mac video presentation software

• Apple Pencil
• Apple Watch
• All Smart TVs

In This Article

15 software used for mac presentation, 6 online presentation software for mac, does mac have presentation software, how do you create a presentation on mac, is there a mac version of powerpoint, is powerpoint better than keynote, let your presentation talk, related articles, 15 best presentation software for mac [reviewed & ranked].

Follow on Twitter

Updated on: February 08, 2024

Presentations are integral to any design: how else would you explain your idea to your client or team? People tend to leave presentations as the last possible step of their process and don’t give them as much time and attention as they need.

If you are a designer, architect, artist, businessman, or any other person that regularly makes subpar presentations, take your game to the next level with some of the best presentation software for mac !

You don’t want to download or install any App? Then check these 6 online presentation software for mac .

Here is some of the best presentation software for Mac that you can use to make your ideas and design extraordinary:

Price: Free Best for: Mac users

Keynote is one of the top presentation software for Mac and comes included with most Apple devices.

With its stunning features and powerful tools, you can bring your slides to life and create the most effective presentations for your clients or your boss.

• Best in-built presentation software for Mac
• Simple and intuitive
• Poor compatibility with windows presentation software
• Presentations can take too much storage
• Does not have as many editing tools as PowerPoint

2. FlowVella

Price: Free (limited version) or $10/month Best for: Mac users

This presentation software is excellent to combine words, images, videos, links, PDFs, and other media into a presentation.

This way, having an interactive presentation is easy.

It’s oriented towards marketing, HR professionals, and sales teams.

• Great Drag & Drop Feature
• Dozens of free templates
• You have to buy the software to use all the features and tools

3. Prezi for Mac

Price: Free (limited version) or starting at $10/month Best for: Mac users

Prezi for Mac is another great Mac presentation software that lets you create dynamic presentations. It has a trial version of 14 days.

The bad thing about making presentations is choosing a video or image to put into it. But not with Prezi.

Prezi is a leader in the video presentation movement and allows you to make the most interactive slides for your presentation.

• Great User Interface
• Zoom and overview feature
• Integration with Zoom Software
• It takes time and practice to learn how to work on Prezi.
• Not easy for beginners.

Price: Starting at $35 Best for: Mac users

Deckset is a unique presentation software that lets you put your ideas and thoughts into it and makes the slides for you.

This is great for people that want to spend less time and energy making slides for their presentation but is only for text-based presentations.

It includes a trial version to try before purchasing the complete presentation software.

• It designs your slides for you, taking off most of the pressure of creating a presentation
• Trial Version
• It is a very costly software to buy

5. PowerPoint

Price: Free (With a Microsoft 365 subscription) Best for: Mac users

PowerPoint for Mac is old but gold.

It is one of the oldest presentation software and allows you to create beautiful slides with multiple templates of your choice.

This software has many tools and features that make the presentation process fun and easy.

• Easy and simple to use
• Multiple free templates
• Lack of creativity in the included templates
• Display Compatibility issues

6. LibreOffice’s Impress

In this software for Mac, multiple editing and viewing modes make the process of editing and creating slides versatile and interactive.

This software is great for presentations that are mostly text-based.

• Free software
• It does not put a lot of strain on your system
• Not very good user interface
• Lack of integration with other presentation software

7. iSkySoft Slideshow Maker

Price: $59.95 Lifetime Best for: Mac users

iSkyDoft Slideshow Maker has to be one of the best presentation software for Mac.

It allows the user to add text, photos, and videos to the slides and music, which makes the entire experience of watching a presentation even better.

This presentation software can be used to beautifully commemorate an event, activity, design process, or team activity in one file.

Moreover, the software also has a ton of features and aftereffects that can be added to make the presentation even better.

• Easy-to-use interface with a ton of incredible features
• It has a steep subscription fee that might not be good for beginners or one-time users

8. Focusky 3D

Price: starting at $9.9 Best for: Mac users

If you want to make a presentation on your desktop but also want it to work on other devices, such as your phone or tablet, Focusky is the perfect software for you.

Focusky is a powerful 3D presentation software for Mac with a wide range of tools that allows you to customize your presentation according to your taste.

to customize your presentation according to your taste.

• It works great offline and doesn’t require any internet
• Powerful export functionality (slides into gift/flash)
• Unexciting slide visual effects
• It requires a bit of learning before you can successfully use it

9. TouchCast Pitch

TouchCast Pitch is one of the presentation software that you automatically gravitate towards when you want to make a meaningful, impactful, and interactive presentation.

Pitch turns boring presentations into winning experiences that make it hard to forget.

• It has a huge library of tools and interesting features for your use
• A bit hard to learn and teach students

If you’re trying to make a presentation in less time with the least effort and still hoping it will come out beautiful, Canva is the perfect software to use.

With its extensive features and tools, the software allows you to edit, customize, and create your slides for presentation in record time.

• It is free, simple, and has a good user interface.
• It allows you to create stunning designs in mere minutes
• It is not a specific software for presentations.
• It does not have as many interesting features as other presentation software

Price: Free or $8/month Best for: Mac users

If the presentations that Pitch lets you make are half as interactive and fun as their website, there is no better software for Mac to do presentations.

It has multiple great tools, effects, templates, and designs available for you to use for your presentation or get inspired to create your own.

• Team Collaboration feature
• Great Support Team
• It has a bit of a learning curve, especially for a beginner
• A limited selection of templates

12. WPS Office for Mac

Price: Free (limited version) or $ 25.21 / year Best for: Mac users

WPS Office must be the essential software on your desktop, whether it is Windows or Mac.

The WPS Office for Mac has all the features and tools that let you document your process and create some of the simplest and easiest presentations for your work meetings and project discussions.

• It allows for collaboration
• Easy documentation
• It doesn’t have a lot of tools for PDF editing or grammar-check for text

13. Premast Plus

Price: Free or $5.99/month Best for: Mac users

If you are a designer, or any other creative folk, looking for beautiful graphic presentation software, there is none better than Premast Plus.

It gives you a wide range of tools, templates, illustrations, and icons to use for your presentation to make it the best you can!

• Very simple
• Wide Range of rich templates
• A lot of the tools and features of this software are available only after you purchase a subscription
• A bit unstable.

14. Movavi Slideshow Maker

Price: Free Trial or $37 Best for: Mac users

Movavi Slideshow Maker is great for unconventional presentations as it lets you add images, videos, text, music, transitions, and effects to your file.

It allows you to create a movie out of your work, making the entire presentation fun and engaging.

• It has great and simple user-interface
• It lacks a lot of features and does not have the tools for professional editing and presentation-making

15. Propresenter – Church Presentations

Price: starting at $399 Best for: Mac users

Propresenter is a church presentation software for Mac that allows you to create a beautiful presentation for a sermon.

It can include worship lyrics, sermon notes, videos, images, etc., to create an impactful and powerful presentation.

The best thing about this software is that it is excellent for beginners.

• Perfect presentation software for church
• It has all the tools that you might need to add music, lyrics, sermon, and text.
• Very expensive software and only best for professionals

1. Slidesbean

Slidesbean is an innovative online presentation software for Mac that does most of the heavy lifting while making the presentation.

It has great features and interactive tools that offer everything you need to build the perfect pitch for your presentation!

Great for entrepreneurs who want to create a beautiful pitch deck.

• Great analytics
• The templates look great
• The result looks very professional
• Videos have to be uploaded to third-party platforms
• The AI feature is not too helpful
• Export for PowerPoint only exports as image

2. Renderforest

Looking for a great online presentation software for Mac that allows you to create stunning videos, animations, branding, mockups, presentations, and more?

Renderforest is the perfect site for beginners and professionals.

• High quality & professional looking templates
• Mind-blowing animations
• Video templates look great
• Free version available
• Limited customization
• Can be a bit pricy
• No iOS or Android app
• Video render time can take long

3. Zoho Show

The great thing about this online presentation software for Mac is that it allows for a group/team to collaborate on the process of creating a presentation.

It is a clean, simple, and easy software that makes creating presentations seamless and simple.

• Includes infographics
• Supports real-time collaboration
• It has good template designs
• It has a Chrome web browser extension that makes it easier to work on the slides.
• It allows broadcasting presentations
• Easy-to-use transitions
• Interface can be a bit slow on low-end devices
• Interface could be better
• No desktop App available

Visme is a fan favorite for brands, big and small, to create stunning presentations.

It has numerous templates and color pallets to choose from that make the entire process of making a presentation easy.

