other online sources. However, this feature is only available to Windows users.

You can upload audio files from your computer. You can also record audio directly inside PowerPoint and edit the settings for playback.

You can embed files created in other Microsoft Office applications, such as charts created in Excel, or any other programs that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE.)

There are tons of animation and transition options available in PowerPoint, which can actually get confusing at times. However, if you know your way around these options, it gets easier to create a professional-looking slideshow.

There are both desktop and cloud versions of PowerPoint available.

You can download the PowerPoint mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.

It's possible to share your presentation with specific people.

Brand kits are not available, but you can save custom themes.

Presentations cannot be shared to social media.

You can download your PowerPoint presentations in various formats, including PPTX and PDF. This makes it easy to access them on any device offline.

You can mark your presentations as read-only to prevent users from editing the file.

This feature is not available in PowerPoint.

Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the number of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography to .svg to code builds.

Ludus starts at $14.99/month for teams of 1-15 people. Teams that need more licenses are encouraged to contact for more pricing information. Ludus does offer a 30-day free trial.

Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.

This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners who have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.

There are no templates to choose from. You have to start from scratch or use smart blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.

Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.

Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.

Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.

You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and HTML options.

Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.

Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.

Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.

Collaborations are possible with the team plans. This includes live collaboration, workspaces and more.

With collaborations, smart blocks and the Brandfetch integration, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.

Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.

Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.

Pro Plans have password protection.

There are no analytics or lead generation capabilities available in Ludus.

Slides is the only presentation software that promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.

Slides is free to use, but finished presentations will be public and available. 

The paid plans start at $5/month, and the Pro plan sits at $10/month and go up to $20/month for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.

Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.

Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities.

Slides has a very limited template library with just a handful of different options to choose from.

The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.

Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.

Including audio is not possible with Slides.

Anything with code can be added in an iframe.

All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.

Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.

Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.

Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities. Users can leave comments with feedback for the creator to review and make edits.

There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.

Yes, quite easily.

You can also share presentations via URL, email or embeddable code.

A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.

Privacy and Analytics

Possible with paid plans.

This is not possible on Slides.

8 Slidebean

Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks.

The highlight of this presentation software is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you put together the best possible slide layouts and configurations. They also have a team of experts that can both write and design your pitch deck for you if you don't want to take the DIY route.

The free plan has limited capabilities but it's enough to see how Slidebean works. To export your presentation, you'll need to upgrade.

There are three price levels from $8/month to $19/month to $149/month. The last one is the Founder's Edition plan, which includes help from the experts on your presentations.

If you choose to get their help on your presentation design, it starts at $29 per slide or $1,999 for the full project.

Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a popup.

Editing can be done in outline or design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up, but there are lots of choices. There's no free size changing or moving around.

Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Snapchat and Buzzfeed.

There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.

GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.

There are no audio capabilities.

The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.

Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.

Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.

It can be used to edit or view on any device.

Collaboration is possible in the paid plans.

This feature is available in the paid plans.

Sharing to Social Media

Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.

This feature is not available.

Analytics are available in the paid plans.

9 Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics Microsoft PowerPoint in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. However, Zoho's version is much nicer and polished.

Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and the company offers different types of apps for teams and office use — Zoho Show is only one of their programs.

Zoho show is completely free and without ads.

Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.

Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.

There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.

The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.

Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.

Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.

There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.

All elements and transitions can be animated.

Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.

You can only create presentations on a computer.

Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.

Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.

Sharing to social media is not possible unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.

Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.

Yes, this is possible on all plans.

Analytics are possible on the paid plans.

10 Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it.

Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually. They offer a 14-day free trial to test out their tool.

This is probably the best thing about Beautiful.ai — it's incredibly simple to use. All you need to do is add smart slides, plug in your content, and choose from different preset layouts.

Of course, that also means that you have limited customization options. But if you're looking for a simple solution and you don't trust your design skills, this may be a good option for you.

Beautiful.ai is a great tool for absolute beginners and non-designers who are looking for a no-nonsense presentation software.

For example, startups and entrepreneurs can use this software to create a nice-looking pitch deck or proposal quickly without any design help.

There are a handful of slide themes available, but they're mostly basic in terms of design. You can play around with the layouts inside each theme to put together a unique presentation.

The graphic assets library comes with a bunch of free stock photos and icons to choose from, but the options are pretty limited.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also import videos from YouTube and Vimeo to embed in your slides.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer.

It's not possible to embed third-party content into Beautiful.ai presentations. However, you can add interactive links to your slides.

Each slide comes with a preset animation style that you're unable to customize. However, you can change the speed, timing and triggers for the animations. 

Beautiful.ai is a cloud-based application.

The software only works on your desktop computer.

You can invite people to collaborate on your presentation by either giving them "view" or "edit" access. Collaborators must have a Beautiful.ai account to view or edit the presentation.

While there's no brand kit feature available, you can customize a theme (colors and fonts) and save it to your library to use in future presentations.

There are several options to share your presentations. Send an email invite, share a public or private link, generate an embed code or share directly to social media.

You can export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint to view offline.

There is no password protection, but you can use the Secure Viewing option to only share your presentation with other Beautiful.ai users via an email invite.

This feature is only available in the paid plans. You can access a number of viewing and usage statistics for your presentations.

This feature is not available in Beautiful.ai.

11 Genially

The main idea behind the Genially presentation software is interactivity.

This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations but also for other visual graphics. It’s great for adding a modern, interactive feel to your presentations.

There is a free plan in Genially, which gives you unlimited creations but limited resources. The paid plans are as follow, paid yearly:

• Pro: $7.49 / month
• Master: $20.82 / month
• Team: $79.15 / month

Genially is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genially.

Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a "design view" and a "layers view."

Professionals and educators of any field who can benefit from interactive presentations.

There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentation templates are also available as "video presentations."

The graphic assets in Genially are quite varied; there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the Pixabay integration.

Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, added via SoundCloud and a couple of other integrations, or recorded directly in Genially.

Third-party content can be added to your presentations with Genially integrations. For example, you can add an interactive map via Google Maps.

All elements can be animated, as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity,” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.

Genially is a cloud-based presentation program.

This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.

It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where  all creations are stored.

Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.

Finished presentations can be shared to social media.

Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.

Premium plans have these features.

This is not available in Genially.

Canva is not only a presentation software but also a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become a favorite with bloggers and home-based businesses.

The free version of Canva is pretty extensive. The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought separately or through the Canva Pro plan. Canva Pro is charged at $12.99/month or $119.99/year.

Canva Teams is $14.99/month + $14.99/month for every team member after the 5th.

Canva is easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling; there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides at once.

Bloggers, small home-based businesses and startups

There are lots of customizable template options, and each slide inside the templates can be used individually.

There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library, including shapes, icons, photos, frames and stickers. Some are free, while others are paid.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded to Canva.

You can add music to your presentations using the available options inside Canva.

Canva offers dozens of integrations and media embed options, including YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and more.

There are several animation options that apply to entire slides inside Canva. You can also add animated stickers to your slides.

Canva is a cloud-based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.

Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.

Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.

Canva Pro has a brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.

Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf. You can also download it as an MP4 video for offline viewing.

All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password-protected sharing though.

These features are not available in Canva.

While Canva offers a wide range of features for various visual design needs, you can explore better alternatives to find solutions that may better fit your requirements. If you want to explore other options, read our article about 12 excellent Canva alternatives .

13  FlowVella

FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode, in which you can create interactive presentations like the ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.

FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark. P aid plans are as follows:

• Premium : $10/month or $60/year
• Pro : $20/month or $200/year
• Enterprise : Upon request

FlowVella is pretty easy to use, and the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.

This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.

The template options are quite varied and well designed.

The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.

Videos can be uploaded or found via YouTube, iCloud and Dropbox integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, or added via iCloud or Dropbox.

You can add PDF files.

Only the transitions are animated minimally.

This is a desktop-based application. It must be downloaded.

There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.

Paid premium plans can work with teams.

Brand kits are not available.

Presentations can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.

These features are available in the paid plans. Analytics can be viewed once the presentation has been published online.

This feature is not available on FlowVella.

14  Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.

Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.

Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.

The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly toward educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.

Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.

The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.

YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.

Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.

Only videos can be embedded.

Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck

Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Haiku Deck is a cloud-based app that is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.

Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.

Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.

Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.

There is no brand kit, but you can add your logo to the finished product.

Pro and Premium plans have private and password-protected capabilities.

Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.

Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.

15  Microsoft Sway

Microsoft has its own alternative to PowerPoint — Sway.

This online presentation software is completely different from PowerPoint and introduces a new concept of building "Sways" instead of "presentations."

Sway is free to use for anyone who has a Microsoft account.

It's super easy to use Sway and kind of fun too. It has a non-traditional storyline editor, which lets you add "blocks" of content that the software configures into layouts.

Sway is mostly for people who don't want to spend too much time designing a complex presentation. For example, students and nonprofit organizations.

There are several templates for different purposes, such as photo slideshows, sales trainings and even personal portfolios.

You can upload your own media or search from various sources inside Sway, including Flickr and Bing Images. There are no shapes and icons included.

You can upload videos from your device or embed from YouTube.

You can add audio to Sway by uploading or dragging and dropping the audio file onto your storyline from your computer.

