how to compare presentations in powerpoint

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How to Compare Two PowerPoint Presentations

3-minute read

• 1st May 2019

Microsoft PowerPoint is widely used for creating slideshow presentations in business and education . But how do you compare two versions of a presentation? And is there a way to flag edits in a PowerPoint file? Let us introduce the Compare and Comment functions in PowerPoint.

The Compare Function

You may need to compare two versions of a PowerPoint presentation to see the differences between them (e.g., if a colleague has edited it directly without noting the changes). And the quickest way to do this is with PowerPoint’s built-in Compare function. To use this:

• Open the original version of your presentation.
• Go to Review > Compare .
• Click Compare to open a browser window.
• Select the edited version of the presentation and click Merge .

You will then enter Review Mode . This will open the Reviewing Pane , which shows a list of all edits in the presentation at the right of the screen.

Reviewing Edits in a PowerPoint Presentation

• Slide Changes – A list of edits on the current slide.
• Presentation Changes – A list of changes made to the presentation as a whole.

Clicking the edits in either section will take you to the relevant part of the presentation and bring up a list of individual changes. You can then review each edit in turn:

• Select an edit from the list to view it, or select  All changes to… to see all edits from part of a slide (e.g., every change made in a text box ).
• To reject an edit after you’ve viewed it, simply deselect it.

Finally, when you’ve finished reviewing edits, click End Review .

All selected edits will then become part of the open document, so don’t forget to save it after reviewing.

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Commenting on a PowerPoint Presentation

If you are editing a PowerPoint presentation, rather than relying on the Compare function, you can track changes between versions using the Comment tool . To do this:

• Place the cursor at the point of the edit or issue you want to highlight.
• Go to Review > Comments and click New Comment .
• Add your comment text in the Comments pane.

You can then view comments either via the Comments pane or by clicking the comment icons within the presentation. And you can delete comments by clicking the ✘ icon in the Comments pane or by right clicking the comment icon on the slide and selecting Delete Comment .

You can also reply to comments in a PowerPoint presentation. To do this:

• Select a comment or click Show Comments .
• In the Comments pane, click Reply…
• Add your response to the original comment.

You can then repeat this process to reply to a reply on a comment (and so on). This can be useful if a presentation goes through several rounds of editing, as it allows each editor to provide feedback. And don’t forget to have your work checked by a professional to ensure it’s error free.

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How to Compare PowerPoint Presentations

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If you develop a presentation collaboratively with a group, multiple versions of the same presentation may exist. PowerPoint allows you to compare and merge different versions of a PowerPoint file.

Compare Two Presentations

Before comparing two presentations, make sure that one of the two is currently open.

• Click the Review tab.
• If necessary, expand the Compare group.

• Navigate to and select the presentation you want to compare to the open one.

PowerPoint merges the selected presentation with the one that you had open, and displays the merged file in Review mode. The Revisions pane opens at the right, listing all changes to the presentation.

There are two sections on the Details tab in the Revisions pane:

• Slide changes : Lists all of the changes that were made to the current slide.
• Presentation changes : Lists all of the changes that were made to the presentation as a whole.

Accept or Reject Revisions

Once you're comparing two presentations, you can review the differences between the two and choose which revisions to keep. After you've reviewed all of the differences, you can then save the approved changes into the open presentation.

A box appears on the slide, detailing all the changes to the object or text.

To preview what the slide would look like with the changes accepted, click the Slides tab on the Revisions pane.

• Accept a change : Select the check box for the change or changes that you want to make.
• Reject a change : Do nothing; keep the check box unchecked.

Use the Previous and Next buttons on the Review tab to move through the revisions, accepting or rejecting all of the revisions in the presentation.

• Expand the Compare group if necessary.

You need to verify that you want to end the review and discard any changes you rejected.

• Click Yes .

The changes from the other presentation are saved into the open one.

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How-To Geek

Compare and merge different versions of your presentations in powerpoint.

Did you know you can compare two different versions of your presentation in PowerPoint and merge the changes? This is a very handy feature you can take advantage of if you work a lot with PowerPoint presentations with your team.

After a person has made changes to your presentation, you can compare your original with the one that has been changed. Just open your original presentation and go to Review  and click on Compare.

Select the new presentation to check on the changes that have been made to it.

You will now see a new pane on your right, which highlights the changes that have been made to your presentation. In the Slide changes box, you will see what changes have been done to the text, animations, pictures and other content changes. In the Presentation changes box, you will be able to review changes as deleted or moved slides or transitions.

Every change will be shown with a box that tells you what the exact change was. You can select or deselect to approve or deny the changes.

How to compare two versions of a PowerPoint file

• Written by: Emma Trantham
• Categories: PowerPoint productivity
• Comments: 12

When you’ve got more than one person reviewing your PowerPoint presentation, it’s really useful to be able to be able to quickly compare and combine two versions of the file. Everybody reviews in different ways, and collating all the feedback can become a not-so-fun game of Spot The Difference between multiple files, rather than a quick way to gather other people’s opinions on your work. Thankfully, though, it’s possible to let PowerPoint do the hard graft, so you can focus on collaborating effectively.

We have previously covered how to compare two versions of the same document in Microsoft Word , but how can you compare two versions of a Microsoft PowerPoint file?  Whilst PowerPoint doesn’t let you track changes like Word does, you can still very easily compare and combine versions.

Take a look at these two example PowerPoint slides:

Figure 1: Version 1

Figure 2: Version 2

For argument’s sake, let’s say these differences weren’t immediately obvious and you couldn’t just compare the two versions yourself. Follow the steps below and PowerPoint will identify the differences for you in under a minute.

Download the file from your reviewer and name it something different.  (Make sure it is obvious to you which is your version, and which is your colleague’s.)

Open one of the versions – it’s up to you which you open, but as I get quite… ‘territorial’ over my files, I prefer to open my version.

Click on the “Review” tab on the ribbon and then click on the “Compare” button.

A dialogue box will open. Navigate to the version of the PowerPoint file you would like to compare with the one you already have open and click “Merge”.

When you have done this, you will return to the original PowerPoint file you had open, but you will see a “Revisions” pane and some annotations on the slides themselves.

Now there are two ways you can look at the changes.  You can use the Revisions pane and use it to navigate to either the slides that have been changed or the details that have been changed.

Alternatively, you can just go through slide by slide, because happily, each change is indicated on the slide by this icon:

Now you have identified where the changes are you can go through them one at a time and decide whether you want to accept them or not.

Click on the icon on the slide and it will show you a list of what has changed:

Using my example, if I selected the top checkbox, all the changes listed (size and position, the insertion, the deletion) would appear on the slide.

If I decided I didn’t like those changes I could deselect the top checkbox and the text would revert to the original version.

I could also pick and choose from the menu and just change, for example, the size and position, without making the spelling changes by ticking only the check box next to “Size and Position”.

So you can go through edit by edit and accept or reject as you choose.

When you are happy that you have the file the way you want it, end the review using the button on the review tab and save the file—be sure to use a new version name to keep things organised!

Seems too good to be true right? I bet you have a few questions and I bet I’ve got the answers.

Can you compare two versions even with pictures?

Yes! It will alert you if any of your pictures have been moved and/or resized and also if any have been added or deleted.

Can you compare animations?

Sadly no. When I removed an animation from my second version and compared the versions it told me that there was “Non-mergeable content: Animations” and would only allow me to accept or reject all changes on the slide as a single group, rather than choosing individually.

Can you compare transitions?

Yes you can! Although these are easier to see if you use the “Details” section of the revisions pane as it puts the icon to the side of the slide itself.

In a perfect world we would all have co-workers who use the “new comment” button on the review tab, or who simply write their suggestions in coloured rectangular boxes.

Sadly, we can’t always have the perfect colleagues, however, thanks to the handy compare tool, we don’t have to suffer for their bad habits. Here’s to a swift editing process!

PowerPoint for Mac compatibility

Unfortunately this feature isn’t available in the latest version of PowerPoint for Mac. If it is a feature you’d find useful, you can let Microsoft know!

Emma Trantham

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How can I compare similar images in two different powerpoints? To make it simple how can i find or check image A in powerpoint1 is also present in powerpoint 2?

Great, simple to follow and very helpful. Thanks!

Can I save a REDLINE version showing the comparison results? When I save the merged version, I no longer see the comparison results.

Great question – I don’t think it it possible to save the file so you can still see the comparison results when you open it up again, which is a shame.

Sorry I can’t help you with this one – please do let us know if you find a way.

While opening the saved files (after compare with comment) i cant find the comments. How can I save the compare files with comments.

Unfortunately you can’t save a version of the file with all the revisions highlighted as revisions.

Once you’ve chosen to “compare” your file to another version, you need to make the decision about what to keep and what to change before saving.

However, if the two versions have two different sets of “Comments” in the “Comments pane” then it looks like both of these sets of comments will save.

Sorry I can’t help with this one – please do let us know if you find a way round it

I don’t see the “Compare” button/option in Microsoft PPT 2019. Could they have gotten rid of the feature?

I think I managed to leave a reply to the article rather than directly to you! Sorry! See below…

Are you using PPT for Mac?

This Microsoft site says it should be there in PPT 2019. However, it looks like this feature isn’t there in the latest PowerPoint for Mac.

You can tell Microsoft you would like this feature here .

If you aren’t using PPT for Mac, let me know and I can post some instructions on adding the “Compare” feature back into the ribbon.

Hi everyone Emma, you mentioned you could provide instructions for adding the compare feature back into the ribbon in Windows PPT. I would be grateful to have that feature accessible again.

Could you let me know how?

Many thanks from soggy Germany!

Hi Alan (from soggy Somerset!)

Hopefully the instructions below will do the job for you:

File -> Options (at the very bottom) -> Customize Ribbon

The commands you can add are on the left. The commands already in your ribbon are on the right.

Set both drop down boxes to “Main Tabs” .

Scroll down the right hand column until you see “Review”. Make sure the checkbox is selected .

If the checkbox is already selected, press the plus icon next to the box and look to see what is included in the “Review” tab.

You can compare what is in your review tab to what is possible in the review tab by scrolling down to “Review” in the left hand column .

If there is anything missing that you would like to have, first make sure you have “Review” selected in the right hand column. Then press the text in the left hand column for the feature you want, (e.g. “Compare”) and then press the “Add>>” button. This should then add that feature into your Review tab.

I hope this all makes sense (and that the weather improves for you soon!)

Hello This is very well written and explains the steps clearly. Thanks. I wanted to know if the compare feature, compares notes as well.

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A big and sincere thanks for all of your superb help and effort in preparing such fantastic material and for all your excellent coaching tips. Look forward to working with you again soon. Greg Tufnall Siemens

How to Find the Differences Between Two Versions of a PowerPoint Presentation

Comparing Versions of a Presentation

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 15, 2014

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2010 and 2013

PowerPoint 2010 and 2013 include a useful Compare command which enables you to compare two different copies of a presentation, merge them, view the differences and then accept or reject the changes.

Recommended article:  How to Print PowerPoint Presentations with Notes

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Using the Compare tool

To compare two versions of a presentation and merge in a new copy of the presentation:

• Open the original version of the presentation (for example, SalesPitch1).
• Save a copy of the original presentation (for example, SalesPitch3).
• In the copy of the original presentation, click the Review tab on the Ribbon.
• Click Compare in the Compare group. A dialog box appears.
• Navigate to the location of the revised version of the presentation (for example, SalesPitch2).
• Click the revised presentation and click Merge. PowerPoint opens the revised version of the presentation and merges the two presentations while keeping track of the differences between the two.
• View the changes in the Reviewing Pane that appears on the right side of the PowerPoint window.

The Reviewing Pane

The Reviewing Pane appears automatically when presentations are merged. It appears by default on the right side of the PowerPoint window. Click on the Details tab to view changes on the current slide and at a presentation level. A check box icon will appear on the slide beside any item that has been changed.

There are two parts to the Reviewing Pane (with the Details tab selected). The top area shows changes on the slide you are viewing. The bottom area shows changes throughout the presentation.

Reviewing changes at the slide level

To review the changes/differences at the slide level:

• In Normal view, display the slide with the changes you wish to review.
• In the Reviewing Pane, click the Details tab.
• Under Slide Changes, click one of the items in the list and PowerPoint will display a description of the change(s) on the slide.
• Navigate to subsequent slides and repeat the process.

Reviewing changes at the presentation level

To review the changes/differences at the presentation level (such as a theme change):

• Under Presentation Changes, click one from the list of changes and PowerPoint will show a description of the change.

Accepting or rejecting the changes

Once you have reviewed the changes, you can accept and/or reject the changes:

• Click the first slide in Normal view.
• On the Review tab, in the Compare group, click Next. PowerPoint will select the first change.
• Click either Accept or Reject in the Compare group on the Review tab in the Ribbon. From Accept options, you can accept changes one by one, accept all changes to the current slide, or accept all changes to the presentation. There are also options to reject individual changes or all changes.
• Click Next in the Compare group to move to the next change.
• Repeat until you have accepted or rejected all changes.
• When the process is complete, click End Review in the Compare group and close and save the file.

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PowerPoint 2013  - Reviewing Presentations

Powerpoint 2013  -, reviewing presentations, powerpoint 2013 reviewing presentations.

PowerPoint 2013: Reviewing Presentations

Lesson 27: reviewing presentations.

/en/powerpoint2013/checking-spelling-and-grammar/content/

Introduction

Before presenting your PowerPoint, you might decide to ask someone else to look over it. The two of you might even collaborate on a presentation. If you were revising a hard copy of a report, you might add comments in the margins or compare your rough and final drafts side by side. You can also do these things in PowerPoint using the Comments and Compare features

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Commenting on presentations

When you are revising or collaborating on a presentation, you might want to make notes or suggestions without actually changing anything on the slide. Using comments allows you to take note of anything on a slide without altering the slide itself. Comments can be added and read by the original author or any other reviewers.

To add a comment:

• Select the text or click on the area of the slide where you want the comment to appear.
• Select the Review tab, then locate the Comments group.

• Press Enter or click anywhere on the slide to return to your presentation.

Added comments show up as small thumbnails rather than full-sized notes. To read a comment, click the thumbnail to open the Comments pane.

To edit a comment:

To respond to a comment:

• Click the thumbnail of the comment you want to edit. The Comments pane will appear.

To delete a comment:

• Select the comment you want to delete.

To delete multiple comments, click the Delete drop-down arrow and select Delete All Comments and Ink on This Slide or Delete All Comments and Ink in This Presentation .

Comparing presentations

If you are collaborating on a presentation or asking someone else to review your presentation, you might want to use the Compare feature. The Compare feature combines two versions of the same presentation. This allows you to see the differences between the two and decide which changes to include in the final version of your presentation.

To compare two presentations:

Before you start, you'll need to have one version of the presentation open. When you're ready to compare, you'll select the second version.