• Allows you to create a brand identity with “My brand” feature
• Disk capacity and usage limit can be low on basic and free plans
• No support for collaborators
• Learning curve
• Free version is way too limited
• The interface could be better

5. Google Slides

Google Slides is the most popular online presentation software that is used by millions worldwide.

It provides the basic tools and features necessary to create a striking presentation.

• Fast and easy to use
• Includes real-time collaborative mode
• It’s free
• Connected with Google services like Google Drive
• It doesn’t support non-Google-based fonts
• Limited templates
• Limited transitions and animations
• It won’t provide support for audio imports

Slides are one of the online presentation software that makes your presentation look extremely sleek and professional.

It is a must for all designers and project managers!

If you need to bring project management to the next level, then you must check out the best project management software for Mac .

• Supports custom HTML and CSS
• Supports two directions (vertical & horizontal)
• Smooth and fast interface
• Supports LaTeX
• It doesn’t provide templates
• It doesn’t support PowerPoint exports

Mac has a presentation software already preinstalled in all Apple devices called Keynote. It is completely free and it allows you to create stunning presentations for school projects, your business, your office, etc. It is available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even for PCs.

Keynote includes real-time collaboration with your team, which is an essential feature now that everything is done online.

You can create a presentation on Mac with the help of Keynote. To create a keynote presentation follow these 3 steps:

• Choose a theme.
• Add your content to the placeholder images and texts.
• Create a presentation from the slides.

Yes. Microsoft PowerPoint is available for download on Mac and your phone, tablet, or PC, but you would need a Microsoft 365 subscription on your device to use it on Mac. The software isn’t identical to the Windows one but is quite similar with only a few minor differences in menu and layout.

Where PowerPoint is the most common presentation software for everyone worldwide, Keynote has been declared a better presentation software for Mac users, especially for professionals.

But if you are looking for a variety of editing tools, features, and templates for your presentation, there is nothing that trumps PowerPoint.

Creating a powerful presentation is an essential part of your strategy, whether you are a businessman, a designer, an architect, or a project manager.

It would be best if you had a presentation that doesn’t bore your audience and manages to convey all the key information in the best possible way.

All the software mentioned above are some of the most extraordinary presentation software for Mac and can help you create a memorable presentation.

• How To Create A Page Like a PowerPoint Presentation
• 9+ Best Photo Management Software For Mac
• 13 Top Landspace Design Software For Mac
• 9 Best Database Software For Mac
• Top 19 Architect Software For Mac

Juwairiah Zia

Juwairiah Zia is a seasoned professional, a full stack developer and writer in her free time. She’s deeply immersed in various tech domains such as web and mobile application development and mentorship.

Don’t Miss…

• Legal Notice
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy

A project by Alvaro Trigo

15 Best Video Presentation Software to Try in 2024

Ready to make an outstanding video presentation? Here are the best tools to help you learn how to make video presentations and create one in no time.

Victoria Greywing

11 minute read

With the rise in remote work, online classes, and virtual events, video presentations have become a crucial aspect of effective communication.

In fact, having a video in a presentation already shows that 32% more people will interact with your content .

Making a video presentation takes time, so having a reliable tool is more important than ever. That's why we've compiled a list of the best video presentation software to try this year.

Whether you're a marketer, educator, or business owner, these tools offer a range of features to help you create engaging and memorable presentations.

Factors to consider when choosing video presentation software

1. ease of use.

The worst thing you need to avoid is spending hours learning how to use tools, not getting any work done, and then giving up in frustration. The software should be easy to use, even for those with limited technical skills. This will ensure that you can create presentations quickly and efficiently.

2. Customizability

Customization is the part that adds a creative look to your presentations. Such tools should allow you to customize your presentations to suit your needs and the preferences of your customers.

This includes the ability to add your branding elements like logo, banner, etc., choose from a range of templates, and add multimedia.

3. Interactive features

Although not essential, interactive elements help engage your audience. Adding quizzes and polls, allowing users to comment on slides, and even embedding videos or other content makes your presentations more memorable.

4. Advanced editing tools

There is no good video presentation without editing. You need tools like an image editor that offer important features like transitions, filters, captions, pitcure upscaling , etc. This will help you create more professional-looking presentations that can grab the viewers’ attention.

5. Compatibility & sharing options

The best video presentations are those that can easily be shared with others. The tool should offer quick export options and compatibility with different devices.

Whether it’s through email or social media, you should be able to easily share the presentations with other users.

Our top 15 video presentation software

Jump ahead to page section.

Powtoon is a cloud-based animation tool that is ideal for displaying data visually . It's an excellent option for HR teams, educators, and marketers who want to create eye-catching materials for their presentations.

The tool offers a range of templates, characters, and backgrounds that you can customize as you like.

Powtoon’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create videos even if you have no prior experience.

You can add text, images, and other visual elements to quickly compose captivating animated videos that share your ideas and stories.

Plus, you can upload audio clips or background music to accompany your visuals and further enhance the impact of your message.

Powtoon is compatible with both Windows and Mac and offers a range of subscription options, making it accessible to everyone.

This versatility further cements its reputation one of the best ai video editing software apps available.

Source: Powtoon

• Great for creative video content
• Drag-and-drop interface
• Wide range of templates
• Quick share to social media and other platforms
• Offers team collaboration
• Slow loading speed for some users
• Watermark in the free plan

Pricing: 3-month free trial, $15/month for Lite, $60/month for Professional, $100/month for Agency

Movavi Video Editor

Movavi Video Editor helps you learn how to make effective presentations with its intuitive tools. It's user-friendly and offers plenty of features for both beginners and professionals alike.

Do you need a specific transition or title effect? This tool offers a wide selection of them. You’ll also find a library of sounds, music, backgrounds, and text editing options.

Furthermore, you can record your voice and add it to your video as a separate audio track.

Movavi Video Editor has many filters and special effects that will fit any occasion. From retro filters to artistic effects, you can add unique touches to your presentation to impress your audience.

More advanced features include AI background removal , denoizer, and upscaling feature as well as audio editing tools, color correction, and more.

Source: Movavi

• Intuitive interface
• Supports all popular video and audio formats
• Great editing features
• Massive media library
• Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD hardware acceleration
• Free trial limits the audio length and adds a watermark on the output video

Pricing: 7-day free trial, $54.95/year, $74.95 for a lifetime license

A video maker for presentation videos, Lumen5 has everything from business and marketing to educational or training materials, suitable for all types of presenters.

The uniqueness of this platform is its AI-driven text-to-video feature. You can simply enter your text, and Lumen’s video maker will automatically create a video based on your content.

The tool offers a library of images, videos, and music, which you can use to create professional-looking video presentations. You can also upload your images, videos, and audio to customize your video.

Source: Lumen5

• Easy to use
• AI-powered video maker
• Millions of images, videos, and music
• Real-time collaboration feature
• Fewer animation options
• Slow render speed

Pricing: Community (free), $79/month for Basic, $199/month for Starter, $29/month for Professional, Enterprise (custom price)

Storydoc is a revolutionary interactive platform for efficient content creation. It combines templates and a powerful drag-and-drop builder to help you create stories, reports, presentations, and other content quickly.

This online tool provides an intuitive visual editing experience, allowing you to add text, images, GIFs, videos, music, and more.

This tool turns static documents into immersive content experiences that boost engagement, encourage conversion, and stay memorable in readers’ minds.

Storydoc also comes with comprehensive content analytics that lets you see how readers interact with your content and optimize based on what you find.

• Ready-made business templates
• Interactive elements
• Integrations with CRM tools and other apps
• Limited customization
• Few editing options

Pricing: 14-day free trial, $30/month for Starter, $45/month for Pro, Team plans (contact for details)

With Canva, you can easily make professional-looking visuals for websites, social media posts, presentations, posters, and more, without needing any design experience.

Just drag and drop elements onto the slides, add your own images, videos, or audio, or pick one from Canva's library. You can even customize the fonts, colors, and other details for each design. Canva also provides a vast library of event templates like invitation templates , poster templates, flyer templates, and many more.

The best thing is that by using the “Present and record” feature you can transform your presentation into a video format. Select your microphone and webcam and quickly record yourself talking as you show your slides.

Source: Canva

• Variety of templates
• Highly customizable
• Quick share
• Free version limitations
• Can't mix different designs

Pricing: Canva Free, 1-month free trial or $119.99/month for Canva Pro, $149.90/month for Canva for Teams

Biteable is a simple and powerful online video maker that anyone can use. There are many animations, videos & images, soundtracks, and recordings you can add to your project as well as upload your own content.

With a script mode, you can entirely avoid complex editing and use Biteable’s built-in text editor to write out your script. Once you’ve finished, the platform automatically creates an animation based on the script.

