The stage is set for an epic showdown. On one side is Microsoft PowerPoint, which boasts over 500 million users, and on the other is Google Slides, which supports over six million businesses.
These two heavyweights are the reigning champions of the presentation world. But which one truly stands out?
After years of using both tools to create pitch decks and client presentations, we’ve uncovered some eye-opening insights, and we’re excited to share them with you!
Whether you’re a C-level executive, founder, consultant, or someone aiming to crush your next presentation, we’ve got you covered. Let’s jump in!
Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison
Summarize this article for me please⏰ 60-Second Summary
Here is a brief breakdown of Google Slides vs. PowerPoint:
| Google Slides | Microsoft PowerPoint |
| Fully cloud-based, accessible from any device with a browser, and offers automatic updates without any hassle | Ideal used as a desktop-based app, with limited cloud features—the web version lacks some advanced options |
| Since it’s a web app and hosted on the cloud, it offers automatic updates | Offers co-authoring, though it can be a bit clunky and may depend on user devices and file location |
| Provides simple, clean design tools with basic animations and images for a streamlined presentation experience | Full offline access to all features (animations, transitions, and more) through the desktop version |
| Automatically saves your work with autosave—no setup required | Autosaving is available only with OneDrive or SharePoint, and it’s not activated by default |
| Offers easy access via Google Chrome, though with fewer features compared to PowerPoint’s desktop version | Offers limited co-authoring and collaborative functionality |
| Seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, and Drive for a unified workflow | Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 tools like Word, Excel, and Outlook, creating a strong, cohesive experience across apps |
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Google Slides?
Google Slides is web-based, free presentation software included in Google Workspace. As a cloud-powered tool, it allows multiple users to create and edit presentations in real time—without software installation.
Since Google Slides is fully integrated with Google Drive, sharing and collaborating with others is easy. Further, its user-friendly interface makes it a great alternative to traditional presentation software.
You can even use artificial intelligence to generate images directly in Google Slides. The Duet AI for Google Workspace comes loaded with a ‘Help me visualize’ feature.
🧠 Fun Fact: While most of us know it as Google Slides, it was called Google Presentations when it was first released in 2006 as part of Google Docs. It wasn’t until later that the company rebranded it to Google Slides to keep in line with the rest of the Google Drive tools. (Good call because ‘Google Presentations’ was a bit of a mouthful!)
Google Slides features
Google Slides excels in a range of features that help make stunning presentations. Here’s a breakdown of them:
Feature #1: Master Slide
When working in a team, it’s easy for slides to have mismatched colors, fonts, or themes. Google Slides’ Master Slide feature solves this problem.
You can create one consistent style that applies to the entire presentation. Add logos, images, or watermarks to appear on every slide without inserting them individually.
🧠 Fun Fact: Some escape room creators use Google Slides to design game puzzles and clues! They set up interactive slides that participants must solve by navigating through the slides or answering questions to move forward in the game. So, in a sense, Google Slides is “gaming” software for puzzle enthusiasts.
Feature #2: Personalized font library
Are you bored with the default fonts? Google Slides gives you over 800 fonts from the Google Fonts library. This variety allows you to add a unique touch to your presentations.
To explore these options, click the Fonts dropdown in the toolbar and select More Fonts at the top of the list. A new window will appear, showing all available fonts.
Feature #3: Audience Q&A
Presenters often struggle to engage audiences, especially in virtual settings. Google Slides’ Audience Q&A feature solves this by allowing attendees to submit questions via a shared link—either anonymously or with their email. Presenters can then review questions during breaks and prepare thoughtful answers before responding.
Feature #4: Sync slides across multiple decks
Manually updating the same slide across multiple presentations can be frustrating. With Google Slides, you can sync slides across different decks, ensuring that changes reflect everywhere automatically.
This feature is particularly useful for business reports, team training decks, and corporate templates that need regular updates.
Feature #5: Web publishing
Google Slides has a simple publishing feature for sharing presentations online. It’s perfect for sharing your deck with someone without a Google account or for self-running presentations.
Just use Publish to Web to share your presentation simultaneously with a link. Others can then watch it from beginning to end.
💡Pro Tip: Use free Google Slides theme templates to add style and professionalism to your business presentations. These will make it easier to communicate your ideas and impress your audience.