You can embed images, videos, maps and other content from tons of websites, including Google Maps, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Sway automatically adds animations to your slides. You cannot change or customize them; you can only increase or decrease the level of animation added to your Sway.

Sway is an online, cloud-based software.

Sway works on any device with an internet browser.

You can invite people to view or edit your Sway presentation.

Sway presentations can be shared directly to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF file to view offline.

There is no password protection available, but you can choose to share your Sway with specific people, anyone with a link or only people in your organization who have a link.

You can view reader statistics for your Sway if you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.

This feature is not available in Microsoft Sway.

Presentation Software FAQs

Still have questions? We've compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the best presentation tools available.

Q. Which Is the Best Software for Making Presentations?

There are many presentation tools out there but Visme stands out as a top pick and a creative presentation app with a full suite of advanced features tailored to the needs of individual users and businesses. Visme offers real-time collaboration, interactive and animated elements, hyper-customization options, robust data visualization tools and a brand wizard to maintain brand consistency across your presentations.

Q. What Is Better Than PowerPoint?

Visme is often considered a top presentation software and offers several advantages as a PowerPoint alternative software. Its intuitive interface and extensive template library make creating visually stunning presentations seamless, even for beginners. Visme's collaboration features are superior, allowing teams to work seamlessly. On top of that, Visme is packed with advanced interactive and animated elements to keep your audience hooked.

Q. Is PowerPoint or Prezi Better?

PowerPoint and Prezi each have strengths and are suited for different presentation styles. PowerPoint is easy to use, has a clear structure, and is widely available, making it suitable for traditional slide decks and formal presentations. On the other hand, Prezi excels at non-linear, visually engaging presentations with its zooming and panning features, making it ideal for creative or storytelling presentations. The best choice depends on your content, audience and desired presentation style.

Q. What Is the Best App to Do a Presentation On?

Visme offers a powerful presentation app that allows you to create, edit and present your slides from anywhere. Its mobile app is designed for on-the-go editing and presenting, ensuring you always have your presentation at your fingertips.

Q. Is Canva Better Than PowerPoint?

Canva and PowerPoint are tailored to suit the diverse preferences and requirements of different users.

Generally, Canva is known for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive library of design-focused templates and emphasis on visual appeal. It is an excellent choice for those who value aesthetics and want to create content quickly. On the other hand, PowerPoint offers more traditional features and is super flexible. It is often preferred due to its integration and compatibility with other Microsoft Office tools.

Q. What Is Replacing PowerPoint?

Visme is quickly gaining popularity as a PowerPoint replacement and a free presentation software with a user-friendly interface, tons of customization options, and powerful tools that make creating presentations a breeze. With a plethora of templates, interactive elements, and powerful data visualization tools, Visme empowers you to create presentations that truly captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression

Don't just take our word for it. Hear what Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW!, has to say about Visme:

“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.”

“PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier.”

“I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.”

Read the full case study to learn how they streamlined their presentation creation process and found a better alternative than PowerPoint.

Looking for a Presentation Software?

Choosing the best presentation program for your business is a great first step towards better and more effective slide deck development. In this guide, you learned about 15 different types of presentation software and we gave you a checklist to help you decide.

If you're looking for an easy-to-use presentation maker that also comes with unique features that you won't find in most other tools, Visme might be a great option.

You can look for the right pricing plan for your needs and even apply for a discount if you're a nonprofit organization. And if you just want to try out Visme to see if it's a good fit, sign up for a free account and use it for as long as you like — no strings attached.

Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.

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Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

Revolutionary Trial Presentation

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Video Editing, Like a Hollywood Pro

White-knuckle video days in court are a thing of the past. You won’t win an Oscar but the accolades from error free playback will feel almost as good. With OnCue, you are confidently in control.

Video Editor

Fine tune your designations to take out every um, ah, and pause. Edit the scrolling text to match the audio without breaking into a database. Super simple document linking, waveform audio display, hotkeys, and other features enable cleaning up cuts faster than ever before.

Video Exports that Match Playback

With OnCue, exported designations have all scrolling text and linked documents as if you were playing them directly in the software.  No surprises in court or on exchanges and no screen recording workarounds. You’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

AV Clip Editing

Edit audio, unsynched depositions, and other video clips or animations as simply as you would on a cell phone.  Choose start times, stop times, playback speed and edit clips later with the source file preserved .

Evidence Control Like Never Before

Amazing tools cut stress from courtroom presentations and appear effortless.  Software-based  solutions reduce the need for accessory hardware.  Reporting and organizing features put you in control.

On-Air Mode

Like network broadcasting, On-Air duplicates everything you do in the viewer on the presentation screens—without using a preview monitor, mirroring displays, or showing your toolbar. Toggle on or off with a click or hotkey.

Independent Display Control

The power of a matrix switcher is built into the software so you can choose any combination of external displays. Work as though your displays are mirrored without changing settings.

Answers at a Glance

How long are all of our designations? How about theirs? How long are they combined? How many pages do these documents have? Have we annotated anything in that document? Answer all of these questions and more in seconds with information built into the interface.

Killer Tools You Need, and Some You Didn't Know You Needed

Unlimited workspace layouts.

Chef’s employ mise-en-place, we use workspaces to optimize workflows. OnCue helps you customize workspaces to focus efficiently on the task at hand. Use our Workflow Ribbon to arrange interface panes for common trial tasks, or make OnCue your own by setting it up how you like and saving unlimited custom workspaces.

Resolution, Renaming and Reductive Search

Instantly identify and resolve naming conflicts on import. Later, use renaming, find/replace, and prefixes to easily customize all of your file IDs and names. Reductive search feature helps quickly find anything in your database.

Designation Dashboard

With the dashboard, you are in full control of deposition video as it plays.  You’ll know exactly how much time has elapsed, is left, and what’s coming up next at a glance. Edit with ease and play back with confidence.

We have wish-list functionality cultivated from hundreds of legal presentation pros. OnCue is designed around creating solutions to real-world frustrations and kissing the all-nighter goodnight—feature rich without being bloated.

What Is OnCue?

The most reliable trial presentation software designed from the ground up by full-time trial presentation consultants.  Since 2014, OnCue has been used in thousands of trials of all sizes. OnCue is laser focused on creating the best presentation software available for the legal industry—simple workflows, powerful tools, blazing fast presentation.

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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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Best presentation software of 2023

By Steven T. Wright

Posted on Jun 22, 2022 3:22 PM EDT

12 minute read

Best overall

Microsoft PowerPoint

Best for professionals.

Best for Zoom

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Whether you’re a student or a working professional, everybody has to make presentations from time to time and that usually involves presentation software. But when you’re frantically Googling around to refresh your PowerPoint knowledge, it’s only natural to wonder what is really the best presentation software out there. Yes, everybody knows that Microsoft’s the biggest player in the slideshow game but there are actually a lot of alternatives to explore. If you expand your horizons, you may find another app that makes more sense for you. Expand your office app horizons and see how the best presentation software can make your job a little easier.

Best overall: Microsoft PowerPoint

Best for professionals: canva, best for zoom: prezi.

• Best for Mac: Apple Keynote  

Best for students: Beautiful.ai

Best budget: google slides, how we chose the best presentation software.

As a journalist with over a decade of experience, I know how to present information to all sorts of audiences effectively and efficiently. Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of clients to craft copy for presentations, as well as the slideshows themselves. I’ve used the best software in the business, as well as quite a lot of the bad stuff, so I know what will work for you and your needs. 

In making this list, I relied on my own firsthand experience with presentation software, as well as consulting professional tutorials and critical reviews. I also personally created a number of sample slideshows using prebuilt templates and custom layouts of my own in order to put the programs through their paces. I used both the stalwart software suites that everyone knows, as well as a number of lesser-known alternatives that have emerged over the past few years. If an impressive new program hits the block, we will update this list accordingly once we get some hands-on time with it.

Things to consider when buying presentation software

There has been an explosion of presentation software over the past few years, and each of the program’s developers has their own pitch to lure people away from PowerPoint. The most important things to consider when choosing presentation software will vary from person to person. A small business owner putting together a professional presentation with original branding may need different tools to make an appealing pitch, versus a student building a last-minute slideshow for a group project to present the results of their research in Econ class.

There are a wide variety of bells and whistles that presentation building programs boast as their killer features, including brand kit integration, easy social media sharing options, offline access, seamless collaboration, AI suggestions, and analytics. These extra features will seem very helpful to enterprise customers, but the average person should realistically prioritize more traditional factors like ease-of-use, customizability, and cost. There are, however, a few elements that every single person who uses presentation software needs, so let’s walk through the fundamentals.

Ease of use

No one wants to spend hours learning how to make a basic slideshow. While all of these programs take time to master, some of them are easier to pick up quickly than others. An intuitive piece of software grabs your attention and allows you to perform basic actions like adding slides and assets without time-consuming tutorials. The more professional-grade programs out there might take a little more time to master, but they’re rarely difficult to use.

Prebuilt templates

The number one thing that you want from a presentation software is a good-looking final product, and templates help you achieve that goal quickly and easily. All of the competitive presentation software suites out there have a library of pre-built templates that let you plug in information quickly. Quality and quantity separate the good programs from the great ones, though. Some apps have more templates than others, and some templates look better than others. On top of that, some programs lock their best templates behind a premium subscription, which leaves you relying on the same basic structures over and over. 