All the media is stored in different categories, making it easy to find what you need. You can also measure the performance of your video using Biteable’s analytics feature.

Source: TechCrunch

• Various tools and media are available
• Simple sharing by email, Slack, WhatsApp, and even SMS
• Online collaboration
• Limited editing options
• Can't download video files directly from the platform

Pricing: 7-day free trial, $99/month for Pro, $199/month for Teams

Synthesia is an AI-driven tool for any content creator who loves storytelling and presenting information. It's ideal for creating short animated explainer videos, tutorials, and product demos, as well as for crafting impactful marketing stories.

The platform helps you create a video in minutes with its AI-powered technology. You simply type the text you need to create a video, choose your desired avatar and voice style, and Synthesia does the rest.

You can also customize your video by adding text, shapes, images, and music, and even recording your presentation .

Source: Synthesia

• Intuitive user interface
• Simple video creation process
• Ready-made avatars, voices, and scenes
• Few features in a personal plan
• No collaboration options

Pricing: Free demo (200 words limit), $30/month for Personal, custom price for Corporate

Animoto is an incredibly versatile platform that’s made for various kinds of videos, including video presentations, slideshows, social media content, and more.

Featuring advanced tools like automatic video production and an array of aesthetic templates, it's easy to create eye-catching presentations in minutes.

Animoto offers a library of royalty-free stock footage so you can find the perfect scene to fit your project.

Best of all, users can make their work stand out by adding custom branding and logos, music, transitions, captions, and graphics.

Source: Animoto

• AI-powered smart video creator
• Customizable templates and themes
• Limited customization options
• No advanced audio editing tools are available

Pricing: Free, $8/month for Basic, $15/month for Professional, $39/month for Professional Plus

Animaker is a DIY tool that offers a wide selection of animated styles like 2D and 3D objects, whiteboards, and infographics as well as vibrant backgrounds and scenes.

You can customize the content with text, voiceover, and music options and drag and drop them into your project.

The interesting part is you can build a character representing you to enliven your presentation. Animaker also offers 100M+ stock images and videos and 1000+ templates to choose from.

Source: Animaker

• User-friendly & intuitive interface
• Drag & drop editing
• Versatile animations
• Character builder for personalization
• Limited music library
• Few scene templates

Pricing: Free trial, $10/mo for Basic, $19/mo for Starter, $49/mo for Pro, Enterprise (contact for details)

Wideo is a web-based video maker for industries like marketing, education, and e-commerce.

You can create explainer videos, promotional videos, product demos, and more. With a rich library of cartoon elements, you can build a video from scratch or take advantage of the professional templates that come with the platform.

In Wideo player automatically generates a transcript based on the video’s text and you can switch between video and presentation modes to get a better idea of how the video will look.

Video saves in MP4 format and you can share it on YouTube and other social media.

Source: Wideo

• Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor
• Text-to-speech feature
• Pre-made templates for quick creation
• Low-quality templates compared to other tools

Vimeo is a well-known video hosting platform where you can upload and share videos. But it also has an easy-to-use video maker, allowing you to create attention-grabbing videos.

The platform offers a large music library where you can find the perfect tune for your video. With Vimeo’s portfolio feature, you can organize your videos into collections and even create a custom URL for your portfolio.

For making video presentations, Vimeo has many templates you can customize and add your own visuals. Change the scale, opacity, and style of text and graphics, and add layouts, transitions, stickers, narration, and more.

Source: Vimeo

• Built-in sharing options
• Customizable templates
• Integration with multiple popular tools, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack.
• Few advanced video editing options
• Very limited access to features in a free plan

Pricing: Free plan, $12/month for Starter, $20/month for Standard, $65/month for Advanced, Enterprise (contact sales)

Vyond provides cartoon animations and videos with customizable characters, scenes, and text effects. This easy-to-use software helps bring your stories and brand presentation messages to life.

The platform comes with many templates based on job roles, categories, and styles.

You can mix them up or start from scratch with a blank canvas and add your own visuals. You can also record your voice directly from the microphone or use text-to-speech .

Source: Vyond

• Big library of characters, props, and backgrounds
• Wide range of styles to choose from
• Version history for collaboration
• Few character and scene customization options
• Hard to manage multiple scenes and characters
• No closed captioning

Pricing: 14-day free trial, $49/month for Essential, $89/month for Premium, $179/month for Professional, Enterprise (custom pricing)

Moovly is an online video maker for presentations with many visual styles like doodles, cartoons, motion graphics, and more. You can quickly add voiceovers using built-in AI voices, generate subtitles, and even translate them to any language you need.

The tool offers great animations and effects for your videos and allows work collaboration. There is also a library of images, videos, music, and sound effects to choose from.

Source: Moovly

• Straightforward interface
• Easy management
• Integrations with YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other tools
• Free trial limitations
• Lack of variety in designs
• No advanced animation capabilities

Pricing: Free, $99 per month for Pro, $199 per month for Max, Enterprise (custom pricing)

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the go-to presentation-building tool for countless businesses and professionals. It's a staple of creating stunning visuals and helpful resources for any type of presentation.

Combined with a creative mind, creating presentations no longer remains complicated or time-consuming. With everything from templates to animations, PowerPoint provides all the necessary tools for designing exceptional video presentations.

Customize your slides with whatever images and videos you need to represent your ideas. Then, just export the presentation as a video. You can also upload a voice-over narration or add sound effects.

Source: Microsoft

• All-in-one presentation solution
• Familiar with many users
• Limited advanced design capabilities
• Not good for complex animations
• Large file size when exporting as a video

Pricing: 1-month free trial, $6.99/month with Microsoft 365 or $159.99 one-time payment

Prezi is cloud-based presentation software that allows users to create dynamic and engaging presentations using a range of templates and multimedia elements. It's a great option for industries like education, marketing, and business.

One of the standout features of the tool is its zooming presentation interface, which allows presenters to create a more immersive and interactive experience for viewers.

With Prezi, you can easily create and customize templates, add animations and transitions, and collaborate with others in real time, making it ideal for remote teams and learners.

The basic plan is limited in features, while the advanced plans offer more opportunities like offline access, PowerPoint presentation converter, voiceover, custom branding, analytics, and more.

Source: Prezi

• Easy-to-use interface
• Feature-rich
• Wide range of templates and multimedia elements
• Limited free trial features
• Animations can distract viewers
• The zooming interface can be overwhelming for some viewers

Pricing: 14-day free trial, $7/mo for Standard, $12/mo for Plus, $16/mo for Premium

Enhance the impact of your messages with video presentations

Here they are, video presentation software options available this year, each with its own unique features and capabilities.

By considering the factors outlined in this article, you can select the right software option for your needs and create engaging and memorable presentations that leave a lasting impression on your audience.

And don't forget to check some great presentation examples for inspiration.

Found this post useful?

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Get notified as more awesome content goes live.

(No spam, no ads, opt-out whenever)

You've just joined an elite group of people that make the top performing 1% of sales and marketing collateral.

Victoria is a content manager with 4+ years of experience and has formerly worked in marketing and blogging niches. She likes writing texts and researching new complicated topics to share her expertise with trustworthy resources.

Create your best presentation to date

Try Storydoc interactive presentation maker for free

The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

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

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

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

The best presentation software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

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

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

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

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

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

The best presentation software at a glance

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

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

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

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

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

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

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

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for video presentations

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

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

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

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for conversational AI

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

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for audience engagement

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

Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

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

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

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

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

The best presentation app for generative AI

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

Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

There's definitely a learning curve

Tome is one of the new additions to this list that I'm most excited about. If you're looking for generative AI that just genuinely works , it's definitely worth a look. The editor is a bit more stripped down than most presentation apps but intuitive nonetheless—it's almost a cross between your standard deck editor and a Notion-style doc.

To generate an AI deck, click Generate with AI in the top right, and either write your own prompt or choose from the example prompts that cover a handful of common use cases, like sales enablement and company pitches. Edit or approve the suggested outline, then generate the full presentation.

From there, you can edit each slide as a doc via the right-hand menu—without limits on how much information you can include. During the presentation, you simply size down any slides that take up more than the standard amount of space. It's super simple but somehow feels revolutionary in a presentation app.

What about the old standbys?

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

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

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

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

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

Related reading:

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

Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox

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

Kiera Abbamonte

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

• Presentations

Related articles

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

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

The 5 best team chat apps for business in 2024

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

The best Asana alternatives in 2024

The best help desk software and customer support apps in 2024

The best help desk software and customer...