Google Slides pricing
Google Slides is free to use with a Google account. You can access all basic features, including up to 15 MB of storage in Google Drive.
For businesses and organizations, Google Slides is included in the Google Workspace plans, which offer different pricing plans based on the company’s needs and size.
Here’s a breakdown of the pricing options:
- Free
- Business Starter: $7.20/month per user
- Business Standard: $14.40/month per user
- Business Plus: $21.60/month per user
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Microsoft PowerPoint?
Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful presentation tool. It is a part of the Microsoft Office suite and lets users create slides with text, images, video, and audio files.
Initially released in 1987 for Apple Macintosh and in 1990 for Windows, PowerPoint has become one of the most popular presentation tools globally. It offers many multimedia features, including videos, polls, animations, infographics, and audio.
The built-in PowerPoint flowchart templates allow you to quickly design eye-catching presentations, ideal for a brainstorming session or meeting. PowerPoint also provides customization options, letting you adjust every template to fit your needs.
Its intuitive interface makes PowerPoint a favorite among students, businesses, and creative professionals.
👀 Did You Know? PowerPoint comes with a Presenter Coach feature that helps you practice your presentation. It listens to your speech and provides feedback on pace, tone, and filler words (the “ums” or “uhs”). The AI even gives tips on making your delivery more engaging, helping you improve your public speaking skills over time.
Microsoft PowerPoint features
Microsoft PowerPoint offers a range of features to help you create engaging presentations. Here are the best of them:
Feature #1: Slide layouts
Slide layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint are crucial in shaping your PowerPoint presentations’ overall look and feel. These pre-designed templates define the structure of each slide, ensuring your content is organized and visually appealing.
The layout you choose depends on the content you want to present. Many companies provide pre-made templates for staff to ensure process standardization.
Feature #2: Placeholders
In PowerPoint, a placeholder is a container for different elements on a slide. These containers have a dotted border and are often mistaken for text boxes. However, they support more than just text—they can also hold images, videos, tables, and even SmartArt.
Placeholders help position content consistently across slides. They come preformatted to maintain uniformity in both layout and design.
Also Read: Best AI Presentation Makers for PowerPoint
Feature #3: Slide transitions
Slide transitions are another key feature in PowerPoint. These effects add smooth, dynamic movement as you move from one slide to the next, enhancing the flow of your presentation. You can apply transitions to individual or all slides simultaneously for consistency.
👀 Did You Know? PowerPoint’s Morph transition can create a great flow without the need for complex manual animations. Many users miss this feature because it’s only available in PowerPoint 2019 and with an Office 365 subscription.
Feature #4: Links
Using links (or hyperlinks) in your PowerPoint presentation can significantly improve interactivity and navigation. Link to external websites for additional resources, connect to specific slides within the same presentation for seamless transitions, or redirect to other PowerPoint presentations to organize content without cluttering a single file.
Feature #5: Animations
Transitions and animations are key features in PowerPoint. These options control how text appears and how slides move from one to the next. With the Animation effect, you can apply an animation to specific content. The Custom Animation option offers choices like Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, and Motion Path.
Slide Transitions apply animation effects to entire slides, creating smooth movement as the slideshow progresses. Microsoft provides thousands of free templates with professional designs. Other templates are also available online at various prices and qualities.
Also Read: How to End a Presentation (Tips + Examples)
Microsoft PowerPoint pricing
The standalone version of PowerPoint costs $179.99. You can purchase it directly from the PowerPoint Product Page.
For a comprehensive experience with Microsoft 365, you must consider the subscription plans that include PowerPoint and other Office apps like Word and Excel.
Here are a couple of options:
For Home:
- Microsoft 365 Personal: $6.99/month per user
- Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month per 6 users
For Business:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6/month per user
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/month per user
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22/month per user
Summarize this article for me pleaseGoogle Slides vs. PowerPoint: Features Compared
Let’s compare Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint across different factors to determine which comes out on top or if they cater to a different audience.
| Feature | Google Slides | Microsoft PowerPoint |
| Hosting Services | Fully cloud-based and accessible from any device with a browser | Desktop-based with limited cloud features |
| Collaboration Features | Real-time collaboration with instant updates visible to all users | Co-authoring is clunky and dependent on user devices |
| Customization and Design Tools | Simple, clean design tools with basic animations and images | Advanced design options, complex transitions, morph effects, and custom animations |
| Autosave | Google Slides allows for automatic saving using autosave | Autosave is available but only with OneDrive or SharePoint |
| Offline Access | Offline access available via Google Chrome | Full offline access with all features via the desktop version |
| Integration Options | Integrates well with Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, and Drive | Strong integration with Microsoft 365 tools (Word, Excel, Outlook) |
Let’s take a detailed look at each feature!
