top open source presentation software

27 Open Source Slideshow Presentation Editors and PowerPoint Alternatives

Hazem Abbas

Presentations and slideshows are essential tools for marketeers, strategists, teachers, and ofcourse students.

Basically, a slideshow is a presentation of series of still images on a projection screen or a projector (displaying device).

Microsoft powerpoint carries the same technique with more of magic transition effects, ability to add interactive diagrams, videos, and videos.

PowerPoint Open Source Alternative

Many think that there is a lack of alternatives for Powerpoint especially for Linux, but that is far from the truth as we are about to offer you many, so stay tuned.

Prezi, a new generation presentation

However, before we start we have to differentate between the old classicial slideshow presentation as MS PowerPoint, and the new fancy presentation by Prezi.com.

While PowerPoint and its open source counterpart in office suites keep the old approach, Prezi.com offered a large canvas presentation with stunning catching effect, that proven to be reliable for many enterprise users.

Presentation extensions and compatability

There are many presentation extensions that is supported by the popular office suites. Many of these extensions are supported in the open source apps as LibreOffice, Calligra suites. Also, in the free WPS Office suite.

On the otherhand, Prezi or canvas style presentation, has their own extension which is not compatable with the office suites.

Another note worth mentioning here is, Markdown and Terminal based presentation app, are often use Text-based Markdown files to build the presentation, which can be edited by any text editor, yet not compatable with any office suite presentation apps.

PowerPoint, and PDF Style Presentation Apps

1- libreoffice impress.

LibreOffice is an open source office suite and the ideal alternative for the commercial enterprise released office suites as MS Office. It includes a text processor, presentation manager, spreadsheet program and other apps.

The LibreOffice Impress has similar features as PowerPoint, It enables you to create a rich slideshow and presentation with dozens of customizable options. It contains a rich set of page transition animation, text styles, and dozens of shapes, diagrams, with a rich built-in 2D/ 3D library set.

LibreOffice works on Linux, Windows, macOS.

2- Calligra Stage

Calligra Stage is a presentation software and a part of Calligra office suite. It uses the OpenDocument file format standard which is compatible with other office suites.

With Stage, you can design your slides, control added shapes, charts, diagrams, and style your text. You can also add notes, change your page layout, and enjoy a long list of page transition and included animations.

Calligra Suite is an open source office and graphic suite by KDE; the popular Linux desktop environment. It also includes a text document editor (Words), a vector editor (Karbon), Spreadsheet editor (Sheet), Visual Database creator (KEXI), and an amazing project management application (Plan).

3- Impressive

Unlike the previous apps, Impressive is a standalone open source free presentation and slideshow generator that uses PDF to render your slides.

It contains many page translations, enable you to view your slides in an overview screen, highlight text boxes, and add spotlight effects.

The app is completely free, and open source for Linux systems.

4- Spice-up

Spice-up is a lightweight free presentation manager for Linux systems. It features a simple user-friendly interface, and allows you to create quick presentations without a fuzz.

Spice-up enables you to export your presentations directly to PDF.

5- Imagination

Imagination is a minimal yet feature-rich presentation software for Linux. Originally built by an open source enthusiast and Linux user who noticed a lack of presentation software for Linux systems.

It includes about 70-page transition effects, and enables you to export your presentation to video formats as OGV Theora/Vorbis, widescreen FLV video, 3GP for mobile phones, H264 and H265 for HD slideshows.

6- WPS Office (Free)

WPS Office is a free professional enterprise-grade office suite for people who look for a Microsoft Office replacement.

WPS Office enables you to edit and manage Writer, Presentation, Spreadsheet, and PDF with others at the same time. It is fully compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS and supports 47 file formats and 46 languages.

Prezi.com style presentation

Prezi.com is a commercial web-based presentation service, that allows you to create beautiful unique presentation as it treats the whole canvas as one slide, where you move, pane, or zoom to your next area of interest.

Unlike the classical slideshow presentation, Sozi is an amazing presentation program that allows you to create a catchy zoomable presentation. It is based on open standard and released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

Sozi can be installed on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It can also be installed using Docker for macOS and Linux.

With Sozi, you can add URLs, embed videos, and audios, and convert your presentation to PDF or videos.

2- DeckDeckGo

DeckDeckGo is a self-hosted collaborative web-based presentation manager, that also can be used directly from CDN or integrate with other frameworks such as React, Vue, Angular and Ember.

Although, the official commercial service is deprecated, the source code is available and supported by a good community of user and developers.

3- RevealJs

RevealJS is a popular JavaScript presentation and slideshow library that developers can install, integrate and use in their projects. It plays well with other JavaScript framework as React, Vue, and Angular.

RevealJS presentations are responsive and works smoothly with mobile browsers.

4- Impress.js

Impress.js is a presentation framework based on the power of CSS3 transforms and transitions in modern browsers and inspired by the idea behind Prezi.com.

Impress.js demo is pretty cool as it offers an interactive canvas that zoom into the point of interest and focus area in steps.

It also comes with amazing 3D transitions that you can customize.

The primary downside of this stunning framework is that it requires coding skills to make it work. However, this can be resolved by using some Impress.js based apps which you will find in this post.

5- Hovercraft

Hovercraft is a stunning presentation software that allows you to create Prezi grade presentation using Impress.js, without having to worry about any code.

Hovercraft feature highlights

Write your presentations in a text markup language. No slow, limiting GUI, no annoying HTML!
Pan, rotate and zoom in 3D, with automatic repositioning of slides!
A presenter console with notes and slide previews!
Support for showing mathematical formulas.
Styling is easy with CSS.
The slide show generated is in HTML, so you only need a web browser to show it.
Easy sharing, as it can be put up on a website for anyone to see!

Strut - An Impress.js and Bespoke.js Presentation Editor that is based on Impress.js. The project now is getting a new update as the old code is becoming obsolete.

7- Impressionist

Impressionist is a visual 3D editor for creating stunning impress.js presentations. It uses Electron to build a visual WYSIWYG for Jmpress.js.

However, it is tricky to install, therefore there are video tutorials on how to make your edition up and running on Windows and Linux.

8- Reveal.js with R Studio

The R language is a primary language for data scientists and engineers, many of them use it for everyday purposes. This is a handy tool for them to create a catchy presentation within R Studio using Reveal.js.

9- Reveal Hugo

This one is an addition for Hugo Static Site Generator to create presentation websites using Reveal.js.

10- Reveal.js 3D

Although, the Reveal.js library does not have 3D support , some developers decided to make a 3D Reveal.js edition. It works with Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox, yet the lazy-loading option does not work well with some browsers.

11- ShowPreper

ShowPreper is a free open-source web-based presentation that is based on Impress.js, and Bespoke.js libraries. It is released as an open source project under the MIT license.

Gosspi is an amazing web-based slideshow and presentation editor, It uses Impress.js. It is considered the open source alternative for Prezi.com

13- Reveal.js Simple Menu

This is a simple library that adds a simple navigation menu for your Reveal.js slides. You can customize the menu position, selection and auto-generate menus easily.

Terminal based presentation

This section for old school terminal users, who prefer doing many through their terminal apps.

Slides is a terminal-based presentation with Markdown file processor that supports tables, code, simple diagrams, and more useful features.

Slides is written with the Go programming language, and it is packed by many contributors.

The present app is a colorful terminal-based presentation written with Python. It supports colors, and comes with many fancy effects.

The app works directly with Markdown files, and converts Markdown directly into rich slides that you can view directly within your terminal.

The terminal Matrix effect is one of the best catchy transition you can use there.

patat ( P resentations A top T he A NSI T erminal ) is a small tool that allows you to show presentations using only an ANSI terminal. It does not require ncurses .

patat features highlight

Leverages the great Pandoc library to support many input formats including Literate Haskell.
Supports smart slide splitting.
Slides can be split up into multiple fragments
There is a live reload mode.
Theming support including 24-bit RGB.
Auto advancing with configurable delay.
Optionally re-wrapping text to terminal width with proper indentation.
Syntax highlighting for nearly one hundred languages generated from Kate syntax files.
Experimental images support.
Supports evaluating code snippets and showing the result.
Written in Haskell.

4- lookatme

lookatme is an interactive, extensible, terminal-based markdown presentation tool.

lookatme features highlights

Markdown rendering
Built-in tutorial slides lookatme --tutorial
Live (input file modification time watching) and manual reloading
Live terminals embedded directly in slides
Syntax highlighting using the Pygments library
Loading external files into code blocks
Support for contrib extensions
Smart slide splitting
Progressive slides with  comments between block elements

5- SSH Slides

SSH Slides is an SSH server that hosts terminal-based presentations where your viewers can follow along in their own terminals. This service is currently located at slides.tseivan.com .

mdp is yet another terminal Markdown presentation tool. It is written in the C language. mdp can easily be installed on macOS using Homebrew and MacPorts. Debian and Ubuntu users can use the DEB package, while Arch Linux users can get it directly from the AUR repos.

7- Showtmux

Showtmux creates terminal-based interactive presentations. It can be used to script terminal-based demos ahead of time, and play them in tmux.

8- dss (Dead Simple Slides)

Dead Simple Slides (DSS) is a text/terminal based slide presentation tool that reads .txt files for formatted slides. These slides are then displayed to the terminal.

Presentation and slideshow apps are essential tools for making educational and informative document to present in meetings or in classroom. While they have different shapes, styles, extensions and features, we encourage you to go through and test the ones in the category you require, evaluate the features, and pick the one that fits your workflow.

If you are going with an office suite style presentation we recommend LibreOffice, as it is proven reliable and solid for countless users over the years.

Do you know any other open source free presentation app that we missed, kindly send us a hit, to add it to this list.

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Best presentation software of 2024

Make perfect slides for speeches and talks

Best overall

Best for branding, best for marketing, best for themes, best for media, best unique.

How we test

The best presentation software makes it simple and easy to create, manage, and share slideshow presentations.

A person setting up files to import into Powerpoint.

1. Best overall 2. Best for branding 3. Best for marketing 4. Best for themes 5. Best for media 6. Best unique 7. FAQs 8. How we test

Presentation software runs at the heart of business sales, management, and development, so it's important to ensure you have the best presentation software for your needs. This is especially when looking to share ideas, concepts, and workflows, and the ability to present these in a simple and understandable way is essential.

However, while presentation software has been traditionally limited to text and images, it has widened its ability to work with different media such as video and audio.

Therefore it's important for the best presentation software to not simply be easy and simple to use, but also be able to support additional media so that presentations can be more engaging, lively, and ultimately serve their purpose in educating and updating their intended audience.

Below we've listed the best presentation software currently on the market.

We've also listed the best free presentation software .

The best office software in the world is: Microsoft 365 There are many different office software suites out there, but Microsoft Office remains the original and best, offering an unsurpassed range of features and functionality that rivals just can't match.

Even better, Microsoft 365 - previously branded as Office 365 - is a cloud-based solution which means you can use it on any computer, mobile device, or smartphone, without having to worry about compatibility. All your files are saved in the cloud and synced between devices, so you can begin work on a document at home or in the office, then continue working on it on the go.

You can sign up to Microsoft 365 here .

The best presentation software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. PowerPoint

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

For most people, Microsoft 's PowerPoint remains the original and best of all the presentation software platforms out there. While other companies have managed to catch up and offer rival products worthy of consideration, the fact is that PowerPoint's familiar interface and ubiquitous availability means it remains a favorite for the majority of people.

On the one hand, it's long been a staple of the hugely popular Microsoft Office suite, meaning that for most users this is going to be the first - and last - presentation software they are going to need to use.

Additionally, Microsoft has made PowerPoint, along with their other office products, available as free apps (with limited functionality) on both iOS and Android for mobile use, meaning it's even harder to avoid them. And this is before we even consider the inclusion of PowerPoint in Microsoft's cloud-based Microsoft 365.

It does everything necessary that you'd expect of presentation software, allowing you to add text and media to a series of slides, to accompany a talk and other presentations. There are easy-to-use templates included to help spice things up a little, but even a general user with little experience of it is likely to find themselves able to use PowerPoint without much trouble at all.

Overall, it's hard to go wrong with PowerPoint, and although Microsoft 365 has a nominal cost, the apps are free to use even if they do have more limited functionality.

Read our full Microsoft PowerPoint review .

Our Microsoft discount codes can help you save on your next purchase.

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2. CustomShow

Reasons to avoid.

Branding says a lot about a business, and it’s something firms need to get right from day one – from a good logo to a suitable font. CustomShow is business presentation software that puts all these elements of branding first.

Using the system, you can design and present customized, branded presentations that reflect your company and the products you offer, featuring the aforementioned logo and custom fonts. As well as this, you get a slide library and analytics to ensure your presentations are a success.

What’s more, you can import presentations into the software, and use it to tweak them further. There’s also integration with SalesForce , and because the platform is cloud-based, you can access your presentations on computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Considering the focus on branding, this offering could be good for marketing and sales teams, and it's used by major companies such as HBO and CBS Interactive.

3. ClearSlide

Just like CustomShow, ClearSlide has a niche focus for companies. The platform is targeted at firms looking to generate successful marketing campaigns, pushing sales via presentations (and more), not least through a range of analytics and metrics to work for sales and marketing.

With the product, you can upload a range of files, including PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, and Excel. ClearSlide is integrated with other platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce.

This system is pretty complex and may offer too many irrelevant features for some businesses, but you can create customized content that reflects your company and the message you’re trying to get out to customers. There are also some good metrics and analysis features, and you can sign up for a free trial before making any decisions.

The real strength of ClearSlide comes from its focus on sales and marketing data, not least being able to track user engagement alongside other metrics.

4. Haiku Deck

Any presentation app will allow you to personalize your slides to at least some extent, but Haiku Deck goes one step further than the competition. It comes with a wide range of themes suited to different needs, and you also get access to 40 million free images from the Creative Commons collection.

When it comes to creating a presentation, you have the option to do so on the web, which means your presentation is accessible across a range of mobile devices as well as desktops. Regardless of the device used, you’re able to select from a variety of different fonts, layouts, and filters to make the perfect presentation.

The great thing about these various customization options is that they’re categorized into different industries and use cases. For instance, you’ll find themes for teaching, cooking, real estate, and startups. Most of the features require you to be online, but hopefully, you’ll have a sturdy net connection wherever you go.

5. SlideDog

It’s all too easy to end up creating a presentation that’s unappealing, and the last thing you want to do is make the audience fall asleep. SlideDog lets you combine almost any type of media to create a rich presentation that’s sure to keep the viewers’ peepers open, avoiding the ‘cookie cutter’ look that makes presentations seem dull.

Marketed as a web-based multimedia presentation tool, it gives you the ability to combine PowerPoint presentations, graphics, PDF files, Prezi presentations, web pages, pictures, videos, and movie clips. You can drag these into custom playlists and display them to your audience with ease.

You’re able to remotely control your presentations and playlists from your smartphone, the web, or a secondary computer, and there’s also the option to share slides in real-time. Audience members can even view your slide from their own devices by clicking a link. That’s a handy feature if you’re looking to create an immersive presentation experience.

SlideDog is probably the cheapest of the presentation software featured, with a free account that will cover the essential features. However, for live sharing and premium support, you need to upgrade.

Read our full SlideDog review .

Prezi is one of the more unique presentation tools. Instead of presenting your graphics and text in a slide-to-slide format, you can create highly visual and interactive presentation canvases with the goal of “emphasizing the relationship between the ideas”.

Presentations can also be tailored to the specific audience, as this is a flexible platform that’s capable of skipping ahead, or veering off into a side topic, without having to flip through all the slides to get to a particular bit.

For business users, there are a variety of handy tools available. By downloading Prezi , you can build and edit presentations with your colleagues in real-time, which is perfect for companies with teams based around the globe.

When you have created a presentation you’re happy with, you can present it live (in HD) and send a direct link to viewers. There are some analysis tools here, too – you can see who’s accessed your presentation, which parts of it, and for how long. The app is available for Mac and Windows devices.

Read our full Prezi review .

Presentation software FAQs

Which presentation software is best for you.

When deciding which presentation software to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free platforms may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require for your presentation needs.

How we tested the best presentation software

To test for the best presentation software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

We've also featured the best alternatives to Microsoft Office .

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Nicholas Fearn is a freelance technology journalist and copywriter from the Welsh valleys. His work has appeared in publications such as the FT, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Next Web, T3, Android Central, Computer Weekly, and many others. He also happens to be a diehard Mariah Carey fan!

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The 8 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives

Professional results for tight budgets

Swansea University, Staffordshire University

Microsoft PowerPoint is a great tool for creating professional-looking slideshows and presentations. However, the home version requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, and the free mobile app locks some features behind the sub as well. Fortunately, there are plenty of free PowerPoint software alternatives out there. Here's a look at some of the best options and how they compare to PowerPoint.

Best Direct PowerPoint Replacement: Google Slides

Very similar to PowerPoint.

Free to use.

Compatible with PowerPoint.

An internet connection is strongly recommended.

Where there's a need for an app, Google seems to have it covered. Google Slides is its PowerPoint equivalent and it's a lot like Microsoft's app. Very simple to use and offering full compatible with the alternative, you can access Google Slides via your browser and easily create custom presentations with audio and your own images, all entirely for free. It also offers great live collaboration features for teamwork purposes.

The only minor downside is you need an internet connection to at least get started but the service does also work offline with presentations syncing once you're back online.

Best for Designers: Prezi

Video editing included.

Can easily make data visualizations.

Stylish user interface.

Free option is pretty basic.

No support.

Presentations viewable by all.

Prezi is a great option for designers who have a vision but aren't technically proficient at achieving it. Its simple drag and drop interface makes it a breeze to organize your presentation just how you want it. Backed up with other Prezi apps that mean you can create videos or more stylish data visualizations than simple graphs, it's ideal for industries that are more visual than others. A series of pre-made templates makes it all the more attractive.

Prezi isn't as free as it seems though. To get the full wealth of features like advanced image editing, offline access, and narration, you'll need to pay a subscription fee.

Best for Quick Results: Zoho Show

A theme for every occasion.

Quick to create something.

Intuitive interface.

Need to be online to use it.

Simple to use yet highly effective is the sweet spot for quick results, and that's certainly the case with Zoho Show. You might need to be online to use it, but it's worth the connection with an intuitive user interface that adapts to what you need to do. You can easily embed videos, tweets, and images into your presentations with some neat transition effects making things more interesting.

Collaboration tools further sweeten the deal with annotation features meaning you can work together well as a team and fast.

Best for Animations: Powtoon

Great animation tools.

Easy to use.

Can export to social media platforms.

Branding applied on free presentations.

Best for Mass Branding: Renderforest

Plenty of options for expanding branding.

300MB cloud storage for free.

Unlimited exports.

Exports can be low in quality.

Content is watermarked.

RenderForest thinks of itself as more than just a PowerPoint alternative. It tackles everything you might need from creating logos to designing promo videos, music visualizations, landing pages, and websites. That's on top of its extensive animations and intro creation. That might sound intimidating but the service keeps things simple, so it won't take you long to mock something up and develop it.

Stick to the free version and there are some restrictions such as branding on your videos, lower quality logos, and so forth, but it's a solid start for an otherwise entirely free service. In particular, if you just need to concoct a quick 3-minute video for a presentation, RenderForest has you covered.

Best for Non-Designers: Visme

Plenty of templates to choose from.

Can set up five projects at once.

Charts and widgets support.

Limited cloud storage.

Visme branding on free plan.

Been asked to make a presentation and you don't know where to start? Visme is perfect for those that aren't well versed with graphics as it offers an extensive template library. The free plan limits your options a little but there are still some decent choices here. In addition, the service provides cool ways to make stats and data look exciting thanks to chart and widget support. It's all done through a simple drag and drop interface too that makes it super simple to add video and embed other content.

Just bear in mind that storage options are a little limited and everything on the free plan will contain Visme branding.

Best for Office Replacement: LibreOffice Impress

Full program rather than browser-based.

Extensive support.

Similar experience to Microsoft Office.

Requires installation.

Not quite as intuitive as alternatives.

LibreOffice is a popular free alternative to Microsoft Office, so it makes sense to use LibreOffice Impress if you want the closest experience to Microsoft's package. Unlike most of the others here, you need to install LibreOffice on your PC or Mac which means it's no good for Chromebooks or moving between different systems. However, in exchange, you get an intuitive experience that makes it simple to create slideshows, whether you're handing them out to a class or conference afterwards, or simply projecting them on screen.

Bear in mind you have to seek out templates yourself though which may be off-putting for the least technically minded user out there.

Download for:

Best for Apple Users: Keynote

Simple to use.

Apple Pencil support.

Cloud based as well as app based.

App is only on Apple devices.

Keynote is Apple's direct competitor to Microsoft PowerPoint and it's a great alternative, especially if you're a Mac user. With app support for iOS and Mac, it takes seconds to get started. Alternatively, PC users can use Keynote via the iCloud website and easily work across multiple devices.

One of the best features is the ability to use the Apple Pencil on an iPad to create diagrams or illustrations making it great for skilled artists. As well as that, Apple provides plenty of convenient templates for personal and professional projects.

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The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

Hero image with logos of the best presentation software

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


	A free option	Free plan available; paid plans from $10
	AI-powered design	From $12/month
	Non-linear presentations	Free plan available; paid plans from $7/month
	Video presentations	Limited free plan available; paid plans from $15/month
	Collaboration	Free plan available; from $22/month for 2 users
	Conversational AI features	Free plan available; paid plans from $8/user/month
	Audience engagement	Free plan available; paid plans from $11.99/user/month
	Generative AI features	Limited free plan available; paid plans from $16/user/month

The best free presentation software

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Canva, our pick for the best free presentation app

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

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

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

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

Pitch, our pick for the best presentation software for collaborating with your team

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

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

Mentimeter, our pick for the best presentation software for audience engagement

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

Tome, our pick for the best presentation software for generative AI

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.

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The 7 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives for Presentations

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Microsoft PowerPoint has been around for a long while and so far it has served users well. However, because it's a paid program, not everyone can afford it.

Thankfully, there are many options available for users who want the functionality of Microsoft PowerPoint in a free-to-use package. In fact, some of them don't even require any downloads and are completely web-based.

1. Google Slides

By far the most popular PowerPoint alternative out there, Google Slides shines when it comes to collaboration. Multiple people can work simultaneously on a presentation and add new slides.

This is further strengthened by its availability. Google Slides works on your web browser and has apps for both iOS and Android.

Additionally, Google Slides keeps a record of all the changes users have made to a presentation, and you can easily restore your slideshow to a previous version. While anyone with a Gmail account can use Google Slides, G Suite users get added data protection.

Compared to PowerPoint, the number of templates, animation forms, and fonts is somewhat lacking. However, businesses tend to overlook these shortcomings on a day-to-day basis.

While Canva is primarily known as a photo editor and design tool, it is also a competent MS PowerPoint alternative.

One of Canva's main strengths is its ease of use. There are many beginner tutorial videos on the website if users do not understand something. Complete beginners can easily navigate through the minimalistic interface.

With the free version of Canva, you get access to over 8000+ presentation templates that exponentially speed up your workflow. Additionally, Canva still remains one of the easiest services to create infographics and charts in.

The only limiting thing with Canva is that it offers a basic set of tools and transitions at users' disposal. It's apparent that the company places more focus on photo editing and design aspect than anything else.

The Prezi presentation format is unique in the way that it lets you view slides. Instead of addressing multiple elements at once, Prezi gives viewers a single canvas that allows them to zoom in on different presentation parts. This provides a much more immersive experience.

Similar to Google Slides, Prezi supports the real-time collaboration of up to 10 users. Users can also add comments to indicate changes or report missing information. Prezi works on any modern web browser, and there are Android and iOS apps available as well.

Related: Powerful Google Chrome PDF Extensions and Apps

The Prezi software also has an analytics feature that helps users optimize their presentation by showing them which slides were the most viewed as well as which ones were skipped.

Even though the basic version of Prezi is free to use, it doesn't allow users to control the privacy of their presentation, which could be a dealbreaker for many. Additionally, due to the way Prezi works, there is a steep learning curve associated with it.

4. WPS Office Free

WPS Office is the closest alternative to PowerPoint when it comes to functionality and user interface. Plus, unlike the other web-based services on this list, you don't always need an active internet connection to use it.

With its complete support for PowerPoint files, users can edit existing PowerPoint documents with ease in WPS Office. They can also embed videos and animate individual objects, just like in Microsoft PowerPoint. It also offers many templates, so users can pick their favorite.

However, users should keep in mind that while the software is free, it is supported by ads, which may be a bit intrusive at times. In addition to this, collaboration is less straightforward than with Google Slides.

WPS Office is available across all major platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux. iOS, and Android. There is a web-based version available as well. Alternatively, you can check out this handy guide to smoothen your transition to WPS Office from Microsoft .

Xtensio is one of the best options for business users. It has many templates available regarding various organization sections, such as marketing, UX design, etc.

With Xtensio's easy-to-use interface, even newbies can create professional-looking reports and presentations. Additionally, they offer even greater flexibility in terms of design. You can edit each object in a template to suit your specific needs.

But it does have some shortcomings. For one thing, users cannot export their presentations in PowerPoint format. Additionally, the free version supports only one user at a time with a storage space of 1MB.

6. LibreOffice

LibreOffice Impress Presentation Software editing screen

LibreOffice is open-source presentation software that does everything PowerPoint can do. Although it lacks functionality such as OneDrive Integration, its PowerPoint-like functionality more than makes up for it.

LibreOffice has its share of useful features, such as the ability to import Keynote files. In addition, LibreOffice has a vast collection of free templates that users can use to create their presentations.

If that's not enough, you can download additional templates from LibreOffice's online repository. LibreOffice is available across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

7. Zoho Show

There are several reasons to use Zoho Show for your next presentation. It's a great presentation tool that's similar to Google Slides, but even better. Users can also import and edit all their PowerPoint files in the online tool.

Users can create tables, infographics, and data charts within Zoho Show itself. In addition to this, the service also has in-built Google Image Search functionality that lets you search and insert images quickly.

Related: Tools to Give an Online Presentation From Anywhere

Additionally, Zoho Show supports collaboration in real-time and multiple users can edit presentations. Although there's not much to complain about in Zoho Show, many users would like to have more options when it comes to templates and animations.

Worthy PowerPoint Alternatives

Essentially, all these tools and services function the same way as PowerPoint without the cost. Furthermore, the web-based alternatives are more advanced such as automatic saving and cloud storage.

Despite this, PowerPoint remains the front-runner when it comes to presentation software. As such, it is important for users to know how to make the best out of its features.

Productivity
Collaboration Tools
Presentations

9 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives

Why even look for a PowerPoint alternative? PowerPoint is tough. But I'm sure you already know that. If you landed here, then you’re one of the millions frustrated with PowerPoint’s inability to support the modern work mindset of "work smart, not hard." Instead, you're often stuck tinkering with text boxes and slide layouts for hours on end, instead of focusing on what really matters: presenting for impact and telling a good story. Interestingly enough, Microsoft’s PowerPoint is marketed to everyone, but we'd agree that most users don’t benefit from its clunky interface, lack of design guidance, and limited features. But still, Ye Olde Standby boasts 500 million users worldwide. And we predict that maybe 2% of those users are actually pleased with PowerPoint.

After all, presenters have enough to worry about, with potentially embarrassing technical issues, public speaking anxiety, and increasingly distracted audiences to solve for. The presentation design part of the process should be the easiest stage. We have good news on this front: The rise of cloud-based free PowerPoint alternatives are paving the way for teams to create pro-quality presentations in less time, collaborate seamlessly with their team, and maybe—just maybe— enjoy presentations for once. So today we’re examining the top 10 free alternative presentation software, based on brutally honest reviews from diehard Microsoft PowerPoint fans over on Capterra (the largest online peer review website for software). Let’s see what real presenters think! ‍

PowerPoint Alternatives For Both Mac and PC (Cloud)

#1: Beautiful.ai (5 Star Capterra Score)

It's easy with B.ai to produce really nice-looking presentation slides. While you don't have full control over everything, that is on purpose. By 'constraining' you via various slide templates—which have a good degree of controllable variation and flexibility, but not full control—you end up with really good looking slides in a short time. Essentially B.ai prevents you from wasting time and energy on dead-end paths that would give you ugly-looking slides. —Leonard C.

Beautiful.ai is presentation software that designs your presentation for you in real time. The design-focused software combines learning behavior and artistry of professional graphic designers to visualize crystal clear ideas. Never offend your audience with messy content again—and look like a rockstar presenter every time.

Beautiful.ai offers 60+ ‘smart templates’. Unlike PowerPoint, Smart Slide templates handle the manual labor of layout, image placement, text boxes, margins, and aesthetics. Have a huge block of text? Sounds like an eyesore. Smart templates convey more information, with well-balanced attractive slides.

The "design a.i." updates your presentation as the content is added or removed, automatically, project schedules are shortened and streamlined.

Genuine free PowerPoint alternative - great features included in the free Basic plan!
Create presentations in 3 easy steps: choose a design theme, add a template and then the content
Presentation design is optimized in real-time
Good design principles ensure your audience learns effectively
Lack of full creative control of slide layout
You cannot edit a Beautiful.ai presentation after export

Price to Upgrade: Pro version is $12 per month annually and includes performance analytics to the presentation, custom fonts, and a desktop player.

#2: Google Slides (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

It's a bit of a learning curve when migrating to the platform, and some may feel a little lost. But I do not think it's overwhelming, nor do I feel that this should deter you from giving it a try. —Russell P.

PowerPoint alternative—Google Slides— is web-based presentation software. For GSuite users, this software is a no-brainer, with its integrated apps like Google Hangouts and collaboration through Drive.

With commenting, chat and real-time editing features, GoogleSlides allows teams to keep their presentations on track and provide crucial feedback instantly that can make or break a project. Automatic save and recorded history gives you the ability to view changes and restore to older versions. The "blank slate" authoring abilities on each slide are best for people that understand the principles of good design, as there's little to no guidance when it comes to laying out your content.

Pre-made presentations, pitches, and portfolios for marketing and sales professionals
Save and convert slides as PowerPoint files
Edit presentation on the mobile app
Limited typefaces, transitions, and animations
Converting from PowerPoint to Google Slides will cause loss of some animations effects
No media library or screen sharing

Price to Upgrade: The basic package for GoogleSlides is $6 per month with 30 GB of storage. With this tier, you’ll receive 24/7 support and mobile management options to work remotely.

#3: Prezi (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

It is a program that allows you to show the elements in a striking way, with movement, which makes it more interesting for the viewer. —Carlos A.

Prezi is an alternative to PowerPoint known for its non-linear style and ‘reveal zoom’ feature. Popular among students, Prezi stands out with its unique single canvas interface that pulls an audience in right off the bat.

Prezi is not a snoozefest, to say the least. The large canvas is used as a diagram to connect ideas to subcategories and show relationships between them. A Prezi presentation begins zoomed out, then narrows in on specific details taking its audience on a whirlwind journey.

Breaks away from traditional slide format
Collaborate and receive feedback and comments through chat
Zoom animation can cause dizziness
Difficult to train and teach people who are used to PowerPoint
Backgrounds have unchangeable fonts and colors

Price to Upgrade: The standard upgrade is $7 per month with privacy options, import PowerPoint slides, and unlimited presentations.

#4: Visme (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

It's a great product and well worth the time and money if you want some unique and functional ways to present content to a wide audience. The design software is a bit clunky on the zooming in/out and the use of layers, fine-tuning, and other options. Also, I have all of my projects visible on the main page and it can be hard to find what I'm looking for. —Matt T.

‍ Visme is a free Powerpoint alternative that revamps dense information into visual candy that's fun to absorb. Infographics, maps, and charts are Visme’s main attraction. We love data in bite sizes. Presenters can use modern and contemporary design styles to win over audiences. Animated objects, pop-ups, and rollovers add new dimensions to break down patterns and trends within your industry. PROS:

Product tutorials to guide you through creating a presentation
Create slides from scratch or use pre-made templates
400+ classic free templates and 400+ modern
‘Autosave’ feature to recover lost data
Only 5 projects in free version
Posts are made public
Doesn't allow you to copy and paste into Visme from another tool or document

Price to Upgrade: Starting upgrade is $14 per month with access to 500,000 stock images from Visme’s library and all charts and widgets.

#5: Slides (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

Slides platform gives users 'free-reign' to create slides that are dynamic, great for both developers and designers. Where many other PowerPoint alternatives offer a plethora of templates, Slides gives none. —Hasin A.

Slides is a presentation app for creatives and developers to present and design with freedom. Slides have incredible flexibility, it's fully open-sourced with access to HTML, JavaScript, and CSS versions of your presentation. Why is this great as an alternative for PowerPoint? Your team can add custom animation styles or host the project on your business website. Develop your signature style to be remembered at conferences, summits, and with important clients.

Only fully open source presentation software available
Present on mobile and use your phone as a remote control
Versatile for designers and programmers
More time-consuming altering source code and CSS
The free version of presentations are public, searchable, and includes ads

Price to Upgrade: The lite upgrade is $5 monthly with unlimited private decks and PDF conversion.

#6: Slidebean (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

I've used the classic Powerpoint for many years, and I still use that at the time for particular reasons when I need hefty presentations rich in facts and figures. ….I find Slidebean does a neat job at separating content from design. —Edwin S.

Slidebean bills itself as the world’s first AI-powered presentation design tool, but is it the best on the market? Geared towards startups, Slidebean has ready-made content blocks that you can use or maneuver around and helps presenters who prefer written content to deliver your message over graphics.

Readability, aesthetic and alignment is done by an algorithm
Your slide designs are evaluated and corrected in 0.97 seconds
Photos are aligned with advanced neural network
You can share presentations only through an upgrade
Free templates have limited flexibility

Price to Upgrade: The starter package is $98 per year and comes with basic content templates, share, and unlimited presentations.

#7: Powtoon (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

I have used Powtoons for my professional life, to create How To videos and instructional or educational information. It is really easy to use and engaging for people to follow along for a few minutes. —Sadie R.