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

Keynote User Guide for Mac

• What’s new in Keynote 14.0
• Intro to Keynote
• Intro to images, charts, and other objects
• Create a presentation
• Choose how to navigate your presentation
• Open or close a presentation
• Save and name a presentation
• Find a presentation
• Print a presentation
• Undo or redo changes
• Show or hide sidebars
• Quick navigation
• Change the working view
• Expand and zoom your workspace
• Customize the Keynote toolbar
• Change Keynote settings on Mac
• Touch Bar for Keynote
• Create a presentation using VoiceOver
• Add or delete slides
• Reorder slides
• Group or ungroup slides
• Skip or unskip a slide
• Change the slide size
• Change a slide background
• Add a border around a slide
• Show or hide text placeholders
• Show or hide slide numbers
• Apply a slide layout
• Add and edit slide layouts
• Change a theme
• Add an image
• Add an image gallery
• Edit an image
• Add and edit a shape
• Combine or break apart shapes
• Draw a shape
• Save a shape to the shapes library
• Add and align text inside a shape
• Add 3D objects
• Add lines and arrows
• Animate, share, or save drawings
• Add video and audio
• Record audio
• Edit video and audio
• Add live video
• Set movie and image formats
• Position and align objects
• Use alignment guides
• Place objects inside a text box or shape
• Layer, group, and lock objects
• Change object transparency
• Fill shapes and text boxes with color or an image
• Add a border to an object
• Add a caption or title
• Add a reflection or shadow
• Use object styles
• Resize, rotate, and flip objects
• Move and edit objects using the object list
• Add linked objects to make your presentation interactive
• Select text
• Copy and paste text
• Use dictation to enter text
• Use accents and special characters
• Format a presentation for another language
• Use phonetic guides
• Use bidirectional text
• Use vertical text
• Change the font or font size
• Add bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough to text
• Change the color of text
• Change text capitalization
• Add a shadow or outline to text
• Intro to paragraph styles
• Apply a paragraph style
• Create, rename, or delete paragraph styles
• Update or revert a paragraph style
• Use a keyboard shortcut to apply a style
• Adjust character spacing
• Add drop caps
• Raise and lower characters and text
• Format fractions automatically
• Create and use character styles
• Format dashes and quotation marks
• Format Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text
• Set tab stops
• Format text into columns
• Adjust line spacing
• Format lists
• Add a highlight effect to text
• Add mathematical equations
• Add borders and rules (lines) to separate text
• Add or delete a table
• Select tables, cells, rows, and columns
• Add or remove rows and columns
• Move rows and columns
• Resize rows and columns
• Merge or unmerge cells
• Change the look of table text
• Show, hide, or edit a table title
• Change table gridlines and colors
• Use table styles
• Resize, move, or lock a table
• Add and edit cell content
• Format dates, currency, and more
• Create a custom cell format
• Highlight cells conditionally
• Format tables for bidirectional text
• Alphabetize or sort table data
• Calculate values using data in table cells
• Use the Formulas and Functions Help
• Add or delete a chart
• Change a chart from one type to another
• Modify chart data
• Move, resize, and rotate a chart
• Change the look of data series
• Add a legend, gridlines, and other markings
• Change the look of chart text and labels
• Add a chart border and background
• Use chart styles
• Animate objects onto and off a slide
• Animate objects on a slide
• Change build order and timing
• Add transitions
• Present on your Mac
• Present on a separate display
• Present on a Mac over the internet
• Use a remote
• Make a presentation advance automatically
• Play a slideshow with multiple presenters
• Add and view presenter notes
• Rehearse on your Mac
• Record presentations
• Check spelling
• Look up words
• Find and replace text
• Replace text automatically
• Set author name and comment color
• Highlight text
• Add and print comments
• Send a presentation
• Intro to collaboration
• Invite others to collaborate
• Collaborate on a shared presentation
• See the latest activity in a shared presentation
• Change a shared presentation’s settings
• Stop sharing a presentation
• Shared folders and collaboration
• Use Box to collaborate
• Create an animated GIF
• Post your presentation in a blog
• Use iCloud Drive with Keynote
• Export to PowerPoint or another file format
• Reduce the presentation file size
• Save a large presentation as a package file
• Restore an earlier version of a presentation
• Move a presentation
• Delete a presentation
• Password-protect a presentation
• Lock a presentation
• Create and manage custom themes
• Transfer files with AirDrop
• Transfer presentations with Handoff
• Transfer presentations with the Finder
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcut symbols

Record Keynote presentations on Mac

You can record a presentation with voiceover narration on your Mac to play later in Keynote or export as a video file. This is especially useful when you want to distribute or present a prerecorded presentation virtually, or if you want to record a slideshow for someone to play in your absence.

Record a presentation

Open the presentation, then click to select the first slide in the slide navigator .

Choose Play > Record Slideshow (from the Play menu at the top of your screen). The presenter display appears with recording controls visible at the bottom of your screen.

The timer counts down from 3 before recording begins.

Do any of the following while recording the presentation:

Go to the next slide or build: Press the Right Arrow key.

Go back a slide or reset the builds on the slide: Press the Left Arrow key.

Jump to a different slide: Press any number to make the slide navigator appear, enter the slide number, then press Return.

Open or close a list of keyboard shortcuts: Press the Question Mark (?) key on your keyboard. You can use the shortcuts to control your presentation.

To edit the recording, do one of the following:

Press Esc to exit the presenter display.

The recording is saved with your presentation and can be played in Keynote. To export a recorded presentation as a video or another file format, see Export to PowerPoint or another file format .

To remove a recording from your Keynote presentation, choose Play > Clear Recording, then select Clear in the pop-up menu.

Play a recorded presentation in Keynote on Mac

With the presentation open, do one of the following:

Play recorded presentation in full screen: Choose Play > Play Recorded Slideshow.

Play recorded presentation in a window: Choose Play > Play Recorded Slideshow in Window.

To stop playing the presentation, press Esc.

6 Best Slideshow Makers for Mac in 2024 (Free & Paid)

Searching for the best slideshow maker for Mac? If yes, then you have come to the right platform. We have listed down the top 6 slideshow apps that you can use on your Mac. Read on the entire write-up for complete details! 

Who doesn’t love sharing/uploading pictures of special occasions with their family and friends? Undoubtedly, you also love to do the same. Didn’t you? But, do you know that you can also make a slideshow of those pictures, it adds extra spark and excitement to your photos or videos.

A slideshow is something that also helps you make an attention-grabbing, or eye-catching presentation for your work purposes. Something that will get your boss, clients, or colleagues excited in your meeting. However, it can take a lot of time to make a good slideshow if the application you use does not offer advanced features like drag & drop functionality, numerous formatting options, and seamless transitions.

So, we decided to help you out in finding the best app for the slideshow. We have thoroughly researched and then, we have prepared this guide discussing the 6 best slideshow makers for Mac in 2024.

A List of 6 Best Slideshow Makers for Mac in 2024

Following are the few most dedicated applications that you can use to create an engaging slideshow on Mac. Without further ado, let’s read about the best slideshow makers for Mac in 2024.

1. Movavi Slideshow Maker

Movavi Slideshow Maker is a globally recognized software for both professionals and beginners. It offers various visual features such as transitions, stickers, filters, and more. This slideshow maker can be used on Mac as well as Windows.

It has an Easy Mode which enables users to create a professional-looking slideshow in a few minutes, without any hassles. All you need to do is, just upload the important media files (like videos/images, etc.,) and then choose slide transitions. You can also add music to your slideshow, and doing so is very straightforward too.

To make everything simpler for their users, Movavi also provides tutorials, so you can use them if in case any step is not 100% clear to you. It supports more than 14 different languages including English, Italian and more.

Download Now

Also Read: Best Video Repair Software for Mac

Keynote is another best slideshow maker for Mac that you can use. It is especially useful for people who own the complete ecosystem of Apple products like iPhones, Macbooks, and iPads. Keynote is powerful, versatile, and free slideshow software for Mac.

The app’s current version allows Mac users to collaborate with people regarding presentations, and tweak slides from their iPhones with the mobile application of Keynote. Additionally, let users transform handwriting into text on their device. If you are an Apple fan, then Keynote is an easy and effective way to create slideshows, and present video, visual, and text information in a professional as well as informal manner. It offers 30+ templated themes and the potential for creating customized templates for further use. In sum, Keynote is worth trying software.

Next on this list of best slideshow apps for Mac is Prezi- best for business. Presentation software that uses zoom, motion, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make a great presenter. The software is fully dedicated to helping Mac users meet better and communicate more effectively. It has lots of customization options that help amateurs to build professional-like presentations. It provides dynamic transitions and involves zooming in & out of the overall presentation canvas. You can use Prezi if you want to make presentations in a completely new way.