• Select the Review tab, then locate the Compare group.

• Click Open .
• The Revisions pane will appear, allowing you to compare the two presentations.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn how to review comments and changes using the Compare feature.

Review Changes in the Slides Pane

Some changes, like Inserted or Deleted slides, will show up on the Slides pane. Click the revisions icon to see the change, then click the check box if you want to accept it.

Accepting Multiple Changes

In addition to reviewing changes individually, you can accept multiple changes at once. Click the Accept drop-down arrow, then choose either Accept All Changes to This Slide or Accept All Changes to the Presentation .

To compare your presentation with another version, click the Compare command. Next, locate and select the desired file .

Next Change

Use the Next command to view the next change in the presentation. You can also click Previous to go back to the previous one.

Ending the Review

When you're satisfied with the changes you've reviewed, click End Review . Only the changes you've accepted will be applied to the final presentation.

Revisions Pane: Slides

The Slides tab actually lets you preview the revised slide, so you can see the changes in action (as opposed to the Details tab, which only lists the changes).

Revisions Pane: Details

The Details tab lists every change that has been made to the current slide, as well as any comments. Click a change to see its location on the slide.

Review Changes on the Slide

Click the revisions icon anywhere it appears on a slide to see the changes that were made in that spot. To accept a revision, click the check box beside it. To reject a revision, leave the box unchecked.

• Open an existing PowerPoint presentation . If you want, you can use our practice presentation .
• Select text on any slide, and add a comment .
• Edit the comment you just added.
• Delete all comments in the presentation.

/en/powerpoint2013/finalizing-and-protecting-presentations/content/

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How to Track Changes in PowerPoint using the Review / Compare Feature

• November 17, 2023

PowerPoint is a powerful tool for creating and delivering presentations, but it can also be used for collaboration and review. If you want to share your presentation with others and get their feedback, you can use PowerPoint's Review feature to track changes in PowerPoint and view comments.

PowerPoint's Review feature allows you to compare and merge two versions of the same presentation, and see what changes were made by whom. You can also accept or reject the changes in PowerPoint, and add your own comments to explain or discuss them.

In this blog post, we will step through how to use the Review feature in PowerPoint to track changes in your PowerPoint presentation. Note that we have used PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, but the steps are similar for other versions of PowerPoint. We have also included information about PPT Productivity's Sticky Notes for PowerPoint, a great alternative to the standard PowerPoint Comments feature.

Step 1: Send Your Presentation for Review

The following steps assume that you have prepared a PowerPoint presentation and then provided it to colleagues or peers for review. You don't need to do any special preparation before sending the presentation to be able to review, although we recommend saving a separate copy of the version sent for review if you are providing the PowerPoint presentation to review as a link from a share drive.

There are two ways to capture feedback in PowerPoint. You can suggest to your reviewers that they make changes directly to slides in their review version and add comments. As an alternative to PowerPoint comments, they can make changes directly and use the handy sticky notes feature for PowerPoint if they use PPT Productivity add-in for PowerPoint.

Step 2: Use PowerPoint Compare feature to review and Merge feedback

PowerPoint's Compare feature is the feature that lets you track changes in PowerPoint. Once you receive reviewed copies of your presentation back from your reviewers, you can compare and merge it with the original version that you saved on your computer in order to view the track changes and determine whether you want to accept all, some or none of their changes. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the original version of the PowerPoint presentation that you saved on your computer.
• Click PowerPoint's Review tab on the Ribbon, and then click Compare in the Compare group.
• In the Choose File to Merge with Current Presentation box, find the review copy that you saved to the shared location, click it, and then click Merge.
• The Revisions pane will open on the right side of the PowerPoint window, showing all the comments and changes made by the reviewers.

Step 3: Use PowerPoint Revisions pane to review Comments and Changes

The Revisions pane displays the PowerPoint Track Changes information. Here you can see the details of comments and changes made by the reviewers. You can also accept or reject the changes in your PowerPoint presentation, and you can reply to or delete the comments.

There are a number of options for how to action changes in PowerPoint's Revisions pane:

• If reviewers left comments in your PowerPoint presentation, you will see them under Slide Changes in the Revisions pane. To read the comments in detail, at the bottom of the PowerPoint window, on the status bar, click Comments.
• To reply to a comment, move your pointer over the comment and click Reply. Type your reply and press Enter.
• To delete a comment, move your pointer over the comment and click Delete.
• If reviewers made changes to your PowerPoint presentation, you will see them under Presentation Changes in the Revisions pane. To see the details of a change in the body of the slide, click each list item.
• To accept a change, check the box next to the Other authors icon. To reject a change, leave the box unchecked. Boxes that are not checked will not be added to the presentation.
• To accept or reject all the changes in the presentation, click the arrow next to Accept or Reject, and then click Accept All or Reject All.

Comments Alternative: Using PPT Productivity's Sticky Notes feature rather than PowerPoint comments

If your PowerPoint reviewers are providing feedback without making changes directly (which is typically the case when sending to senior team members/ clients for review), the standard PowerPoint comments feature has some limitations:

• You need to navigate through the list of comments in the revision pane to find the comments relevant for each slide
• If you prefer to review printed copies, there is not a print layout option that displays the PowerPoint comments on the same page as the slide which relates to the comments.

