The 13 best presentation software to use in 2024
In almost every field, our customers, colleagues, teachers, etc. It is necessary to make a presentation. In this sense, an excellent tool is Microsoft PowerPoint, but besides being a paid tool, the truth is that there are many other applications with which we can create modern and professional presentations.
Now there are many details to consider when choosing a good tool, so we will need to know our needs well and check what each one offers us. The next thing to do with the right software is to be very clear about the type of presentation we want to make and consider a set of recommendations to achieve the best possible outcome.
This type of application allows us to reveal all kinds of information (academic, scientific, business…) through audiovisual slides. Although we usually give presentations at institute, university, they are not only useful if you are a teacher or student… They are also useful for both teaching and presenting work. However, if you want to present a project or plan to your colleagues or your team at the office, it is also useful and practical to do so on a professional level.
This type of software usually has us a lot of tools and functionalities. The styles are very diverse and the biggest advantage of most of these programs is that we can use pre-designed templates, so it is not complicated to use them and get a professional design even if we are not good at making it from scratch. From the simplest actions like editing texts or adding all kinds of graphics including photos, popups, video playback, timing, etc. We can perform up to the most advanced actions such as
Best practices for your presentations
Some you will already know and will work similarly to PowerPoint, but others allow us to make completely different presentations with a different design or interactively.
Prezi
It is one of the biggest discoveries that comes up when we talk about this type of software. The ability to create truly modern and eye-catching designs quickly and easily makes Prezi the choice of many users looking for a tool to create presentations makes it. Of course, it can be a bit complicated to handle at first.
It is an online presentation tool that we can download for offline use, although we need to have a Prezi license for it. All text, images, videos and objects are placed on an endless canvas allowing you to create a non-linear, zoomable representation on a visual map. Although it is paid, we can try it for free for 14 days.
Genially
A web tool that offers a virtual presentation service similar to Prezi. However, Genially is easier to use and has more advanced design and features. It is one of the pages or tools that you should always have at hand, whether you are making a presentation, making infographics or presenting any interactive content you want for free. It will take some getting used to, but it’s easy to handle once you get used to it.
There is a paid version and a free version available, where we can create truly eye-catching presentations and then email or share them. Infographics, postcards, posters, microsites etc. allows you to create Now the free version offers are of limited use.
Sway
For those who don’t know, Sway is Microsoft’s free presentation software that comes with loads of templates and pre-made presentations. So, if we don’t want to complicate ourselves too much, we can use any of them and add our texts, images or even videos quickly and easily.
We just need to design each slide with the design we like the most. To do this, Sway offers numerous editing and retouching tools. It is very useful for any kind of presentation, both at home and professionally. Download Sway from the Microsoft Store.
Slidebean
Slidebean is pretty good as it has the ability to convert a digital file, PDF, PowerPoint, among others, into a truly attractive presentation. interesting application. It relies on artificial intelligence to do this. It is a tool very similar to the one you always use, but it allows us to use all kinds of templates to add the content we will create with photos, text, videos.
To start using this interesting tool, all you have to do is sign up or introduce yourself with our Google or Facebook account. We can then choose whether we want to use any of the templates the service has, create one from scratch, or hire the Slidebean team to modify an existing presentation for us.
Knovio
It is a great tool that allows us to create one of a kind video from our presentations. In other words, from a Powerpoint we will be able to add an audio explaining each of the slides so that what we want will be said in each one as the presentation plays.
To do this, the first thing we need to do is go to Knovio, upload our presentation, and there we choose the language, sound and text we want to be spoken on each slide.
Emaze
Emaze is designed for those who want or need to create engaging presentations but do not have any experience, because it’s really easy to understand and use. It has a simple interface. We just need to add letters, photos and backgrounds. We change the colours, the dimensions, the alignment… It is basic but it functions perfectly. It is an online tool, so it is possible to create a presentation wherever we are, since we can do it from the browser itself.
It has a large number of templates that we can use by default to simply replace the text and certain images and have a really attractive presentation.
Keynote
The Keynote tool is preinstalled by default on all Apple-owned devices. It has a very intuitive interface and is very easy to understand. Any user can use it and very visual and attractive presentations can be created without much effort.
Among the multiple functions it offers, we will find the most basic functions that allow adding text boxes, images, color palettes and resizing. Likewise, we will be able to add audio narrations, many icons, animations and various transition options between slides to our presentations. It offers a wide variety of designs by default. We will be able to detail our presentation and access it from any device as it can be stored in the cloud.