Also Read: Best Image Viewer for Mac

iMovie is a free slideshow maker and video editor for Mac. It comes built-in on Mac systems, iPads, and iPhones. With this application, you can begin video editing on one device and then complete it on another device with the help of Apple integration. Apart from that, you can easily & quickly import pictures and videos from your Photos application. Not only that, you can even use videos from FaceTime.

This tool has a friendly interface and lots of effects for video editing. You can easily add music either from your iTunes account or choose from the default library. In addition to this, you can also add several types of sound effects, voice-overs, titles, and transitions. To be more specific, iMovie is a profoundly excellent tool for video editing , but as a slideshow maker, it can let you down as it doesn’t have dedicated slideshow tools or templates.

Kizoa is a completely free slideshow maker for Mac. Using this tool, you can adjust your slides to any screen with up to seven distinct aspect ratios. This means you will have the correct size slideshow for computers, TVs, mobile devices, and tablets. Furthermore, there is also a cropping tool that helps you fit the photo on the screen without cutting out crucial parts.

To get started with this free slideshow maker, you simply need to select a template and add your pictures and videos. You can also add text, effects, and GIFs to your slideshow. Kizoa also lets you share your video slideshow online on numerous social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and more.

6. PhotoStage

The next best slideshow maker for Mac is PhotoStage. You can change the color scheme of the collage by choosing different colors from the ones that are already pre-set. The colors are also adjustable, allowing you to choose whether or not to use bright, vibrant colors, or neutral tones. Your slideshow can be displayed on your desktop, TV, iPod, or iPhone for the full effect.

PhotoStage enables you to drag and drop your photos on the stage, create text frames around each photo, and then add special effects and transitions to the picture. This slideshow maker is also great for editing and organizing your pictures before you start working on them in Photoshop.

Also Read: Best Video Compressors for Mac to Compress Video Size

Final Words on Best Slideshow Maker for Mac in 2024

In this write-up, we have explained the top 6 best slideshow makers for Mac. You can choose either of the following based on your requirements.

That’s all! We hope this informative guide helps you in the best way possible. If there is anything you want to share with us, then please drop us a comment in the section below.

For more brilliant pieces of information related to technology, you can subscribe to our Newsletter and follow us on our Social Media handles- Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and Pinterest .

Leave a Response Cancel reply

Sign me up for the newsletter!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter and stay informed

Don't worry we don't spam

Related Posts

Best Free Minecraft Server Hosting in 2024

18 Best Free Driver Updater Tools for Windows 10, 11 in 2024

7 Best Free Instagram Username Generator in 2024

17 Best Slideshow Makers for a Mac [2024]

To create a slideshow on a Mac, follow these simple steps:

1. Download Movavi Slideshow Maker.

2. Choose your working mode.

3. Add photos and music.

4. Make a slideshow and save the result.

By clicking the download button, you're downloading a trial version of the program.*

• Learning Portal
• 17 Best Slideshow Makers for Mac in 2024 – Movavi

Looking for the best slideshow software for Mac? You’ve come to the right place. Learn about 17 Mac-compatible slideshow makers, what makes each stand out, and get the lowdown on pricing, licensing, and key features so you can choose the software that’s right for you and your budget.

Movavi Slideshow Maker

Users who need powerful video and image editing capabilities

Mac lovers who own an iPhone and iPad to bounce between devices

Microsoft PowerPoint

People comfortable with PowerPoint who don’t need advanced features

LibreOffice Impress

Students and anyone looking for an open-source solution

Creatives looking for dynamic, fluid presentation software

Professionals looking to pitch their business ideas

Businesses looking to create cohesive presentations

Conference presenters or museum curators

Marketers looking to create SEO-friendly presentations

Preview in Finder

Mac natives interested in creating a quick slideshow

Apple users making movie-like presentations

Apple Photos

Mac natives looking for a bit more customization

Photographers interested in presenting high-quality images

HyperEngine-AV

Audiophiles looking to build a presentation

Wedding videographers and photographers

4K Slideshow Maker

Social media-inclined presenters

Video amateurs looking to create video-heavy presentations

At Movavi, we’re committed to providing you with verified information only. Here’s what we do to ensure this:

When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.

All products mentioned in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.

When testing, we aim to highlight the best features of a product and what it’s best suited for.

We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.

We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.

List of the best slideshow software for a Mac

The best slideshow maker for Mac depends on the user. We’ve gone through and determined the best slideshow apps for Mac devices, paying particular attention to their cost, pros, cons, and key features, to help you test out and ultimately choose the best program for you to use on your Macintosh.

1. Movavi Slideshow Maker

Best for: Beginners who want to create slideshows beyond the basics, as well as users who enjoy visual features like filters, transitions, and stickers

OS: macOS (also support for legacy versions for Mac and Microsoft Windows), Windows 7/8/10

Licensing: Free 7-day trial, subscription, or lifetime license

File size: 74 MB

Rating: 9.5/10

Movavi Slideshow Maker is a well-balanced tool for beginners and advanced users alike.

For instance, Movavi’s “Easy Mode” lets novices build a professional-looking slideshow in minutes without much of a learning curve. They just need to upload the necessary media files (image / images, videos, etc.) and then select slide transitions. Adding music is also straightforward, and Movavi provides guides in case any step isn’t 100% clear.

And for anyone who needs more advanced features, the “Full Feature” mode provides options like native recording, extra photo editing options, animated transitions, and even in-app video editing. Best of all, most of these features only require you to click and drag the desired elements.

After your slideshow is complete, Movavi makes it easy to save your presentation in any major file format (and some less common ones), and you can even adjust the file size – making it easier to put on a flash drive.

Key features:

• 165+ visual effects and filters to apply to your presentations
• 105+ transitions to use between slides
• 100+ titles and stickers for further customization
• Support for 14 different languages

Easy to use

Effective tool for amateurs and professionals

A free trial is available for 7 days only

Best for: People who own the full line of Apple products (iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks) for convenient cross-device usage

OS: iOS, macOS

Licensing: Free (for new Mac laptops and desktops), or one-time purchase

File size: 345.2 MB

Rating: 9/10

Keynote is Apple’s native slideshow maker. Usable on iPhones, iPads, and accessible via the iCloud, Keynote is a versatile and free slideshow maker for Mac computers made in 2013 or later.

The current version of Keynote lets Mac users collaborate on presentations, tweak slides from their iPhone with the Keynote mobile application, and even transform handwriting into text on your computer. If you’re an Apple fanatic, Keynote is an effective way to develop slideshows and present visual, video, and text information in informal and professional settings.

• Can use Apple Pencil on an iPad to draw directly onto your presentation
• “Rehearse Mode” to practice your presentation on the fly
• 30 templated themes and the ability to create custom templates to use later

Download Keynote

Handy phone app makes it possible to edit presentations anywhere

Can easily embed videos into your presentation

Already installed on your Mac computer (unless your rig is a decade old)

Takes time to master

Not usable on Android, so you can’t bounce between Keynote on your laptop and your cellphone unless you have an iPhone (however, Keynote can now run on Windows OS)

3. Microsoft PowerPoint

Best for: Anyone who grew up using PowerPoint and feel most comfortable using a tool they’re familiar with

OS: macOS, Windows

Licensing: 1-month free trial, subscription

File size: 700 MB

Our rating: 8/10

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the oldest examples of slideshow maker software. It’s so well known that the phrase “I need to make a PowerPoint” is more common than “I need to make a slideshow” in the United States.

PowerPoint is a straightforward presentation tool that most people don’t use to its full potential. The software, in addition to standard slide making and templates, offers useful yet less-known features like self-running presentations and audio fading, bookmarking, and trimming.

Making a basic slideshow is as easy as choosing a theme, filling in the blanks, and adding media wherever you need it. Presenting visual elements like images and video as well as audio, text, and linking slides with smooth transitions with PowerPoint is no problem, and there are countless tutorials online if you want to take your PPT skills to the next level.

• Easily embed YouTube videos
• Merge shapes and edit image files within the application

Download Microsoft PowerPoint

YouTube tutorials and online writing guides for additional support

You’ve probably used it before, so the UI should be familiar

Usable on every all major operating systems and device

Lack of imagination when it comes to templates

Some users have encountered bugs using PowerPoint on macOS

4. LibreOffice Impress

Best for: People looking for a basic, free slideshow maker usable on any major device and operating system

OS: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS

Licensing: Open-source software

File size: 252 MB (for LibreOffice productivity suite)

Our rating: 7.5/10

LibreOffice Impress is part of LibreOffice’s open-source suite of productivity software. Impress provides five different modes of viewing your in-progress presentation, and even gives you access to tools like The Fontworks to create dynamic 2D and 3D text for your slideshows.