Powtoon is a presentation and video maker used by the brands Apple, Coca Cola, and Starbucks. Powtoon’s digital graphics and illustration styles are great for corporate campaigns and scripted, drag and drop templates cut down your creation time to 20 minutes.

Live webinars and training center to guide users over from PowerPoint
Interactive photos and icons that move on a timer
Cartoon characters to add to your presentation or explainer video
The free account only allows presentations up to 3 minutes
Uploading images and adding videos to timeline is tedious

Price to Upgrade: $16 per month will get you access to royalty-free images and 24/7 support.

Free PowerPoint Alternatives For Mac Only (Desktop)

#8: Haiku Deck (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

I like Haiku Deck, but you need to know your end-goal or purpose. If you need to create extensive slideshows with hyperlinks, videos, specific images, large amounts of information, then this might not be the platform for you. —Miriam T.

Haiku Deck is a niche presentation software that doesn’t allow variety, unlike PowerPoint. Just as Beautiful.ai restricts users’ customizations to get perfect results every time, Haiku Deck limits slide decks to achieve two styles. A background image with text overlay and simple pie and bar charts.

A small pool of templates that will not overwhelm you
40 million royalty-free images
Not a great option for elaborate ideas or powerful messages

Price to Upgrade: $9.99 per month for unlimited slide decks, audio narration, and Zuru.

Free PowerPoint Alternatives For PC Only (Desktop)

#9: LibreOffice Impress (4.5 Star Capterra Score)

Not only do you benefit from the initial cost of the program (as opposed to MS Office) you also benefit due to free updates. Sharing LibreOffice documents of all types with Microsoft users has proven to be flawless, with few or any very minor compatibility issues. —Mack S.

LibreOffice Impress is an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. Planning, research, and organization become simplified with Impress’ various view modes. The normal, outline, notes, and slide sorter view modes aid your content production and editing process.

Build and control a 3D scene
Control manual, timed, or a pointer for presentation
No onboarding product training

Price to Upgrade: LibreOffice Impress remains 100% free!

Final Judgement

The main takeaway from all of this? There are a lot of free powerpoint alternatives out there, some with more free features than others, so it really depends on what your preferences are in terms of usability, export options, design quality, et cetera. The demand for smarter presentation programs is slowly increasing, especially as these new free powerpoint alternatives focus on ease of use so the learning curve is minimal. Speaking broadly, free PowerPoint alternatives win over users who want professionally designed presentations with less effort and legwork. From simple interfaces, to advanced customizations and design automation, there's a smorgasbord of solutions out there so we suggest you start with the first powerpoint alternative listed, Beautiful.ai , and work your way down until you find something that works. If you’re curious how Beautiful.ai measures up against PowerPoint, check out our comparison battle here .

Maria Bell is a content strategist for SaaS, e-commerce and technology companies based in San Francisco. You can find her at www.mariabell.co.

Top 3 open-source alternatives to PowerPoint

The presentation software PowerPoint is proprietary, and hence not so transparent and less cost-effective than some competitors. Discover the best open-source PowerPoint alternatives in this article.

ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors

ONLYOFFICE presentation editor for desktop is a free PowerPoint alternative for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The app is open-source and you can find the code on GitHub.

With the existing functionality of ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, you can make creative slides and add text, objects, tables, background patterns etc. Your presentations can become even more interactive with transitions and customizable animations. The interface looks exactly the same as you have in PowerPoint, so it won’t take much time to adapt to a new application.

Plugins extend the basic functionality of the ONLYOFFICE presentation editor. For example, you can insert YouTube videos or translate text in presentations using Google or DeepL really quickly.

The core ONLYOFFICE formats for presentations are PPTX and PPT, but ODP and PPSX are also supported. Also, you can save each slide as a PNG or JPG image and use the pictures in another type of content.

ONLYOFFICE presentation editor has a special Presenter View mode, where you can add notes to highlight important parts of your speech and comfortably navigate between slides.

Unveil your creativity with the best open-source PowerPoint alternative for Windows, Linux, and Mac — ONLYOFFICE. Installation options include Snap, Flatpak, and AppImage. Also, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are pre-installed on many Linux distributions .

ONLYOFFICE also provides a collaborative open-source office suite for self-hosting with text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and fillable forms.

LibreOffice Impress

LibreOffice is another open-source alternative to PowerPoint, which allows creating, editing, and saving presentations in the ODP (OpenDocument) format.

The interface in LibreOffice is just a bit similar to what you see in Microsoft PowerPoint. You’ll need to play with the elements to get used to their location on your screen, but indeed they are positioned logically.

As for presentation features, you’re able to draw and add objects, such as diagrams, create 2D and 3D images from text with the Fontworks tool, and use animations and transitions to let objects and slides move.

LibreOffice also provides a gallery of presentation templates if you’re not sure where to start.

Calligra Stage

Developed by KDE, Calligra Stage is a powerful and free open-source alternative to PowerPoint. It allows working with various objects, such as text, charts, images, graphics.

Calligra Stage also uses the ODP (OpenDocument) format as the primary one. That means, your presentations will be displayed without distortions in other apps working with this extension, but also OOXML-based suites, such as ONLYOFFICE Docs and Microsoft 365.

This open-source presentation app is built by developers from many countries and includes all necessary features: layouts, presenter slide overview, multiple master sliders in one presentation, transitions and notes.

Useful links

7 best open-source project management tools in 2022

5 open-source Monday.com alternatives

How to include animation in PowerPoint presentation?

How to add transitions in PowerPoint slides?

Back to school with ONLYOFFICE: PR internship for students

How to change background color in Word document

How to rotate a PDF

15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

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On average a presentation takes up to 20 minutes and experts say we make an impression within the first 30 seconds. That is why it’s important to “dress” our great product/idea with an equally exciting design. Most often, presentations are cooked up by non-designers, which creates a specific need – for powerful presentation software, which can help communicate a message beautifully, effectively, and to suit any user’s skill level. We hand-picked 15 of the best presentation software for 2021 , which will help you create presentations online, share them, while shining in your best light. In the meanwhile, check out some useful ideas tips to spice up your presentations .

A web-based presentation tool, which means you can access your presentations wherever you are, with an internet connection. It is known for its animations, cartoons, and infographics, which help the user to create more interactive presentations and explainer-style videos.

Example by Focusky

Best Features: Very interactive; you can create a unique to your story by combining different “frames” (slides); create your own animations within the presentation Price: Free, but heavily subscription-based Learning curve: Very intuitive, nicely organized by categories, but it would require some time to learn the animation controls Available for: Online Perfect for: Marketing and education

To summarize, this presentation tool is best for marketers and education, where the creator can get the most out of the cool animation and cartoons available. In the last years, there is an increased interest in Powtoon and RenderForest and we expect that more and more people will use them in 2021. No surprise – if you look at our article about Graphic Design Trends in 2022 , everything is moving towards animation, cool 3D-s, cartoons, and illustrations – and these are all things that this software can offer for your presentation.

Prezi is an online presentation software, which resembles a mind map. In comparison, PowerPoint offers a linear way of presenting, whereas Prezi allows you to better show relationships between different elements of your presentation, show details, zoom in and zoom out and show an overall view of your topic. Compared to PowerPoint is more interactive, but with fewer functionalities and a choice of templates.

Example by PreziBase

Best Features: Interactive presentations and interesting transitions, zoom in/out details Price: The very basic features are free, but most of the interesting ones are paid, starting from $3/month and reaching up to $59/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve: it requires learning and going through a lot of menus and functionalities, similar to PowerPoint Available for: Online / Limited use for iOS and Android (only viewing, not creating and editing) Perfect for: teachers, businesses, more experienced designers, and specific presentations needs, but not recommended for newbies

Prezi is best in showing relationships between different parts of your presentations. There are some challenges in editing, and viewing across devices and its best features are paid for. We recommend it for quick, mind-map-like presentations without the need for ultra-special design.

3. RenderForest Presentation Maker

RenderForest is an online presentation tool, which is famous for its explainer style and whiteboard animations. The presentation templates often offer various motion/video backgrounds, which helps to grab your audience’s attention. Currently, the company is working on releasing its Graphic Design Software, which will allow users to create printables and beautiful designs for social media. This shows that RenderForest’s team knows the market well and does its best to cater to its needs!

Example by Renderforest

Best Features: Video holders with text on shapes, cool transitions Price: There is a free version, the paid ones start at $20.34 per user/month Learning curve: Relatively easy to use, the simple interface helps the user Available for: Online / iOS / Android Perfect for: Education and business

Although not one of the cheapest solutions, it allows you to create engaging and interactive presentations with lots of cool animations. That makes RenderForest a great choice for more educational and marketing explainer-type videos/presentations.

4. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a very interesting online presentation software. It allows your audience to engage with your presentation in real-time and you can create polls, ask questions, which are then displayed to your presentation. The answers from the audience remain anonymous so people are even more encouraged to participate.

Example by Mentimeter

Best Features: Launch live, interactive polls, surveys, quizzes and create things like word clouds in real-time Price: It has a free version, but the paid plans offer most of the attractive features – the basic plan costs $9.99 per user/month and the more advanced plan is $24.99 per user/month Learning curve: Easy to use; might need to explain to a less tech-savvy audience how to connect to your presentation Available for: Online / Android / iOS Perfect for: Educators, speakers, business and competitions

An excellent choice for educators, speakers, and businesses who want to engage the audience in real-time and display the results immediately. Clean, simple designs, that help you focus on the content.

5. Libre Office Impress

Libre Office is free presentation software, an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. As you can expect from a free product, it offers only the main features of its “big brother”, but it’s a good solution for people used to Microsoft’s productivity suite. The interface is very similar to PowerPoint, which again makes it comfortable to use for a certain audience. Users who need collaboration on presentations, clean interface, and more creative design solutions should steer away from this free presentation software because it will simply not cover their needs.

Example by Theodoros Bousios

Best Features: Free, compatible with older versions (Windows XP for example) Price: Free Learning curve: It will take some time to go through all the options and to get familiar with the interface; Available for: Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS. Perfect for: people who want to use a free product and people with older operation systems

To summarize, Libre is free, compatible with older versions, it can cover your basic needs for a presentation, but the options are too many and available templates too little.

6. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is also an online presentation software, which has a very friendly user interface and great collaboration features. There are many functionalities, which help you create a beautiful design, but require some time and design knowledge to get it right. The premade templates are limited and this presentation software needs an internet connection to be able to edit and present.

Image by Zoho

Best Features: Live broadcasting a presentation with live chat and commenting Price: Zoho Show is free for personal use. For business users, Zoho Show is included in the Zoho Docs enterprise pricing packages – €5 or €8 per user/month Learning curve: Available for: Online / Android / iOS Perfect for: non-profits, start-ups, personal use, teachers

To summarize, Zoho offers great collaboration features, but you need a connection to edit and present. It is suitable for quick, non-pretentious presentations, where you need some kind of collaboration.

7. ClearSlide Presenter

ClearSlide is a sales engagement platform, including an online presentation tool. Another online tool – SlideRocket, was acquired by ClearSlide and one of the differences is that ClearSlide is more costly and targeted at larger businesses. It’s a great platform for very specific needs – collaborating between sales and marketing teams, to achieve the company’s goals. It’s clear even by the interface:

Image by ClearSlide

Best Features: Analytics for costumers’ engagement, video conferencing, screen sharing Price: They offer a free trial and you can see more about the payment plans here. Learning curve: Clear and simple interface, but it requires some time to get used to the tools Available for: Online Perfect for: Sales/business, managers (for coaching); not suitable for newbies, teachers, students

To summarize, ClearSide is perfect for presenting sales pitch , graphics, collaborate in larger teams. It is somehow restrictive for a non-designer because the templates are specific.

8. Piktochart

Piktochart allows you to make infographics, presentations, and printables quickly. Primarily known for its easy customizable infographics, Piktochart also has simple presentation templates and the company is constantly trying to update its library.

Example by Piktochart Knowledge Base

Best Features: Turning data-heavy content into simple visuals; nice transitions between slides Price: There is a free version and a paid one, starting at $29 per user/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve: It requires time to get used to the options available and to navigate through Available for: Online Perfect for: Designers, teachers; it does not offer collaboration options, which might be needed by teams, students, etc.

Compared to other online presentation software is a bit costly and we could still ask a bit more from the presentation templates. We’d recommend it to someone who often uses infographics and wants to use a single platform to combine the infographics with a presentation. But why not check our free infographics as well?

Slides is online presentation software, initially aimed at developers and covering their presentation needs. Thus said, it does not offer offline editing, but you can present offline, after exporting your presentation.

Best Features: It allows you to use your phone as a remote control; Live Present Mode allows you to control what your audience sees; drop in code, iframes, and SVGs with ease. Price: Free, with paid plans starting at $7.00/month and $14-$18/month for pro and team packages. They offer a free trial. Learning curve: friendly interface, but too many functions and options, which might overwhelm the average user and beginner Available for: Online Perfect for: developers, designers, a little bit too specific for newbies

To summarize, it’s a very cool tool, giving you complete design freedom, but that is also why we do not recommend it to teachers, non-designers, or marketers. Developers and design gurus will love it.

Canva is a web-based solution that started with a mission – to make beautiful designed content available to everyone. The whole platform is organized so that a person without any prior design knowledge can easily create graphs, images, and presentations to impress. Although it is not the best tool for data visualization, it scores high in any other category. Needless to say, it has become a popular choice amongst non-designers.

Image by Iconfinder

Best Features: Plenty of beautiful templates to choose from and Canva school has plenty of tutorials and tips for free. It offers more free functionalities compared to other competitors. Price: Free, the offer different subscription plans, starting at $9.95 per user/month Learning curve: Very easy to use, most of the actions can be performed by drag-and-drop Available for: Online / iOS / Android Perfect for: newbies, marketers (who need a unified look across all their social media), non-profits, and teachers

Canva is becoming one of the most popular tools amongst non-designers for creating beautiful unified content. You can create entire presentations, flyers, and other materials with a single drag and drop.

11. Slidebean

Slidebean is the go-to online presentation software for last-minute projects, that look original and professional. Slidebean offers clean and easy-to-use templates and keeps track of your audience’s engagement.

Source Slidebean

Best Features: It allows you to arrange your content with the help of AI, which saves time creating a beautiful layout. You just pick a template, upload content, and let the AI offer you a nice layout. Premade animations, effects, and alignments are automatically applied to your content and create a cohesive look. Price: Free, paid versions starting from $8/month Learning curve: very easy to use since everything is made to fit the premade templates Available for: Windows / Mac / Android / iOS Perfect for: financial, academic, pitch, marketing, sales; everything quick with a clear structure

To summarize, if you are in a hurry, Slidebean will offer several layouts for your slides and speed up the process of creation. The platform targets primarily sales, marketing, and financial fields, and the available templates reflect that.

12. Google Slides

Google Slides is part of the G Suite business application. Its popularity has increased in the last years since it’s a web-based platform, allowing you to store, edit, and share your presentation, without the need of installing presentation software on your computer. All you need is a Google account and you are good to go.

Image by G Suite Updates blog

Best Features: It’s free for personal use, and offers great paid features for business – for example, seamless collaboration and commenting on a presentation, converting other presentations to Google Slides. Some other great features are the wide variety of fonts available (GoogleFonts, not need installing), easy embedding, plus it’s super intuitive and easy to use! Price: It’s free for individual use. For business use, the price starts at $5/user/month and plans of $10 and $25/user/month, for unlimited cloud storage and extra features Learning curve: Simple interface, but it will require some time to pick up. Similar to PowerPoint, only a bit lighter. Available for: Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for: businesses, freelancers, who need a user-friendly app with elementary features; great for collaborating teams, not so perfect for complex designs and tools, required by big enterprises

Perfect for personal use, well synchronized across different devices, similar to PowerPoint. Maybe you are a teacher and you like GoogleSlides because it is free and easy to use? Well, we’ve gathered some awesome FREE GoogleSlides and PowerPoint templates , specially made for education needs.

If you need something along the lines of PowerPoint but need the option for collaboration – a paid plan for GoogleSlides is your go-to choice.

13. Keynote

Keynote is an Apple product, very similar to Google Slides. All you need to do is create an iCloud account (similar to a Google account) and start using Keynote from there. Running Keynote on Windows also requires an internet connection and a modern browser. The latest version can also import and export PowerPoint formats if needed. All this sends Keynote higher in the list regarding the accessibility and shareability of this presentation software.

Image by Envato tuts+

Best Features: Simplicity of design, great drag and drop functions, polished transitions and animations, easy image editing/cropping; works great with multimedia; design templates with better aesthetic than an average slide deck; Price: Free for macOS and iOS Learning curve: Pretty easy to use for Mac users, a bit of learning curve for users, having experience with other software. Available for: Mac / Windows / Online Perfect for: businesses, marketers, people with not much of a design experience

Bottom line, if you are a Mac user, you love the sleek design and you are looking for cool aesthetics – Keynote is simple to use and free, why not use it?

14. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a web and mobile-based media creation application, which helps you create social graphics, short videos, and web pages. What is immediately noticeable is the clean, crisp, simple, and modern designs, which focus you on the content. If you are looking for a funky, ornate design – Adobe Spark is not the right pick for you.