PowerPoint
How could it be otherwise, the Microsoft Office tool could not be missing in this compilation. It is an application designed by Microsoft to create presentations within the office suite. There are many predefined templates to create our presentation, it is even possible to download many designs from the Internet.
If you want, you can use PowerPoint to get a more striking and personalized result. We can also create our own designs with all the elements. Since many Windows computers have Office installed by default, it is undoubtedly the most popular and used software all over the world for creating presentations.
Canva
Canva can be used for presentations, infographics, posters, business cards, etc. It is another popular tool for designing and creating. We don’t just give presentations, Canva offers us all kinds of content. We can use it for free or invest in the paid version that gives us access to hundreds of stickers, backgrounds, images…
Adding text, images, changing the distribution of slide elements, etc. It offers lots of modern and elegant templates so that we can quickly build our presentations out of them.
Visme
Visme is another very complete web application for designing presentations of all types. It has a lot of elements we can use in our designs, including the possibility to add videos from YouTube or Vimeo, and offers access to many free ready-to-use images.
It also has the option to add text and animated images and offers a good catalog of templates so we can build our presentations out of them. To start using Visme, all we have to do is create a free account or log in with our Google or Facebook account.
Google Slides
While not one of the most popular Google services, we cannot opt out of mentioning Google Slides or Google Presentations. A free online tool widely used in the educational environment that, as the name suggests, allows us to create slides or presentations to create a presentation.
It has countless themes to quickly design our slides and all kinds of tools to add the elements we need in our design.
Haiku Deck
It is a modern tool, but very simple to use, both from a computer and from a tablet or iPad. It has access to a large number of templates that will give our presentations a very professional look, and millions of free images to include in our creations.
After we’ve prepared our presentation, Haiku Deck lets us choose whether we want it public or private, we can convert it to PDF or even save it in PowerPoint format. One of the disadvantages of Haiky Deck is that we only have access to a free version for 7 days.
Powtoon
It is a tool for creating presentations with a complete interface and offers a large number of templates with very careful designs for any content. To start using Powtoon all we have to do is go to the official website, create an account or use Google or Login with our Facebook account and we can automatically start our Powtoon experience.
Once we choose one of the templates, we can edit it to customize it and easily incorporate our content. As with Haiku Deck, we’ll only have a few days to try the free version, and then we’ll have to check it out if we want to continue using it.
Suggestions for a good presentation
What should we pay attention to before starting the presentation? There are a number of essential aspects, and in any of these programs simply copying and pasting content is not enough. Normally we want them to be eye-catching, easy to read and not boring.
Choose a good design for your slides
Most of the presentation creation apps have some templates by default that we can use completely free and easily. In this way, it is enough to choose the one we like the most and get to work. Now, if what we want is to create a unique presentation, we can manually design it ourselves. To do this, such applications usually include all kinds of shapes, fonts, color palettes, etc. presents.
Make images dominate text
Multi-text presentations usually do not contribute much and it is possible that the information we want to convey may not reach everyone. This is because they don’t want to read it or because they are too far away and the pressure is too small to get what you write on each slide. That’s why it’s always recommended to use images whenever possible so that everything we want to show is easy to see, understand and remember at a glance. Also, good visuals related to our theme can attract viewers’ attention.
Avoid making presentations that are too long
It has been proven that a presentation that is too long causes the audience to lose interest or attention. To avoid this, it is important that we have well-controlled times, schematically reflect the most important ones in the presentation, and make the key points very clear.
Visual content prevails over text
We must never forget that we are dealing with a visual action. Beyond that, we don’t put a single letter in, we don’t even think about filling your slides with big sentences and paragraphs. With this, we will not only divert the attention of the listener. Most likely, we are causing not all items to be displayed as well.
A presentation is a tool to serve to support a speech. In no case does it replace a lesson, guide or specific document. So the idea should be very clear. There should be extensive visual content and absolutely only the necessary amount of text. It would also be much better if presented schematically and clearly.
Add videos to generate interest
Presentation apps also allow you to embed videos locally or via hyperlinks. It’s true that in some cases you’ll need an Internet connection if they’re coming from a website, but video is a very powerful visual tool. Such content usually serves to arouse interest in the audience and sometimes breaks the monotony of the presentation. Needless to say, if the video contains sound, you should be sure that it will be listened to, guaranteed.