PowerPoint gets a pretty bad wrap these days. Audience dread seeing boring slides with lists of bullet points. But there is hope for the future! Believe it or not, there is less slideshow(ish) presentation software out there. These PowerPoint alternatives can give your presentation a modern feel that’s far from the look of traditional slideshows.
1) Wideo
Wideo is a web-based app for creating video presentations with interactive elements. Choose a video template, upload your own images and sound, customize backgrounds and fonts, delete the “scenes” you don’t need, add a call to action button, and create and save your own animations. This software gives you loads of freedom, while remaining simple to navigate. Extra points—Wideo hosts your video, so you can link to an unbranded player, and (here’s the “isn’t technology a wonder?” bit), it syncs your latest edits everywhere your video has been shared. Pricing is $19-79 monthly, depending on your plan.
2) Sozi
This presentation software will awaken your inner nerd. A downloadable extension for the open-source drawing program, Inkscape, it does everything Prezi does but for free. Caveat: It’s not super-intuitive, and if you’re not familiar with Inkscape, the learning curve is steep. (By the way, all of the programs listed are still great PowerPoint alternatives.)
Sozi lets you dart in, out and around, basing your presentation on examining key images from different angles and focal lengths. Unlike Prezi, you can create slides in Sozi, because you’re actually creating slides in Inkscape. Your slides are svg files (it stands for scaleable vector graphics, and if you have no idea what that means, now’s the time to contact Ethos3 for a quote), which you can edit in Sozi at code level. It’s an exciting software for those techie-designer types (like us!), but it may be too involved for the average user.
3) SlideDog
SlideDog is PowerPoint. And Prezi. And YouTube. Or at least, it can be. A free software, SlideDog lets you mix slide decks, mp3s, pdfs, movs and other rad file types into a seamless presentation. Plus there are interactive web features, like live polling and allowing your audience to review previous slides without disrupting the presentation. If you’re short on time, skip to the last slide without having to speed-click through. And you can switch slides using your phone, so if you’ve always wanted to combine your live presentation with your interpretive dance skills, this is your chance.
SlideDog has two major drawbacks. You can’t create or even modify source material in the app, and SlideDog hates Mac. It hates Mac so much that it’s actually halted beta testing of a Mac version. But if you’re a Windows guru who wants to combine old presentations into something sparkling new, it could be the software for you. (SlideDog Pro has tiered pricing that begins at $8.33/month.)
Bonus round! If you’re making a presentation for the peanut gallery, PowToon will wow-swoon! The cheerful animated templates are a breeze to use and a sure hit with the children of the world and the children at heart! Be sure to add this to your list of exciting PowerPoint alternatives to try in the near future!
Good luck and productive presenting!
(And if you want more…)