Example by Cikeys

Best Features: Beautiful templates, user-friendly interface, step-by-step creation, you can add audio to your slides (narrating) Price: There is a free version, the paid on starts at $9.79. The best templates, as with the competitors, are paid. They do not offer a free trial. Learning curve: Easy to use Available for: Online / iOS / Android Perfect for: quick presentations, teachers, basic presentations without jamming them with too much cool stuff.

Adobe Spark eliminates the cluster of design options and leads you step-by-step in creating elegant, simple presentations. Ideal for basic presentations, not the best for sales and marketing.

15. PowerPoint

PowerPoint certainly is a “classic” – it’s has been the most popular tool for creating presentations so far. What first started as a component of the Microsoft Office suite, now has improved shareability and accessibility. It can be used on the web (as part of Office on the web), works with Android, and iOS, and there is a Mobile app, as well as presentation software for mac.

Example by Abris DC

Best Features: Many people are familiar with the software, a wide variety of templates; improved accessibility across platforms; extensive tools and options Price: If you want to enjoy the full features of PowerPoint, you’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 – they have payment plans for personal or business use. The price for personal use starts at $5.99/month or $59.99/year, and business plans start at $12.50 per user/month with an annual commitment. You can find more information here . The mobile applications are completely free to use, of course with some limitations. You can compare the available features across different platforms here. Learning curve: Due to the variety of options and the complexity of the menus, it might take some time to master all of its features. Something that could take a lot of time is editing the text, arranging the visuals, and picking the right transitions – overall, is time-consuming. Still, the interface remained easy to navigate over time and if you trust your design sense, you can achieve satisfying results. Available for: Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for: business, medical, accounting and students; creating concise presentations; but not so suitable for teachers, educators, start-ups and marketers who want to create more interactive and story-based presentations.

To this date, PowerPoint is keeping the lead as the most popular tool for creating presentations. Some of the downsides are that sometimes it can be time-consuming to come up with a good design and PP doesn’t offer collaboration tools and compared to other platforms. But we have a solution for at least one of your problems – we’ve selected 31 Modern PowerPoint templates to set the right tone for your presentation.

We made a quick summary for you…

Ok, not that we’ve looked at the 15 best presentation software for 2021, we decided to go one step further and compare them by price and popularity. Let’s have a look first at the new-comers:

As you can see, the leaders from the uprising platforms are Canva and Mentimeter, with relatively low prices and with huge success amongst users . Powtoon, Piktochart, and Renderforest are a bit costly , but they are popular since they offer a lot of animation and interactive elements. Hey, but maybe some of the other tools are right for you? We encourage you to go on their websites, contact their support team, and see what they have to offer.

Then, let’s see how the veterans are ranking:

It’s no surprise that PowerPoint and Google Slides are at the top – people are used to their products, have familiar interfaces, and offer a lot of functionalities at a good price. Although, for quick, unpretentious results, their competitors are a very attractive solution.

Final words

We can conclude that there are many useful tools to help you create beautiful presentations. Some of them are well-known and have been here for a while, while others are uprising… No matter the case, we notice a trend for presentation tools catering not only to the designers’ needs but also to the newbies, marketers, and teachers. That way, enabling everyone to create stunning presentations in no time and share them easily.

We hope this presentation software list shed some light on different options out there and that we helped you evaluate quickly what would work for your situation best.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

12 PowerPoint Presentation Tips To Dramatically Boost Your Efficiency
35 Free Google Slides Infographic Templates to Grab Now
23 Online Collaboration Tools for Your Remote Team

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Bilyana Nikolaeva

Bilyana is an inspiring content writer and illustrator at GraphicMama with years of experience in art and design. When she’s not busy writing for the blog, you will usually see her working hard on new illustrations and graphic resources.

Thousands of vector graphics for your projects.

Take a look at GraphicMama's Infographic Templates Collection. Over 500 premade templates for your presentations:

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The Best Presentation Software of 2023 – Free and Paid Alternatives

Discover the best free, freemium, and paid presentation software options for 2023. From Canva and Haiku Deck to Genially and Beautiful.AI, these are the tools you should check out! Short on time? Peruse our comparison table!

Dag Hendrik Lerdal

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Although this list, just like our competitors, is made to pique your interest in SlideDog , we won’t list 50+ PowerPoint “alternatives,” bashing Office PowerPoint and claiming it’s dead with no other reason than it being a mature, stable, and the de-facto slide creation tool for grown-ups.

And we will not list every “presentation-related” software we can find . That means no listing of animation software like “PowToon,” sales & marketing software like “CustomShow,” and publishing platforms like “SlideShare (LinkedIn).”

Instead, we’ll show you an opinionated and prioritized list that’s comprehensive (but not bloated) and focused 100% on slide creation software that we consider real alternatives to PowerPoint.

Plus, we are going to keep this list up to date.

The Best Presentation Software in 2023, Compared


It integrates with O365 as much as PPT.	O365 users.	Included in the O365 plans.
A powerful presentation software within the Google Workspace ecosystem.	Google users, business, education, etc.	Free, and pro versions included in the Workspace plans.
Integrated within the Mac ecosystem. Sleek presentations.	Apple users, business, education, personal, etc.	Free for iWork and iOS users.
The open-source version of PPT.	Business, education, personal, etc. (but it can get clunky).	Free.
Support for developers (custom code blocks).	Power presenters.	From $5/mo.
Part of the Zoho CRM ecosystem.	Zoho CRM users, business, education, etc.	Free.
Zoomable canvas for more interactive presentations.	Business, education, power presenters, etc.	From $5/mo.
Interactive presentations with a simple editor.	Business, education, and more.	From $12.25/month.
THE presentation software for graphic designers (or aesthetically-conscious users) with layering, cropping, and Figma-style editing.	Graphic design, highly-on-brand teams, and more.	From $14.99/month.
AI-powered presentation creation (input the content, get a presentation).	Startup founders (especially with Slidebean’s startup kit).	Free, but to export you’ll need the AllAccess annual plan ($228).
The go-to tool for your DIY graphic design. A huge assets gallery, live chat, shortcuts for special effects.	SMBs, fast startup teams, aesthetically-conscious presenters.	Free version, paid starting from $12.99/mo/user.
AI everywhere! Plus, it looks sleek as heck!	Modern teams, sales presentations, creatives.	From $12/month for individuals and from $40/mo/user for teams.
Interactive presentations.	Education.	Free plan.
Minimalist presentations (not always in a good way).	Personal presentations, lo-fi presenters who only need the presentation as a background and not as the main event.	From $9.99/month.
Great presentations, and a handy native digital signage mode. Interactive features such as navigation buttons, links, and interactive hotspots.	Digital signage, business.	From $10/month.
A sleek editor more similar to Keynote than PPT. Great option for startup teams who need to collaborate in real time.	Startup teams, founders.	Freemium. Paid plans start from €8/month.

A Note on SlideDog

SlideDog is not a real PowerPoint alternative, but it is a great supplement.

SlideDog presents your files seamlessly and professionally to the audience at meetings, events, sales presentations, conferences, lectures, and more. It’s a Windows app that lets you switch between various presentation media such as PowerPoint, PDF, Prezi, video, and web pages.

It’s perfect for people who use multiple forms of media in their presentations and a great tool at events where you have multiple presenters.

To learn more about SlideDog and its other features, such as Live Sharing, Audience Interaction, and the SlideDog Remote App, check out the features and download the free version .

PowerPoint Alternative #1: Microsoft Sway Presentations

If you want to stay within the Microsoft ecosystem, you’ll want to check out Microsoft Sway . Although it’s technically designed for presentations, you can use it for newsletters and other media storytelling.

Microsoft Sway Core Features

Integration with the O365 suite, as well as OneDrive, YouTube, and Twitter, for easy content embedding.
Templates, interactive and dynamic presentation elements, such as navigation buttons and embedded web content.
Collaboration features.
Cross-platform accessibility, supporting desktop, web, and mobile (iOS and Android) versions.
Analytics and tracking.
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.

Is Microsoft Sway a Replacement for PowerPoint?

Not really. Sway lacks presentation control features like remote control or presenter view. Still, it’s a good tool for mini-presentations and interactive documents.

Microsoft doesn’t seem to be investing a lot into it (it even dropped out of the iOS store), so don’t lean on it as your main presentation tool.

PowerPoint Alternative #2: Google Slides – The Best Workhorse Presentation Software [Free]

Google Slides is the new PowerPoint, or so they say. In any case, it’s a handy, widely-used presentation tool, so if you want to use it company-wide, you won’t struggle with user adoption. Plus, it’s very beginner-friendly and integrates with the rest of your Google ecosystem.

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.

PowerPoint Alternative #3: Apple’s Keynote Is One of the Sleekest Presentation Software [Free]

Keynote is mainly used by people committed to the Apple ecosystem. Although you can export your Keynote slides to PowerPoint , it won’t guarantee that everything will be presented the same way. Still, you can also use Keynote on a PC, provided that you use iWork, and it’s definitely one of the sleekest presentation tools.

Apple Keynote Presentation Features

Open, edit, and save PowerPoint files. Existing Keynote presentations can be exported to PowerPoint. (Beware of glitches caused by the file type conversion.)
Built-in live collaboration.
Control the presentation from an iOS device using Keynote Remote.
Presenter view with notes and a preview of the next slide.
Present remotely to an audience with Keynote Live using an Internet-connected Mac, iPad, or iPhone.
Templates, effects, animations, graphic assets + Apple Pencil additions.
Live video feeds and YouTube and Vimeo videos.

Desktop + Mobile (iOS & Android) + Web (requires iCloud account).

Keynote Pricing

Keynote is free.

#4 LibreOffice Impress: The Simple Open-Source Presentation Software [Free]

LibreOffice is a community-driven, free, and open-source office suite. It comes with Impress, a desktop software for creating and editing slide presentations, similar to Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. In general, it can get clunky like most open-source tools, but it’s still a good option for simple presentation software.

LibreOffice Features

Open, edit, and save PowerPoint files. Beware: not all of PowerPoint’s features are implemented in LibreOffice, so fonts, images, and drawings may appear scrambled or not at all.
A server version with Live Collaboration features.
Remote control with tablets and phones with Impress Remote for iOS and Android devices.
Animations, templates, effects, 3D models.
Presenter view.

LibreOffice OS

LibreOffice works on Windows, iOS, Linux, as well as Android.

LibreOffice Pricing

LibreOffice is 100% free.

#5 Slides: The Best Overall Presentation Software [Paid]

Slides sets itself apart with a minimalist approach, as opposed to the complex PowerPoint interface. And with the rise of AI, it also incorporates OpenAI’s features to help you create presentation content faster.

However, a unique feature of Slides is that the slide decks are pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so they can be self-hosted and customized down to the last line of JavaScript.

Slides Features

Import PDFs and PowerPoints, turning them into a Slides presentation, but won’t translate all fonts and media correctly.
Live streaming.
Remote control.
Presenter view.
Click, tap, and hover interactivity.
Use code blocks and Developer Mode for custom features.
AI for slide generation, content, etc.
Templates, (auto)animations, media library, integration with Unsplash and GIPHY, and video support.
Collaboration and team features.

Slides works as a web-based app.

Slides Pricing

Slides pricing starts from $5/mo.

#6 Our Take on ZohoShow’s Presentation Software [Free]

If you’re already in the Zoho ecosystem, it might be worth considering ZohoShow . Some of the happiest users of ZohoShow I know are sales professionals looking for tools to create more engaging proposals and pitches.

ZohoShow Features

Import and export PowerPoint files.
Real-time collaboration and co-editing.
Remote control via phone or smartwatch using Zoho Show’s mobile app.
Templates, themes, and design elements.
Analytics and insights.
Interactive elements, including charts, tables, and multimedia content.
Apple TV and Android TV apps let you beam your presentations to a conference room.

ZohoShow OS

Web app, Android, iOS.

ZohoShow Pricing

ZohoShow is free.

The Best Presentation Software #7: Prezi [Paid]

Prezi is one of the more, if not the most, innovative alternatives to PowerPoint, loved by presenters who prefer delivering information organically (and not with a scripted path). Rather than traditional slide-based presentations, this presentation software offers a zoomable canvas where users can create visually engaging and interactive presentations.

Prezi Features

Import PowerPoints, turning them into a Prezi presentation. You mostly get the correctly formatted content of the slides, but you have to turn it into a proper zoomable mind-map Prezi on your own.
Dynamic zooming and panning functionality for a more engaging and cinematic presentation experience.
Real-time collaboration.
Integration with multimedia content, including videos, images, and audio.
Templates, design elements, infographics, and more.
Present over video.
Analytics.

Desktop, web, and mobile (Android and iOS).

Prezi Pricing

Prezi starts from $5/month.

#8 Visme [Freemium]

Visme is a versatile presentation software you can use for (obviously) presentations, as well as documents, infographics, data visualizations, designs, and videos. It’s used by companies, schools, and more!

Visme Features

Import PowerPoint files and export presentations to PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, and more.
Drag-and-drop interface with a library of customizable templates, charts, icons, images, and multimedia assets.
Collaboration and co-editing features.
Animations, transitions, and interactive elements
Integration with third-party platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and YouTube.
Pre-designed slide layouts and smart templates.

Visme Presentation Software OS

Desktop, web, and mobile.

Visme Pricing

Visme offers a free option, and the paid plans start from $12.25/month.

#9 Ludus Presentation Software: The Best Option for Figma Fans [Paid]

The founders describe Ludus as: “It’s like Sketch and Keynote had a baby in the cloud,” and I will admit that it looks sleek. (But maybe it’s just the dark mode!) If you’re looking for the best presentation software for designers , Ludus offers features like layer blending and more!

Ludus Presentation Features

Figma-style editing, complete with layers, colorization, cropping, and more.
Add code to your slides.
Boost your efficiency with keyboard shortcuts.
Real-time collaboration (with a chat).
Interactive and animated elements, reusable Smart Blocks, gifs, videos, and more.
Presenter view (called the Speaker View).

Ludus works as a web-based and desktop app.

Ludus Pricing

Ludus starts from $14.99/month/user.

#10 SlideBean [Freemium]

SlideBean is a presentation software that aims to simplify the presentation creation process by providing users with automated design tools and smart templates. These days, it specializes in helping founders build pitch decks , but it’s spreading like wildfire among startup teams, too.

The big caveat is that you can’t export the free presentations. If you want to do that, you’ll need to upgrade to their All-Access $228/year package (with an investor CRM and other startup goodies).

SlideBean Features

AI-powered presentation creation, where users input content, and SlideBean generates a design.
Real-time collaboration features.
Smart slide templates and design recommendations.
Remote control via phone.

SlideBean OS

Slidebean pricing.

Free, but you’ll need the All-Access $228/year package to export presentations.

#11 Is Canva a Good Presentation Tool? [Freemium]

Ahh, Canva ! It’s been helping SMBs create decent graphics for years. While not exclusively a presentation software, Canva offers a wide range of design templates and customization options suitable for various purposes, including presentations. I can’t count all the times I’ve seen startup founders run their pitch deck presentations on the web app.

So, is Canva one of the best presentation software options in 2023? Let’s check out the features!

Canva Presentation Features

Extensive library of presentation templates, graphics, and design elements.
Drag & drop interface.
AI tools for composing content, syncing music, etc.
Save presentations as PPTX, PDF, JPEG, and more.
Live chat during the presentation with Canva Live .
Magic shortcuts for special animations (think: the letter C for confetti rain).
Many, many more features with the Canva suite (logo design, social media graphics, flyers, proposals, etc.).

Web-based, Android app, and iOS app.

Canva Pricing

Canva offers a free plan, with paid plans starting from $12.99/mo/user.

#12 Beautiful.AI [Paid]

Is it beautiful? Is it AI? Definitely! When we’re discussing the best presentation software in 2023, we can’t omit the fact that AI is making the rounds (as you’ve noticed with all the Smart features in the previous contenders on the list).

And with Beautiful.AI , you get end-to-end enhancement, from smart templates to formatting and content!

Beautiful.AI Presentation Software Features

AI presentation features galore: Smart templates, auto-adapting slides (smart formatting), automatic animations, and more.
Photo, video, and icon gallery. Plus, charts, graphs, and other data visualization options.
Export presentations to PowerPoint and edit them in PowerPoint on the Beautiful.AI Pro plan.

Beautiful.AI OS

Web-based and desktop.

Beautiful.AI Pricing

Beautiful.AI starts from $12/month for individuals and from $40/mo/user for teams.

#13 Genially: The Interactive Presentation Software Option [Freemium]

Genially is a presentation software that focuses on creating interactive and immersive presentations, infographics, and other visual content. The interface is pretty similar to PowerPoint, but it’s smoother and offers a simpler experience.

Personally, looking at it, I think it fits educational presentations well , while you might feel underwhelmed when using Genially for business presentations.

Genially Features

Import your PowerPoint slides and share or download your presentations as .MP4s, PDFs, HTML, and other formats.
Template and graphic assets gallery.
Interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, and hotspots.
Animation and transition effects.
Multimedia content support (including websites, videos, and audio).