The truly professional-grade software also includes a selection of prebuilt art assets to help you bring a personal touch to the presentation. If a program doesn’t have an impressive set of templates, it isn’t worth using.

Customizability

While most people want to start building their presentations with a template, you need to change some things around if you want to keep things looking fresh. Professionals, in particular, will probably want to customize every aspect of their slideshows, from the color of the background to the exact pixel position of images. This obviously increases the amount of time it takes to craft a presentation, so it’s important that the systems for making those tweaks are intuitive and easy to use. Not every user is going to need the level of customizability, but it’s definitely something worth considering.

Who’s it for?

Every presenter needs to build a slideshow for their audience. They should probably ask that question when they pick which presentation software to use as well, as it can help determine what software they should use. Students might need the expansive collaboration tools of certain platforms but might not need the pinpoint design controls in others. While the presentation software listed below can all make a great slideshow with enough time and effort, your own use case and the intended audience will have a big impact on your choice.

Cost & affordability

Very few presentation builders have a simple, one-time price tag. Most operate on a subscription model, where you can buy a month’s use for a certain amount, or save money by buying a year at a time. A few are free, though many appear to only offer a free trial or stripped-down version that will allow you to put together something basic before quite literally buying in.

If you’re looking to build just one or two presentations a year, it’s probably best to stick to one of the free options. However, if you have to build slideshows on a regular basis, it’s probably worth sinking your money into a subscription to the program you really like.

Generally speaking, as you might expect, the more impressive and in-depth software costs more than the more traditional fare. However, because many of the most popular programs in the space (such as Microsoft PowerPoint) come as part of a suite, you will need to weigh the benefits of not only the presentation software but also the other programs that come along with it. If you’re a die-hard Microsoft Word user, for example, you’re already paying for the Microsoft Office suite, but the calculus gets more complicated if you prefer Google Docs.

The best presentation software: Reviews & Recommendations

By now, you probably have a good idea of what you should be looking for in presentation software, so now we’ll get into the interesting part. As mentioned above, we’ve broken down our picks based on a few common use cases, as well as the criteria we mentioned above. Regardless of which one you decide on, all of these programs are powerful tools that can produce a slick slideshow with a little time and effort, and you’d be well served by any of them.

The best overall presentation software

Setting the standard.

Why it made the cut: Whether you’re a broke student or a busy professional, Microsoft PowerPoint can do whatever you need. It’s also reasonably priced.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
• Suite or standalone: Microsoft Office 365 Suite
• Special features: Designer, MS Office integration
• Free version: Yes
• Well-known interface imitated by competitors
• Powerful and accessible
• Good templates
• Part of a popular software suite
• Slight learning curve

Even after testing more than a dozen programs, Microsoft PowerPoint remains the go-to presentation software for most people. Setting the industry standard, it offers great templates, an accessible interface, an impressive library of prebuilt art assets, and plenty of tools for building a slick slideshow. It also supports real-time collaboration, offline editing, and third-party content embedding. At $70 a year, PowerPoint is significantly cheaper than most of its competitors and it’s part of Microsoft Office, a software suite that most companies pay for and workers can’t live without. 

Of course, it isn’t perfect. PowerPoint makes it very easy to make a basic presentation, but it will likely take you longer to make something that looks polished and professional in PowerPoint than with design-forward programs like Canva or Prezi. Even top-flight presentations are achievable, though, in a reasonable timeframe. PowerPoint might not be the best presentation program for every situation, but it’s certainly the best for the average person.

Build-a-Brand Workshop

Why it made the cut: Canva creates beautiful, professional-grade presentations faster than its rivals, and it’s easier to use than most.

• Platforms: Web, Windows, iOS, Android
• Suite or standalone: Standalone
• Special features: Amazing templates, very customizable
• Excellent free version
• Extremely easy to use
• Makes beautiful presentations fast
• Eye-catching templates
• Harder-to-use advanced features
• Limited offline use

If you need to make a striking business presentation in an hour, Canva is absolutely the software for you. Designed from the ground up for business professionals who don’t want to have to use another program (i.e., Photoshop or GIMP) to create visually compelling content, Canva delivers on this promise in spades. 

Canva’s gorgeous templates are the best of any of the programs we tested, and its free version is far more robust than you’d expect for a costless trial. Unlike many of these other programs, it creates virtually any marketing material you can imagine, including videos, logos, social media posts, and even resumes. It also includes splashy features that most people won’t use, like brand kit support and easy sharing to social media.

Canva’s simplicity has drawbacks, too, though. It can be a bit difficult to get it to make complicated charts, tables, or diagrams, and it lacks the familiar (but clunky) customizability of PowerPoint. However, if you’re looking to make the most beautiful presentation you can, Canva is a great choice for your business.

Think Outside The Slide

Why it made the cut: Prezi is a strong program that structures its basic features in a completely different manner than its competitors. It also has very good Zoom integration.

• Platforms: Web
• Special features: Zoom integration, unique structure
• Free version: No (Two-week free trial)
• More creative structure than competitors
• Intuitive interface
• Expansive feature set
• Doesn’t work for everyone
• Must pay more for advanced features

If you’re really tired of the straight-line structure mandated by other presentation software, Prezi gives you a little more freedom to build things your way. Prezi uses a topic-oriented form that allows you to easily string your ideas in an order that makes sense to you. The basic idea behind Prezi is that you create bubbles of individual content, and then you thread a path through those ideas to create a presentation with a physical form that’s more enticing and conversational than just a linear succession of slides.

While this unique approach makes Prezi a worthy alternative on its own, the app also boasts plenty of specialized features you’d want in a premium program, including a large asset library, social media integration, and collaboration support. 

Though any presentation software can work with Zoom via the screen-share function, Prezi features a very useful video call-focused mode, Prezi Video, which allows you to build a presentation as an overlay that appears in your Zoom window so people can see you and your slides.

Prezi’s freeform structure isn’t going to work for everyone, but if Powerpoint feels stifling, it might open new doors for you.

Best for Mac: Keynote

Best for mac, showing off on mac.

Why it made the cut: Apple’s answer to PowerPoint might not be as popular as its competitor, but it’s still pretty powerful in its own right.

• Platforms: macOS, iOS, Web
• Suite or Standalone: Apple Software Suite
• Special features: iCloud support, multiple formats
• Free version: Yes (with an Apple account)
• Familiar to most Mac users
• Better asset library than most
• No-frills feature set
• Lacks unique selling points

If you’re a Mac user , you’ve probably at least considered using Keynote to put a presentation together. While all of the other programs on this list work on a Mac as web apps, Keynote is the only app made specifically for the platform.

Like PowerPoint, Keynote is a wide-reaching program designed to help anyone make a sharp-looking presentation, from students to professionals. It has a more robust feature set than other PowerPoint competitors–including better default templates, a bigger asset library, and desktop support. It doesn’t quite have the versatility of enterprise-facing apps like Canva, but you can put together a great-looking slideshow for school or a recurring meeting.

On the other hand, it can be a little tricky to pick up: The interface isn’t quite as intuitive as Google Slides, which is also free. If you have access to both, you get a choice: Build a more striking presentation in Keynote, or put something together quickly in Slides.

Best for students

A helping hand.

Why it made the cut: Beautiful.ai’s AI-powered presentations allow you to make a sharp slideshow in no time flat, and its generous free trial gives time to try it out.

• Special features: AI integration
• Clean interface
• Modern features
• Simple and effective
• Expensive for what it is
• Limited assets and templates

Looking to build a clean, modern presentation in as little time as possible? Beautiful.ai uses AI to help you build a visually stunning presentation in no time flat. While it’s less of a household name than our other picks, it’s the choice of many tech companies for its uncluttered interface, eye-catching templates, and overall no-fuss approach. 

Compared to PowerPoint or Canva, Beautiful.ai does not have a rich feature set or an infinite variety of template options. What the content library lacks in volume, it makes up for in style, though. Its appealing, elegant content elements lend themselves to clean, modern presentations. More importantly, the program’s AI assistant knows how to use those assets. It automatically tailors your slideshow’s design to fit the information you want to present, so you’ll wind up with something thoughtfully prepared before you know it.

Free is Free

Why it made the cut: Google Slides is not only an excellent presentation program—it’s also one of the only ones actually free with no strings attached.

• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
• Suite or standalone: Google Workspace
• Special features: Easy collaboration, Google integration
• Free for anyone with a Google account
• Familiar interface
• Easy to share and collaborate
• Decent templates
• Somewhat basic in functionality
• Clunky for some users

When it comes to software, there’s “free to use,” and then there’s free. Most of the software on this list offers either a restricted free mode or a time-limited trial. Google Slides is actually free, fully free, for another with a Google account. And it holds its own, even compared to its premium competitors.

Google Slides feels like a simplified version of PowerPoint. It’s a little easier to learn the basics, but also offers fewer templates, screen transitions, and content. It also lacks a built-in asset library to fill dead space, though the program’s Google Drive integration makes it easy to add your own. Like most Google programs, it also supports add-ons that give it enhanced features, like the ability to solve equations within the slideshow.