Feature #1: Hosting services
PowerPoint was built as a desktop app, with cloud features added later. Most users still install it on their devices, but each license covers only five. While a web version exists, it lacks advanced design tools and Excel chart integration.
Google Slides, built for the cloud, works seamlessly across devices and browsers. It offers offline access (via Chrome) and a consistent user experience without extra costs. Updates are automatic, eliminating IT management hassles and ensuring file compatibility.
🏆 Winner: Google Slides for its cloud accessibility and automatic updates.
Feature #2: Collaboration
PowerPoint’s collaboration tools can be complicated, relying on factors like devices, organization settings, and file storage. Edits and comments may not always sync in real time.
Google Slides, however, makes teamwork effortless. Share via email or link, and everyone sees changes instantly, regardless of device or browser. You can even collaborate seamlessly on mobile or tablet, working from anywhere.
🏆 Winner: Google Slides for its seamless real-time editing, instant visibility of changes, and effortless access across devices.
Feature #3: Customization and design tools
PowerPoint excels in design customization, offering advanced tools for animations, transitions, and detailed formatting. Users can fine-tune every slide element—from fonts to object positioning, and apply complex effects like morph transitions.
Google Slides offers a clean, easy-to-use design experience for most basic presentations. You can still add images, text, and simple animations, but the variety and depth of customization are not as robust as in PowerPoint.
🏆 Winner: Microsoft PowerPoint for its advanced animations, transitions, and detailed formatting.
Feature #4: Autosave
PowerPoint’s autosave works only when logged into OneDrive or SharePoint and isn’t enabled by default. Local saves require manual backups, and version history depends on the user’s PowerPoint version and organization settings.
Google Slides, however, autosaves all changes to Google Drive, ensuring seamless access from any device. IT admins can set up shared drives for structured access. Version history is automatic, allowing users to track edits and restore past versions effortlessly.
🏆 Winner: Google Slides for effortless access across devices and detailed version history without any manual setup.
Feature #5: Offline access
PowerPoint’s desktop version allows offline access. Once installed, you can work on your presentations without an internet connection. You’ll still have access to all your features, including design tools, animations, and transitions.
Google Slides is cloud-based but offers offline access if you enable it through Google Chrome. Once set up, you can access and edit your presentations offline. The downside is that the offline features are not as full-featured as the desktop PowerPoint version, and you’ll need to plan by enabling offline mode.
🏆Winner: Microsoft PowerPoint, for its fully functional desktop version without an internet connection.
Feature #6: Integration options
PowerPoint integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools like Word, Excel, and Outlook. It’s great for users who need to work across multiple apps within the Microsoft ecosystem. You can easily import Excel charts, link to Word documents, and embed content from other Microsoft programs.
Google Slides integrates effortlessly with other Google Workspace tools such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive. It’s easy to insert data from Google Sheets, link to Docs, or access shared files in Google Drive. However, PowerPoint’s integration with other Microsoft products might be more appealing for users who rely on non-Google tools.
🏆Winner: It’s a tie. Microsoft PowerPoint excels in Microsoft 365 integration, while Google Slides is the go-to for Google Workspace—your choice depends on which ecosystem you rely on most.
Summarize this article for me pleaseGoogle Slides vs. PowerPoint on Reddit
We went to Reddit to see where people land on these tools. When you search for PowerPoint vs. Google Slides on Reddit, many users agree that Google Slides has a more helpful selection of advanced features:
This user highlights Google Slides’ collaboration features and how easy it is to work in a team but also acknowledges that PowerPoint offers advanced features that they sometimes miss.
On the other hand, users who prefer Microsoft PowerPoint often mention its stability:
PowerPoint’s reliability and long-established presence in business environments strongly draw users in more corporate, traditional settings.
