Sometimes we need to make a presentation at the workplace, or at home to educate our children, or simply for fun. There are many free tools that can help you do all of this and more. These presentation apps and programs offers a variety of features and styles so you can present in various ways and for various purposes. Let’s take a look at some important tools for making presentations.
This article will help you find the best presentation tools, apps, software and online toolsoffer for teachers, students and professionals.
PowerPoint Online
Many people don’t realize that there’s a free version of PowerPoint available. This can be an especially great option for students who may have a one-time or infrequent need to create a presentation and can’t afford to buy a Microsoft Office subscription.
Note: It’s important to note that this software tool isn’t intended for business use.
Microsoft products are widely used. Because these tools are so popular, many people are familiar with the software layout and commands. That helps make PowerPoint Online easy to learn to use. Plus, you can upgrade to the premium PowerPoint tool if you need more features.
The online presentation software, PowerPoint Online, includes many (but not all) of the features of its premium counterpart. Format text, use animations, and include other graphic elements. Since it’s web-based, there are also collaboration features and cloud storage.
There are some limitations, though. For example, you can’t use PowerPoint Online unless you’ve got Internet access. Some views aren’t available. You’re limited to built-in themes, although you can import a presentation with a third-party theme. And you can only insert audio and video files through YouTube. There are other differences as well.
PowerPoint provides many help documents and articles to its users. The tool also includes online help in the form of the Tell Me tool. Plus, you can find lots of third-party articles and resources on PowerPoint, such as this Tuts+ tutorial:
Google Slides
Next up on our list of free presentation tools in Google Slides. Even though it’s free, Google Slides’ features rival those of premium presentation software tools. It’s real-time collaboration tools make it ideal for times. Google Slides is also a great option if you intend to publish your presentation online. Plus, even though Google Slides is a cloud-based tool, you can change the settings to use it while you’re offline. If you’re considering using Google Slides, this article explains how it compares to more expensive tools:
- Presentations Should Google Slides Replace PowerPoint in Your Workflow? Laura Spencer
- Presentations PowerPoint vs. Keynote vs. Google Slides: What Is the Best Presentation Software? Laura Spencer
Google’s office suite is increasing in popularity. And you can upgrade to a premium version of the office suite if your needs grow. Google Slides is also easy to learn. Google has helpful online documentation as well as Help documentation within each office tool, including Google Slides. Plus, there are a lot of third-party resources you can access, such as our tutorial on how to use Google Slides:
When you sign up for a free Google account, you get access to all the Google Drive tools–including Google Slides.
Make sure that your Google Slides presentation stands out by using a professional template such as those offered by Envato Elements or Graphic River. For a peek at some of the best Google Slides presentation themes, look at:
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- Google Slides
Best for: Online presentations with multiple themes, fonts & animations
Google Slides free online presentation software is great for collaboration-based projects. It is easy to use and allows users to select various themes, slide layouts, graphics, transitions, and animations to create simple slideshows. You can also create diagrams, add text and videos.
Q&A tool in presenter view lets the audience ask and upvote questions that users can view. Teams can add details, comments, and notes to the slides. It is easy to track these changes from the detailed log.
Google Slides Features
- Template creator
- In-built chat
- Charts
- Presentation mode for preview and practice
- Autosave with Stable Internet
- Integration with Zapier for template customization, updating charts, and more.
What Users Like
- Real-time sharing and collaboration
- Accessible from any device
- Option to import extra templates
What Users Don’t Like
- Limited initial template selection
- Layout issues in exporting to different formats
- Lacks many video-embedding options
Price to Upgrade: If you wish to buy Google Workspace (previously G Suite), including Google Slides, the pricing starts at INR (Indian Rupees) 125 per user per month.
Supported OS: Web, iOS, Android
Keynote
Best for: Best presentation app for iPhone, Mac & Windows users
Keynote by Apple is a best app for making presentation. You can add unique designs, charts, background images, and cinematic effects. In addition, by embedding videos from YouTube or Vimeo, users can make their presentations more interactive.
You can also try different textures, colour gradients, and photos. Illustrations and diagrams can be created with Apple Pencil.
Apple Keynote Presentation Features
- 60+ themes, transitions, and effects
- 700+ galleries, shapes, charts, math equations
- Rulers and alignment guides
- Object and text animations such as fade, vanish, and more
- Rehearse Mode for practicing
- Collaboration with MS PowerPoint users
What Users Like
- In-built iCloud
- Password protected presentations
- Support for Apple Watch
What Users Don’t Like
- Can be confusing for MS PowerPoint users
- Only iCloud access for Windows and Android users
Apple Keynote Price to Upgrade: It’s a free presentation app available on the Apple app store.
Supported OS: Presentation app for macOS, iOS, Windows
Canva
Best for: Free presentation templates
Canva graphic tool enables users to quickly create presentations with tons of free photos, videos, audio, backgrounds, among others. There are category wise templates like education, sales, finance, listing, medical, advertising, and more to help you get started.
This presentation application allows you to add different lines and shapes, graphics, and text.
Canva Features
- 250,000+ templates
- Image library
- Canva Live
- Real time collaboration
- Sharing via email, Slack, LinkedIn, etc.
- 5GB cloud storage
What Users Like
- Smooth scrolling
- Drag and drop functionality
What Users Don’t Like
- No import/ export for MS PowerPoint files
Canva Pricing: After 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks) of using the free version, the premium plan starts at INR 3,999.00 per year for up to 5 people.
Supported OS: Presentation software for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
LibreOffice
Best for: Teachers, students
Impress from Libre Office is a simple presentation software that lets users create several types of visual content from hundreds of pre-available templates and diagramming tools.
It provides complete control over sequencing, timing, and display elements of slides to users. You can further add animations, effects, 3D scenes, and more.
Libre Office Features
- Manual/ timed transitions
- View/ Editing modes like Handout, Outline, etc.
- Font works tool for 2D/ 3D images
- Support for multiple monitors
- Presenter Console extension for controlling slideshows
What Users Like
- Supports Keynote file import
- Choice of Fonts
- Compatible with MS PowerPoint
What Users Don’t Lik
- Lacks collaboration tools
LibreOffice Pricing: Libre Office is free presentation software.
Supported OS: Presentation software for Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Pebble.
WPS Office
Best for: Teachers, students, Finance professionals
WPS Office free presentation tool provides presentation templates, transitions, animations, video embedding, effects, among others. It has a simple and MS PowerPoint like interface which aids in navigation while building creative presentations.
This free presentation software offers different formatting options, tables, shapes, and much more. You can also manage multiple files at once for editing.
WPS Office Features
- Customizable templates
- 230+ fonts
- In-built spell check
- 50+ pre-defined Keyboard shortcuts
- Supports different file formats like ppt, pps, pptx, ppsx, etc.
What Users Like
- Support for MS PowerPoint
- Multilingual presentation tool
What Users Don’t Like
- In-between Ads
WPS Office Price to Upgrade: It is available at a minimum price of INR 293.14 per month as a part of WPS Office Premium.
Supported OS: Presentation software for Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iOS.
Piktochart
Best for: HR, consultants, sales, and marketing professionals
Piktochart presentation design tool lets users create professional presentations with an easy selection of templates that work well for beginners.
Users can add images, charts, graphs, lists, comparisons, and more. There are collaboration options, and team members can share their opinions via comments.
Piktochart Features
- Library of visual assets like templates and graphics
- Branding options
- Links to Google Sheets/ Excel data
- Interactive maps
- Presentation mode for slideshows during video conferencing
What Users Like
- 100MB+ storage
- Drag and drop tools
What Users Don’t Like
- Watermark is there on every slide
- Limited features with a free version
Piktochart Price to Upgrade: The premium plan starts at INR 1027.894 for every member per month.
Supported OS: Web-based, online presentation software
Prezi
Best for: Interaction, virtual presentations
Prezi best presentation software provides a wide canvas to allow users to arrange items in a non-linear fashion. This is well-suited to create conversational presentations. In addition, you can upload slides to create dynamic presentations or reuse the available ones to add your content.
Prezi is a popular free online presentation tool known for its graphic interface and its non-linear approach to presentations. The zooming tool is impressive. Plus, there are tutorials and other aids to help you learn how to use it. Its popularity is growing, which means there’s also a growing number of third-party resources available.
Try Prezi for free by using either the basic version or by signing up for Prezi basic, or for a free trial of one of the other versions.
Different areas of the canvas are joined by animated paths. Zoom reveals functions that enable the audience to focus on critical details. Users can add text, images, charts, layouts, and even slides.
Features of Prezi Presentation Software
- Customizable designer templates
- Branding
- Presenter view to insert notes, points, and more
- Track presentation viewers to gain insights
- Voice over for narrating presentations
- Real-time sharing for collaboration
What Users Like
- Unlimited presentations
- Flexible structure
- Quick slideshow creation
What Users Don’t Like
- A bit of a learning curve
- Not easy to visualize structured data
Prezi Pricing: After a 14-day free trial, pricing starts at INR 220.860 for students.
Supported OS: Presentation software for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
LinkedIn SlideShare
LinkedIn SlideShare isn’t a presentation authoring software tool, but rather a free presentation sharing software tool. But if you need to get your slideshow in front of a large professional audience, then this online presentation software is worth knowing about. Currently, there are millions of users on SlideShare, many of whom are business professionals.
SlideShare is easy to use and there’s some help available within the tool. Since SlideShare is growing in popularity, there are also a growing number of third-party resources and tutorials.
Conclusion
There are several exceptional presentation software free download sites. The most remarkable thing about most of these free presentation tools is the fact that they totally do not cost a penny! You can make a presentation with a myriad of totally cool options for free. It is a completely different idea from the PowerPoint clones that exist on the market today.