If you’re looking to make an extremely sharp presentation, Google Slides will take a bit more effort than most. If you need to make a basic slideshow and you grew up on earlier versions of PowerPoint, you’ll feel right at home using Slides.

Based on our research, the three most popular programs are Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote, roughly in that order. PowerPoint is far more popular than the other two, though. All three are good options, depending on what you’re looking for. All things being equal, though, we recommend PowerPoint.

Generally, most of the programs listed here cost between $7 and $15 a month for their premium packages. However, Google Slides and Keynote are free, so we recommend those for customers on a budget.

Canva and PowerPoint are both great programs that offer about equal value. It’s much easier to create a beautiful, eye-catching presentation in Canva, but PowerPoint’s advanced features give you more options. If you need to make slick-looking professional presentations on a frequent basis, we recommend Canva for its superior ease-of-use.

Adobe had its own competitor to PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter. The company recently ended support for Presenter on June 1, 2022.

Final thoughts on the best presentation software

While everyone wants to use the best program for the job, the truth is that all presentation builders have a lot in common with each other. If you’re familiar with one, it often makes sense to stay put. Despite all the similarities, it can take some time to learn a new system. If you’re constrained and frustrated, or are using presentation software for the first time, you should consider a wide range of options beyond PowerPoint.

Though alternatives like Beautiful.ai, Canva, or (especially) Prezi cost a bit more, they each have strong features that may work better for your purposes. That said, sometimes the most popular presentation software options are the best. If you don’t have specific expectations or need to clear a high bar for design, PowerPoint and free options like Google Slides should work well, and have the benefit of wide adoption in corporate workplaces.

2022 Presentation Software Comparison Guide

Looking for a presentation software solution that goes beyond the basics, or just want to see what’s in the field? Whether you’re operating in the classroom, boardroom, stage, or stadium, there’s a whole world of presentation tools.

In this guide, we’ll highlight the strengths and weaknesses of six of the leading presentation apps and software, giving you the information you need so you can choose the presentation software that’s right for your needs .

Top Presentation Software Solutions for 2022

The presentation software field is a crowded one, but these eight tools sit at the top of the list, either in feature set or broad adoption. Learn what makes each tool unique in the sections below, plus get a general overview of the features and capabilities of each one.

These apps are all appropriate for the general market, suitable for any presentation scenario where the given tool has all the capabilities you need. If you’re looking for a comparison guide for presentation software designed for churches and houses of worship, check out our Top Church Presentation Software Comparison Guide instead.

1. ProPresenter

For professionals, venues, and businesses who want to boost their presentation quality, ProPresenter is a market-leading choice for advanced presentation software . Besides covering the same basics as PowerPoint and Keynote, with a number of additional key features.

Basic slide design is easier and more powerful, thanks to a larger palette of design tools, transitions, video inputs, file and RSS inputs, and custom visibility controls, like only showing an element when a countdown is going, or music is playing.

One of the biggest differences is in output capabilities. Where most tools can’t handle more than a primary and a presenter output, ProPresenter can output customized feeds to multiple devices, including main audience screens, stage displays for the speaker’s notes, lower thirds outputs to reformat the presentation for broadcast, and various producer or operator views.

It does this using seven independent layers for content, and letting them be mixed and matched into various show feeds for different destinations.

One of ProPresenter’s most unique features is a separate layer for Announcements, to feed venues with lobby screens, all from a single machine.

There are a number of other professional features, like SDI, NDI, customizable timers, live video inputs, and built-in live streaming — but the easiest way is to download the free demo and start playing with it.

Download the demo

Prezi started its life as a visually groundbreaking alternative to tools like PowerPoint. It had a heavy emphasis in the education market and caught on quickly thanks to inventive design tools that had students of the 2010’s zooming and panning all over their presentation files. Compared to the animation and transition tools available in PowerPoint, this new approach was easy to use and looked impressive.

Fast-forward to 2020, and Prezi pivoted hard into videoconferencing thanks to the pandemic, with built-in integrations directly into Zoom.

That, in its own way, is an advanced feature worth noting. If your needs are mostly virtual, Prezi has a ton of flexibility and robustness built in, where PowerPoint and its clones tend to rely on other tools for video conferencing and screencasting. Prezi also includes a Prezi Viewer remote mode, where your mobile device can become your remote.

That said, Prezi has some notable and confusing limitations. One of the biggest is that any given slide in Prezi Video is limited to a single visual , including photos, GIFs, and videos. According to Prezi’s support materials , you can only use a single JPEG per slide.

Their basic Present tool can support multiple images, though, and you’ll also be able to share presentations as exported files, videos, PDFs, or even to Google Classroom.

Prezi Present includes support for a Presenter View (only in the desktop app), which works similarly to PowerPoint’s. You can view your presentation notes on your device while the main output is sent to the projector.

Prezi has a free version for basic Prezi Presentations, but most of the advanced features are reserved for paid plans.

3. Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the incumbent in the category: nearly everybody has used it at some point, and most organizations are already paying for it as a part of Microsoft 365.

Originally designed for the office, then the classroom, PowerPoint doesn’t do great in most other presentation settings like live production or even speaking from a stage, where advanced presentation softwares do better.

As a desktop app, PowerPoint has more horsepower than Google Slides, and is more widely compatible than the Mac-only Keynote, but it runs into the same problems as those applications. It can’t power multiple unique and customizable outputs, besides the non-customizable Presenter View. It doesn’t support professional AV formats like SDI, and has ignored hundreds of requests for NDI integration. It supports external media files, but video and audio playback controls are limited, and don’t even ask about live inputs.

PowerPoint is well-known and was the first to go big in the presentation space, which gives it a place of significance. However, minimal improvements over the last 20 years, and a failure to grow with changing user needs has led to decreasing PowerPoint’s once-dominant market share, as more and more people look elsewhere. This has paved the way for ProPresenter to come into the professional presentation space as a full-featured alternative.

4. Google Slides

Google Slides is Google’s answer to PowerPoint. It’s designed for the classroom or conference room, it’s cloud-based, extremely popular, and all you need is a Gmail account.

You can use Google Slides to create straight-forward slides, thanks to the drag and drop editor, and it works well with basic text, photos, some video, and background images. It also has integrations with the rest of the Google Workspace suite, including Google Docs and Google Sheets.

As a lightweight, web-based tool, it’s useful in many settings, which is why it appeals to users getting started in creating presentations. It’s missing a lot of the heavier abilities, and the lack of a desktop app means it’s difficult to add them in, but for entry-level users it works well.

If you need advanced features like multiple outputs, custom views, good audio/video playback, or live video, then Google Slides will come up light.

Keynote is the Apple-exclusive PowerPoint alternative. It runs great on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, but doesn’t play nicely with other OS’s.

Keynote has its fans, in part due to a great set of stock slide templates. The interface is easy to use, and you can create more beautiful presentations than in PowerPoint, and spend less time doing so. Animations and transitions don’t come off with the same cheesiness as other places, and are simple to use.

However for advanced presentation needs, Keynote has two massive flaws. First is compatibility: your Keynote presentations will only look good if you can run them off your Apple device. The best you’ll get on a PC is flattened images. If a presenter shows up with a Keynote file that can’t support running a show off the visitor’s device, options are limited.

The second big flaw is the same as PowerPoint and Google Slides: Keynote lacks the same set of advanced features. If your presentation environment is anything more complicated than a single output, Keynote lacks the same growth that caused PowerPoint to stagnate, and has paved the way for ProPresenter in the presentation space.

Canva is a fantastic graphic design tool used by amateurs and professionals alike to create interesting, engaging visuals that can then be placed into whatever other tools you’re using — from presentation apps to InDesign. Originally designed as a collaboration tool for creating graphics, Canva added presentation abilities to give users a simple option for showing designs, or creating graphics and slides.

Most people think of Canva as a way to create graphics, and it’s a great solution for collaborative creation. It’s presentation capabilities are for presenting those graphics, however as a general presentation tool it’s the lightest option available, even Google Slides is more robust.

Canva’s Presentation editor is easy to use, with plenty of great templates and a respectable selection of stock materials, including background videos for your presentation slides. It’s full of nice automated touches too, like color palettes for shapes and fonts that auto-populate based on the colors in background photos.

However there’s no support for live inputs, outputs, live streaming, and even audio and video playback are lightweight. The Presentation mode in Canva is ultimately designed to make it easier to show your work than by exporting images into Google Slides.

As a graphic design tool, Canva is an excellent addition to your toolset, especially if you’re not a trained designer. As a presentation tool, it’s quite lightweight, and the presentation abilities are bolted onto its’ core feature set.

7. SlideDog

If you’re regularly encountering multiple presentation file types and need to accommodate all of them, you know how frustrating it can be. Web tools like Prezi and Canva are resource-intensive, as are desktop presentation apps from other vendors. Converting between multiple file types can be inconvenient, and can create major problems if something doesn’t work at the last minute.

Slide Dog seeks to be a solution to this problem. It boasts the ability to import “most multimedia and presentation files” into a sort of playlist, and keeps animations and transitions intact for PowerPoint and Prezi specifically. It also tries to play nice with web content from other cloud-based solutions.

Seamless playback of multiple file types certainly has its perks, and SlideDog is going heavily into this area, at the expense of several other common features.

The first is a big one: SlideDog doesn’t have a slide creator. You can’t create anything new here, only pull in content from other sources, which drastically limits it’s abilities, especially if you need to make last-minute changes.

It’s a Windows-only service, and while SlideDog targets a more professional audience, its presentation features are limited to it’s dual-screen app. No customization, or advanced content streams.

If you need to switch between multiple files seamlessly, or create a single presentation from multiple sources, Slide Dog is worth looking at. But that limit can be a major factor for in-person presentations.

8. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a little-known presentation tool loved by office dwellers and graphic designers, and it’s worth a look, especially in the online space.

First up: price. Zoho Show is free. Zoho (the company) offers Show for free in hopes that you’ll like it and be willing to pay for the broader Zoho platform. As a free tool, Zoho has a good feature set.

Zoho Show is more than just a slide deck designer. It’s designed with several use cases in mind, including collaboration, broadcasting, and publishing. The entire experience is web-based, too: there are no desktop apps to download, though apps are available for Android, Chromebook, iOS, Apple TV and Android TV.

Broadcast mode is designed for webinars and online presentations, and it offers some unique functionality for this. Attendees can toggle back through slides at their own pace, so they aren’t locked into the slide the presenter is currently on. The presenter still has access to any presentation notes and can see the current slide, as well as where attendees are currently looking. There’s also live chat support within Broadcast mode, perfect for gathering audience questions and feedback.

Zoho Show’s slide designer is minimalistic, streamlined, and relies heavily on contextual suggestions. This can be great if you’re a busy professional who doesn’t want to fuss with details, but it’s a limitation if you’re a pro designer looking for more granular controls.

As a cloud-based app, Zoho Show has some limits in its configurability. Don’t expect it to allow for multiple outputs to in-person screens, for example. But if you’re looking for a way to create beautiful, dynamic slide decks or to run them as powerful virtual meetings, Zoho Show is worth a look.

It also lets you work with more familiar formats. With Zoho Show, you can import a PowerPoint presentation, or save your show as a PowerPoint file. Again, it doesn’t have the in-person robustness of ProPresenter or even PowerPoint, but it’s a good option for online presentations.

ProPresenter Stands Head and Shoulders Above the Competition

There are plenty of options out there for basic office presentation needs. But if you need to do more, you need a more advanced solution. ProPresenter has spent 20 years developing, maintains a very active upgrade cycle, and has a deep roster of features and capabilities others can’t match.

Ready to see for yourself? Download the free trial today.

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Movavi Slideshow Maker

Flexible: 150+ filters, 100+ transitions, 40+ titles

Personal: use voice-over to tell your unique story

Easy: master in 5 minutes, explore your creativity for hours

• Learning Portal
• 14 Best Presentation Software in 2022

The Best Presentation Software

Searching for the best presentation software? There are plenty of options available depending on what you need. The following are some of the best presentation programs available based on the types of features and capabilities you're looking for in the ideal software.

Top free presentation software

Movavi Slideshow Maker uses a combination of simplicity and capability to allow users to create engaging slideshows. The tool includes all the features needed for beginners to get started, and it's also ideal for more experienced presentation creators. Simply upload your photos and videos, add an audio track, and complete your professional-looking presentation. Whether for personal or professional use, you can create the perfect slideshow with this easy-to-use software.

Easy to use with an intuitive design

Plenty of features available for creating top-quality presentations

The free version is limited to 7 days

Software type

Desktop app that's compatible with both Windows and Mac computers.

Capabilities

Allows users to create slideshows in three simple steps

Users can record their own voiceover commentary

Saves slideshows in any file format

Works with both Windows and Mac devices

Visit the CNET site below to see more reviews for this product.

Proceed to the CNET website

Visme makes it easy to create and share interactive presentations and other types of visuals such as infographics. The tool enables users to take any set of data and transform it into engaging visuals. It's a great tool to use for individuals and teams, and it allows you to publish your presentations online, download them locally, or use an embed code to put it on your website. Millions of users love Visme and rely on this presentation software.

High-quality output

Easy to use

Contemporary appealing templates for presentations

Includes branding features

Duplicate images needed for each project

Can take some time to learn how to use it

No offline version

Web-based browser program for computers and tablets.

Data visualization features

Content database for images and more

Video and streaming support

Drag and drop function

Microsoft Office integration

Interface for collaboration with a team

For more information and reviews about this product, visit the Capterra site below.

Proceed to the Capterra website

For one of the quickest ways to piece together a good-looking professional-level presentation on the web or with your iPhone, Haiku Deck is a great option. With a library consisting of over 40 million royalty-free images and thousands of design templates, you'll have everything you need to complete any presentation. You can also export your presentations in PPTX or video format.

Intuitive design makes it easy to use

Plenty of design options and photos

Limited in overall capabilities without many advanced options

Not too much room for customization

Web-based software that's compatible with browsers and iOS using the app.

Controllable via iPhone remote

Compatible with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox browsers

Can export files as PDFs or Powerpoint presentations

Can import and resize images

Private and public notes

For more information and reviews about Haiku Deck, visit the Capterra site below.

If you're looking for a good alternative to Powerpoint that can give you more visualizations and a variety of design options, Prezi is a great presentation software. Prezi allows you to begin with a blank canvas, and from there you can add and change content at any point on the page. Unlike Powerpoint and other tools, it's non-linear in its layout for more free-flowing presentation design. It's also free and web-based, allowing you to access it using any web-enabled computer.

Non-linear layout for free-form control

Free and web-based

Easy for everyone to use, regardless of experience

Non-linear format could lead to motion sickness for some, but simple moves between screens can prevent this problem

Requires some learning to get the hang of it

No local version

Desktop and web-based editor with viewer apps available for both Android and iOS.

Allows users to import Powerpoint presentations

Works with both Windows and Mac computers

iOS viewer app allows streaming on Apple TV devices

Can publish presentations locally, organizationally, or for all audiences on the web

Premium version includes analytics to give you insight on performance with audiences

Check out the review at PCMag below to find out more about Prezi.

Proceed to the PCMag website

As Powerpoint's complement for Apple devices, Keynote is another reliable tool worth considering. If you're familiar with Mac programs and their functions, you should learn how to use Keynote in no time. Plenty of templates and layouts are available, and you can easily include animations in your presentations. Adobe also powers its appealing interface and templates, and you can choose from different formats to save your presentations.

Easy to use for beginners and veteran users alike

A wide variety of designs and templates for presentation themes

Can handle animation

YouTube, Quicktime, and other formatting options

PC users won't have an easy time using this program if they aren't used to Mac programs

Mobile (Android & iOS), desktop, and web-based app requiring an iCloud account to use.

Users can open, save, and edit Powerpoint files and convert Keynote to Powerpoint format, but glitches can occur

Available through iCloud

Can control presentations using iOS device with Keynote remote for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Remote presentations using Keynote Live and a web-enabled device

Live Collaboration for team projects

For reviews that can help you decide if Keynote is right for you, visit the Macworld site below.

Proceed to the Macworld website

Google Slides

If you have a Google account, you can access Google Slides for free along with its other cloud-based programs. Google Slides comes with plenty of customization options to create a great-looking presentation with every use. You'll find it to be a great tool if you're looking for something free and easy to use. However, like other cloud-based versions of Google software, formatting presentations across programs like Powerpoint can require some tweaks.

Easily accessed via the cloud on Google Drives

Presentations created with the program will look the same across all devices

Web-based only with limited offline capabilities

Importing from Keynote or Powerpoint can yield poor results because of formatting differences

Exporting could also result in unfavorable results using different software

Mobile app on iOS and Android, along with a web-based Chrome App with an offline editor that requires either Chrome OS or the Chrome browser.

Powerpoint-Google Slides conversion, but glitches can occur

Real-time collaboration through comment, chat, and review

Can display on secondary screen using Airplay or Chromecast

Audience interaction feature that allows for live comments and questions

Presenter View can include notes and slide previews using a second window

Remote control via Android or iOS devices

Remote presentations through Google Hangouts

Connect with other Google apps including YouTube

Visit the Capterra site for more reviews and details about Google Slides.

Slidebean is a great user-friendly presentation software that anyone can use, with easy access to all of its resources. It also includes integrated AI that can help with formatting and design by assisting with font choices and slide arrangements. Create high-quality presentations using Slidebean in no time, and you can choose from different sharing options based on privacy preferences.

Easy to use with minimal learning curve

AI integration to make creating presentations even easier

Top-quality production

Some startup bugs

Need to spend money to access many features

Web-based software accessible using web-enabled devices.

AI design feature

Custom templates with custom colors and fonts

Collaboration with team

Audience insight

Branding with company logo

Professional reviews for presentations

Export presentations as PDFs

The G2 site linked below can take you to more reviews for Slidebean.

Proceed to the G2 website

Zoho Show is a cloud-based program that enables presentation creation and collaboration, along with broadcasting and publication. Plenty of visuals are available with this software to help you fully customize your presentations, whether you want to include photos, videos, tables, or charts. It also makes it easy to work with your team to collaborate on a small or large project.