Summarize this article for me pleaseMeet ClickUp—The Best Alternative to Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint
In today’s world, work is broken. You need a design tool for graphics, a presentation tool, a project management tool, and an AI content creation tool just to make a business deck. With ClickUp, all features converge into one.
And if you’ve been using Google Slides or PowerPoint, you might want to look at what ClickUp, the everything app for work, can do for you. Its powerful AI content creation software makes organizing, collaborating, and creating professional presentations more effortless than ever.
Here’s how ClickUp stands out:
ClickUp’s One Up #1: A rich template library
ClickUp offers an extensive library of pre-built templates; plus, you can create your own from scratch.
Clarity and organization are essential in presentations. With the ClickUp Presentation Template, you’ll have everything you need to design impactful and engaging presentations for your team!
This template helps you streamline your presentation process by providing a clear beginning-to-end structure. It allows you to gather feedback from your team before finalizing the content and keeps all related tasks organized in one centralized space.
Also Read: Best AI Art Generator Tools for Designers
ClickUp’s One Up #2: Real-time collab with ClickUp Docs
ClickUp simplifies knowledge sharing and updates with its structured hierarchy and dynamic documentation tools.
With ClickUp Docs, you can build stunning wikis, presentations, knowledge bases, checklists, and notes. You can customize them easily using intuitive styling and formatting tools like banners, tables, and rich text editing.
Create a clear visual structure with nested pages, add backlinks to link ideas, and convert text into actionable tasks. In a ClickUp Doc, you’ll always get more done.
ClickUp’s One Up #3: Whiteboards for mind mapping and brainstorming
ClickUp Whiteboards are perfect for brainstorming and organizing ideas. You can create complex visualizations, workflows, and graphs, and use the AI image generation feature. Whiteboards also lets you collaborate in real time, seeing who’s contributing to the board. Plus, getting feedback from clients and stakeholders is as easy as sending a link.
Here’s how to use Whiteboards effectively:
Need to brainstorm ideas? Use the Mind Maps feature on the Whiteboard. It’s an easy way to organize and share your thoughts with your team in an interactive format.
💡Pro Tip: New to mind mapping? Fret not; ClickUp has you covered. Choose from a variety of free mind map templates and get started immediately.
ClickUp’s One Up #4: ClickUp Brain for AI-powered writing and presentations
ClickUp Brain is an AI-powered assistant designed to help you work more efficiently. It’s your go-to tool for overcoming writer’s block, enhancing brainstorming sessions, and simplifying your content creation workflow.
This AI-powered presentation tool features three key components:
- AI Knowledge Manager: Get instant, contextual answers from your tasks, documents, and team within ClickUp. No more sifting through endless files—find the information you need fast
- AI Project Manager: Automate routine project management tasks, including progress updates, stand-ups, and action items to minimize time spent on repetitive tasks
- AI Writer for Work: Generate content, craft responses, and create templates for various tasks and projects. Features like spell check, quick replies, and presentation creation tools help you produce professional content and presentations with ease
📮ClickUp Insight: We recently discovered that about 33% of knowledge workers message 1 to 3 people daily to get the context they need. But what if you had all the information documented and readily available?
With ClickUp Brain’s AI Knowledge Manager by your side, context switching becomes a thing of the past. Simply ask the question from your workspace, and ClickUp Brain will pull up the information from your workspace and/or connected third-party apps!
Summarize this article for me pleaseLet ClickUp Make Presentations More Powerful
Google Slides stands out for its collaboration features and cloud accessibility. As a web-based tool, it’s perfect for real-time teamwork and is free with a Google account.
PowerPoint, in contrast, offers a rich set of advanced design options and is typically used for offline presentation creation. It’s ideal for users who need complex animations and complete design control.
If you want to save time and effort in your slide creation process and do much more, ClickUp is your best bet!
ClickUp ensures your entire team stays aligned throughout—from brainstorming to the final delivery of the presentation. Whether you’re preparing a pitch deck, managing multiple projects, or organizing complex workflows, ClickUp centralizes everything in one place, making it an invaluable asset for businesses of all sizes.
Give ClickUp a try and discover how it can boost your productivity!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