Genially OS

Genially pricing .

Genially is hiding its pricing behind the sign-up page (an immediate no-no from me), but it offers a free plan.

#14 Haiku Deck [Paid]

Rooted in the idea that you need to get rid of clutter and step into the flow zone to create beautiful presentations, Haiku Deck ’s understated presentation software might be a good choice for the PowerPoint convert.

HaikuDeck Features

Templates, fonts, image filters, and stock image gallery.
Simple (and a bit underwhelming) editor.
Embed videos from YouTube into your presentation.

HaikuDeck OS

Web-based, Windows, iOS app.

HaikuDeck Pricing

HaikuDeck starts from $9.99/month.

#15 FlowVella Presentations Review [Paid]

In addition to presentations, FlowVella also specializes in digital signage , with plenty of its customers using it to power their iPad kiosk apps.

You’ll also see quite a few real estate agents using it for listing presentations. And while the design looks more similar to PowerPoint than most of us would like, there’s no doubt it’s a handy presentation software option!

FlowVella Features

Interactive features such as navigation buttons, links, and interactive hotspots.
Integration with multimedia content, including images, videos, PDFs, and audio files.
Presentation templates and image gallery.
Kiosk mode.

FlowVella OS

Native mobile app for iOS, desktop, and web.

FlowVella Pricing

FlowVella starts from $10/month.

#16 Pitch.com Presentation Software [Freemium]

Finally, the last contender on our list of the best presentation software is Pitch – a tool primarily built for startup teams. The visuals are pretty sleek, too, and it has all the features you’d need to collaborate with your team.

Pitch Presentation Software Features

Collaborative editing and real-time teamwork features.
Brand kit features for consistency.
Template gallery & reusable templates and components.
PDF and PPTX exports.

Desktop and mobile apps, web-based.

Pitch Pricing

Pitch has a freemium plan, and the paid options start from €8/member/month.

Summary & Final Thoughts

The struggle to find a PowerPoint alternative and the best presentation software is neverending. However, remember that you have to find the tool that works best for your use case, team, and budget.

When it comes to our favorites, we built SlideDog to meet our multimedia demands (even if it’s not strictly a presentation tool). However, we love Google Slides for its level of integration with the Google ecosystem, and Pitch.com is a fantastic option for startups.

On the other side of the equation, if you’re doubling down on AI, you might just find a good fit with Beautiful.AI.

But no matter what, remember that your ideal tool is here to enable your ideas . Put them front and center, and your presentation will be amazing!

Download the Remote & Live Sharing App!

Remotely control your presentations, chat and answer polls.

3 open source tools to make your presentations pop

Opensource.com

Love them or hate them, presentations are a major part of life in both academia and business. Traditionally, creating a presentation meant using Microsoft's PowerPoint, but Apple's Keynote and LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org's Impress are solid alternatives. The problem with all those applications (aside from the closed source nature of the first two) is that you need those applications installed in order to view the presentations you've created. You can try your luck opening the file in Google Drive or the like, but your success will vary.

In recent years, web frameworks designed for creating presentations have proliferated. These take advantage of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to create presentations that display in just about any modern web browser. And, as an added bonus, presentation designers remains in complete control of their presentations. They need not worry about file compatibility or being locked into a particular web-based service. Because these presentation frameworks are open source, they can be extended and enhanced in any way you wish—though to be fair, writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a little more complicated than just using PowerPoint, Keynote, or Impress.

One of the most interesting presentation frameworks is impress.js, which aims to move presentations beyond the standard slide deck. Below, I'll introduce you to impress.js and two tools that make it easy to create impress.js presentations.

Impress.js is a JavaScript presentation framework developed by Bartek Szopka. Inspired by Prezi , it makes use of CCS3 transformations to provide a presentation experience that goes way beyond the traditional slide deck. Using impress.js for presentations allows speakers to wow their audiences with presentations that slide, rotate, and zoom in three dimensions.

Being based on standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) means that impress.js does not lock users into using a particular application or web-based service to create presentations. Because it is released under the MIT and GPLv2+ licenses, if impress.js does not work the way you'd like, you have the freedom to change it yourself. However, unlike some other open source JavaScript presentation frameworks, impress.js requires a very modern web browser to view the presentations. It is designed to take full advantage of up-to-date web technologies. Legacy browser support is not a development priority. But recent releases of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer should work just fine with impress.js.

Creating an impress.js presentation is no easy task, even for someone with decent HTML and CSS skills. The basic markup is easy to understand, but impress.js presentations can be very complex and require a lot of thought and planning. There is no default theme, so you'll have to design the look and feel of your presentation yourself. And the flow of your presentation is entirely up to you, so you'll have to plan how each slide will transition to the next and the layout of the slides' relative positions in the canvas. Creating an impress.js presentation from scratch can be a lot of work, but the results can be impressive. A selection of demos and examples are available to provide inspiration and guidance, and there are tutorials for those who want to dig deeper and learn more.

If creating an impress.js presentation from scratch is too complicated for you, there are tools to make creating impress.js presentations easier. The two listed below have different strengths and weaknesses. Give them both a try, and see if one works for you.

Hovercraft simplifies the creation of impress.js presentations by allowing you to create presentations using reStructedText markup. Instead of having to write HTML markup while crafting a presentation, you can focus on just writing the text. You can move things around and change things without having to mess with complicated markup. For example, the following text creates a slide that is five times larger than the previous slide and rotated 90 degrees.

Creating an impress.js presentation using Hovercraft greatly simplifies the process and enhances impress.js. Hovercraft supports four different methods for positing slides in a presentation. If you specify no positing in your markup, you end up with a traditional slide-to-the-left slide show. If you want something a little fancier, you can use relative positioning and slides are positioned based on the offset you specify relative to the previous slide. This method allows you to easily insert a new slide in the middle of a presentation and have all the following slides readjust their positions. If you want total control, you can use absolute positioning, which allows you to specify the precise coordinates of a slide. And finally, you can specify a SVG path for the presentation to follow. According to Hovercraft's documentation, SVG layouts are "a bit fiddly to use," but having such precise control over the layout can result in some pretty impressive slide shows. In addition, Hovercraft supports syntax highlighting for any source code you want to include in your presentation, and it adds a presenter screen with timer and notes. When you're done writing your presentation (or want to test what you have written so far), a very simple command converts the reStructuredText file into an HTML presentation:

Despite Hovercraft's strengths, it still requires the user to be fairly CSS savvy. The default Hovercraft theme is extremely spartan, so you'll still need to stylize your presentation if you want anything fancier than plain black text on a white background. Adding CSS to a presentation is not complicated, but it is not as easy as selecting a new presentation theme in PowerPoint.

You can read Hovercraft's documentation to learn more.

Hovercraft was created by Lennart Regebro and is licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal license.

If you'd like a tool that works more like traditional presentation software, Strut is the tool for you. Strut is a web-based application that provides the traditional slide sorter and editing tools. The graphical tools let you add text, images, videos, websites, and pre-designed shapes to your slides. You can also easily change the color of the slides' backgrounds and the surface (the backdrop in front of which the slides appear) for the entire presentation all at once, or on a slide-by-slide basis. Strut also supports adding text to slides using Markdown . And for power users, you can apply custom CSS classes to objects and write custom CSS rules from inside Strut. Once you have your slides designed, you can switch to Overview mode and graphically layout your slides. You just drag around the slides and enter values for depth, rotation, and scale. In addition to creating impress.js presentations, Strut can also create presentations using the bespoke.js framework.

Strut is very nice, but it does still have a few rough edges. Users will encounter the occasional bug, and the project's to-do list is somewhat long (though that is not a major issue). The project has followed the "release early, release often" maxim, and anyone who wishes to can help make the project better by contributing on GitHub .

Give Strut a try using the editor on the project's site , or download the source from GitHub and run it locally (or on a server). You'll need Node.js's npm and Grunt to install the dependencies and build Strut.

Strut's creator, Matthew Crinklaw-Vogt, has released the application under the GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3 .

Apache OpenOffice Impress

Impress your audience with your presentations!

Impress is a truly outstanding tool for creating effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will stand out with 2D and 3D clip art, special effects, animation, and high-impact drawing tools.

Master Pages simplify the task of preparing your materials. Save even more time by downloading templates from our Templates repository.

Complete range of Views are supported: Slides / Outline / Notes / Handouts to meet all the needs of presenters and audiences, plus an optional multi-pane view to put all the tools at your fingertips.

Multiple monitors support so that presenters can have additional materials or notes while presenting their slides on a projector. Make the most of this with the integrated Presenter Screen , which lets you see your next slides as well as the time and the speaker notes.

Easy-to-use drawing and diagramming tools - a complete range to spice up your presentation. ‘Park’ your most commonly used drawing tools around your screen ready for single-click access.

Slide show Animation and Effects bring your presentation to life. Fontworks provides stunning 2D and 3D images from text. Create lifelike 3D images with astounding speed and response.

.odp Standard - Save your presentations in OpenDocument format, the new international standard for office documents. This XML based format means you’re not tied up with using Impress. You can access your presentations from any OpenDocument compliant software.

.ppt & .pptx support - Of course, you are free to import your old Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, or save your work in PowerPoint format for sending to people who are still using Microsoft products.

Flash .swf support - Alternatively, use Impress’s built-in ability to create Flash versions of your presentations.

Apache, OpenOffice, OpenOffice.org and the seagull logo are registered trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. The Apache feather logo is a trademark of The Apache Software Foundation. Other names appearing on the site may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Elevate Your Presentations with FreeShow

A dynamic, user-friendly, and open-source presenter built for all of your presentations.

Download another version:

Our Mission

Every year churches spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the software needed to operate effectively and efficiently. We believe that within the Church the talent exists to create all the software that churches need and provide it free of charge.

Changing how we handle church software can not only save a lot of money, but also bring believers together. If we use the skills within our own community, we can make the software that the Church needs without the costly expense. This way, more of our funds can go directly to the Church's mission instead of overhead. It's about working together, saving money, and focusing on what truly matters.

What is FreeShow

documentation

FreeShow Key Features

Powerful editing.

Limitless Customization: A Robust editor to alter text font, size, color, and add outlines, shadows, with almost boundless possibilities.

On-the-Fly Text Editing: Make live changes to your text during presentations with the Edit mode.

Timed & Automated Play

Autoplay: Set timers on slides for seamless transitions.

Countdowns: Easily let your congregation know when services will start with built in countdowns.

MIDI Controls: Receive MIDI commands to advance slides or send MIDI commands on slide change to trigger lighting and other changes.

Multiple Views

Simultaneous Outputs: Show the same presentation with different looks for your in-person audience, online audience, and a stage view for leaders.

Web Output: Users can connect to the presentation from their mobile devices. Perfect for pastor sermon notes or musicians.

NDI Support: We fully support output over NDI. No need for converters or SDI cables to send your lyrics to the computer running your online stream.

Remote Control: Allow your pastor or worship minister to control the show directly from their mobile device. Excellent for rehearsals of for smaller churches.

Template & Design

Sleek Templates: Modify your slide styles swiftly with a variety of templates.

Dynamic Layouts: Resize and organize your display areas as per your requirement.

Create & Show

Create Impactful Shows: Easily arrange slides and layouts for lyrics, presentations, events, and more, ensuring a smooth flow in your presentations.

Dynamic Media Integration: Effortlessly drag images and videos into your slides as backgrounds enhancing the visual appeal of your presentations.

Preview of software. Drawer with templates open.

Scripture & Lyric Integration

Scripture Integration: Easily look up passages and turn them into slides with one click.

Lyric Integration: It's no longer necessary to manually enter the lyrics to all the songs. Just enter the title and click search and be amazed as the slides are automatically created for you.

Distant background of person working on FreeShow

Plays Well With Others

Import: Import Presentations from PowerPoint, ProPresenter, EasyWorship, OpenSong, and other platforms.

Export: You're not locked in and can export your content in multiple formats at any time.

Cloud Sync: Allow multiple people within your church to work on presentations from different computers with cloud sync.

Computer sitting on desk with FreeShow open

How FreeShow Compares

Unlike other presentation software providers, we are not a business. We are a non-profit that exists solely to serve churches. Our biggest difference is in the name. FreeShow is and always will be free. This is possible due to the generous support of donors. Learn more. That isn't the only way FreeShow stands above the alternatives. It is also a very feature-rich application. Here is how we stack up.


Platforms
Price
Multiple languages
Cloud Sync
Customer support
Projects
Slides
Groups
Preview
RTE
Text edit
Auto labels
Chords
Themes

What Others are Saying

Creating presentations is extremely easy. The quality of presentations we can create without having to spend a dime is mind-blowing.

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Open Source Windows Presentation Software

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Presentation Software for Windows

Browse free open source Presentation software and projects for Windows below. Use the toggles on the left to filter open source Presentation software by OS, license, language, programming language, and project status.

Window hooker to run fullscreen programs in window and much more...

A widely used tool for visual exploration of scientific literature.

Lyric projection and chord charts for church musicians

Simple yet flexible JavaScript charting for designers & developers

Psychology Experiment Building Language

Diagram and flowchart generation from text similar to markdown

LinPHA PHP Photo Gallery

PhotoFilmStrip

softProjector

CasparCG: Pro Video & Graphics Play-Out

Pro Video & Graphics Play-Out SW, proven in 24/7 broadcasts since 2006

LibVNCServer

The latex beamer class.

Projete louvores em sua igreja com este programa

Album Shaper

General-Purpose PDF Library for Java and .NET

PDF Presenter

Pp3 -- celestial charts generator, krysalis jcharts.

Ken Burns Slideshow

Instant, portable, fullscreen slideshow with Ken Burns effect and more

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Do more – easily, quickly

LibreOffice is a powerful and free office suite, a successor to OpenOffice(.org) , used by millions of people around the world. Its clean interface and feature-rich tools help you unleash your creativity and enhance your productivity. LibreOffice includes several applications that make it the most versatile Free and Open Source office suite on the market: Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing).

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Great-looking, well-structured documents

Your documents will look professional and clean, regardless of their purpose: a letter, a master thesis, a brochure, financial reports, marketing presentations, technical drawings and diagrams. LibreOffice makes your work look great while you focus on the content, thanks to its powerful styles system and structuring tools.

Use documents of all kinds

LibreOffice is compatible with a wide range of document formats such as Microsoft® Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) and Publisher. But LibreOffice goes much further with its native support for a modern and open standard, the Open Document Format (ODF). With LibreOffice, you have maximum control over your data and content – and you can export your work in many different formats including PDF.

Impressum (Legal Info) | Datenschutzerklärung (Privacy Policy) | Statutes (non-binding English translation) - Satzung (binding German version) | Copyright information: Unless otherwise specified, all text and images on this website are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License . This does not include the source code of LibreOffice, which is licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0 . “LibreOffice” and “The Document Foundation” are registered trademarks of their corresponding registered owners or are in actual use as trademarks in one or more countries. Their respective logos and icons are also subject to international copyright laws. Use thereof is explained in our trademark policy . LibreOffice was based on OpenOffice.org.

The Best Presentation Software to get in 2024

March 28, 2024

Some of the best presentation software to get in 2024 includes Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, OfficeSuite Slides, Google Slides, and LibreOffice Impress. But, there are plenty of other choices out there, but knowing which one to go for can be difficult.

Well, we know a thing or two about building awesome decks, so join us as we take a look at the best presentation software you can get in 2024, what you should look for when making your choice, and what you may want to avoid.

Contents Toggle 1. What to look for in the best presentation software 2. The best presentation software in 2024 OfficeSuite Microsoft PowerPoint Apple Keynote Google Slides WPS Office Canva Prezi Beautiful.ai Zoho Show Polaris Office LibreOffice Impress Haiku Deck 3. Other considerations for presentation software

1. what to look for in the best presentation software.

Good presentation software should empower you to create clear, engaging, and impactful presentations, and not get in the way. When doing your research, here are some things you’ll want to keep in mind when narrowing down your final choice.

Is it intuitive? There’s a lot that goes into making a presentation shine, so if the interface makes it hard to find the features you want, the overall time you spend crafting your deck may be too munch. Instead, it’s better that you find something that’s easy to use, which drag-and-drop functionality, templates, and easy image integration.

Does it have many options? A good presentation uses a decent balance of text, colors, and images, so that when it comes to the big moment, you’ll be able to keep the attention of your audience. This is where templates come in handy, as that part will be done for you, so when choosing your solution, you’ll want to make sure you have the option.

Can you add animations? By incorporating cool transitions and animations, you can enhance the visual impact of your presentation. Of course, you’ll need to be careful about not over-using them, but it’s always good to have the option.

Is it easy to share and collaborate ? In most cases, a few people will be contributing to the building of a presentation at once, so the best presentation software choices will make sure that working together on a deck is as easy as possible, with cloud uploads, comments, and other methods.

Are there mobile versions? As above, you’ll want your presentation software to work with as many people as possible, and this includes mobile versions. It’s really handy to be able to work on your deck when on the go, even if it’s on an Android or iOS-based smartphone. And, this of course goes for collaborating with other contributors as well.