Includes many features to customize your presentations

Chrome extension allows easy draft creation at any time

Live broadcasting allows you to showcase a presentation to an audience and engage in live chat and comments

Consumes resources and, subsequently, isn't as fast as Google Slides and other cloud-based programs

Web-based app along with native editor apps for both Android and iOS, with viewer apps available to download for Apple TV and Android TV.

Can import and export both Powerpoints and PDF files, but conversion may not be perfect

Internal, organizational, or public publishing of presentations, with iframe embed codes available to paste on websites

Web-based presentation view and remote capabilities via two browser windows

Android and iOS app for remote presentation creation

Streaming on Chromecast, Android TV, and Apple TV

Chrome extension helps optimize speed and web-based editor control

Visit the link below for additional reviews for Zoho Show.

Proceed to the GetApp website

Bring your presentations to life with CustomShow, which enables you to create engaging content with custom background images and video. You can also broadcast your presentations using the included webinar feature, and you don't even need to be online to give your presentation as you can share them with people to look through on their own. If you make any updates to your library, all linked slides are also updated accordingly.

Easy to create and share presentations with anyone

All changes are updated automatically if library changes

Simple management of presentations and library

No search function in library

Can't open links using mobile devices

A lack of editing features

Web-based software for any web-enabled computer.

Create a personal library combining images, text, video and Adobe Flash content

Updates are automatically shared with all users

Use with browsers, on both Mac and Windows computers

iPad application allows for seamless integration and remote presentations using iPad tablets

Visit the Capterra website to see more reviews for this program.

If you want to incorporate animations in your presentations, Powtoon is an excellent choice of presentation software. You'll find no shortage of images and templates for your presentations, and you can create them in little time. You can keep your presentations engaging through the use of an animated slideshow that plays like a video as opposed to a traditional click-through slideshow, but you can easily switch between both modes.

Many features to customize your presentations

A wide variety of templates

Can share presentations with the public

Offline saving is available

The interface can seem a little disorganized

Can take some time to load another user's presentation

Limited features on the free version, including the inability to download presentations over five minutes long

Web-based software for web-enabled devices.

Offline local presenting

Screen sharing to showcase presentations to others

Communication and content management

Image library

Project templates and planning

Search functionality

Two-factor authentication

Collaboration tools

Visit the link below for additional reviews and information about Powtoon.

Proceed to the Softwarehow website

Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond is another tool that's ideal if you want to create animated presentations. You can also collaborate with a team to work on a video project together. Features are also easy to use, regardless of your experience presentation software. The quality of animation and presentations is consistently high, and you can easily customize your presentations using audio files such as voice narration, sound effects, and music.

Very user-friendly and easy to use without any experience

Affordable for many businesses to use

High presentation quality

A bit of a learning curve to get used to the software

Library is limited in terms of character poses, styles, and objects

Cloud-based software accessible using any web-connected device.

Automatic lip-syncing with audio uploaded as MP3 files

Three styles that each come with pre-made templates along with characters and pre-animated assets

Version history allows you to revert to a previous version to track changes or create new videos from an existing custom template

Visit TrustRadius below for more reviews from customers who've used Vyond.

Proceed to the TrustRadius website

Microsoft Powerpoint is one of the most recognizable presentation tools, and there's a reason why millions of users still utilize it today. It's quick and easy to use, with plenty of customization options that give you complete control over your presentations. You'll also see better quality when presenting slides to a large audience compared to other software. Powerpoint isn't likely to go anywhere anytime soon.

Easy to use regardless of experience

Plenty of features with versatile presentation options

Can use it just about anywhere for any kind of presentation

Limited to users with Office 365 subscriptions

Can make it easy to overload slides with information to the point of being overwhelming

Microsoft Office 365 app for Windows and Apple computers.

SmartArt feature allows for creation of high-quality professional diagrams

Many transitions between slides

Animation effects

Slide Master View allows for consistent updating across entire presentations

Project from your devices to large audiences with consistent quality

For additional reviews and details about Powerpoint, visit G2 below.

Unlike other presentation software, Slidedog is specifically intended for presenting existing presentation files as opposed to creating them. You'll want to use Slidedog if you have a presentation but need a professional solution to present it to your audience. It's a great tool to use whether you want to present in front of a live audience or have the audience access the presentation remotely.

Interface is easy to use

Many useful features

Works with most presentation file formats

Organized and sleek design

Can't make changes to presentations

Can take a while to install

Many features are restricted to the paid version

Windows application for desktops and web-based app for any web-enabled device.

Presentation playlist allows for easy arrangement of files and media

Supports all file types without any glitches

Real-time sharing with remote control for playlists from any web-enabled device

Connect with audiences through presentation feedback, polls, and live audience chat

Dual-screen support

Can use for digital signage

To see reviews of this presentation software, visit the G2 site below.

Canva is a great presentation and design software that can make your presentations look great with custom graphic design. Over a million fonts, graphics, and images are available on Canva, and it's accessible for just about any user. You can use Canva to turn a simple idea into a beautiful professional-looking design that helps you get the most from your presentations.

Plenty of pre-made templates available with free and paid versions

Allows for easy collaboration with a team

Very user-friendly interface

Can slow down during use

Limited GIFs and many other feature limitations

Web-based design software accessible with web-enabled computers.

Unlimited folder storage for presentation designs

Team functionalities

Can upload any images

Unlimited storage for all images and other assets

Save templates locally or for your organization

Search functionality in the library

Can export files as GIFs

Compatible with custom fonts

Easy resizing of images and assets to custom dimensions

To learn more about this software and see additional reviews, visit the Techradar website below.

Proceed to the Techradar website

Frequently asked questions

💯 what is the best program to make a presentation.

The best presentation software will depend on your personal preferences and the specific features you're looking for in a program. However, the following are worth trying and can give you some ideas to help you pinpoint what you want.

Microsoft Powerpoint

❔ Is there better presentation software than PowerPoint?

If you would rather use presentation software other than PowerPoint if you don't have Microsoft Office, or simply want to try another program, there are plenty of PowerPoint alternatives to try. Take a look at the following list:

Renderforest

💻 What is better than Prezi?

Top 12 Prezi alternatives

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Top 10 Free Presentation Software for 2022

April 26, 2022

by Alexandra Vazquez

In this post

• Renderforest
• Beautiful.ai
• Personify Presenter

Let me just go ahead and shaaaaare myyyy screeeeen… 

Ok great. Can everyone see this? Today, I’ll be presenting about the best free presentation software for 2022. 

We’ve all been there: struggling to put together the perfect slides for a really important meeting or school project. Bringing a visual aid to the table is necessary to keep your audience engaged. 

But finding the right place to build your presentation is challenging. Are there templates? Are there customization tools? How much is this going to cost me? 

You can use presentation software to create interactive slide decks to elevate your message. Presentation software allows users to build dynamic slides , stay brand consistent, and utilize other forms of media like images and videos. These presentations can be made even more interactive when integrated with audience response systems to construct live polls and quizzes and video conferencing software to make everything digitally seamless. 

Free trials and free basic plans make upgrading your presentations a little easier on the bank. You can start building virtual presentations, adding immersive elements like animations and live participation tools, and collecting audience analytics – without spending a dime. 

What are the best free presentation software solutions for 2022?

• DocSend 
• Powtoon 
• Vyond 
• Personify Presenter 

Best free presentation solutions

Whether you're creating an instructional onboarding deck or showing off your latest metrics in a team meeting, there is a free presentation solution to fit your needs and wants.

The list below contains real user reviews from the best presentation software category. It’s important to note that in the context of this list, vendors that offer a free trial are also considered to be free . 

To be included in this category, a software must:

• Provide tools for building presentation slides
• Offer slide templates and themes
• Utilize unique slide animations and transitions
• Allow for users to embed text, audio, images, and videos within the presentation

*This data was pulled from G2 on April 4, 2022. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity. 

DocSend by Dropbox helps companies create and maintain presentations and other important documents. DocSend’s free trial allows users to increase file security, share content within their organization, and track link analytics. 

What users like:

"DocSend is simply a better way to share content with prospective clients, from documents and presentations to video clips and proposals. Prospective clients like the organized access to relevant content. It's quickly become a critical resource for us.”

What users dislike:

“Once you erase a version, you lose all the insights on it. It would be better to have a deposit of everyone reviewing the deck or document and improved version management.”

2. Renderforest

Renderforest is an all-in-one platform that brings presentations to life with graphics, videos, and animations. A free Renderforest plan allows for unlimited mockups, access to over 200,000 stock videos, and free subdomains. 

“Renderforest is one of the best online video software for any of my video projects. Whether it’s an animation, intro project, corporate presentation, or slideshow, Renderforest gives you user-friendly templates that are customizable, and the final product is very professionally done. Since using this platform, the amount of commendation that my projects have received is overwhelming.”

- Renderforest Review , Sherdon F.

“I would like to see more templates and more flexibility in Renderforest.”

Powtoon is a visual communication platform that allows users to animate their presentations. Powtoon offers access to hundreds of presentation templates, brand-consistent slides, and shareable folders with paid options and a free plan.

“The best thing about Powtoon is the user interface. It’s super intuitive and the professionally designed template library is feature-rich with scenes, characters, props, background music, and much more.”

- Powtoon Review , Zuber A.