PPT Productivity's Sticky Notes feature for PowerPoint adds digital sticky note shapes to the top corner of PowerPoint slides. You can assign different sticky note colors to different reviewers, and the notes will also by default display the initials of the reviewer. Reviewers have the option to use the sticky note callout lines to point to specific parts of the slide.

Navigating through the presentation to view sticky note feedback is easy, and once you are finished incorporating feedback you can delete all sticky notes in a single click.

To use the sticky notes feature, the reviewer needs to have PPT Productivity PowerPoint add-in . Find out about how you can access the free 30 day trial.

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4 Ways to Create PowerPoint Comparison Slides

Table of Contents

Do your PowerPoint slides look dull and flat when making comparisons? Crafting compelling and informative comparison slides is crucial to differentiate your ideas, products, or services from competitors.

With the right layouts and techniques, you can create beautiful and engaging comparison slides to wow any audience. An effective comparison slide can help highlight unique attributes and make analytical points clearer for your audience.

But that doesn’t mean you need to know design. All you need is the PowerPoint comparison slide feature. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll walk you through two simple ways to create clean and professional comparison slides in PowerPoint. Let’s get started!

What Is a Powerpoint Comparison Slide?

Comparison slides enable visually contrasting two or more elements side-by-side within a single slide. Rather than walls of text, comparisons are structured into columns to showcase data, features, and factors together.

Comparison slides allow presenters to evaluate two or more objects, concepts, solutions, etc. side-by-side within a single PowerPoint slide. They help organize similarities and differences visually through text, data, images, and other multimedia formats.

These slides are highly effective for:

• Comparing products by features to highlight competitive advantages .
• Analyzing research results through digestible side-by-side data.
• Weighing the pros and cons of solutions for clearer decision-making.
• Drawing comparisons between disparate topics to reveal relationships.
• Emphasizing differences and aligning similarities for convincing arguments.
• Adding visual variety to text-heavy slides for sustained interest.

Overall, PowerPoint comparison slides structure complex information in an easy-to-grasp format. Audiences can absorb logical comparisons at a glance. This drives home your point and influences understanding and decisions.

How to Add a Comparison Slide in Powerpoint?

There are four easy ways to design effective comparison slides in PowerPoint.

Method 1: Using Comparison Powerpoint Slide Template

While PowerPoint has its built-in comparison layouts, using online templates can offer a wider variety of styles and functionalities for your comparison slide. Here’s how to create a comparison slide in PowerPoint using online templates:

1. Find a Template:

• Search online for “PowerPoint comparison templates.” Several websites offer free and premium templates.
• Look for templates that suit your needs and branding. Consider the number of items you want to compare, the desired layout (table, chart, infographic), and the overall visual style.

2. Download and Open the Template:

• Download the template in a format compatible with your PowerPoint version (.potx or .pptx).
• Open the downloaded template in PowerPoint.

3. Customize the Content:

• Replace the placeholder text with your information.
• Edit the table cells, chart elements, or infographic sections to reflect your comparison points.
• You can adjust the fonts, colors, and other design elements to match your presentation theme.

4. Enhance with Images and Icons:

• Consider adding relevant images or icons to represent the items you are comparing visually.
• Use the “Insert” tab in PowerPoint to search for and add these elements.

5. Refine and Polish:

• Proofread your content for any errors.
• Ensure the layout is balanced and visually appealing.
• Adjust the spacing and alignment of elements for better readability.

Method 2: Create Using Built-in Comparison Layout

The easiest way is to use PowerPoint’s pre-designed “Comparison” layout template. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Go to the “Home” tab and click on “New Slide”

Step 2: Go to the “Layout” and select the “Comparison” template or layout from the options. The content placeholder will be split into two default columns for your data.

Step 3: Add and customize your desired titles, subtitles, text, images, etc. You can use a text block to add your text. Use bullet points to make your text clean. Adjust column widths if needed. You can add colors, borders, etc. for emphasis.

Method 3: How Do You Insert A Comparison Table In PPT?

Do you have some statistics and other data that you would like to present? You can insert a comparison table in PowerPoint with the desired number of columns and rows. This method works well if you have lots of detailed data to compare side-by-side. 

Here’s how to add it:

Step 1: Go to the “Insert” menu and click on “Table”.

Step 2: Under “Insert Table”, pick the number of columns and rows.

Step 3: Populate the cells with your comparison data – be it text, numbers, checkmarks, or even emojis! Be creative.

Step 4: Apply colors, borders, and shading to organize the content. You can further modify the table properties to merge cells, alter the design, include total rows or columns, apply cell borders and styles, etc.

Method 4: How to Create a Comparison Chart in PowerPoint?

Creating a comparison chart in PowerPoint is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Open PowerPoint First, open PowerPoint by double-clicking on the icon. Start a new presentation or use an existing one.