Does it have delivery tools? : Nailing your presentation also takes some preparation in terms of how you actually talk through your slides. For that reason, you’ll really want your presentation software to have features that let you rehearse your timings, and give you a presenter view as well.

Can you export to PDF? Many people like to share their presentations after the actual meeting is complete, so that clients and colleagues can refer back to the information inside. That’s why its very useful to have the option to convert to PDF, which safeguards the formatting for whoever wants to open it.

I s it compatible with other formats? With so many presentation software suites out there, it’s a good idea to make sure that anyone you work with will be able to open and edit the deck. So, when you choose your solution, you’ll want it to be highly compatible with other file formats and platforms to make sure that anyone who needs to work on it, can.

Is it well supported? The best presentation software options are the ones that receive regular updates, both for quality of life, and in terms of features. When looking at possible solutions, take a look at when it was last updated, and whether or not their is a good support team to talk to if needed.

2. The best presentation software in 2024

Alright, so we’ve talked about what you might be looking for. Here are the best options, which we want to say are not ranked by order.

OfficeSuite

OfficeSuite Slides is currently one of the best presentation software options on the market, as it offers a high level of compatibility, and robust support. As a direct competitor to global favorites such as Microsoft Powerpoint, it offers users a powerful presentation software that lets them create decks that suit their needs.

Available on all major platforms, and with simple cross-device working, it makes working with other people super easy, and, with both free and premium versions available, its an affordable option that easily fits in to a range of needs and budgets. And, it comes in a 5-in-1 office pack that also includes Documents , Sheets , Documents , Mail , and PDF .

Cross-platform compatibility : OfficeSuite is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, allowing you to create and edit presentations on various devices. It also allows the exporting of presentations to PDF format, ensuring wider compatibility and offline accessibility.
Works with many file formats – Users with OfficeSuite slides won’t have to worry about opening different file formats, or sharing their work to those using other presentation software products.
It’s easy to use: For users familiar with Microsoft Office, OfficeSuite Slides offers a similar interface, easing the learning curve.
Strong feature set: The free plan includes essential features for creating presentations, such as text editing, pre-designed templates, animation tools, and multimedia integration.
Ongoing support: OfficeSuite Slides has an active team working behind it, and regularly has feature updates throughout the year.

Considerations

Free version has fewer features : While the free version is suitable for many use cases, anyone needing more functionality will need to upgrade to the Premium version, which is more affordable than many competitors.
Potential for ads : To help support the development of OfficeSuite Slides, users may be served advertisements within the software.

Microsoft PowerPoint

The longstanding king of presentation software, PowerPoint offers a comprehensive feature set, robust functionality, and seamless integration with other Microsoft Office products. It’s ideal for users who need advanced customization options and familiarity with a widely used platform. However, getting a subscription isn’t as affordable as comparable products.

Extensive compatibility: PowerPoint presentations can be viewed on most devices with minimal formatting issues.
Feature rich: PowerPoint offers a wide range of tools for creating presentations, from basic slides to complex data visualizations and animations.
User-friendly: The interface is relatively intuitive, and numerous tutorials are available to help beginners get started.
Integration with other Microsoft products: PowerPoint seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft Office products, allowing for easy data transfer and workflow.
Customization options: Pre-designed templates provide a starting point, and extensive customization options allow for personalized presentations.
Cost : PowerPoint is part of the paid Microsoft Office suite, with a subscription-based payment model.
Learning curve : While user-friendly, the extensive features can be overwhelming for users creating simple presentations.
Template dependence : Overreliance on pre-designed templates can lead to generic presentations.
File size: complex presentations with multimedia elements can become large files.

Apple Keynote

The most popular presentation software users on Mac, Keynote boasts a user-friendly interface, stunning design templates, and powerful animation tools. It excels at creating visually captivating presentations and integrates smoothly with other Apple products, but may struggle when seeking compatibility with other platforms or file types.

Strong designs: Keynote excels at creating visually captivating presentations with beautiful pre-designed templates and intuitive design tools.
Mac-friendly: Integrates seamlessly with other Apple products for a smooth workflow for Mac users.
Powerful animations: Offers impressive animation tools to create dynamic and engaging presentations.
Free for Apple users: Comes pre-installed on Mac computers, making it a cost-effective option for Apple users.
Limited platform: Only available on Mac computers, restricting use for non-Apple users.
Export quirks: Exporting presentations to formats like PowerPoint can sometimes lead to formatting or animation issues.
Storage considerations: Presentations with complex animations and multimedia elements can take up significant storage space on your Mac.

Google Slides

Part of Google Workspace, Slides offers a user-friendly interface, real-time collaboration features, and cloud storage for easy access. It’s a great option for individuals and teams who value collaboration and accessibility while keeping their costs down. But, because it’s an online platform, an Internet connection will be needed to save your work and collaborate.

Free and accessible: Part of the free Google Workspace suite, readily available to anyone with a Google account.
Strong collaboration: Real-time co-editing allows multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, making teamwork effortless.
Cloud-based convenience: Users can save and store their presentations online, accessing them from any device with an internet connection.
Easy to Learn: Straightforward interface makes it perfect for beginners and non-designers.
Limited offline functionality: While some features, such as editing works offline, full functionality need you to be connected to the Internet.
Fewer design options: Offers a smaller selection of pre-designed templates and customization options compared to some competitors.
Formatting concerns: Importing presentations from other software might lead to formatting issues.
Security Considerations: Data security concerns for some users who might prefer presentations stored locally.

This free and paid software offers a familiar interface similar to PowerPoint, making it easy to learn for those already comfortable with Microsoft products. It includes a good range of templates, transitions, and animation tools, along with cloud storage and collaboration features (in the paid version).

While it might not have the same level of power as industry leaders, it’s a solid and cost-effective option for basic to moderate presentation needs.

Free and familiar: Offers a free plan with a user interface similar to PowerPoint, making it easy to learn for those already comfortable with Microsoft products.
Good range of features: Includes a good selection of pre-designed templates, transitions, and animation tools for creating engaging presentations.
Cost-effective: Paid versions offer additional features and cloud storage at a more affordable price compared to Microsoft Office.
Collaboration capabilities (Paid): Paid plans unlock real-time co-editing features, allowing multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously.
Limited features compared to leaders: While offering essential features, it might lack the advanced functionalities for data visualization, animation customization, or integrations found in industry leaders like PowerPoint.
Limited free plan storage: The free plan offers limited cloud storage space, which might be insufficient for extensive presentations.
Focus on Windows: Primarily designed for Windows users, the mobile app and web interface might have fewer features compared to the desktop version.

A popular design platform, Canva also offers a surprisingly robust presentation maker. It excels in creating visually appealing presentations with its vast library of templates and design elements, which are easy to use. There is a free plan that offers a good but somewhat limited range of options, with the choice to unlock more with the paid plan.

Design-focused: Canva creates visually appealing presentations with a vast library of templates, graphics, and design elements.
Free and freemium: Offers a free plan with a good range of features, with paid plans unlocking even more options.
User-friendly: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes building slides quick and easy, even for design beginners.
Multi-Purpose platform : Not just for presentations, Canva can also be used to create social media graphics, posters, and more.
Limited storage in free version : The free tier of Google Workspace offers limited storage space, which can be a constraint for users with extensive documents or multimedia files. Upgrading to a paid plan unlocks increased storage capacity.
Subscription model : Unlike some free and open-source alternatives, Google Workspace requires a paid subscription for access to its full feature set.
Potential reliance on being online : While Google Workspace offers some offline functionality, core features and real-time collaboration require a stable internet connection.

Known for its non-linear canvas, Prezi lets you zoom in and out of different sections of your presentation, creating a more conversational flow for a more unique approach. It’s a good choice for decks that don’t require a strictly linear structure, but may be a little unconventional for more formal presentations.

Strengths :

Non-linear storytelling: Offers a unique, non-linear canvas, allowing you to zoom in and out of different sections, which makes your presentation more engaging and creative.
Visually engaging: Prezi presentations can be visually dynamic and interesting, ideal for capturing attention with an unconventional approach.
Easy to learn: The basic functionality of adding content and zooming is relatively straightforward.
Collaboration features: Offers basic co-editing functionalities for teamwork on presentations.

Considerations:

Not great for complex presentations: While simple presentations are easy, structuring complex ideas with the non-linear format can require more effort.
Navigation challenges: If not carefully designed, complex Prezi presentations might be confusing for viewers to navigate.
Limited customization: Offers less customization compared to some competitors in terms of fonts, layouts, and animation styles.
Limited offline access: Full functionality and offline access require a paid subscription.

Beautiful.ai

This AI-powered platform helps users with suggestions for design elements, layouts, and content based on your topic. It’s a great option for those who want a streamlined design process and a visually polished presentation, but as impressive as the technology is, further development is needed to make it even better.

AI-powered design: Beautiful.ai utilizes artificial intelligence to suggest layouts, content, and design elements based on your topic, streamlining the design process and saving time.
Polished results: Users can expect professional-looking presentations with a focus on modern aesthetics.
Easy to use: The clean interface and intuitive features makes using the software easy, even for those with little deck building experience.
Cloud-based working : Users can save and store their work online, and access it from any device with an Internet connection.
Limited customization: While AI suggestions are helpful, the level of customization for layouts, animations, and brand elements might be limited compared to some competitors.
Over-reliance on AI: The suggestions can be repetitive, and some users might prefer more creative control over the design.
Subscription model: Beautiful.ai requires a paid subscription to access all features and export options.
Focus on simplicity: May not be ideal for highly complex presentations requiring extensive data visualization or intricate animations.

A user-friendly and free presentation tool from Zoho, Show offers a good balance of features and ease of use. It’s a solid option for individual users or small teams who need a basic but functional presentation tool.

Free and user-friendly: Zoho Show offers a free plan with a good range of features and a clean interface that’s easy to learn and navigate.
Easy teamwork: Real-time co-editing capabilities allow multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, allowing them to fine-tune and edit as a group.
Cloud storage: Saves and stores presentations online, accessible from any device with an internet connection.
Decent integration: Integrates with other Zoho applications for a streamlined workflow, as long as you use the Zoho ecosystem.
Design options: Provides a selection of pre-designed templates and customization options for fonts, colors, and layouts.
Fewer features: Compared to industry leaders like PowerPoint, Zoho Show might lack some advanced features in animation, data visualization, or design customization.
Potential for export issues: While exports are supported in various formats, occasional formatting issues might arise when exporting complex presentations.
Limited free plan: The free plan restricts storage space and collaboration features, requiring paid upgrades for larger teams or extensive projects.
Mobile limitations: While offering a mobile app, the web interface might be the primary focus for creating presentations.

Polaris Office

This free and paid mobile-first presentation software is a great choice for those who frequently create and edit decks on the go. It offers a user-friendly interface, basic design tools, and cloud storage with real-time co-editing capabilities. While the free version has limitations, the paid version provides more features and can be a good option for individuals or small teams who need a mobile-centric presentation solution.

Mobile-first focus: Polaris excels at creating and editing presentations on the go with its user-friendly mobile app.
Free and accessible: Offers a free plan with basic features, making it a good option for casual users or those who need to create presentations on their mobile devices.
Real-time collaboration: The free plan includes basic co-editing features, allowing multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, even on mobile devices.
Cloud storage and syncing: Saves and stores presentations in the cloud, ensuring accessibility across devices and facilitating collaboration.

Considerations :

Limited features: Designed primarily for mobile use, Polaris Presentation lacks the advanced features for complex presentations found in desktop software.
Limited offline functionality: While some features can be used offline, full functionality requires an internet connection for collaboration and cloud storage.
Focus on simplicity: Might not be ideal for highly technical presentations requiring intricate details, complex data charts, or advanced customization.
Mobile-centric interface: The web interface might have fewer features compared to the mobile app, prioritizing mobile creation and editing.

LibreOffice Impress

Part of the free and open-source LibreOffice suite, Impress offers a feature set comparable to OpenOffice and can be a good option for those who prioritize free and open-source software. It has a learning curve but provides a wide range of customization options and can be a powerful tool for experienced users.

Free and open-source: LibreOffice Impress is completely free to use and modify, making it a budget-friendly and customizable option.
Good set of features: Despite being free, Impress offers a good range of features for creating presentations, including text editing, animations, transitions, and basic data visualization tools.
Cross-platform compatibility: LibreOffice runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, making it a versatile option for users with any operating system.
Large user community: Being an open-source project, LibreOffice has a large and active user community offering online support and tutorials.
Steeper learning curve: Compared to user-friendly options, Impress has a steeper learning curve with a less intuitive interface.
Limited design options: While customizable, Impress might lack the vast selection of pre-designed templates and design elements found in some competitors.
Potential compatibility issues: Presentations created in Impress might not translate perfectly to other presentation software, requiring some formatting adjustments when sharing.
Less frequent feature updates: Being open-source, updates might not be as frequent as with commercially developed software.

Haiku Deck is a web-based presentation tool that allows users to create presentations with a focus on visual design and simplicity. It offers a library of royalty-free images and encourages the use of concise text. This focus on visuals and brevity may help presentations resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impression.

Visual focus: Haiku Deck offers a library of high-quality images, allowing users to create presentations with a strong visual component.
Ease of learning: Haiku Deck’s straightforward interface makes it suitable for beginners to create presentations.
Free features: Haiku Deck provides core functionalities through its web-based platform, catering to budget-conscious users.
Focus on brevity: The platform promotes conciseness, potentially helping users stay focused on key messages and audience engagement.
Limited offline use: While some features are available offline, full functionality requires an internet connection.
Image focus: Haiku Deck might not be ideal for presentations that heavily rely on detailed charts, graphs, or intricate data visualization elements.
Collaboration features: The basic plan offers limited functionalities for collaboration compared to cloud-based presentation software.
Editing existing decks: Haiku Deck excels at creating new presentations from scratch, but editing existing presentations created in other software might be less efficient.

3. Other considerations for presentation software

Before starting your research, you’ll need to understand what it is you’re looking for exactly, and what you need.

Complexity of your presentations:

Basic slides: If your presentation relies on text, bullet points, and simple visuals, free presentation software like Google Slides, OfficeSuite, or Microsoft PowerPoint (in presentation mode) will do the job.

Advanced design: Presentations with complex data visualizations, animations, or custom layouts could need software with advanced design features. Popular options include Adobe InDesign, Keynote, or premium versions of OfficeSuite, or PowerPoint..

Collaboration needs:

Solo Project: If you’re working alone, most presentation software offers basic collaboration features like saving to the cloud.

Teamwork: If you’re collaborating with a team, consider software with commenting, version control, and easy sharing. and version control.

Free options: Many free presentation software options exist, offering basic functionalities, including OfficeSuite, WPS, OpenOffice, Google Slides, and more.

Paid software: Paid presentation software offers a wider range of advanced features, customization options, so if you can afford it, premium versions of basic packages can make your working even easier.

Presentation style:

Linear presentation: Most presentation software caters to a traditional linear flow, where slides progress one after another.

Non-linear format: Some software allows for creating interactive or non-linear presentations. Consider tools like Prezi or Nearpod if you want viewers to explore the content at their own pace.

4. Summing up

There are plenty of great options above, and more than worthy of making our list for the best presentation software in 2024. Of course, what you go for ultimately depends on your needs and budget, but with a healthy mix of free and paid versions in the above, you’re sure to find the right solutions to make your decks fantastic.

Once you’ve picked your software, it’ll be time to put together your presentations. We recommend reading our articles on how to do master slides , and presentation do’s and dont’s to give you even more of an edge. Good luck!

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Open source tools to boost your productivity

It’s good to have options if you want to escape the proprietary clutches of big tech.

3D image showcasing folders arranged in a pattern depicting organization and variation concepts

For every yin, there’s a yang; for every action, a reaction; and for every piece of proprietary software, there’s an open source alternative. Or something like that.

The issue of “openness” in technology has rarely been so front and center in the public consciousness as it has these past couple of years. Twitter’s steady demise has drawn millions to explore alternatives , many of which are open source . And the OpenAI power struggle last year also shone a spotlight on what “open source” might actually mean in the context of the burgeoning AI revolution .

The consumer software world has long offered “open” alternatives to the established incumbents, be that LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office; GIMP over Photoshop; or Thunderbird in place of Outlook. There might be any number of reasons why an individual or business might prefer to journey down the open source route: Maybe it’s the added transparency and security compared to the proprietary players or the customizability it offers. Or some might just like to support a software development ethos that favors freedom and collaboration over walled gardens and vendor lock-in.

There are potential downsides to open source software, such as a lack of formal customer support, limited features, or technical hurdles around deployment. But it’s still good to know your options if you’re looking to bring a little more openness to your app stack — without compromising too much on your productivity.

With that in mind, TechCrunch has pulled together some open source alternatives to popular productivity apps. These might appeal to prosumers, freelancers, or small businesses looking to escape the clutches of the usual Big Tech players.

Penpot: Design and prototyping

Penpot is an open source web-based design tool, offering a range of plans targeting everyone from individuals to enterprises.

Although regulatory headwinds ultimately put an end to Adobe’s $20 billion bid for Figma last year, Penpot saw signups surge when news of the plans first emerged — and the startup went on to raise $8 million off the back of this .