If you’re new to Impress, simply begin with its outline mode and you’ll soon be on your way to creating a great slideshow. Does your presentation need an injection of creativity? Download any of the free LibreOffice Impress templates available online for some help.

• Free forever
• Downloadable templates

Download LibreOffice Impress

Multiple viewing modes for easy step-by-step presentation making

Basic setup that’s easy to use for anyone familiar with PowerPoint

Not online, so it’s harder to instantly collaborate on an Impress file

Some of the features and UI seem a bit out of date

Best for: Users interested in approaching presentation-making in a new way

OS: Windows 7, 8, 10, Mac OS X or higher

Licensing: Monthly subscription

File size: 650 MB

Our rating: 8.5/10

At first glance, Prezi appears to be a response to slide-by-slide presentation tools such as Keynote and PowerPoint. While Prezi involves many of the same concepts as a standard slideshow application (offering templates, audio and video customization, etc.), the way information moves from section to section makes Prezi stand out from the crowd.

Each Prezi presentation is displayed on a large canvas. Instead of moving slide by slide, the presentation zooms in and out of sections and helps keep the user engaged when transitioning between topics. Additionally, you can bounce between audio and video with help from Prezi’s recording software, letting you create dynamic presentations that many people haven’t experienced before.

Prezi started out as solely a web app, but you can now download Prezi Next if you prefer (or require) an offline solution to building professional presentations.

Download Prezi

Doesn’t feel like a standard presentation, focuses on “the path” (transitions)

Can mix in audio and video into your canvas, and provides options to create talking-head videos

Lots of customizability

In-app collaboration is limited

Pricing is multi-tiered, may confuse users looking for a straightforward pricing model

6. Slidebean

Best for: Entrepreneurs looking to pitch projects or startups

OS: Web application

Licensing: Subscription

File size: N/A

Our rating: 9/10

Slidebean was born out of a need for building aesthetic presentations without an actual graphic designer at hand. The product is specifically designed for creating professional pitch decks for businesses and marketers, and they even have a “Book Project” function if you want direct support using their tool.

This slideshow program for Mac isn’t ideal for putting together casual presentations. However if you’re looking to turn your slideshow into a pitch that lands you investors and grows your business, Slidebean is a service to investigate.

• Templates targeting both pitch decks (for slideshows) and financial model templates (if your presentation involves running numbers, like from a business plan)

Go to Slidebean

Designed with professionals in mind (visuals are buttoned up)

Customer support services readily available for its users

Narrow in scope, built to pitch ideas and create formal presentations

Minor bugs reported (like uploading an image turns the entire slide 100% black)

7. CustomShow

Best for: Businesses looking to set a standard for presentations across teams or the entire company

OS: Cloud-based application

CustomShow is enterprise software as a service built to help companies develop consistently branded presentations. After you’ve uploaded the requisite media files for your slideshow, you can further customize details like image shading, backgrounds for your video, and other visual effects.

From a technological standpoint, CustomShow also excels at connecting teams – providing the ability to simultaneously cast presentations to different devices. Such a feature is especially handy for the remote teams many of us find ourselves working on today. Plus with CustomShow’s mobile app and analytics tools, there’s plenty of features for enterprises serious about getting taking their business presentations to a new level.

• Multicasting presentations
• Analytics features for businesses

Go to CustomShow

Ability to easily collaborate makes it great for large companies and remote teams

Feature rich

Not for the slideshow hobbyist / individual user

Has a bit of a learning curve

8. FlowVella

Best for: Businesses presenting at events or conferences, users who want to incorporate a range of elements into their presentations

OS: OS X and iOS

Licensing: Free trial, subscription

FlowVella presentations sometimes look a bit like the page of a website because of all the interactive elements built into them. FlowVella allows the presenter to seamlessly move between image files, slides, videos, and other media dynamically – breaking from the linear nature of standard Mac slideshow apps.

The FlowVella app even provides a “kiosk mode” for iPads, easily letting users (like museum goers or tradeshow attendees) interact with a presentation you made without accidentally changing its elements.

• Kiosk mode for tablet devices
• Autoplay video content

Go to FlowVella

Built for businesses and amateurs alike

Plenty of features for users who like to mix media into their presentations

Minor bugs in the app

Not extremely intuitive

Best for: Users looking for a dynamic presentation generator that takes slideshows to another level

OS: macOS, Windows 10/8/7Vista/XP

Licensing: Free trial, subscription, lifetime purchase

File size: 372 MB

Focusky is a feature-filled slideshow maker that operates in many ways like PowerPoint. However, it goes beyond PowerPoint in terms of customization, with hundreds of templates, dynamic transitions that zoom in and out (similar to Prezi), and plenty of design assets to play around with.

• Robust transition features
• Search Engine Optimization-friendly (can create text versions of presentations to index on Google)

Download Focusky

Customization is a huge emphasis, with 5,000+ open-source vector icons and diagrams and 600+ templates for pro users

Cloud hosting for publishing presentations online, great for the current remote-work world

Free version has watermarks

Content across the site seems like it hasn’t been updated in years, so support seems questionable

10. Preview in Finder

Best for: Mac users looking to create a slideshow fast with few bells and whistles

OS: macOS (Big Sur)

Licensing: Free for Mac users

Our rating: 6.5/10

Most macOS users have opened up Preview before without realizing it because it comes preinstalled on your device. If you’ve ever opened an image on your Mac computer, Preview is the default image reader so it likely opened it for you (unless someone changed the settings). However, Preview can do other things as well – including making slideshow presentations.

Simply open the files you want (JPEGs, PNGs, PDFs, etc.) to begin. The fastest way to turn these into a presentation is to arrange them in any order you want, click “View”, and then “Slideshow”.

• Embraces simplicity – sometimes we need to make a quick slideshow
• Free for Mac users and native to macOS

Simple, on-the-fly concept

User familiarity

No customization except for how you arrange your image and text files

Best for: Apple users making movie-like presentations

File size: 2.2 GB

Our rating: 7/10

While iMovie wasn’t created for slideshows, it still operates well in this secondary capacity. Created for Mac users who enjoy all Apple devices, iMovie has quickly evolved into a tool popular for developing more compelling slideshows and visual presentations.

With iMovie, your primary customization features for a slideshow are titles and transitions (elements that are useful in actual movies). However, you can still handle some of your image editing needs within the tool as well.

After your media files are imported into the app, you can add text, music, and other stylistic elements to build a dynamic experience for your audience. Try applying filters and playing around with iMovie’s green screen function to add some unique finishing touches to your presentation.

• Presentations that emphasize video content

Download iMovie

Strong video-editing capabilities

Integrates easily across all Apple operating systems

Not built with slideshows in mind

Minor image editing capabilities (cropping / color adjustments only)

12. Apple Photos

Best for: Mac users looking for a native app that’s more customizable than Preview

OS: iOS, iPadOS, macOS

The Photos app on Mac might already be on your computer (or iPhone or iPad), but do you know how to use it to make a slideshow presentation?

Apple Photos lets you create a slideshow in two different ways. The first way is to build your presentation by simply selecting a few photos, a theme, and some music. The second way is to make an actual slideshow project with text overlays and transitions (in addition to your images and musical selection(s)). Both methods can help you quickly create an aesthetic, heavily-visual presentation.

• In addition to slideshows, make cards, calendars, and photo journals with the images on your Mac or iCloud
• Intelligent curation helps you group photos together based on their content

More dynamic than Preview

Decent photo slideshow editing capabilities

Lacking in the customization department

13. FotoMagico

Best for: Both amateur and professional photographers looking to highlight their work

OS: macOS, iPadOS

Licensing: one-time purchase

File size: 371.5 MB

If you want to put down a little money and take your presentation game to another level, FotoMagico is an intriguing, feature-heavy option. FotoMagico, in addition to powerful image and video editing capabilities, also lets you tweak audio files and align specific musical moments with points in your presentation, making it great for people with a bit more technical know-how.

Similar to video-editing software, you can view each panel of your FotoMagico presentation at the bottom of the application. This timeline vantage makes it a simple matter to seamlessly edit and adjust minute details in your photographs and develop a presentation that meets your exact specifications.

• Create slideshows in stunning 4K resolution

Download FotoMagico

Feature-rich tool

One-time purchase

Bugs have been noted in some of their customer reviews

14. HyperEngine-AV

Best for: Users interested in social media integration features

OS: Mac OS X

Licensing: Open-source

File size: 11 MB

HyperEngine-AV leans further into the video-creation side of presentations than it does slideshows, but it can still handle both tasks effectively.