Step 2: Insert a chart On a new slide, go to the “Insert” tab at the top and click “Chart.” This will bring up a window with different chart options. Choose a column chart format.

Step 3: Add your data Once you’ve selected your chart, it’s time to input your data. PowerPoint provides a spreadsheet where you can enter and edit your data. You can also copy data from Excel and paste it into PowerPoint.

Initially, PowerPoint generates four categories with three segments each, but you can add or remove categories as needed. It’s best to stick to six categories for clarity.

Step 4: Customize the appearance After entering your data, you can make your chart visually appealing. Click on the chart to access the formatting menu on the right side of the screen.

From there, you can adjust column width, change colors, and add design elements like shadows and borders.

That’s it! You now have a clear and engaging comparison chart ready for your presentation.

What Is The Purpose Of The Comparison Slide Layout?

Here are some top reasons why incorporating comparison slides into your PowerPoint presentations can be effective:

• Simplifying complex data like statistical analyses, technical specifications, etc. into easy-to-grasp components.
• Influencing purchase decisions by using comparison to highlight competitive advantages over alternatives.
• Visualizing connections between disparate concepts or products to enhance understanding.
• Underscoring key differences between solutions through targeted side-by-side analysis.
• Holding the audience’s attention by incorporating graphical and visually engaging comparison layouts.
• Enhancing memorability as comparisons helps reinforce core points and differences.

Take Your Presentation Skills to the Next Level with SlidesAI

Creating compelling and professional PowerPoint comparison slides is crucial for driving home your main points during presentations. With these tips, you can develop beautiful and effective comparison slides that wow your audiences.

However, creating an entire visually stunning presentation doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. With SlidesAI, you can instantly turn your ideas into professional, on-brand slides using AI.

SlidesAI is a revolutionary AI text-to-presentation tool that generates high-quality slides for you in just seconds. Simply add your content and let SlidesAI handle the design, formatting, and layout. You’ll get visually consistent slides tailored to your brand needs and presentation goals.

Stop spending hours building presentations. Sign up for SlidesAI today to save a huge time while creating presentation decks that leave lasting impressions. Try out the AI-powered presentation tool and take your skills to the next level!

What are some best practices for making comparison slides?

Keep it concise, use visuals like icons or colors, focus on key differences, maintain consistency in design, and consider your audience’s needs.

How many elements can I compare on one slide?

Ideally, compare 2-3 items. More can clutter the slide and confuse viewers.

Can I use images or icons in my comparison?

Absolutely! Visuals can enhance understanding and add interest.

What are some creative ways to present a comparison?

Consider infographics, Venn diagrams, timelines, or flowcharts depending on your content.

Where can I find templates for comparison slides?

PowerPoint offers built-in layouts, or search online for free and paid templates.

How can I make my comparison slide stand out?

Use contrasting colors, and clear fonts, emphasize key points, and keep it visually appealing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep it concise, use visuals like icons or colors, focus on key differences, maintain consistency in design, and consider your audience's needs.

Save Time and Effortlessly Create Presentations with SlidesAI

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Compare PowerPoint features on different platforms

The following feature list isn’t comprehensive, but it gives you an idea of how PowerPoint compares across the Windows, Mac, Online, and mobile platforms.

Updated: April 19th, 2022

Audio features

Bi-directional text features, collaboration features, design and layout features, keyboard features, object insertion features, picture features, print features, slide features, slide show features, text-formatting features, video features.

● Feature is supported ◌ Feature is not supported

*Supported on phone; not supported on tablet.

¹Supported on OneDrive for work or school and SharePoint in Microsoft 365, but not on OneDrive.

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*Not supported on Windows Phone or Android Phones.

* In PowerPoint 2010, a third-party add-in is needed.

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Comparisons

Browse our extensive collection of 50 Comparison templates for PowerPoint and Google Slides, designed to help you present contrasting information effectively and professionally.

These customizable templates are perfect for showcasing differences, similarities, pros and cons, or any other type of comparison you need to highlight.

Comparison templates offer a variety of layouts and styles to display contrasting information clearly and concisely. Impress your audience with well-structured comparisons and leave a lasting impact.

Dichotomous Yin-Yang Infographic for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Google Slides , PPTX

Converging Zigzag Origami Arrows for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Interlocked Abstract Textboxes for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Abstract Textboxes for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Hexagons & Transfer Arrows for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Positive Vs Negative Ideas for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Card List for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Opposing Arrows for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Comparison List for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Good and Bad List Boxes for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Comparison Frames for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Pros and Cons for PowerPoint and Google Slides

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How to Show Comparison with Pros and Cons PowerPoint Diagrams

Last Updated on February 20, 2024 by Anastasia

Do you need to add a slide with advantages and disadvantages in comparison to your presentation? In this blog, we offer visual examples of how to illustrate the pros and cons of a business process, product, strategy, or decision using visual aids.

Transform your business presentations with our expert resources. Discover more on our business performance presentations webpage.

Do you have any ideas on how to create visually appealing positive and negative slides? Don’t worry if your answer is ‘no’. Check the following creative slide design ideas we share in this blog. They will help you create are fresh, simple, and elegant presentation.

