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Google Slides vs. Instant Demo vs. Microsoft Powerpoint

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Slides

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Slides is a presentation tool that enables users to create, edit, collaborate, and present. It is free for personal use, and available to businesses via a Google Workspaces subscription.N/A

    Instant Demo

    N/AN/AN/A

    $199

    one-time fee

    Microsoft Powerpoint

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft PowerPoint is a presentation software designed to allow users to create slide-based presentations including video and images, as well as slide transitions and animations.

    $139.99

    Pricing
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Basic
    $199
    one-time fee
    One Time Purchase
    $139.99
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Free Trial
    NoYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Considered Multiple Products
    Google
    Chose Google Slides
    I've used Microsoft Powerpoint, Apple Keynote, and Prezi in previous roles, and comparing them with Google Slides, I'd say the latter stands out for collaboration, ease of sharing, and real-time editing, which are really critical for teamwork. While PowerPoint and Keynote offer …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Slides works very similarly to Microsoft Powerpoint, though I would say it feels seamless to integrate with other Google products.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    On a standalone basis, where no collaboration is needed, Microsoft Powerpoint is a superior tool because the functionalities are easier to use and much more robust. But if collaboration is needed, Google Slides is optimal for business, sales and strategy collaboration. It is …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Canva is my choice for creating creative, unique, professional presentations, as they have a built-in library with icons, elements, charts, and graphics. It's easier to create beautiful charts and graphs on Canvas, but more advanced data may be better set up in Google Sheets
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Google Slides has a much simpler format and is much easier to access and share than the others. For the others to be useful, you have to pay for them, and they’re still not as user-friendly. The only one that is similar is Canva. Where a may lead is with the templates it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Google Slides has features similar to Canva's presentation tools, but Canva offers more design features (elements, stock photography, stock video, stock audio, fonts, etc.). Google Slides is part of Google Drive, so being able to switch between Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc. is a …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Google Slides is far more accessible than either Keynote or Powerpoint. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some of Keynote's templates (and transitions), and it may not be as well known as Powerpoint is to a generation of Microsoft users, but I have found that these …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    PowerPoint has the most features but doesn’t sync as well as Google Slides. Keynote is not compatible for many people. Google Slides is by far the best option for collaboration and ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Google Slides is easier to learn and share than PowerPoint. While Miro is better for a working collaboration, Slides is a better presentation tool. Lumio and Nearpod are great for leading presentations where each person has a device, Slides is more compatible for presenter …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Google Slides works both online and offline, they are free to use if you have a Google account. Easy to share and are supported by most web browsers. A great addition to your arsenal of interactive educational online platforms.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    It has probably around 90% of the common features that are present in PowerPoint but is more appropriate for today's workflows of being online. Conveniently included with GSuite packages often makes it more of a default option over PowerPoint in modern times. I have not listed …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Slides
    Skids is so much easier to use than PowerPoint and the design is much, much simpler. You can be more creative with Slides because it is flexible enough to use unlike PowerPoint. The downside is there is a learning curve because it isn’t the same old crappy software everyone …
    Incentivized
    NetPlay
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Microsoft Powerpoint looks more polished than Google Slides, which can get glitchy and have formatting errors.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Both Google Slides and Canva are way more complex to use than Microsoft Powerpoint. They have specific symbols that are hard to memorize, many tools are hidden, they are harder to navigate, and shortcuts are not customizable, which makes everything less efficient. Google Slides
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Google Slides is like a Microsoft Powerpoint lite. It has similar functionality in enabling you to add items easily to a slide deck and has good shareability for businesses that use Google apps. It lacks some of the sophistication of Microsoft Powerpoint - I find slide decks …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    There is a thin line difference between Google Slides and PowerPoint, from my point of view PowerPoint provide online templates like Live pictures and all 3D images and videos on templates which make PowerPoint presentation more attractive then the slides having PowerPoint …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Google Slides is good too and very similar to Microsoft PowerPoint, however, I have been using Microsoft PowerPoint for over 10 years and very familiar with the features and prefer to use it. It is very user friendly and any one can use it. It is also very easy to learn it if …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Microsoft Powerpoint does a better job with graphic tools, slide layout design, bullet animations, slide themes, spell checking, AI integration, HTML export, PDF export, Posters and other classroom visual aids. Although opensource alternatives make it a challenge to justify the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Microsoft Powerpoint stacks up quite well against its competitors mentioned above. It offers better set of features which are more advanced and intuitive most of the times. It is professionally a more popular and a better choice overall.
    Where it lacks is when really specific …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Powerpoint
    Microsoft PowerPoint is just unbeatable when it comes to presenting. The software is reliable in terms of experience and security (we have multiple threats on the internet). The other reason why I use mostly Microsoft PowerPoint instead of Apple Keynote is because of the rich …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    94%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    64 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    61 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    75%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    62 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    42 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    50 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Small Businesses