“The free properties are unique but very limited. It would be great if they added more.”

4. Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai has smart templates to make presentation building a breeze. The Beautiful.ai paid plan options include onboarding guides, collaborative workspaces, viewer analytics, and more. Their free trial lets users get a taste of everything they offer.

“Beautiful.ai makes creating presentations easy. Just finished your slide and want to add another point? Not a problem: you can easily add a bullet or object or chart, and the whole slide magically moves around and realigns for you.”

- Beautiful.ai Review , Anne-Marie M.

“There’s a small learning curve when getting started on the platform. Because the design is automated, some people have trouble with the minor limitations around customization. Be patient and explore the platform in its entirety. Eventually, you'll see that the limitations are extremely helpful in creating congruency and professionalism in your presentations.”

emaze gives users the tools they need to automate the digital presentation building process. The emaze free basic plan includes unlimited PowerPoint importation, widgets, embedding, graphs, contact lists, audience analytics, and more.

“I love the ease of use with emaze, with an added professional look with extra flair. Every template is different, and there are templates for every topic you can think of. The ease of use and editing helps from year to year when I update the same topic.”

- emaze Review , Dianna W.

“I wish there were more templates available for those who are not as creative as others. In addition, when presenting, I wish the bar at the bottom would disappear so that people can’t see how much of the presentation is left.”

RELAYTO is a document experience platform for creating immersive presentations. RELAYTO has sharing, embedding, converting, and auto-generating tools. Qualified users can enjoy these features for free.

“My experience with RELAYTO has been truly eye-opening. The ability to add depth and dimension to presentations truly elevates our status in the eyes of prospects and clients as a company that brings professionalism and real value to them. We know how great our solutions and client services are, yet using other platforms doesn't do the job of conveying that to the client as RELAYTO does.”

- RELAYTO Review , Mike R.

“I have only ever designed for print, so there's a bit of a learning curve, but their support is top-notch. You can book a consultation with an expert on how you want to use the platform. Once over that curve, the results are remarkable.”

Vyond elevates presentations with video. With Vyond, presenters can utilize video animations, character creation, and social media sharing capabilities. Users can sign up for a free trial to see if Vyond is the right fit. 

“Vyond is really easy to learn, making it a great tool for our onboarding team members to learn and use right away. There is a low barrier for entry for new users, so we can rely on Vyond as a useful and result-oriented tool that our new team members can start using right away.”

- Vyond Review , Samantha L. 

“The objects available in the Vyond library are not fully customizable, plus the library is small. You may not always be able to find what you’re looking for. Adding a feature in which users can customize those objects would be a solution to this.”

Knovio is a smart platform for creating on-demand videos and presentations. It offers tools for adding video and audio narration to presentation slides, sharing content collections, and analyzing viewer engagement. The free lite version of Knovio lets users test drive some of these features. 

“Knovio has come quite a long way since I first used it. I love how responsive the company has been to improvement suggestions. I also love that you can edit your recording and replace slides.”

“The analytics are powerful; however, I feel creating custom reports could be improved.”

- Knovio Review , Tim D.

9. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is an audience engagement platform with tools to build interactive presentations, compile data from live polls, and collect insights about user participation. The Mentimeter free plan offers unlimited audiences and presentations. 

“Any presentation created with Mentimeter looks professional and presentable. Mentimeter takes care of the design aspect for you. It's straightforward and extremely easy to use. It's also flexible - I've used Mentimeter for live surveys, quizzes, and training. They've got excellent customer support, too. ”

- Mentimeter Review , Haley S.

“At times, Mentimeter can feel a bit overly simplistic or repetitive. Most Mentimeter presentations tend to look very similar, and the engagement tools are limited to a degree.”

10. Personify Presenter

Personify Presenter is an online platform for integrating audio and video into presentations. It offers tools for recording, live editing, file uploading, and writing for seamless presenting. A 30-day free trial lets users give Presenter a try.

“It’s one of the best presenter tools for business presentations. It consists of preset themes and fonts. It also has a library of images and GIFs which can be added to the slides. The notes function only displays to the presenter of the slides which helps them recall the content if necessary.”

- Personify Presenter Review , Kumar A.

“It doesn't recognize boundaries too well, and the video resolution is a little low compared to HD.”

Next slide, please!

Before you deliver project metrics or show your students what the lesson has in store for them today, consider whether automating your presentation could boost the message. No matter your skill level, presentation software gives you the tools you need to create a unique presentation experience and upgrade the way you share. 

If you have any questions, make sure to drop them in the chat.   

Ready to unmute and wow your audience? Find out how you can elevate a virtual presentation and bring your content to life.

The (slide) show must go on!

Create interactive slides, embed multimedia, utilize smart templates, and improve participation in a new way with presentation software.

Alexandra Vazquez is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at G2. She received her Business Administration degree from Florida International University and is a published playwright. Alexandra's expertise lies in writing for the Supply Chain and Commerce personas, with articles focusing on topics such as demand planning, inventory management, consumer behavior, and business forecasting. In her spare time, she enjoys collecting board games, playing karaoke, and watching trashy reality TV.

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What’s the difference between office 2021 (one-time purchase) and microsoft 365 (subscription).

Office 2021 is sold as a one-time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer. One-time purchases are available for both PCs and Macs. However, there are no upgrade options, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you'll have to buy it at full price.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription that includes the most collaborative, up-to-date features in one seamless, integrated experience. Microsoft 365 includes the robust Office desktop apps that you’re familiar with, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You also get extra online storage and cloud-connected features that let you collaborate on files in real time. With a subscription, you'll always have the latest features, fixes, and security updates along with ongoing tech support at no extra cost. You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis, and the Microsoft 365 Family plan lets you share your subscription with your family for up to 6 people, and use your apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.

I'm an existing Office 365 subscriber. What does this mean for me?

How do i know if my pc or mac can run microsoft 365, will microsoft 365 be identical on a pc and on a mac, do i keep control of my documents with a microsoft 365 subscription, is internet access required for microsoft 365.

Internet access is required to install and activate all the latest releases of apps and services included in all Microsoft 365 subscription plans. Note that if you are an existing subscriber, you do not need to reinstall or purchase another subscription.

For Microsoft 365 plans, Internet access is also needed to manage your subscription account, for example to install Office apps on other PCs or to change billing options. Internet access is also required to access documents stored on OneDrive, unless you install the OneDrive desktop app .

You should also connect to the Internet regularly to keep your version of Microsoft 365 up to date and to benefit from automatic upgrades. If you do not connect to the Internet at least every 31 days, your apps will go into reduced functionality mode, which means that you can view or print your documents but cannot edit the documents or create new ones. To reactivate your apps, simply reconnect to the Internet.

You do not need to be connected to the Internet to use the Office apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, because the apps are fully installed on your computer.

What is a Microsoft account and why do I need it for Microsoft 365?

Your Microsoft account is the combination of an email address and password that you use to sign in to services like OneDrive, Xbox LIVE, and Outlook.com. If you use any of these services, you already have a Microsoft account that you can use or you can create a new account. Learn more about a Microsoft account .

As part of signing up for a trial or purchasing Microsoft 365, you will be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account. You must be signed in with this account to install and manage your Microsoft 365 subscription, or to use some subscription benefits, including cloud storage.

How many people can use a Microsoft 365 subscription?

How do i share my subscription benefits with members of my family.

If you have an active Microsoft 365 Family subscription, you can share it with up to five other people. Each person you share your subscription with can install Microsoft 365 on all their devices and sign in to five devices at the same time.

To add someone to your subscription, visit your Microsoft Account and follow the on-screen instructions to add a user. Each person you add will receive an email with the steps they need to follow. Once they have accepted and completed the steps, their information, including the installs they are using, will appear on their My Account page. You can stop sharing your subscription with someone or remove a device they are using by going to your Microsoft Account .

If I’m not paying for a subscription, what do I get for free?

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How Does Your Firm Stack Up When It Comes To Legal Tech? A Look Through the 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

• Brett Burney

The 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report measures current legal technology trends. How does your firm compare to the rest?

Lawyers are rarely accused of rushing into change, but current legal technology trends show a few glimmers of hope that (slowly but surely) law firms are realizing the significance of incorporating technology into their litigation practice to remain relevant and competitive. The 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report: Vol. 5 – Litigation Technology & E-Discovery reveals that law firms went through a belt-tightening phase in 2020 & 2021 but then made investments in 2022 to improve their litigation offerings.

Smaller Firms Focused on More Litigation

If you practice at a “small” or “mid-size” firm then you’re in good company according to the Technology Survey Report. A full 76% of the respondents practiced at firms with less than 99 attorneys, with the largest group (32%) in firms with between 2-9 attorneys and the next largest segment (25%) covered 10-49 attorney firms. Almost half (46%) of these attorneys identified themselves as “primarily litigation .” 

All of this works out wonderfully for customers of the Nextpoint ediscovery software platform because we devote a lot of resources to supporting smaller law firms that do not have a full-time litigation support department. If you’re a lawyer in one of these firms, you need to spend your time on “legal things” instead of worrying about cyber security , data processing , and the logistics of trial presentation . With our team of ediscovery and litigation experts , we can take care of all that for you. 

Software for Litigation & Ediscovery

The ABA Legal Technology Survey Report explored legal technology trends in three primary types of litigation software : 1) litigation support software , 2) deposition/transcript management software , and 3) trial presentation software .

Apparently, respondents to the survey interpreted “litigation support software” to be synonymous with “ ediscovery software ,” since the majority of the purchases in this area were made for “document review/viewing” (56.8%), Bates stamping (54.1%), full-text search (48.6%), OCR (46%), redaction (37.8%), generating document productions (32.4%), and annotation (24.3%).

When asked what features of litigation support / ediscovery software were most useful to litigation teams, the two top responses were for 1) full-text search and 2) document review , which is going to be difficult to procure if you’re not using a dedicated ediscovery platform like Nextpoint . Those firms who still insist on manually printing out documents for review are struggling unnecessarily and falling behind in the competitive landscape. 

Where Should Data Be Stored?

Interestingly, 30% of survey respondents said that they would prefer to have software installed internally behind a firewall, while only 20% prefer software that is hosted externally and accessed through the internet, such as a private cloud .

While there are a small number of scenarios and clients that demand local installations with limited access requirements, the most acceptable and secure option for the vast majority of firms today is a cloud-based ediscovery platform . In fact, most cloud-based software providers have extensive security measures that would be impossible to enact with an on-premise solution .

Just make sure you ask the right questions to understand the security and protections that your cloud-based provider has in place. (Check out our eGuide on managing ediscovery in the cloud for tips.)

What Type of Ediscovery Software Do Attorneys Prefer?

The lawyers who have worked on cases involving ESI were asked about their ediscovery software preferences, and a whopping 38% said that they don’t use an ediscovery review solution . Unsurprisingly, this percentage decreases as the size of the firm increases, meaning that many smaller and solo firms are working with electronic data without the right tools and software . 

For those lawyers who do use ediscovery review software , the most popular choice was an “all-in-one solution”, which was described as “including sophisticated tools to assist in your processing , production , analytics , and review .” These solutions work well for cases and firms of all sizes, and for both experienced technical experts and those beginning to make the switch to specialized ediscovery software .

The Nextpoint ediscovery software platform has been designed to cover all aspects of document review ( processing , analysis , review , production ) and much more beyond that. Customers use Nextpoint for large, complex cases as well as “simple” review projects , and the key factor is that Nextpoint provides a secure , dependable, and consistent repository for hosting all of the documents related to a matter.

How often do you need to use ediscovery software ? Well, because every litigation matter today involves electronically stored information (ESI) , you should be using ediscovery software in every litigation matter ! Discovery is ediscovery . If you’re still manually reading through discovery documents, you are falling behind the acceptable level of responsibility in today’s litigation landscape. 

Most attorneys prefer an all-in-one ediscovery solution that offers tools for processing, production, analytics, and review.

Legal Technology Trends: Searching in Ediscovery Software

What tasks are litigators performing in ediscovery software ? Perhaps not surprisingly, the “search term” is still the primary technique used to process and review ESI , as 80.6% of respondents confirmed it is their preferred method for reviewing data and even performing early case assessment (51.9% of respondents stated they used keyword searches for ECA ).

A close second was “natural language search” at 66.7%, which many platforms provide as their default search method . Next, “concept searching” and “AI-assisted search” both came in at 28%, and “predictive coding” held the bottom at 19.2%. In those scant cases where predictive coding was used, the handful of respondents stated it was for “document prioritization” (89.3%), and it was only used because they had a “short time frame” – in other words, it was not their first choice. Seventy-three percent of respondents stated they were completely unfamiliar with predictive coding. 

Predictive coding , also known as TAR or Technology Assisted Review, was once heralded as the revolutionary technology that would transform ediscovery practices . Of course, technology is a tremendous and necessary tool in modern litigation , but sometimes, the tried and true methods, like a classic keyword search , will prevail.

The classic keyword search remains the most popular way for legal teams to organize and review ESI.

Searching, Supervising, and Summarizing Transcripts

Only one question in the survey asked if deposition/transcript management software was available at the law firm , and only 34% answered in the affirmative. That’s a bit surprising, since not every litigation matter will go to trial , but almost every matter will have a need to manage and summarize transcripts from hearings or depositions . It’s unfortunate that more firms are not offering this critical piece of the litigation software pie, but perhaps it’s because there aren’t many useful offerings on the market today for managing depositions . 

The Nextpoint platform has always included tools for managing, searching, and organizing transcripts because we believe it’s such an important component of a comprehensive litigation management package. Nextpoint provides a single repository where all deposition transcripts can be uploaded, organized and accessed by the entire litigation team . All of the transcripts can be searched, designations and reports can be generated, and exhibits can be linked to the text.

Only 34% of attorneys have access to deposition transcript management software. A software solution like Nextpoint that combines ediscovery with trial prep will ensure you have all the tools you need in one place.

Trial Presentation Proficiency

When asked “Do you practice in a courtroom ?” 66% of respondents answered “Yes,” with an average of 23 courtroom appearances per year. The overwhelming choice for trial presentation software appears to be Microsoft PowerPoint (81.4%), but that choice might be attributable to the fact that PowerPoint is always associated with presentations. While Microsoft PowerPoint is excellent for clicking through linear presentations (e.g. next slide, next slide, etc.), the software doesn’t allow you to jump to different documents easily, or zoom into important sections for emphasis. 

Over 20 years ago, Nextpoint began its cloud-based journey by offering a simple and easy-to-access trial presentation tool that allowed users to quickly create a “callout” on a document, highlight text, and use drawing tools to focus the audience’s attention. Those tools are baked into the suite of litigation software . 

The ABA Legal Technology Survey also asked who was primarily responsible for operating courtroom technology during court appearances. The largest segment (30.5%) stated that the attorneys themselves were the primary operators, but 10% of the time it was “another attorney from their firm,” a paralegal (9%), or a “litigation support consultant” (8%). 

If an attorney is completely comfortable with juggling both the substantive arguments in a hearing along with the technical logistics of presenting information , then a platform like Nextpoint is a perfect tool . But since we at Nextpoint have been supporting trials for over two decades, we also know there are times when you need a professional, reliable “hot-seater” that can handle all the technical logistics from setup to presentation to takedown. Our trial services team can even help you devise the most effective way to present information to your audience and develop the most effective demonstrative exhibits or plans. 

How Does Your Firm Stack Up?

This look into the 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report: Vol. 5 – Litigation Technology & E-Discovery should provide you with a good idea of how law firms are implementing the critical software for managing litigation matters . Where does your firm stand in the litigation technology landscape?

If you’re in the camp that practices ediscovery without any specialized software , it may be time to adopt a comprehensive ediscovery software solution . Legal data volumes are rapidly growing, and it’s better to incorporate software into your practice before you end up with a case that is simply unmanageable without specialized tools .

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Trial Director

When you start off in the litigation support field, your firm may not even own licensing for trial presentation software, so there’s a good chance you’ve never seen or even heard of TrialDirector®. And when you finally see it, you still may not fully grasp the value of a software program like it.

I know I didn’t, even after starting work at inData Corporation and later moving to Ipro. It was only after training and consulting law firms for months on TrialDirector software, while customizing case management tactics and workflows to help clients be prepared for trial, before I fully understood. But when you ultimately sit in the hot seat to support firms with presentation in the courtroom, there’s no doubt about its value.

An attorney’s job is to tell a true and complete story with words, using months, if not years of case management, motions, discovery, productions, hearings, and finally a trial. TrialDirector puts all of those things together in just a few seconds to enhance the presentation of the evidence to the 12 members of the jury. Evidence gets you to trial but telling the story of the evidence to the jury wins it.

So, what is TrialDirector exactly? On paper, TrialDirector is software that gives attorneys a way to present their evidence in a clear, concise manner the jury can understand. It helps organize documentary and testimonial evidence for easy presentation and offers advanced functionality and workflows that best help attorneys prepare for trial or alternative dispute resolution. In other words, framed in the reality of the courtroom, TrialDirector is the workhorse that will help you win.

Below are some examples from my experiences in court which best show the impact of trial presentation software. Both examples took seconds to execute after receiving direction from the attorney.

* Please note that words, terms, and phrases have been modified to use as examples in this article.

Example #1: Counsel: I would like to present testimony from Mr. Smith’s deposition, dated January 1, 2015. As you’ll see on page 15 it states… TD Hot Seat Operator: Presents page 15 with question and answer prestaged with a call out and a highlight.

Example #2: Counsel: I would like to present the signed copy of the Purchase Agreement. TD Hot Seat Operator: Presents exhibit number one on the Presentation Screen, then quickly navigates directly to page 22, then to a call out and highlight of the signature. Counsel: I would also like to reference the sixth paragraph found on page 17 of exhibit number one. TD Hot Seat Operator : Transitions current image to the left-hand side of the screen and presents page 17 of exhibit number one directly to the right-hand side of the screen.

Anyone can fully understand the value of TrialDirector when it’s experienced firsthand in the courtroom. But I knew for a fact it was making an impact when, more than once, opposing counsel came over to my station either during or after the trial and asked, “What software are you using?”

This article was originally published in Facts & Findings – Q1 2020 issue. To read the full publication please Log In to your personal NALA account. 

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