Last Updated on March 5, 2024
Without a doubt PowerPoint is very powerful and deserves 100% of the credit it gets. If I was forced to select the most powerful presentation tool, I would have to go with PowerPoint hands down.
Most people are familiar with Microsoft’s software because they’ve used it in school and college. Almost every big, small, and medium business have or currently are using Microsoft Office. Because of its vast popularity, people don’t bother with new software. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right?
Even though there is nothing wrong with this mentality, it’s always nice to keep an open mind and try new things. I know learning new software might be a hassle for some, but you never know, maybe it’s easier and cheaper too. Today we’ve compiled a list of cutting–edge, effective, and easy to use PowerPoint alternatives for you to try. Enjoy!
Google Presentation
Google Docs has become one of the world’s leading software packages. It’s free, easy to use, and with the large number (millions) of people using Google, it has become the ‘Microsoft Word’ of this generation. Google Docs is free, but you’re working in the cloud.
Inside Google Docs, you’ll find Google Presentation. With its minimal layout the software is extremely easy to use. To access it, you’ll need to create a Google account, select ‘Documents’ from the More menu, press the ‘Create’ button, and then select the presentation button from the drop down menu.
Google Docs also offers standard and functional requirements such as saving, archiving, and printing. This simple kind of functionality has made it the go to software internationally. It should also be noted that Google has the added advantage of allowing you to save your work in PowerPoint format.
Keynote
Do you use a MAC? If so, you don’t even want to touch PP. Keynote is the best alternative for MAC lovers. It’s simple and very easy to use. The added advantage of Keynote is that it barely requires training. The layout is pretty straight forward.
Your presentations will also work seamlessly between Mac and iOS devices. Apple plays nicely with Microsoft, meaning you can edit or import PowerPoint documents with Keynote.
Prezi
Every university students knows about Prezi. While it offers all the standard workings that are expected from PowerPoint, it also allows a whole new functionality: mind mapping. Not only does Prezi stand in a class of its own, but it’s also guaranteed to give you the edge that Microsoft PowerPoint cannot offer.
Prezi allows for all the slides to be viewed from an overview, while allowing a person to zoom in one slide at a time. For me, this is a serious advantage, because it allows me to effectively ‘hop’ between slides, without having to move back several paces.
Prezi is free, but there is a catch. All of your presentations will be public. If you wish to create private presentations, please checkout their pricing page.
Sliderocket
With Sliderocket you’ll be able to create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing slides within minutes. Considering that presentations at the very core are a visual experience, Sliderocket gets that right. To add insult to injury for Microsoft, Sliderocket is also available for free, giving it a massive competitive edge.
I love this tool. It’s very good for inserting audio and videos into the ordinary slide presentation. If that wasn’t enough, Sliderocket also allows content from the internet to be inserted directly into the presentation slides. This kind of innovation allows for maximum productivity and is likely to become your favorite very soon!
Impress
Impress allows you to create effective multimedia presentations. This open source software is part of the OpenOffice.org suite. Visually, the software is very similar to PowerPoint 2003.
So if you’re switching from MS PowerPoint, you’ll get used to the layout in a few minutes. You can easily make your presentations stand out with 3D clip art, animation, special effects, and high-impact drawing tools.
Overall it’s a great alternative and won’t cost you a penny. However, if you like this software you should support OpenOffice by donating a couple bucks.