Best Free Presentation Software & Tools

If you’ve ever had to do some kind of public speaking, meeting, workshop, or educational course you have certainly encountered a slide deck or two. And if like me you have spent hours messing around with the transitions on your PowerPoint presentation or adding Clipart to make it look nice you can understand the frustrations. 

PowerPoint may be synonymous with presentations but so too is it synonymous with long, linear presentations where the audience has little or no input. But luckily, for audiences and presenters everywhere, things have changed. 

So let’s talk an in-depth look at what some of the best online presentation makers the world wide web has to offer!

1. Mentimeter 
2. Ludus
3. Haiku Deck
4. Pitch
5. Canva
6. Visme
7. Google Slides
8. Prezi

What are presentation tools?

Well, this article would be pretty redundant if we didn’t briefly answer this question. Presentation tools, software, or programs, are essentially anything that lets users create slides for use in a presentation. As mentioned before, most of our minds automatically go to PowerPoint, but other tools have features that allow us to design and customize slides, add images and graphics, and present our information as we see fit. 

Newer ‘Audience Engagement Platforms’ will let audience members take part in the presentation and actually vote on certain slides and submit questions and opinions. 

Mentimeter - For interactive and engaging presentations 

One of the leading Audience Engagement Platforms, Mentimeter you have all bells and whistles users need to build full presentations and engage their audience with their slides. Not just a poll or quiz tool, Mentimeter affords users the ability to combine more traditional ‘content’ slides with fully interactive ‘question’ slides, resulting in a complete slide deck.

These interactive slides are the thing that sets Mentimeter apart from other tools on this list. They help you to collect insights in real-time and allow the audience to participate, contribute and collaborate in the presentation. It is completely anonymous so it facilitates frank and meaningful conversations without the fear that can come with speaking up in front of others. 

Presenter stress and the fear of speaking in public are something many of us experience at some point in time. A way to overcome these is to use the tech we have on hand to take the pressure off and ease some of those concerns. So no more awkward silences and blank faces staring up at you! You can jump right in and get started by using a pre-designed Mentimeter template so you can be even more efficient! 

Ludus - For those looking for intricate designs

Ludus claims that it’s a tool that ‘combines creativity with simplicity... and a bit of magic’. Now while we can’t attest to whether or not their presentations actually do have something of the wizarding world to them, we can say with some certainty that there is more than a little creative flair. 

Adding images, logos, GIFs, and stock photos isn’t just easy, but it’s simple to customize and make the presentation your own. Thanks to an intuitive search feature combined with a sound drag and drop feature, users can easily resize and redesign every single aspect that will go into each one of their slides. While it might seem a bit overwhelming at first the end result promises to be impressive. 

Haiku Deck - For iOS users

HaikuDeck is a great option for all of our friends that live in the iOS ecosystem - we know that once you get in it can be hard to leave! Now users can breathe presentation directly on their iPhone and iPad, gone is the need to log onto their desktop. The flexibility and the versatility that this provides potential users really cannot be understated. It’s rare to find a presentation builder that prioritizes mobile dithering and HaikuDeck is another reason to envy Apple owners. 

Much like the poem style, it is named after, this particular software is simplistic but powerful. An interesting initiative that Haiku Deck has launched is Zuru, an artificial intelligence tool that aims to build a ‘polished deck in minutes’. Powerful indeed!

Pitch - For those struggling to get started

For those of us short on time - if like me you probably left it o the last minute to design your slides - Pitch has the answer. Templates, templates, and even more templates. Their catalog of pre-designed slide decks ranges from Go-to-Market Strategies to Concept Testing and included pretty much everything in between. 

Thanks to both template designers at Pitch and collaborations with external creators, Pitch is one of the best places online to get a head start on creating your next presentation. No need to worry about the design elements here, just bring your specific ideas and talking points to the table (or keyboard) and be ready to type. Presentations made easy.

Canva - For multi-purpose presentations

Need to add in a custom video? Looking to create a slide highlighting potential social media posts? Canva offers solutions to each of these needs. Jump in a create every element you need for your presentation then turn your attention to the slides themselves once everything is finalized. 

Canva’s presentations are just as versatile as they don’t just prioritize one format over another. Users are free to create mobile-first presentations just as easily as they can whip up a talking presentation. Likewise, every option is equally customizable so no matter your need there should be a solution to match. 

Visme - For endless features

Need to add in infographics, charts, graphs, videos, and social media graphics? If that is the case then no need to sign up for a full plethora of different services. Visme offers its users a vast array of features that mean you can stay within its platform to create everything you may need in one solution. 

It can be a little bit tricky at the start to get the hang of everything, as there is just so much to navigate, but once you click around and get the hang of the UI then creating exactly what you need shouldn’t take too much time or effort. 

Google Slides - For a completely free PowerPoint alternative

Google is no longer just an eponymous for searching things online. The internet giant now offers an array of tools and software designed to make you more productive and efficient at work. Google Slides is perfect if you don’t want or don’t need to commit to purchasing an Office 365 subscription. Simply get online and start making slides.

Users familiar with PP can jump right in and create away. This won’t necessarily be the most revolutionary in terms of design and features but it’s free. It links to Google Drive and it is just another impressive feature in the Google ecosystem.  

Prezi - For video presentations

Prezi has a number of innovative and inventive features but the one that stands out is Prezi Video. Without delving into a long-winded and overly wordy explanation, imagine you are the background of your presentation. Got it? Excellent. In the world of online meetings and remote calls, Prezi video lets you the presenter share the screen with your presentation, no need to share your screen and relegate yourself to a small tile in the corner.  

No need for a boring presentation

So there you have it! Some of the best presentation tools the internet has to offer. With such a vast collection to choose from, there really is no excuse for having to sit through a boring and lifeless presentation ever again is there? We think not. So liven up your slide decks today and give your audience something to be impressed with.