The days of being forced to use paid presentation applications like PowerPoint are long gone, but with so many free downloads and web-based tools to choose from, which should you pick? We’ve scoured the web for our top picks and tested them out so you don’t have to.

Prezi

Get it here: https://prezi.com/

Increasingly popular amongst startups and small businesses, Prezi is probably the first name that will be mentioned if you ask for presentation software that’s not PowerPoint or Keynote.

The free version limits you to 100MB of space, and all your presentations are public. If this isn’t a problem for you, Prezi is well worth checking out. You can sign up through LinkedIn, Facebook, or direct, and choose from blank slides or templates. Prezi has one of the better collections of templates available, and there are plenty of great effects and layouts you can take advantage of too.

Best for: Attractive public presentations.

Haiku Deck

Check it out: https://www.haikudeck.com

Haiku Deck is available as both a web tool and an iPad app, making it ideal if you want to create or edit your presentations easily on the go. Whilst it doesn’t give you as many features as some of the other options in this list, this is definitely an advantage if you want to create an attractive presentation quickly and easily, or if you have a client who is a bit of a technophobe.

Registering for a free account takes seconds and can be done directly through the website or via Facebook or Twitter. When you first log in there’s a simple overlay with annotations to tell you briefly about each of the features, and then you simply click anywhere to get started.

Best for: Creating and editing on the go.

Slides.com

Handy link: https://slides.com/

Slides has a selection of free and paid accounts, with free users limited to 250MB storage and public presentations only. If you’re happy with that, you can sign up with Facebook, Google+, or directly and start creating your presentation straight away.

There’s a knowledge base if you need help; this is handy because Slides is slightly less intuitive than the other options in this post, and it can take a while to work some of the features out.

Best for: Straightforward presentations without gimmicks.

Emaze

Website: https://www.emaze.com/

Emaze gives a great first impression as the website is simple yet striking. Unfortunately it only offers direct sign up, but since all you have to do is pick a username and password for instant access, it’s hassle-free. Unlike our other top picks, Emaze offers different features to free and premium users, which are as follows:

This may mean that a premium account is better suited to you; however, it’s also a good way to see which features Emaze boasts even before you’ve started to use the software.

It features a range of modern, diverse templates and themes, and it was easy to pick out an appropriate one in seconds. Emaze also makes it easy to add slides of the same style but with different backgrounds, without having to manually change them yourself. You can also drop in and edit premade charts, images and more.

Best for: Fast, eye-catching presentations that don’t get boring.

Powtoon

Sign up: https://www.powtoon.com/

Powtoon is jam-packed with features for making engaging and colourful presentations and videos. You can sign up directly or via Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn, and choose from a wide range of beautifully constructed flat design style templates. They’re helpfully categorised by type – infographics, training videos, landing page videos etc., and are pretty easy to customise. You can control animations, add voiceovers and much more, plus there’s a helpful tutorial video pointing out the features whilst you’re waiting for the interface to load.

Best for: Lots of features and video/presentation combos.

Impress.js (and Jmpress.js)

Impress: https://bartaz.github.io/impress.js/#/bored

Jmpress: https://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/04/05/slideshow-with-jmpress-js/

Can’t bear the thought of being offline for a second? Want total control of every single detail of your presentation? Then Impress.js is for you. Whilst it does require some installing and code-tweaking, the end result is a presentation to envy. If you’re not so hot at design or are pushed for time, check out Jmpress for instant flair and stunning transitions (we recommend checking out the demo).   

Best for: Fully customisable web-based presentations and websites.

Google Docs

Templates: https://docs.google.com/templates?type=presentations

Google Docs is something most people are familiar with, which makes sharing and collaborating much easier for presentations. To create an attractive presentation, check out the list of free templates available directly from Google, or create your own.

Google Docs’ presentation tool definitely favours functionality over form, and you’ll have to put effort in to create something with a contemporary appeal that stands out from the crowd of default template users. Having said that, it scores well on features and ease of use thanks to logical menus and plenty of options.

Best for: Collaboration.

Impress

Download: https://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html

Open Office’s free answer to PowerPoint, Impress is another option packed with functionality. If you want to create presentations offline, this is one of your best options. Like the rest of the suite, Impress isn’t the most attractive software, but it does the job. There are plenty of free templates you can use too.

Best for: Creating and/or running presentations offline.

Presentation Free 2013

Grab it here: https://www.ksosoft.com/product/presentation-free.html

The other downloadable software option in our list is Kingsoft’s Presentation Free. Whilst the interface is a lot more attractive than Impress’s, the default templates are quite restricted (although you can download more). Presentation Free is a nice bit of software that can be downloaded and installed reasonably quickly.

Best for: Those going beyond standard templates who want a modern application.

Slideshare

Get started: https://www.slideshare.net/

Slideshare is one of the most popular tools for showcasing and sharing your presentations on the web. Anything goes, and it can be used for marketing your content (and business) as well as making it easier for people to find and share your presentations. Slideshare is particularly useful when used in conjunction with other social networks, such as Twitter, and is great if you give talks.

If you’re looking for information or inspiration from authority speakers, Slideshare is also a fantastic source of free presentations purely for browsing purposes. You can download, like and share directly from individual presentations, and it can be a good source of traffic for your website if you hit the right tone and design.

Best for: Sharing and browsing.

Which do you think is the best in the list? Or have we left your favourite out? Drop us a comment below.