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Microsoft Powerpoint Online
    Score7 out of 10
    Microsoft Powerpoint Online
    Score7 out of 10
    Microsoft Powerpoint Online
    Score7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Presenter
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (16 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.4
    (63 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.2
    (12 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (10 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google SlidesInstant DemoMicrosoft Powerpoint
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    Well-suited to working on presentations or PowerPoint-style documents, including setting up templated slides and working collaboratively on presentations. It's less well-suited to setting up printable documents, though I have used it for simple printable documents, you just need to remember to set the slide size to A4 (or your preferred paper size) measurements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    The learning curve with Microsoft Powerpoint is not too steep, and most everyone can create really nice-looking presentations. The thing I like most about the new advancements in Microsoft Powerpoint comes to formatting. If you are creating a newsletter, don't get bogged down by all of the annoying formatting rules and issues you would have if creating in Publisher or Word. Microsoft Powerpoint makes it very simple. You can add text boxes and move them anywhere on the page. The templates are a nice touch, but they could use more, as most of these are outdated. I believe there are many free websites for downloading more templates.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Real-time collaboration makes it easy for multiple people to work on one presentation or deck.
    • Sharing is very straight forward, so it's easy to keep control of who can do or can't do.
    • Flexible so it's uses don't stop in presentations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • Insert Photos from my computer and from the web with ease.
    • Auto arrangement of graphics and texts is made available through suggested formatting.
    • Spell check as I type is very valuable to me. It autocorrects many words. I like for my presentation to be accurate.
    • The ability to change any font or any size of font is very valuable to me.
    • The ability to cut and past from Microsoft Word is valuable to me. It also allows me to import tables I have already created in Word.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • The slides generated by the "Beautify this slide" feature are not editable. You need to prompt again to make the changes you want.
    • You don't have a way to switch to another company template. For example, if you want to switch from light to dark theme, you can't.
    • The layout of the Animations sequence is not easy to read.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • 3D objects that can be manipulated in slideshows by presenters
    • AI tool to cleanup presentations
    • AI tool to create graphics
    • AI tool to create photo-realistic images
    • AI tool to create vector art
    • AI tool to create videos
    • Blender 3D object importer
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    The popularity for Google Slides among the casual technology tool users is so great that we are not in a position to replace this tool with anything else. Every other tool either doesn't have the popularity, or doesn't match the ease of sharing level of Slides. The training needed to learn a different tool is too great. Google Slides is very easy to pick up and master.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Google
    Google Slides is very easy and intuitive for creating simple, straightforward presentations. Its limitations make for less decision making. Being part of the Google Suite makes for easy sharing and collaboration, auto-saving, and time-stamped versions/edit history. However, unlike a platform like Canva, there's no icon library, photos, graphics, or elements built-in, so if you're wanting more creative designs, you have to import or create yourself.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It’s great overall! I can think of a few improvements that would make it a 10, for example: better Smart Art graphs, automatic distribution of columns and rows in tables, and being able to more easily save templates for graphs. For example, if I could determine that a same brand name in all graphs would have a specific color, it would be great
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I've never had any issues with its availability. As it is installed on my machine, it's ready when I need it, online or offline. Creating large slide decks with complex elements like video and audio doesn't affect its stability. The only limitation would be the capability of your own computer, as far as I can tell.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    The performance is very strong. It loads reasonably quickly. Large presentations load relatively quickly too, given their complexity, and once loaded each slide is readily available. It's easy to scroll up and down through your slide deck and go to the slide you want. Videos, pictures and music all load on demand, controllable by clicks.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I have never had to use the actual support. Most of my questions are "how to" questions and there is a rich internet full of users sharing their tips and tricks with this application. Sometimes I find the answers on Microsoft support site but often I don't
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    Google Slides works both online and offline, they are free to use if you have a Google account. Easy to share and are supported by most web browsers. A great addition to your arsenal of interactive educational online platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Adobe Illustrator is an excellent software but it's not easy to use for [everyone without] having any training or previous experience in working with illustrator. Microsoft Powerpoint is very easy to use and it's fantastic as it saves time more than illustrator. Another thing is it takes small space while illustrator takes a significant amount of space in the business machine
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Scaling up use of Microsoft Powerpoint would be a simple case of buying further licences. The software is intuitive and therefore training demands from scaling it to more departments or more individuals would be relatively straightforward. Google Slides may be easier to share among those organisations that use Google's suite of apps, however.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • We’ve closed all our clients using Google slides.
    • Google slides has directly led to 100's of thousands of dollars in our org.
    • It has helped us add dozens of new clients.
    • Has helped us present information to businesses making 10M+ revenue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetPlay
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • Helped reduce time we spend modifying and sharing back and forth different versions.
    • Saved us the frustration of having to work with an online program with limited functionalities.
    • Macros make it easy to share data in one excel file and automatically update presentation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots