Best Free Online Presentation Software and Tools in 2023
Discover the best free and freemium online presentation tools that are changing the way we deliver presentations across business and education! From SlideDog and Canva to Google Slides and Beautiful.AI, you'll find the right fit for your needs (and budget) in our detailed review.
Dag Hendrik Lerdal
Presentations are evolving, making desktop-based presentation software feel like it’s stuck in the last century. On the other hand, we’re seeing an uptick in free and freemium online presentation software that allows you to create presentations on your phone, build them out of different media formats, or turn them into fun, approachable cartoons.
There are a lot of options out there, so we reviewed them all to help you find the software that will make you look like a rockstar with your remote control device (without costing an arm and a leg).
Let’s dive in!
The Best 100% Free Online Presentation Software
1. The Best Online Presentation Tool for the Google Ecosystem: Google Slides
Google Slides is a widely used free online presentation software that functions as part of the Google Workspace suite of productivity tools and can be accessed through a browser. It offers a range of features to craft professional-looking slideshows for various purposes, such as business presentations, academic projects, training materials, or personal slideshows.
It’s a good option – whether you’re lone-wolfing your prez or working with a team (the collaboration features are great).
Google Slides Features
- Converts PowerPoint Files to Google Slides and vice versa.
- Smart Compose AI feature for creating presentations faster.
- Real-time collaboration (including chatting, comments, and reviews).
- Templates, videos, gifs, images, graphic assets. Plus, add-ons to include audio and more.
- Beaming to a secondary screen using Chromecast and AirPlay.
- Presenter View with notes and upcoming slides enabled by a secondary browser window.
- Built-in audience interaction, allowing Q&A that will show up in Presenter View.
- Remote control via an iOS or Android device.
- Google Meet remote presentation.
Google Slides OS
Web-based app, mobile app.
Google Slides Pricing
Free. Paid Workspace plans at $12/user/month for meeting recordings, group policies, and online support.
2. The Best Free Online Presentation Software for the Apple Pickers: Keynote
If you want to stay within the iOS, i.e., iWork suite, you should check out Apple’s Keynote presentation tool. In addition to being 100% free, it offers pretty sleek templates and key presentation features. Even though it’s free, it can hold up its own against its paid competitors, making it an excellent choice for both personal and professional presentations.
Apple Keynote Presentation Features
- Templates, effects, animations, graphics, charts, support for YT and Vimeo videos, and Apple Pencil scribbles.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Remote control and presenter view.
Keynote OS
Desktop + Mobile (iOS & Android) + Web (requires iCloud account).
Keynote Pricing
Keynote is free.
3. PowerPoint, but Online: Microsoft Sway
We’ll be honest: Microsoft Sway doesn’t have PowerPoint’s feature stack. However, you’ll like Sway if you need to create a simple presentation heavier on the visuals than the technical aspects. It offers cool interactive elements and automated layout and design suggestions.
You may not look like a pro graphic designer right away, but give it time. 😉
P.S. Did you know you could also use PowerPoint online? It might be worth checking out if you just can’t part with it!
Microsoft Sway Core Features
- Templates, interactive and dynamic presentation elements, such as navigation buttons and embedded web content.
- Collaboration features.
- Automatic layout and design suggestions.
Microsoft Sway OS
Desktop and web.
Microsoft Sway Pricing
Microsoft Sway is available if you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription (starting from $6.99/month). You can also use it for free with limited features.
The Best Freemium Presentation Software in 2023
1. Everyone’s Sweetheart: Canva Has One of the Fanciest Freemium Online Presentation Tools
Canva, our beloved. No matter if you’re whipping up a quick graphic for your Instagram or creating a flyer, Canva’s library of thousands of templates has got your back. And if you need a presentation, guess what?
You’re covered, too!
Canva Presentation Features
- Templates, graphics, and design elements.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Remote control & presenter view.
- More features with the Canva suite (logo design, social media graphics, flyers, proposals, etc.).
Canva OS
Web-based, Android app, and iOS app.
Canva Pricing
Canva offers a free plan that has 99% of your daily presentation needs covered. Paid plans start from $12.99/mo/user.
2. SlideDog: The Best Online Multimedia Freemium Presentation Software
If you want next-generation presentations, check out SlideDog. It allows you to combine media from multiple sources, including PowerPoint, videos, images, and even live web pages, and pack it all into one seamless presentation that will keep your audience more captivated than they’d be with a standard slideshow.
The biggest perk is the simplest: everything shows up in your presentation the way it looked to begin with, with no file type or compatibility issues. Then, add an extra dose of interactivity with polls, feedback, and more!
SlideDog Features
- Drag your various files into SlideDog, assemble them in your preferred order, and hit “Play”!
- Support for PPT, PDF, Prezi, and more.
- Remote control, live sharing & presenter view.
- Interactive elements: feedback, polls, and audience chat. [Paid feature.]
And more!
SlideDog OS
Windows.
SlideDog Pricing
SlideDog is free to use, and the free plan supports brief trials of premium features. For the highest level of control and interactivity, the paid plans start from $19/month for two users.
3. Slides.com - Great for Devs (and Everyone Else)
Slides focuses on appearance more than storytelling, so if you’re the kind of person who normally uses three PowerPoint slides but gets annoyed at how dull they look, this presentation tool might just be ‘it’ for you.
If you upgrade to one of the paid plans, you’ll unlock more features, including AI-assisted presentation creation and the ability to upload videos.
Slides Free & Paid Features
- Templates, animations, media library, and integration with Unsplash and GIPHY.
- Remote control & presenter view.
- Use code blocks and Developer Mode for custom features. [Paid feature.]
- AI for slide generation, content, etc. [Paid feature.]
- Collaboration features.
Slides OS
Slides works as a web-based app.
Slides.com Pricing
Slides has a free plan (up to 5 decks and 250MB of storage) – however, your presentations will appear in online searches. If you upgrade to one of the paid plans, starting from $5/mo, you’ll get AI, the ability to embed videos, and more.
4. Powtoon’s Explainer-Video Online Presentation Software
Powtoon is designed to create animated presentations and videos. It’s more focused on ‘explainer’ presentations and videos, which is a fresh approach compared to other online presentation tools.
If you’re interested in turning your presentations into short films with voiceovers and animations, check it out!
However, keep in mind that, on the free plan, you won’t be able to download your presentations – just export them to YouTube or share them via Twitter and Facebook.
Powtoon Features
- Basic video templates, animations, assets, images, and music. [Free.]
- Professional templates and assets. [Paid feature.]
- 3-minute videos on the free plan, up to 2hrs on the paid version (depending on the plan).
- Character lipsync. [Paid feature.]
- Text-to-speech AI. [Paid feature.]
- Commenting.
Powtoon OS
Powtoon is a web-based app.
Powtoon Pricing
Powtoon has a free plan, which is a pretty limited one. The paid plans start from $15/month for professional templates, scenes, and assets.
5. How Free Is Emaze’s Presentation Tool?
Emaze is a feature-rich presentation tool that offers a wide range of templates, customization options, animation effects, and collaboration features. However, many of the features won’t be available on the free plan, making it feel a little lackluster if you’ve been testing the likes of Google Slides and Keynote.
Emaze Features
- Templates, quizzes (up to 3 on the free plan), widgets, maps, graphs and charts, and more.
- Custom effects. [Paid feature.]
- Collaboration features. [Free, but improves significantly with paid plans.]
Emaze OS
Emaze is web-based.
Emaze Pricing
Emaze has a freemium option, and the paid plans start from $5/mo for students.
6. The Prince Among Freemium Presentation Software: ZohoShow
ZohoShow Features
- Templates, themes, and design elements.
- Interactive elements, including charts, tables, and multimedia content.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Remote control & beaming.
ZohoShow OS
Web app, Android, iOS.
ZohoShow Pricing
ZohoShow is free!
7. Visme
When it comes to freemium software that helps you build online presentations, Visme is a good choice. Even though its free version is limited, it still provides the core functionality to build seamless and beautiful presentations.
Visme Features
- Templates, images, graphics, multimedia, and other assets. [Free plan only includes some of the assets – not the full library.]
- Animations, transitions, and interactive elements. [Paid feature.]
- Collaboration.
- Presenter view & remote control.