Excalidraw is also a neat open source whiteboarding tool with collaborative features built in; it’s also worth checking out.

Cal.com: “Scheduling infrastructure”

Everyone loves Calendly, the scheduling platform (worth $3 billion) that helps people organize meetings without having to engage in multiple back-and-forth emails, messages and phone calls.

There’s also an open source challenger called Cal.com , touted as “scheduling infrastructure for absolutely everyone.” Cal.com can be self-hosted or hosted by the company itself as part of a SaaS offering, with multiple plans on offer . The company also raised a fairly chunky $25 million Series A round of investment in 2022.

Screenity: Screen recording

Loom emerged as one of the beneficiaries of the rapid transition to remote work, enabling asynchronous video communication through myriad screencasting, recording and sharing features. As with many startups, Loom struggled as the world returned to some semblance of normality, and the company exited to Atlassian last year for just shy of $1 billion .

Still, remote work isn’t going away, and anyone looking for an open source Loom alternative that doesn’t sit under the auspices of a billion-dollar corporation could do worse than checking out Screenity . However, it is limited to the Chrome browser for now.

Jitsi: Video conferencing

Zoom was one of the big winners of the rapid shift to remote work, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a fully self-hostable and configurable video-conferencing alternative. That’s exactly what’s offered by Jitsi , an open source community-driven project started by founder Emil Ivov way back in 2003.

Users can head to meet.jitsi.com and instantly start a meeting. And while Jitsi is open source and free for anyone to deploy as they please, its parent company, 8×8, offers a paid service with additional features. It’s worth noting that 8×8 acquired Jitsi from Atlassian in 2018 .

Nextcloud: Cloud storage

Nextcloud is both a client-side and server-side solution for file storage. Other cloud storage providers, such as Shadow Drive , use Nextcloud’s infrastructure under the hood.

Users can self-host their Nextcloud instances or use a third-party provider suggested by Nextcloud, which helps users manage the setup and maintenance process.

Nextcloud can be used by hobbyists or enterprises looking to sidestep industry incumbents such as Dropbox, with a strong emphasis on privacy, security and data sovereignty.

Ghost: Publishing

Substack has built a business around providing tools for writers to create newsletters and similar content. However, Substack is a closed ecosystem, much like Medium.

Ghost is an open source publishing platform developed by former WordPress engineer John O’Nolan in 2013. While WordPress is also an open source solution, Ghost offers a cheaper alternative with a managed hosting instance and doesn’t take any fees from publishers on subscriptions.

Ghost raised $300,000 through crowdfunding during the project’s initial phase in 2013, with notable backers like Seth Godin, Leo Babauta and Microsoft.

TabbyML: Coding copilot

GitHub Copilot has emerged as the poster child of the AI-powered pair-progamming space, though Google and Amazon have introduced similar smarts .

Regardless, none of these incumbents’ coding assistants is open source and they can’t be self-hosted — something TabbyML hopes to address. Founded by two former Googlers last year, TabbyML raised $3.2 million in seed funding for an early iteration of what it calls an open source GitHub Copilot alternative, one that can be entirely self-hosted.

Chatwoot: Customer support

As one of the major players in the customer relationship space, Zendesk needs little introduction. But the private equity-owned facet of Zendesk might not be to everyone’s fancy. Plus Zendesk is, well, entirely proprietary.

Chatwoot , on the other hand, touts its open source chops that allow businesses to self-host the customer engagement platform, thus keeping all their data in-house.

PhotoPrism: Photo management

In 2020, Google Photos ended its free unlimited tier . The same year, a Berlin-based team operating under the name PhotoPrism emerged as an alternative of sorts, with the ability to run a self-hosted server on your desktop (Windows, Mac, or Linux) along with DigitalOcean, Raspberry Pi, FreeBSD, and many network-attached storage ( NAS ) devices.

PhotoPrism includes support for backing up photos, as well as tools for converting files, detecting duplicates, and recognizing friend-and-family faces in photos. The company offers a range of plans designed for individuals and organizations alike, with self-hosted and hosted options available.

Bitwarden: Password management

From LastPass to Dashlane and 1Password, there are no shortages of password-management tools out there that generate hard-to-guess passwords and store them in a secure digital vault. But Bitwarden has set itself apart by operating largely under an open source model, raising a chunky $100 million in funding in the process.

Bitwarden’s core components are open source, allowing anyone to view, modify and distribute the code. However, certain features are only available under a proprietary “source available” license, which still offers transparency, albeit with greater restrictions on what the end user can do with it.

AppFlowy: Task management

AppFlowy is an open source alternative to Notion , the $10 billion workplace productivity and collaboration tool.

Founded in 2021, AppFlowy pitches a self-hostable solution replete with tools for managing projects, taking notes, creating documents, and tracking the status of individual project items and deadlines. The company raised $6.4 million in funding last year from a who’s who of investors, including the founders of Automattic and YouTube.

Dub.co: Link management

For link shortening and management, Spectrum Equity owned Bitly is one of the popular tools, while Google recently put a final nail in its URL shortening service’s coffin . If you are looking for an open source alternative, Dub.co could be your answer.

Former Vercel employee Steven Tey started this as a side project in 2022 , transforming it into a company two years later. While Dub.co provides a lot of its own URL management services, including time-series data, personalization and a way to use branded links, it also allows you to self-host its solution .

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How-To Geek

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How to organize your life using the project management app trello, spectrum just raised its prices again, key takeaways.

Searching GitHub can be difficult, but there are websites to help you find free and open-source software.
Protect yourself with antivirus before downloading apps from the internet to avoid malware.
Look for links to packaged code in the README and releases sections on GitHub repositories.

GitHub is an online platform for developers to collaborate on code and publish their software. Lots of it is 100% free, and some of it is absolutely top-tier. However, because it's made for developers, it's not exactly user-friendly. Here's how to find your way around.

How to Find (Reputable!) Free Software

Searching for "free" apps on the internet can be perilous. Malware creators are just itching for you to click on a search result that leads to their malicious site (and they're pretty good at making them look attractive), and then tricking you into downloading a virus or trojan.

So, before you go and start downloading things from the internet, make sure you're protected with a reputable antivirus solution (ideally one with web browser integration that flags suspicious downloads before they reach your device).

Now you're ready to start searching.

Free, open source software for productivity (word processing, drawing, video editing, and design), gaming, and even entire operating systems can be found on GitHub, but it can be difficult to wade through the vast number of projects (stored in "repositories"), especially as many of them are developer tools that don't make much sense for regular users.

That's why it's much easier to use websites dedicated to curating lists of free software, than trying to browse GitHub directly. If you're on Windows, Ninite provides an installer for a collection of high-quality free apps that cover a lot of common PC tasks (so your search for free stuff may end there if you're after something specific).

If you know the category of the app you want, or know the name of a paid product, you can also punch it into AlternativeTo to get a list of similar software, and filter it to the free options. Every app on Alternative to has is ranked and reviewed, so you can stick to the ones that are in good standing with other users. Despite sites like AlternativeTo making it easy to find free software with a friendly interface, inevitably you'll run into a free app that is hosted on GitHub , and need to navigate its confusing interface.

How To Download Ready-To-Use Apps on GitHub

Once you've landed on the GitHub page for a free app or game, the next step is to determine whether a pre-packaged version is available. Software is published to GitHub as source code, and it cannot be run directly on your computer without taking a number of technical steps to build it, something regular users don't have the tools to accomplish. Some developers, however, do provide packaged code, either on GitHub, or on their own websites. You just have to find it!

To start your hunt for the fabled download link, scroll down the page for the GitHub project, and look for the README section (past the list of files and developer jargon). This is where the developer puts all the information users need to get started. Often, there's an obvious download link included here, so keep an eye out for the terms "download", "pre-packaged", "pre-built" and "binaries" (the terms developers commonly use to refer to ready-to-use apps).

The GitHub page for Microsoft PowerToys.

Failing that, look for a link to the project or developers' website in the README and head there, as they may be hosting the binaries for their app themselves.

Finally, you can check the "Releases" section of the GitHub page for pre-built binaries. This is located in the sidebar to the right: Click on the bolded Releases heading, and then download a binary for your platform from there if one is supplied.

Free Stuff Shouldn't Come With Strings Attached

The adage "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" doesn't apply to free software, because it is often just as good as it looks. You just need to be careful about which software you trust to install on your devices.

While most free and open source software is made by honest, dedicated developers who just want to make the world better with free stuff, there are those who take advantage of this to try and push malicious software on unsuspecting users. If you have any doubts about downloading something, it pays to stop, think, and maybe check with a tech-savvy friend or family member before you continue.

If you're looking for great software, be sure to also check out our super-charged alternative to native Windows apps , and our list of best free Windows apps to get you started.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks: National Cyber Director Coker Opening Remarks at DEF CON

Las Vegas, NV

August 10, 2024

Remarks As Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Jay. It’s a pleasure to be here for the first time on the DEF CON stage. And, as a whiskey drinker myself, I’m a bit disappointed that more of my speeches don’t start that way!

I’m looking forward to our conversation, Jay, where we will dig into memory safety, BGP security, firmware vulnerability, and open-source software – all of the nuanced, technical topics that make Hacker Summer Camp such a draw, even in this new venue.

But before we get into the hard problems that really define our work at the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, I want to say a few words about the importance of this community to our efforts to make our Nation more cyber secure, innovative, and prosperous.

This is my first DEF CON – I guess you already know that from my baptism by bourbon. But while I have been thoroughly impressed by the people, presentations, and even policy proposals I have seen over the past couple days, I cannot say I’m surprised.

From my early exposure to coding as a graduate student to my time at NSA to arriving at the White House, I’ve known how special the security researcher community is. Special, but often misunderstood.

As a society, we are predisposed to celebrate builders – inventors, engineers, and the titans of industry: all are lauded for what they’ve designed and constructed.

So it can be quite jarring to hear about a culture where tinkering is turned toward breaking things. Where rather than synthesis and cohesion, we talk about de-compiling code to find its weaknesses. Where manipulating people in the form of social engineering is venerated as a way of finding the weak points in a system.

And if there’s one place in the world where those concepts are particularly foreign, it’s Washington, DC. Our elected officials and civil servants swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution – and it is far from intuitive to many of them as to how “hacking” could possibly be in that interest.

I can see where they’re coming from. But I also challenge them to look deeper.

To understand that, for the folks in this community, the desire to take things apart is rooted in a hope that they will be made stronger. To recognize that the Internet – decentralized, governed largely by a simple set of rules written decades ago – is a miracle of human ingenuity. And that, miraculous as it may be, the Internet also needs protecting.

That ethos – of trying to make the Internet a safer place – is what makes this community so important and vital to our way of life. It’s why it’s so important to me that I made the pilgrimage out to the desert, along with so many of our cybersecurity colleagues. And I’ve got good news for you. My voice is not alone in Washington, and the chorus is growing.

Jay, I know that when you were on the National Security Council staff two decades ago, you weren’t even allowed to come to DEF CON. Today, not only are the Feds here in force to learn from and celebrate your work, they’re recruiting!

Vulnerability disclosure policies used to be a pipe dream at Federal agencies. Today, they’re required – and they’ll soon be required for Federal contractors as well.

One of the first projects we launched at ONCD after I arrived was a white paper focused on memory safety, titled “Back to the Building Blocks.”

I will admit to being a bit surprised to see such a technical product coming out of a White House Office. Yet, after reviewing the report and learning about the research and consultation underlying it, I was completely convinced that it was vital that the White House shine a spotlight on the need to adopt solutions for the most critical vulnerabilities around.

The White House endorsing formal methods is now a bit of a meme – and I couldn’t be happier.

These are outward signs of progress. At least as important, though, is the cultural change happening in Washington.

For the first time, we are seeing policymakers consider how to leverage the unique aspects of the security research community to solve some of the very hardest problems in cybersecurity. Some of that is manifesting at the operational level as collaboration, not simply information sharing, increasingly becomes the norm at NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center and CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative.

And it extends to more strategic proposals too. Yesterday, ONCD and our partners in the government’s Open Source Software Security Initiative released a report summarizing key findings from the request for information we announced at last year’s DEF CON. Importantly, we also describe actions we are taking in response to the feedback from the community.

Some of those actions are inherently governmental. For instance, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Department of Homeland Security is investing over $11 million in open-source software security.

Today, I am proud to announce the launch the Open Source Software Prevalence Initiative, which will take advantage of that investment in America. Along with partners at our National Labs, the initiative will assess the prevalence of open-source software in operational technology used by critical infrastructure owners and operators. We know that open-source underlies our digital infrastructure, and it’s vital that, as a government, we contribute back to the community as part of our broader infrastructure efforts.

But many more of the recommendations go beyond what government can do alone and that’s where you all come in.

More than that: these policy proposals rely on the dedication of researchers and their willingness to freely share their findings in order to work. In our conversations on developing a software liability regime, too, we are increasingly aiming to leverage this unique community as part of novel policy solutions.

Our reliance on all of you does, however, come with a commensurate increase in responsibility.

In the President’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, we call for more of the responsibility for cybersecurity to fall upon the more capable actors in the ecosystem. That means technology producers, yes, and certainly the Federal Government. But it also means all of you.

I know you all are up for it.

I know that the same value set that drives responsible vulnerability disclosure will lead you to continue to step up for the protection of the Internet.

I know the Internet is a safer place today because of all of your efforts.

But I challenge you to have empathy for those of us in Government who are trying to tackle the hard problems in cyberspace. They may seem easy to some of you, but the President can’t issue an order and solve them.

We’ve known about vulnerabilities in the Border Gateway Protocol for decades; still, much of U.S. Internet traffic is subject to hijacking.

Memory-safe programming languages have similarly been around for years; still, critical software that underlies our society is written in C simply because that’s what’s convenient. The “tragedy of the commons” around open-source software development is a well-understood phenomenon; still, vital packages are maintained by tiny bands of volunteers operating on a less-than shoestring budget.

Policy can help address these problems. No, I’ll go further – policy is needed to address these problems. But policy takes time.

The people of the United States have entrusted their Government with awesome authorities. As we work to use them to improve our cybersecurity posture, we must ensure that we do so responsibly with an eye toward outcomes that preserve the innovation and decentralization that have made the Internet the miracle it is today.

Most important, though, is that we do so together.

At the core of our approach at ONCD is partnership. I prioritize hearing and learning from a diverse array of stakeholders, and you all are key constituents of ours.

I know that Jay and I will dig into some more of the details of our various initiatives, but I will also continue to seek feedback from all of you throughout the weekend.

So thank you again for everything you’re doing every day to passionately protect our digital ecosystem.

And thank you, again, for welcoming me to DEF CON.

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DARPA edges closer to using AI to expose cyber vulnerabilities

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Ai in the workplace.

By David DiMolfetta

Next year, seven teams will compete to polish off a best-case model that meshes AI and cybersecurity to detect and fix open-source vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.

Cyber Threats
Critical Infrastructure

LAS VEGAS — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Sunday selected seven teams to advance to the final stage of a U.S.-sponsored cybersecurity competition, where they will be tasked to finalize an AI-powered system designed to secure open-source software that underpins many critical infrastructure sectors, like banks and water systems.

The top seven scoring teams, who were each awarded $2 million for their work at the DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas, will have one year to build upon their systems before the DARPA-backed AI Cyber Challenge — or AIxCC — finale is held at next year’s DEF CON.

The AIxCC, in partnership with the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, challenged participants to create AI systems to protect open-source software that supports critical sectors of the U.S. economy, including public utilities and healthcare.

Open-source tooling is free to use and convenient for critical infrastructure owners and operators. But it’s particularly vulnerable to cyber exploitation because the publicly available code allows attackers to easily identify and exploit weaknesses. If a hacker succeeds in infiltrating and leveraging a flaw in an infrastructure network, it may create cascading impacts on public health and safety.

As part of the competition’s rules, teams must agree to open-source their systems. The clause aims to accelerate the distribution and use of the AIxCC-developed technology within the cybersecurity and software development fields.

Some 39 teams competed, according to a summary provided by DARPA officials on Sunday. One group, Team Atlanta, found a previously undetected bug in SQLite , a popular language used to search through databases.

“We found that the open source software community is not resourced at an ideal level, given how often and how frequently that code makes its way into critical systems in power, water and healthcare all over the country,” Andrew Carney, program manager for AIxCC, told Nextgov/FCW in the DEF CON AIxCC hacking village, where the competition was being showcased.

Heather Adkins, Google’s vice president of security engineering who was also on site, said that fully jettisoning open-source tools from critical infrastructure systems as a protective measure would prove too complex an undertaking.

“The reality is that so many commercial solutions today have open source integrated into them,” she said, arguing it wouldn’t make sense to simulate environments that don’t reflect real life. A 2024 Open Source Security and Risk Analysis Report provided by Synopsys found open source components are present in more than 96% of over 1,000 commercial codebases, with 84% containing at least one known vulnerability.

In the contest, DARPA took real open-source software packages and intentionally inserted vulnerabilities into their code. Since organizers know exactly where and what types of flaws were added, they can precisely evaluate the competitors’ efforts. The contest employed advanced tools known as sanitizers — digital instruments that detect specific types of code defects — that are integrated into the modified open-source projects, making it easy to measure how teams have targeted specific vulnerabilities.

