The best business presentation tools offer customizable pre-built templates and let you download your slides in different formats. In addition, some apps allow teams to collaborate during the creation process, publish the slide show to a web page, and present without leaving the platform. Others integrate with your favorite video conferencing tools, and you can broadcast your slides to a television screen.
Many free and paid tools are available, making business presentation software affordable for most small businesses. Ready to find the proper presentation tools for your needs? Here are six platforms for sharing your presentation live or on-demand.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a familiar favorite of Microsoft users. Microsoft 365 business subscriptions come with PowerPoint, and the presentation software offers dozens of slide templates. You can track changes and improve your speech with help from the Presenter Coach, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make recommendations for word choice and pacing.
The Microsoft platform supports on-demand and live events and has speech-to-text transcriptions and high-definition (HD) video. It works equally well for face-to-face presentations. But if your team doesn’t use Microsoft, you may prefer Google Slides or Prezi.
[Read more: PowerPoint Tips and Tricks: 8 Ways to Create Better Presentations]
Canva
Canva is a free PowerPoint alternative used for creating and publishing slides. It has hundreds of templates for pitch decks, keynotes, conferences, and other business-related categories. It works well on mobile and desktop devices. Plus, you can download slides as PDF or PowerPoint files. Alternatively, Canva will publish your slides to a web page and give you a shareable link.
Although Canva stands out for its graphic design, video editing, and document collaboration tools, the presentation modes are less advanced than Prezi. In most cases, you will use Canva to create beautiful slides but use a separate presentation tool, such as video conferencing software.
You can appear next to your content on the screen during presentations, making Prezi an excellent option for remote meetings. Prezi integrates with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and more.
Prezi
Prezi is a cloud-based platform that works on Mac, Windows, and Chrome devices. Paid business plans include video, design, and present features, such as drag-and-drop editing and designer templates. You can appear next to your content on the screen during presentations, making Prezi an excellent option for remote meetings. Prezi integrates with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and more.
The Business Plus service plan lets you present anywhere without an internet connection, use the presenter view mode, export to PDF, and narrate your slides. However, collaboration features are only available on the Teams plan, and pricing is available as a custom quote.
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Beautiful.ai
Beautiful.ai is a presentation maker that uses AI to auto-format your slides. Drag your design element to the smart slide template, and Beautiful.ai will re-size your text and images and drop them into place. You can add narration or audio to slides and share your presentation via email or a web link.
Beautiful.ai is a good choice for people without design experience and can help you give a great presentation. But, it lacks advanced presentation features and integrates with fewer programs than Prezi. Like Canva, Beautiful.ai works best for sharing a presentation online, not presenting live.
Zoho Show
Zoho Show is a free, easy-to-use presentation app that supports collaboration and live broadcasts. It offers more than 100 templates, and you can import and export files in multiple formats, including PDF and PowerPoint. During your presentation, you can let another user take control of the slide deck and interact with attendees through a chat panel.
Zoho Show also supports video, voiceover narration, and background music. But, it offers fewer design elements and images than Canva or Prezi. Still, it’s free to use and an excellent option for presenting in person while being able to share it through a link, email, or file.
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Google Slides
Google Slides is a convenient tool for collaborating and presenting slides online. It’s free to use or available with Google Workspace subscriptions. The presenter view offers live captions and speaker notes, or you can present to Google Meet without leaving the Slides program. Like PowerPoint, you can track changes and use video, images, and charts.
Google Slides also supports many file formats, allowing you to edit PowerPoint presentations without converting them. But, Google Slides lacks the advanced design editing tools and the free images available with Canva.
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