If you’re looking to make short product videos, YouTube shorts, or video-heavy slideshow presentations, HyperEngine has the features and UI to simplify the job. And with HyperEngine’s "trackless" workspace giving you a bird’s eye view of your various media files, you’re able to edit and drag images, audio, video, and transitions wherever you want them with ease.

• Robust audio editing functions

Download HyperEngine-AV

UI is fairly intuitive

Light program (fast and free to download)

Issues with exporting and even opening the app reported

No developer updates for a decade

Best for: Mac users looking to burn their videos or presentations onto DVDs

OS: macOS (pre-Catalina)

Licensing: Free with Mac

File size: 36.12 MB

Although iDVD is an older piece of Apple software, it can still get the job done and works especially well for people looking to create hard copies of their creations (presentations, wedding video, or otherwise). If your goal is to make a widescreen presentation complete with audio and menu options, iDVD is worth a try.

Making a video-heavy slideshow on iDVD is fairly straightforward. Once you’ve added your title and selected a theme template, you can move around your video files and adjust them as necessary.

• Helps you burn a DVD when using a Mac SuperDrive

Wide range of video-editing functions (can be used by professionals)

Not usable on Apple’s newest operating systems

Doesn’t support footage from digital cameras

16. 4K Slideshow Maker

Best for: Users who want high-quality export options for their presentation

OS: macOS 10.13 and later, Linux, Windows

File size: 29.7 MB

4K Slideshow Maker states it all in its name: it’s a compact piece of software that helps you create and export a 4K slideshow (or in resolutions anywhere from the lower ends of the quality spectrum to Ultra 4K HD).

Quickly edit your images, mix in some music, and even import files directly from social media channels like Instagram into your slides with 4K Slideshow Maker. Done and ready to share your work? Move your finished presentation directly back to those social media channels (like Instagram and YouTube) to share with friends, family, and followers.

• High-resolution support (great for rendering nature scenery in its full glory)

Download 4K Slideshow Maker

Learning curve isn’t too bad for amateurs

Lets you zoom in and out of images (the “Ken Burns effect”)

Currently supports 13 languages

Lacking in the customization features (templates, icons, etc)

17. LightMV

Best for: Newer users who want to mix more video content into their presentations

OS: Android, Windows, iOS, macOS

File size: 5.8 MB

LightMV is a video-focused presentation app that lets you personalize your media files in various ways to ultimately create cohesive presentations. The app provides a variety of video templates to simplify things and lower the barrier for beginners, and if you go this route then you only need to import the desired media and add transitions and text.

• Video templates created to help everything from capturing the joy of weddings to injecting energy into a business presentation
• Cloud-based rendering for easy access across different Apple devices

Download LightMV

Modern UI that’s easy for beginners to operate

Advanced features for video-editing professionals

Free 7-day trial version available

Freemium model means you can download the app but not your presentation

Trial version includes watermarking

Summary: How to choose the best slideshow app for a Mac

Still wondering what’s the best slideshow program for you personally? Now that you’ve read about some of the top slideshow creators for Mac, you should have a better idea of what program best meets your needs. But just in case you’re on the fence between a few options, here are the main things to consider first.

Ease of use: Are you looking for something easy to use that’s a bit basic, or would you prefer a more complicated tool offering more customization? Choose software that lets you get the job done at your particular pace.

Features: The features you need in your presentations will help determine which software you end up choosing. Is audio and video critical, or do you only need compelling transitions for your linear slideshow?

Pricing / licensing: Some software is free, and others have freemium offerings. Other platforms cost a flat rate or a subscription fee, but they often make it worth your time. Think about whether investing in slideshow software is something that would bring you more value in return.

Guides & support: Some tools are written about extensively online (by the creators, users, and reviewers), while others are a bit harder to dig up details on. If you’re someone who often asks questions, consider choosing slideshow software that has support options at your disposal.

Device compatibility: Although all of the tools listed in this article are usable on Mac, you may want to consider choosing an app that also works on your smartphone. Being able to knock out a presentation (or even practice) while on the go is definitely a nice option for many of us.

Cross-device usage

G2 rating :

Automatic slideshow creation and advanced features

Top Ten Reviews rating :

Creating basic slideshows

PCMag rating :

• Movavi Slideshow Maker – best for users who need powerful video and image editing capabilities
• Keynote – best for PowerPoint-like program for Mac users
• Microsoft PowerPoint – best for people comfortable with PowerPoint who don’t need advanced features
• LibreOffice Impress – best for students and anyone looking for an open-source solution
• Prezi – best for creatives looking for dynamic, fluid presentation software
• Slidebean – best for professionals looking to pitch their business ideas
• CustomShow – suitable for businesses looking to create cohesive presentations
• FlowVella – best for conference presenters or museum curators
• Focusky – best for marketers looking to create SEO-friendly presentations
• Preview in Finder – best for mac natives interested in creating a quick slideshow
• iMovie – best for making conventional video tutorials on Apple devices
• Apple Photos – best for mac natives looking for a bit more customization
• FotoMagico – best for photographers interested in presenting high-quality images
• HyperEngine-AV – best for audiophiles looking to build a presentation
• iDVD – best for wedding videographers and photographers
• 4K Slideshow Maker – best for social media-inclined presenters
• LightMV – suitable for video amateurs looking to create video-heavy presentations

An easy-to-use, yet efficient slideshow making program

* The trial version of Movavi Slideshow Maker has the following restrictions: 7-day trial period, watermark on the output slideshows, and an ability to save only half the audio length.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best program to make a slideshow on a mac.

Here are the top five apps we’ve outlined in this article in no particular order:

FotoMagico 5

However, each software comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, and targets different user groups. To find the best program for you as a Mac user, please review each tool to form your own thoughts before selecting your ideal slideshow maker software.

How do I make a slideshow on my Mac?

Making a slideshow on your Mac is easy with Movavi Slideshow Maker. Simply follow these five steps:

Click the link below and follow installation instructions to get started.

Download Movavi Slideshow Maker

Although you can adjust your settings and make manual edits feasible, for the sake of making an easy slideshow simply let the Slideshow Wizard guide you through the process.

Click File then Add Files to track down the images you plan to add to your slides.

Each Movavi theme has transitions and captions with music built into them, so preview a few, find one you like, and click Next .

View your slideshow by clicking Preview in the menu and double-check that everything is just how you want it before exporting your finished presentation on your Macbook.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop 7: How does Microsoft's MacBook alternative stack up

Does the M3 MacBook Air finally have a serious rival?

• Memory and storage
• Battery life
• Wi-Fi and connectivity
• Ports and I/O
• Audio and video

While it looks the same as the MacBook Air M2, its got loads of extras inside to make it a more powerful option than the previous machine. The M3 chip inside is incredibly powerful, and it will support Apple's latest macOS features.

Finally a contender

With potent hardware and AI features, the new Surface Laptop 7 is a real headache for the MacBook Air, boasting more RAM, a better display, and a chip to frighten the M3. 

With the advent of Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop for 2024, Apple’s M3 MacBook Air finally has serious competition in the world of mobile computing. Apple’s 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are purportedly the most popular devices of their type in their respective categories, in part because Apple’s devices have been ascendant in the category for so long. 

However, the introduction of Arm to the Surface lineup means Apple silicon now has a serious contender on its hand in the world of portable, mobile computing. As expected for 2024, Microsoft has also doubled down on the power of AI, which comes baked into the software and hardware of its new Surface Laptop. 

On the face of it, the showdown seems well poised, yet Apple’s MacBook Air lineup lags in several key hardware stats, as well as price. Thankfully for Apple, there’s more to the choice than raw performance, but Microsoft makes a convincing case as the go-to mobile laptop vendor to beat in 2024. Here’s how the M3 MacBook Air and the Surface Laptop stack up on paper.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Price

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air in 13 and 15-inch sizes costs $1,099 and $1,499 respectively. Despite offering some significantly better specs, the Windows Surface Laptop range starts at just $999 and $1,299 respectively.

The $999 price tag for a 13-inch Surface gets you 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage as standard. Adding the Elite variant of the Snapdragon X costs $300, with storage and more RAM around $200 each per upgrade. The $1,299 15-inch model comes with the Snapdragon X Elite as standard, and the storage is a little cheaper at just $100 per increment. 

Apple charges $200 for each step of memory or storage you add, all the way up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Design

Your preference of design language when choosing between two laptops is going to be largely subjective, but there are a few hard facts here that help distinguish the Surface Laptop from the M3 MacBook Air. 