Some of the bugs were inspired by already-known vulnerabilities, but, in the spirit of real-world scenarios where hackers frequently modify and innovate on their techniques, many of them were newly-created, Carney said.

The competition was partly motivated by the advent of large language models over the past 18 months that are behind popular consumer-facing generative AI tools. Many of the major companies that have rolled out such offerings, including Anthropic and OpenAI, provided their model infrastructure to competitors at the hacking conference.

“We, among everybody else, are concerned about the risks of generative AI,” DARPA Director Stefanie Tompkins said in an interview. “We also are asking ourselves if we can use them for the power of good or how they can be harnessed to go after [cybersecurity] risks.”

The AIxCC competition would be a boon for the healthcare industry, said Renee Wegrzyn, who leads ARPA-H. Fronting an AI-powered cyber tool would hugely benefit small healthcare companies, in particular, because they are less resourced in technical staffing and expertise, she said.

ARPA-H is just two years old, but a program like this is critical to the health sector, a favorite target of hackers because hospitals store sensitive patient data that, if pilfered, can be used for identity theft and fraud schemes.

“Our mission is to accelerate better health outcomes, and with these vulnerabilities still being out there, that really impacts health outcomes of all Americans,” Wegrzyn said.

Numerous cases documented by intelligence officials indicate that nation-state groups — like China’s Volt Typhoon hacking collective — have breached American critical infrastructure. These hackers are preparing to disrupt systems and cause widespread panic or undermine military efforts if commanded by China’s central government, particularly in the context of increasing military activity centered on Taiwan, officials say.

And earlier this year, the open-source community faced a new type of threat when a user dubbed “Jia Tan” tried to quietly plant a backdoor into XZ Utils, a widely-used file transfer tool found in several Linux builds that power software in major companies that have global presence. Analysts say Jia Tan may have been a collection of nation-state hackers planning a long game to surreptitiously hijack the tooling.

Addressing open-source security has emerged as a key focus for the Biden administration. On Friday, the Office of the National Cyber Director published a report summarizing feedback from the security community on enhancing open-source security. A new DHS office also announced Friday would also aim to examine the volume of open source tooling based inside critical infrastructure and how best to secure it from hackers, CyberScoop reported .

NEXT STORY: How the White House cyber czar is working to breathe new life into America’s cybersecurity workforce

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6 Top Open-Source Vulnerability Scanners & Tools

eSecurity Planet content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More .

Open-source vulnerability assessment tools are effective security scanners to detect missing patches, misconfiguration, and other vulnerabilities. These scanners also publish their code publicly and provide a free version with most, if not all, features. To help you select the best tool, we picked the top two tools in each of three categories: devices (endpoints, routers, containers, etc.), websites and applications (aka web and app), and specialty scanners for specific assets.

Here are the six best open-source vulnerability scanners:

Nmap : Best device scanner overall
OpenVAS : Best device scanner for user experience
ZAP : Best web and app scanner overall
OSV-Scanner : Best web and app scanner for library dependency
CloudSploit : Best specialty scanner for cloud and containers
sqlmap : Best specialty scanner for databases

Table of Contents

Top Open-Source Vulnerability Scanner Software Comparison

The table below briefly compares the top six tools and provides the overall rating in comparison with the other vulnerability scanning tools (aka vulnscanners) on the list, the types of assets scanned, and the availability of premium support or commercial versions of the tool.

Overall Rating	Device Scanning	Website & Application Scanning	Specialty	Paid Support Option
4.4	✔️	❌	Port scanning	❌
4.3	✔️	❌	❌	✔️
4.6	❌	✔️	❌	✔️
4.0	❌	✔️	Library dependency	❌
3.9	Cloud and container only	❌	Cloud and container	❌
3.8	❌	Databases only	Databases	❌

Although we used a single scale to evaluate all open-source vulnerability scanners, they can’t be used interchangeably. For example, the best device scanning tool, Nmap, can only perform very limited application scanning, and the best web and app scanning tool, ZAP, can’t scan devices for vulnerabilities. Explore the detailed reviews of each tool for more context and read our rating methodology below.

Nmap – Best Device Scanner Overall

Overall rating: 4.4/5.

Open-source value: 4.5/5
Core scanning features: 4.2/5
Ease of use: 4.7/5
User support: 3.8/5

Nmap scores the highest for core scanning features and highest overall for device scanners thanks to the huge number of devices it can scan. The list well exceeds traditional network security port scans to include cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), and even some website applications. Hackers also frequently use the tool, so security pros often use Nmap even if they already own commercial tools to ensure they capture the hacker’s perspective.

No formal customer support option
Best results require experience or programming
Not all options are available in the GUI version

The open-source Nmap tool may be downloaded and used for free. An OEM license starts at $59,980 per year to build Nmap into commercial vulnerability scanning software or hardware. Cloud-hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) Nmap scanners aren’t affiliated with the Nmap tool.

Deep scanning: Interrogates open ports quickly to analyze protocols, applications, and operating systems based on available TCP and UDP services.
Industry favorite: Enjoys a large user base of active security professionals and hackers; also included in most network and cybersecurity certification programs.
Programmer-friendly: Uses command line controls to automate vulnerability scans or to export results into ticketing systems or security tools.
Scripting library: Includes a growing library of 500 scripts for enhanced network discovery and vulnerability assessment developed by the Nmap community.
System agnostic: Scans based on port responses to protocol requests so it works on all computers, IoT, websites, cloud systems, and networking equipment with open ports.

Nmap provides powerful network security scanning, but users without programming experience or seeking a better user interface may prefer to start with OpenVAS.

OpenVAS – Best Device Scanner for User Experience

Overall rating: 4.3/5.

Open-source value: 4.9/5
Core scanning features: 4.1/5
Ease of use: 4.3/5
User support: 4.8/5

OpenVAS places first for user support primarily thanks to an effective graphic user interface (GUI) and an option for premium customer support. Yet it also enjoys a large community of industry users, inclusion in cybersecurity certification training, and built-in compliance reports. Greenbone maintains a strong threat feed and the scanning capabilities for the tool originally forked off of Nessus, now a closed-source commercial product by Tenable.

Can be overwhelming for beginners
Many concurrent scans can crash the program
Advanced scans require premium version

Greenbone continues to offer the open-sourced Community Edition OpenVAS free to all users. Those that need more advanced vulnerability scanning features (scans for network equipment, IoT, etc.) and professional support can upgrade to the Enterprise Edition.

Constant improvement: Updates threat feeds nearly daily with sourced as well as researched vulnerabilities; product updates and features also regularly provided.
Enterprise options: Provides a robust free version with even more capabilities and features available in the Enterprise version that also provides customer support.
Extensive device scans: Scans endpoints, servers, and cloud deployments for common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs); paid version scans even more devices.
Industry standard: Delivers a widely used solution tested extensively by security pros, supported by a large community, and taught in many different certification courses.
Vulnerability insights: Explains each vulnerability with additional context for vulnerability remediation or how attackers might exploit an exposed flaw.

Greenbone’s OpenVAS provides a strong user experience but charges extra to perform vulnerability scans on many common devices such as networking equipment. For a full-powered and free device scanner, consider Nmap.

ZAP – Best Web & App Scanner Overall

Overall rating: 4.6/5.

Open-source value: 5/5
Core scanning features: 3.9/5
Ease of use: 4.8/5
User support: 4.4/5

Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) scores the highest overall for all open-source vuln scanners and provides the highest rated open-source value and ease of use of the tools tested. Pre-installed on Kali Linux, ZAP places itself between the tester’s browser and the web application to intercept requests to act as a “proxy.” This tests applications by modifying contents, forwarding packets, and other user behavior simulations in a comprehensive and robust fashion.

Requires additional plugins for some features
Requires some expertise to use
Can produce more false positives

ZAP may be used for free, and the development team offers Bronze ($10,000 per year) and Silver ($20,000 per year) premium support packages for direct support via email or video with faster response times.

Common curriculum: Regularly included in DevSecOps and security certification as the primary training tool for scanning websites and applications.
Comprehensive scanning: Performs highly rated Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), particularly for cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities, and also performs uncommon tests such as fuzzing.
DevSecOps integration: Provides API and docker integration for quick starts and integrates with DevSecOp tools for automated ticketing to development teams.
Full-time development: Deploys two full-time developers thanks to the support of the Crash Override Open Source Fellowship (ZAP is no longer affiliated with OWASP).
Hacker favorite: Used often by penetration testers and hackers, applying ZAP provides an excellent idea of what vulnerabilities adversaries might locate.

The extensive ZAP capabilities scan for detected vulnerabilities in compiled code, but to locate open-source library dependencies, consider OSV-Scanner instead.

OSV-Scanner – Best Web & App Scanner for Library Dependency

Overall rating: 4.0/5.

Open-source value: 4.7/5
Core scanning features: 3.8/5
Ease of use: 3.4/5
User support: 3.7/5

OSV-Scanner delivers specialty software composition analysis (SCA) that scans static software for open-source programming code vulnerabilities to secure the open-source software bill-of-materials (SBOM). It was developed initially by Google, and the rapid development of additional features and growing number of included languages speed the adoption of the tool and enhance its industry reputation.

May lag single language open-source SCA tools
Only reviews open-source library vulnerabilities
Too new to include in certification education

Google launched OSV-Scanner in 2021 and made the tool both free and open-source as a resource for the developer community.

Continuous development: Extends the list of supported programming languages regularly: C/C++, Dart, Elixir, Go, Java, Javascript, PHP, Python, R, Ruby, and Rust.
Expansive sources: Pulls vulnerabilities from a huge number of sources, including Debian, Linux, Maven, npm, NuGet, OSS-Fuzz, Packagist, PyPl, and RubyGems.
Flexible deployment: Allows API, scriptable, and GitHub integrated calls to allow automation and integration with DevSecOp tools and processes.
Machine-readable reports: Stores information about affected versions in JSON, a machine-readable format to integrate with developer packages.
Thorough scans: Examines directories, software bill of materials (SBOMs), lockfiles, Debian-based docker images, or software running within Docker containers.

While powerful, OSV-Sanner only provides specialty SCA scanning. For broader DAST analysis capabilities from a website and application vulnerability scanner, consider ZAP.

CloudSploit – Best Specialty Scanner for Cloud & Containers

Overall rating: 3.9/5.

Open-source value: 4.1/5
Ease of use: 3.9/5
User support: 3.0/5

Aqua acquired and continues to maintain the open-sourced cloud-infrastructure scanning engine CloudSploit so that users can download, modify, and enjoy the benefits of the specialty tool. CloudSploit scans can be performed on-demand or configured to run continuously and feed alerts to security and DevOp teams. This tool examines cloud and container deployments not only for known vulnerabilities but also for common misconfiguration issues.

Some features only available with paid version
Narrowly specialized tool; must be used with others
Focuses on public cloud infrastructure

CloudSploit provides free, open-source scanning and enjoys regular updates and features from Aqua. Aqua also offers additional scanning features with robust customer support through their Aqua Wave and Aqua Enterprise products.

Continuous auditing: Scans AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and other environments continuously to alert on changes to cloud infrastructure.
Integrated messaging: Sends real-time alerts and results via developer and security favorite tools such as Slack, Splunk, OpsGenie, Amazon SNS, and email.
Powerful APIs: Calls APIs from the command line, scripts, or build systems (Jenkins, CircleCL, AWS CodeBuild, etc.) with specific permissions granted by read/write controls.
Proactive notifications: Alerts on introduced vulnerabilities as they occur such as changed security groups, new SSH keys, deactivated MFA, deleted logs, and more.
Wide cloud support: Includes severities for plugins for the major public cloud platforms: Alibaba, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, GitHub, and Oracle.

CloudSploit examines cloud environments deeply for a variety of risks, but for broader infrastructure scanning that also encompasses local environments, consider Nmap.

sqlmap – Best Specialty Scanner for Databases

Overall rating: 3.8/5.

Ease of use: 3.2/5
User support: 3.9/5

The sqlmap tool qualifies for a position on this list, with an extremely focused but capable database vulnerability scanning tool. Although limited in scope, database testing tends to be a critical component in ecommerce, card payments, and other financial services that require heavy compliance and security testing. This tool requires programming and database experience to use, but provides powerful capabilities to test for common database problems.

Command-line tool with no graphic user interface
Very specialized tool for specific vulnerabilities
Requires database expertise to use effectively

The sqlmap tool is open-source and free to use.

Direct connections: Attaches directly to the database for testing via DBMS credentials, IP address, port, and database name.
Programmable testing: Enables callable (code or GitHub) integration, execution of arbitrary commands, retrieval of standard outputs, and reporting.
SQLi specialist: Performs six types of SQL injection types: boolean-based blind, time-based blind, error-based, UNION query-based, stacked queries, and out-of-band.
Password support: Automatically recognizes and uses password hashes for testing with permitted access and also can perform password cracking.
Widely compatible: Supports 35+ database management systems including MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, SAP MaxDB, Access, Redshift, Apache Ignite, and more.

While very effective, sqlmap requires Python and database programming skills to use. For a broader tool with a graphical user interface, consider ZAP instead.

Top 5 Features of Open-Source Vulnerability Scanners

While very different in purpose, all open-source tools share the same features in common: asset scanning specialties, quality vulnerability scans, code available to the public, a community of professional users, and up-to-date databases of vulnerabilities.

Asset Specialization

All vuln scanners focus on specific categories of assets, such as devices, websites, and applications. Even specialty scanners tend to focus on a specific subset of these broader categories. For example, sqlmap focuses on a very specific set of tests for a sub-category of applications: databases.

Effective Vulnerability Scanning

Effective vulnerability scanners must perform rigorous scans and produce usable reports to obtain industry acceptance. Open-source scanners may be free, but their scanning capabilities must also remain top notch for industry professionals to continue their use.

Open-Source Code

To qualify as an open-source tool, the source code for the tool must be publicly published and available for review. To make this list, I incorporated the frequency and the type of updates into the scoring, so open-source tools no longer updated failed to qualify. Open-source tools may not always be free, but these top tools also all offer at least a free version.

Professional User Community

Open-source tools typically lack formal product support and instead rely upon a broad community of professionals to provide mutual product support. The top tools also benefit from inclusion in cybersecurity or hacking certification or other industry training that spreads knowledge about the tool and increases the user base.

Updated Vulnerability Database

To deliver effective scans, vuln scanners must tap into a quality vulnerability database with an updated threat feed or vulnerability list. Open-source scanners tap into public databases with constant updates and these winners often incorporate multiple public sources for improved libraries of vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other issues.

How I Evaluated the Best Open-Source Vulnerability Scanners

In my examination of open-source vulnerability scanners, I compared them across four categories composed of additional subcriteria related to each category. The weighted scores then generated scores out of five points for each tool and the top six tools overall made the final cut. These tools were then classified into their specific scanning categories for direct comparison: device scanning, web and app scanning, and specialty scanning.

Evaluation Criteria

In the evaluation, I weighted the open-source value the highest to favor the most regularly updated tools. The core scanning features also received heavy weight so updates and capabilities delivered 70% of the score. I also considered and evaluated ease of use and user support, but with much less weight considering the do-it-yourself nature of open-source tools.

Criterion winner: ZAP
Criterion winner: Nmap
Criterion winner: OpenVAS

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the benefits of using open-source vulnerability scanners.

Open-source vulnerability scanners are generally free to use and quick to download, deploy, and use. Furthermore, they tend to be used by hackers and provide an attacker’s point of view.

Are Open-Source Vulnerability Scanners as Effective as Proprietary Ones?

Open-source tools provide most of the capabilities of proprietary tools, but proprietary tools add proprietary vulnerability research, additional features, additional integration options with vulnerability management tools , and more full-service support.

Who Shouldn’t Use an Open-Source Vulnerability Scanner?

Time-pressured or less technical teams should use commercial vulnerability scanning tools or vulnerability-management-as-a-service (VMaaS) to save time or for additional help since open-source tools require technical expertise and more time to use them effectively.

Can Penetration Testing Tools Be Used for Vulnerability Scans?

Penetration testing tools such as Wireshark, Metasploit, or Aircrack-Ng can be used to conduct vulnerability scans, but these tools lack the extensive vulnerability libraries, reporting, and ticketing tool integration of a vulnerability scanning tool.

Bottom Line: Vulnerability Scans Start & Verify Security Processes

Open-source tools extend vulnerability scanning capabilities to budget-strained organizations and allow teams of all sizes to test assets and controls for vulnerabilities. To pick the best option, first consider the types of assets to scan and then compare the capabilities of the best open-source and commercially available tools and acquire the best fit. Yet even the best tool can use backup, so always consider at least one open-source alternative as a second option.

Still, knowledge of vulnerabilities only kick-starts the security process. Many vulnerabilities need verification through penetration testing, fixes need to be developed for issues beyond patch management, and then vulnerability scans must be repeated to test the fixes. Be sure to implement the full vulnerability management and remediation cycle to minimize risk exposure.

To further explore security processes to prevent attacks, read more about the differences between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing .

Julien Maury contributed to this article.

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