All example slides below are a part of the Pros & Cons Diagrams PowerPoint template  (see details by clicking the pictures).

Why Use Pros and Cons Diagrams in Your Presentation?

Here are the major reasons for using graphics to highlight the pros & cons:

• Show the pluses and minuses of specific options
• Compare the gains and losses of a proposal in the decision-making process
• Visualize the benefits and drawbacks of the solution
• Highlight the major advantages and disadvantages of the product, process, strategy, idea, etc.
• Present a visual comparison of ups and downs on one slide
• Replace ordinary tables and lists with creative diagrams

Apply Pros and Cons Diagrams Instead of Ordinary Bullet Points

Are you going to use ordinary bullet points to list the advantages or disadvantages of the discussed subject? It would be better to visualize data to make sure that your audience will not miss any critical information.

The example above demonstrates how you can transform a written list of the advantages into an eye-catching infographic. You can add different icons and short descriptions to draw your audience’s attention to small details, that matter.

Design tip: if you are going to add more icons in your presentation, remember to keep them graphically consistent. Use one style for all slides and limited set of colors – ideally based on your branding.

Looking for more list presentation ideas? See three creative ways of illustrating a list in your presentation.

Use Pros and Cons Diagrams Instead of Traditional Comparison Tables

Let’s face the truth, traditional Excel tables look pretty boring. If you want to make sure that your audience will not skip reading table information, you should pay attention to the slide design.

This slide example shows how you can highlight pluses and minuses utilizing a non-standard table. We also added hand-drawn icons and elements to make the table look creative and unique. Such hand-drawn visuals can help make your presentation more impactful .

Highlight the Pros and Cons On Two Separate Slides

In case you want to discuss the advantages of the topic in more detail but don’t want to overload the slide with text, you can choose the following design. A relevant background photo and a small text section work great together. Visualization of this type makes your message clear and concise helping to retain the audience’s attention.

You can also apply this design to list the disadvantages. Take a look at the following template: a high-resolution image pairs well with a short bulleted list and a few simple icons. These two slides will look great next to each other.

Put Benefits and Drawbacks On a Final Slide

If a major goal of your presentation is to focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the discussed idea, we suggest adding a pros and cons diagram for a final slide.

Take a glance at the following template, which presents benefits and drawbacks in a simple, yet effective way. The slide divided diagonally looks more creative and will suit any presentation. You can add big icons (like on the picture) to show where you stated the benefits and drawbacks.

As you can see, there are a lot of unordinary Pros and Cons slide designs to choose from. You just need to select the most suitable diagram to create a killer presentation.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: you can use several slides in the same presentation. For instance, you can focus separately on benefits and drawbacks, and then sum it up with a final slide with the most essential points. Just remember about visual consistency.

Do you need to create a to-do checklist slide for the project or review a presentation? You can rearrange and reuse one of the above diagrams, e.g. a slide with a tick and cross. Here we share more ideas on creating To-Do checklists for various purposes.

Resources of Comparison Diagrams

To save you time developing such comparison graphics, we designed an editable PowerPoint template with various pros and cons slides. Go and create engaging infographics, you can check the whole collection here:

Pros & Cons PPT Comparison Charts

You can also check the flat infographics deck  to make your slide readable and distinguishable.

Need to illustrate other business topics? You can also explore our tutorial video for step-by-step guidance on creating engaging All Hands Meeting presentations:

Author: Leona Henryson – freelance writer and UX designer. Also, she is a contributing writer for various blogs. When she is not writing or designing, she is swimming, hiking, and, weather permitting, snowboarding.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Home Blog Google Slides Tutorials Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison

Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison

There was a time when anyone making a slide deck using presentation software was likely to use PowerPoint, with Apple’s Keynote being a close competitor. As time progressed, presentation platforms became available online and through mobile devices. In the initial years of this transition, PowerPoint lagged behind in the wake of online presentation suites and mobile device presentation apps. One of the most obvious competitors then was Google Slides, leading to the debate about Google Slides vs. PowerPoint.

Table of Contents

Importance of Presentation Tools

Google slides and microsoft powerpoint: historical context, accessibility and device compatibility, price comparison, presentation templates, basic editing features, media embedding capabilities, annotation and presentation options, animations and transitions, file conversion capability, collaboration and teamwork capabilities, pros and cons of powerpoint and google slides, case studies: powerpoint and google slides.

Presentations have become a staple for business professionals, teachers, students, and even people in the military. As using computers and mobile devices became easier with the improvement in easy-to-use graphical interfaces, people quickly switched to slide decks, video presentations, remote meetings, and other presentation delivery methods. People no longer needed whiteboards or oral presentations, as the visual aids offered by presentation software were just too good to let go of. This meant that presentation software was continuously improved and adapted for different devices.

Over the years, different presentation software has been accompanied by several accessories, such as presentation remotes and laser pointers. All of these have been virtually replaced in recent years with virtual apps or integrated features within presentation software that allow easy remote switching of slides through mobile devices and the ability to turn a cursor into a laser pointer. Furthermore, add-ins for different presentation platforms have emerged with innovative and ever-increasing options to enhance presentations. 