Visme Presentation Software OS
Desktop, web, and mobile.
Visme Pricing
Visme’s free plan comes with limited templates and graphics, as well as limited collaboration features. Still, it has a generous cap of max 50 slides, and you get access to the easy-to-use editor, so you should be good!
Once you’re ready, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans, starting from $12.25/mo.
8. Pitch.com Free Version Review
Pitch is as simple as it gets without sacrificing the aesthetic of building an engaging presentation. Made primarily for startups, it now helps students, businesses, and everyone else who needs to create something stunning for the next time they’re on stage.
Pitch’s free plan is also very generous when compared to others. You’ll be able to build unlimited presentations, invite unlimited members, use voiceover recordings, and get custom templates and fonts.
Pitch.com’s Free Features
- Custom templates and fonts, integration with sites like Unsplash and GIPHY for your multimedia needs, and their own template gallery.
- Integration with Google Workspace, ChartMogul, YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, and others.
- Team collaboration.
- Offline access.
If you decide to upgrade, you’ll get more storage, the ability to upload and attach your own videos, remove watermarks, use custom links, and more.
Pitch OS
Desktop and mobile apps, web-based.
Pitch Pricing
Pitch has a free plan, and the paid plans, which unlock more features, start from €8/user/mo.
9. Mentimeter for Fun Online Presentations
Mentimeter specializes in interactive online presentations, and the best part is that you’ll get plenty of those interactive elements in the free plan, as well.
While the colorful palette may make you think it’s best suited to schools, Mentimeter presentations do a good job of spicing up any garden variety meeting, so you might want to test them during your next all-hands.
Mentimeter Features
- 34 slide types on the free plan (unlimited on paid), Q&A feature, word clouds, quick layouts, and more.
- Paid plans also offer team collaboration, custom themes and colors, Excel exports, quick forms, Q&A moderation, and more.
Mentimeter OS
Web app.
Mentimeter Pricing
Mentimeter has a great free version for online presentations, while the paid plans start from €11.99/presenter/month.
10. Adobe Express Presentation Maker for Online Presentations on the Go
Much like any other Adobe product, Express Presentations are beautiful and powerful under the hood. And even on the free plan, you’ll get plenty of features to spice up your next appearance in front of the team, class, or prospects.
If you’re in a rush, I’m a big fan of the “Remix” feature, where you take an existing template or presentation and put your own twist on it without having to start from scratch.
What Does Adobe Express Free Offer?
- Basic editing and photo effects, 2k+ fonts, free stock photo collection, templates, and graphic assets.
- Storage: 2GB.
- Web app and mobile app.
- Remix feature for quick template customization.
The paid plan, on the other hand, gives you a bit of an upgrade with more storage, shinier effects, and better access to Adobe Stock’s vast gallery.
Adobe OS
Web app, Android, iOS.
Adobe Express Presentation Pricing
Adobe Express has a free plan, and the Adobe Premium plan is $9.99/month.
11. FlowVella
FlowVella’s freemium plan is one of those “try it before you buy it” plans, meaning you can create up to 4 public presentations. If that’s enough, and you rarely create presentations, give it a go!
The presentations will be watermarked, and you’ll only be able to create up to 10 slides, but it’s still a good taste test for the interactive features.
FlowVella Features
- Interactive elements like navigation, buttons, galleries, and more.
- Templates.
- Multimedia support (images, PDFs, videos, etc.).
- Kiosk mode for digital display and signage.
FlowVella OS
Native mobile app for iOS, desktop, and web.
FlowVella Pricing
FlowVella has a limited free plan, and the paid plans start from $10/mo.
Wrapping It Up
Unfortunately, we can’t list just about any tool under the sky for this article. However, if you haven’t found a good fit among the eleven we mentioned above, you may want to check out:
- PicMaker – Free presentations for students, professionals, and more.
- Piktochart – Drag & drop presentations with a neat free plan.
- Renderforest – A much bigger suite of tools for videography and design, but plenty of support for (free) presentations.
Now – it’s over to you!
Did we miss your favorite online presentation software? Or do you want to give props to one of our selections? If you think we’ve hit the nail on the head, or you’ve got a bone to pick with us, get hold of us in the comments section below!