The 13-inch variant of the Surface Laptop is decidedly bigger than Apple’s. It has a 13.8-inch display compared to Apple’s 13.6-inch display. We’ll get onto display specifics later, but that will naturally make for a more expansive screen. Despite having a larger display, the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop is not much different in size. It measures 11.85 inches by 8.67, versus Apple’s 11.97 x 8.46 inches. The 13-inch Surface Laptop is considerably thicker at 0.69 inches versus Apple’s 0.44 inches. Apple’s offering also weighs less at 2.7 pounds, compared to 2.96. 

Apple’s 15-inch model has a 15.3-inch display, compared to the Surface Laptop, which is 15 inches exactly. That means it measures 13.40 inches by 9.35 inches, compared to 12.96 inches by 9.41 inches for the surface. Apple again beats the Surface for thickness at just 0.45 inches, compared to the Surface’s 0.72. The Surface, despite having a smaller display, is 150 g, weighing in at 3.67 pounds over Apple’s 3.3-pound offering. 

Broadly, there’s not much to choose between the two when it comes to measurements. However, if mobility is key, you can clearly see the difference when it comes to weight, and even more so when it comes to the thickness of these respective devices. 

Apple’s MacBook Air now offers a much squarer, and arguably more modern, design, compared to the Surface Laptop, which looks a lot like MacBooks of old with its wedge-shaped design.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Display

While Apple’s M3 MacBook Air display is decent, it hasn’t changed much in recent years and is overshadowed by the MacBook Pro ’s excellent 120Hz ProMotion offering. Both MacBook Air models offer an LED-backlit display with IPS technology, measuring 13.6 and 15.3 inches respectively. That’s enough for 2560 x 1664 and 2880 x 1864 resolutions, 500 nits of brightness, and True Tone. 

Here, the Surface Laptop has Apple well and truly bested. Microsoft offers a 13.8 or 15-inch PixelSense Flow Display. That’s a touchscreen with 10-point multi-touch support. Even if you’re not interested in touchscreen tech and don’t want or need a laptop that supports it, there are still plenty of reasons to choose a Surface here. The Surface can’t quite match the MacBook Air’s resolution. Its 2304 x 1536 and 2496 x 1664 resolution displays, good for 201 PPI, falling just short of Apple’s aforementioned pixels. However, it more than makes up for the shortfall with a 120Hz display and a dynamic refresh rate. That’s double the 60Hz of the MacBook Air and enough to compete with the MacBook Pro. When it comes to colors, contrast, and accuracy, some side-by-side comparisons will be necessary, but the Surface Laptop has a lot going for it here.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Processor

This is where things really start to get interesting. Apple’s M3 Apple silicon chip features 8 CPU cores and up to 10 GPU cores (10 GPU cores by default in the 15-inch model), as well as a 16-core Neural Engine. 

The Surface Laptop comes with two processor options, a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus, or a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite. That immediately gives both an advantage over the M3 chip. More real-world testing will be required to determine which exactly is better, but Qualcomm and Microsoft both seem confident that they have Apple beat in at least some benchmarks and tests, touting performance advantages of up to 58% in one unspecified scenario. Microsoft also demonstrated a batch photo editing comparison versus the MacBook Air M3, which showed the Surface completing the tasks almost twice as fast . 

The question of processing power remains up in the air right now, but all signs point to a pretty even fight, with the Snapdragon X possibly having the edge. 

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Memory and storage

Another significant difference, and another Surface Laptop advantage, comes with memory. Apple offers the M3 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM as standard, with options for 16GB and 24GB worth $200 for each jump. By contrast, the Surface Laptop offers 16GB of RAM as standard, a baseline some Mac users are now crying out for. Although a pricey extra, Microsoft also offers 32GB of RAM as its upgrade, considerably more than the top offering of the MacBook Air. 

Both the Surface Laptop and the M3 MacBook Air offer 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage, however, the MacBook Air also offers a 2TB option. Not to be outdone, while the Surface Laptop doesn’t quite boast the same amount of storage options, its SSDs are removable, making them more repairable and letting users hot-swap drives.

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Battery life

Any good portable laptop worth its salt will have great battery life. Apple’s M3 MacBook Air is rated by Apple for up to 18 hours of use watching local video. Not to be outdone, Microsoft says its 13 and 15-inch Surface Laptops are good for up to 20 hours or 22 hours of local video playback respectively.  That’s a good deal more than Apple’s claims, but whether that stacks up in the real world remains to be seen. 

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Wi-Fi and connectivity

Microsoft’s Surface Laptops offer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. By comparison, the M3 MacBook Air only boasts Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The former will mean faster, more reliable Wi-Fi speeds, while the latter will increase the power of connectivity for peripherals such as mice and other Bluetooth devices. 

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Ports and I/O

The M3 MacBook Air offers two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Apple’s proprietary MagSafe charging port. The Surface Laptops both offer the same headphone jack and Thunderbolt array, however, they also include a DisplayPort 2.1 slot, and a USB-A slot. Finally, the larger 15-inch model also offers users a MicroSDXC card reader, a feature you’ll need to buy a MacBook Pro for in the Apple camp. 

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: Audio and video

Both Apple and Windows offer a 1080p webcam for video conferencing, but Microsoft seems to have the edge here too with support for its own equivalent of Face ID. The Surface Laptops come with Omnisonic Speakers and Dolby Atmos support, and Dual Studio Mics with voice focus. The M3 MacBook Air also supports Dolby Atmos and spatial audio but features an enhanced three-mic array with beamforming, voice isolation, and enhanced voice clarity that seems to give it an audio edge. 

M3 MacBook Air vs Surface Laptop: AI

Microsoft is keenly touting the power of AI in its new Surface Laptop, introducing a whole new brand of Copilot+PC to denote AI capability. The Surface Laptop features a  Qualcomm Hexagon with 45 trillion operations per second which powers a slew of AI features in Windows. By contrast, Apple’s AI-focused chip is the new M4 variant featured in the M4 iPad Pro. While the Neural Engine (NPU) in M4 is good for 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS), the M3 can only do 18 trillion. Apple’s M3 Neural Engine has 16 cores, and powered lots of tools in macOS including its webcam, speech-to-text, accessibility, and more. Apple also says the MacBook Air is good for running large language models and diffusion models for image generation. 

The focus on AI is much heavier with the Surface Laptop, which boasts a swathe of new AI tools included in Windows. One such example is Recall, a feature that can virtually access “ what you have seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory.” Windows also features new embedded image creation and editing tools, and Microsoft as a whole looks to be all-in on AI. Apple’s approach may change with WWDC 2024 and macOS 15 . For now, however, Apple is content to tout the more subtle tools built into macOS that rely on its Neural Engine and AI, which it previously would have referred to as machine learning.

Software 

Last but not least, is the software running on the respective devices. Despite the hardware, for many, this will actually be the most important choice when picking a device, and for some may even render the decision moot. The M3 MacBook Air runs macOS Sonoma and is a shoo-in for macOS 15 support when that drops later this year. As you might expect the Surface Laptop range runs Windows 11. Each of these comes with its various advantages and disadvantages in terms of UI, usability, and user experience that it would be impossible to dissect here. A couple of standout differences are Apple’s suite of creation tools, notably Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, offset somewhat by Windows' vastly better gaming support.  

A close fight

So there you have it. On paper at least, the new Surface Laptop seems to boast several advantages over the M3 MacBook Air when it comes to hardware, notably in terms of RAM, display, and quite possibly processor. However, many users will prefer the look and feel of macOS, as well as the potent hardware and software optimization Apple is famed for. Only time (literally) will tell whether these new Surface Laptops can offer up the longevity and staying power of a good MacBook, which will often last a user years. If software support isn't a deal breaker, and you're happy to dip your toe in either pond, the choice between Windows and Mac has never been closer. 

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9

Save up to $249 on a MacBook at Amazon — huge discounts across M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro models

Best docking stations for MacBook Pro in 2024: more ports, more power

Apple appeals a $1.9 billion EU fine levied following Spotify's claims of anti-competitive App Store behavior

Most Popular

• 2 Microsoft's answer to the M4 iPad Pro makes even Apple's tablet look cheap — Surface Pro 11 sports a 13-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip, and a huge price tag
• 3 Sonos unveils AirPods Max rival — Sonos Ace deliver potent audio for $449
• 4 Microsoft’s Surface Pro Flex is even more expensive than Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, but we can only think of one thing it does better
• 5 Is your iPhone Photo Library cluttered and taking up storage? This shortcut will help you take control of your images and declutter your digital memories for good