Free software alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a well-known and popular presentation software. However, to use PowerPoint, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription, and for some people, the subscription cost is a real barrier. If you're also feeling that way, try one of the free apps below that can replace Microsoft PowerPoint with comparable quality.

WPS - Compatible with many different formats

WPS Presentation is a great alternative to PowerPoint , with a user interface similar to the classic ribbon style of Microsoft 365. You can click on different items in the menu bar to open design options, transitions, animations, review the presentation, and access various tools.

The templates are categorized by specific categories, such as Business Reports, Education, Projects, Albums, Work Summary, and more. You can also choose to work with a blank page and create your own template. After selecting a template, you can add text, images, charts, audio clips, and videos to build your presentation.

WPS has a rich collection of slide transition effects and animation settings available for content on each slide.

Key advantages:

1. The slides are fully customizable.
2. Compress files for easier sharing.
3. Convert files from PPT to PDF and PDF to PPT
4. Many font and typeface options
5. Over 50 slide transition effect options
6. Free for life with access to hundreds of different templates.

Canva - A large template library that's easy to share on social media.

The free presentation creation tool Canva offers you hundreds of modern templates. These include layouts designed for professional environments, community events, and even fun family gatherings. Templates are not only filtered by category but also by presentation type. Search for templates for mobile presentations, specific sizes, or styles.

The user interface is very intuitive and easy to customize. Use the drag-and-drop editor to perfectly position text and images. The color picker allows you to set up a color palette to your liking. One of the great features is that when you choose a color for text, Canva will display colors from a sample, so you can color your text without wasting time searching for the perfect shade.

One of Canva's biggest advantages over other PowerPoint alternatives is its vast library, with millions of visual and audio elements you can incorporate into your presentations. You can also connect Canva to your Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and Google Drive accounts to seamlessly upload images to your image library. Instead of using boring chart templates, Canva has a collection of colorful pie charts, donut charts, line charts, and bar charts, making it easy to create engaging visual graphics to showcase dry data.

Key advantages:

1. Many diverse designs
2. The drag-and-drop editor gives you complete control over your creative possibilities.
3. Thousands of royalty-free images, audio, and videos.
4. Download the presentation in multiple formats, including PowerPoint.
5. Free of charge

Prix

Prezi takes a completely different approach to presentation design. Instead of the usual sequential slides, it takes the viewer on an animated journey by zooming in on each main topic and subtopic, revealing the next slide.

When creating a presentation, you can set the animation order and zoom level, or you can adjust the presentation to center and zoom in on a different section. Each zoom-in reveals the next set of slides. When done correctly, Prezi presentations are incredibly engaging and will capture the audience's attention.

It takes a little getting used to Prezi, but once you understand the zoom level setting mechanism, it's very easy to use.

Key advantages:

1. Non-linear presentation style
2. Cloud-based collaboration tools
3. Create up to 5 free presentations.

Google Slides - A wide variety of easy-to-use slide templates.

Although Google Slides may not be as popular as other tools in the Google suite, it's a great alternative to PowerPoint if you want to create a basic presentation.

Choose a theme or start with a blank page and add the necessary elements to create each slide. Use transition effects and animations for each element to add interest and liveliness to your presentation.

One of the biggest advantages of Google Slides is that it's free for Google account users. You don't need to download anything and you can grant anyone access to view or edit your presentation.

Key advantages:

1. Automatically save slides as you work.
2. Real-time collaboration
3. Free with a Google account

Zoho Show - A simple and intuitive presentation app.

Zoho Show adopts a minimalist approach to presentation design. The workspace eliminates unnecessary elements, allowing you to focus on designing visually appealing slides.

Start by choosing from over 20 themes, each containing multiple templates. If you want to create your own template, Zoho offers over 100 fonts, ready-made images, shapes, and multimedia elements that you can combine.

You can import PowerPoint presentations and continue editing them on Zoho without losing any formatting. It's a web-based platform with real-time collaboration tools. Choose access levels for each member and allow them to add comments, edit content, or simply view.

Key advantages: 

1. Team collaboration tools
2. Hundreds of ready-made designs
3. Includes audio and video elements.