The Rise of PowerPoint as a Presentation Software

Developed by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin during the 80s, it was a presentation software developed for Mac computers. Along the way, Gaskins and Austin also employed the help of a third developer, Thomas Rudkin. PowerPoint 1.0 for Mac was released in 1987, and 10,000 copies were sold. Shortly afterward, Microsoft acquired Forethought Inc., the company that made PowerPoint. It took some convincing from colleagues, leading Bill Gates to seriously think about PowerPoint being an effective software.

For a long time, PowerPoint remained the major presentation software for desktop computer users, more precisely, Windows and Mac users. 

Emergence of Google Slides as a Viable PowerPoint Competitor

Nearly 20 years after its initial release, things began to change. The Internet had started taking the world by storm, and more people could use desktop computers than ever before. Not to mention, mobile devices started becoming ‘smarter.’ Then, Google launched its Google Docs Suite with an online version of a PowerPoint-like app. This app later became Google Slides. While Google was able to provide free online presentation software that could also enable the opening, editing, and sharing of PowerPoint-compatible files, Microsoft lagged in delivering a similar product. It wasn’t until 2012 that Microsoft PowerPoint came with proper online features. With the introduction of a free version called PowerPoint Online and later integration with Office 365 (now known as Microsoft 365), Microsoft caught up to Google Slides. Furthermore, the two became available for mobile devices, catering to the needs of smartphone users.

Google Slides vs PowerPoint: Feature Comparison

The first thing to consider when it comes to the Google Slides vs. PowerPoint debate is device compatibility. Back in the day, PowerPoint was limited to Windows and Mac computers, whereas Google Slides could mostly be used only through Internet-connected browsers. Much has changed since the launch of the Google Docs Suite, which led to what we now know as Google Slides. This means that both PowerPoint and Google Slides are now more compatible with different devices than ever before.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint has Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS apps. While Windows Phone is no longer produced, Microsoft released a version back then. Other than apps, PowerPoint is accessible through Internet browsers via the free but limited version called PowerPoint Online and the full-featured Microsoft 365 suite.

Google Slides

Google Slides was initially an online presentation app available via Internet-connected browsers. Later, it produced various apps for Android, iOS, Chrome OS, and Wear OS devices. Furthermore, you can also use Google Slides offline on a desktop computer using the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension. This extension also works with other Chromium-based web browsers like Edge.

Before we discuss the features of both presentation platforms, it is worth discussing the pricing mechanism that Google and Microsoft use for their presentation software.

Microsoft provides a free version of PowerPoint via a Microsoft account that you can use to access an online version. Furthermore, it also comes with OneDrive integration and up to 5Gb of free cloud storage. The full-featured version of PowerPoint has different license types, with an annual recurring fee for personal, family, business, and enterprise use. Microsoft also offers free versions for educational institutions, teachers, and students. The classic 2021 version of PowerPoint is also available for one-time purchase and is called Office Home & Student 2021. However, this is for non-commercial use and is more of a version with limited features.

As of 2024, Microsoft 365 starts at $69.99 for a personal package or around $6 per user per month. Depending on your needs, you can opt for family, business, or enterprise packages.

While Google Slides has been free for users of Google accounts for quite some time, it also comes with premium packages. Unlike the Google Drive-integrated version with 15GB of cloud storage, the paid version of Google Slides comes integrated with Google Workspace, which has various versions for business use and an enterprise package. Google Workspace for Education provides free and discounted versions for educational use.

Unlike the free version of Google’s products, Google Workspace offers advanced security, cloud storage, and custom emails with all Google products like Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and others integrated into one suite. Furthermore, it integrates with third-party apps for advanced integration for enterprise use.

Google Workspace can cost $6 per user per month or around $72 annually for a basic package. Other packages for business and enterprise use can cost more depending on the number of users.

Different presentation software has different templates, enabling end users to create customized slide decks to suit their needs. A number of native and third-party templates are available for both platforms.

Microsoft PowerPoint provides hundreds of templates that are accessible directly through its apps and online versions. You can also download PowerPoint templates from Office.com. Furthermore, more third-party developers provide customizable PowerPoint templates than Google Slides. SlideModel alone provides over 50,000 PowerPoint templates with various customizable characters, maps, diagrams, backgrounds, and layouts.

One of the things that Google Slides has lagged in is the provision of templates that are as good as PowerPoint. Not only are there fewer developers making templates for Google Slides, but the quality can also be often lacking. Compare that to the PowerPoint templates available via Office.com and third-party developers, and you will find PowerPoint to be a clear winner in this comparison. Suppose you are a Google Slides user searching for templates that can offer something similar to an experience provided by PowerPoint templates. In that case, you can either use PowerPoint templates in Google Slides or explore these Google Slides templates .

The basic editing features of PowerPoint and Google Slides are quite similar, with a few exceptions. If you are new to presentation making, you might want to first see our articles about how to start and end a presentation .

A glance at the Home tab of the Ribbon menu provides basic editing features, including the fonts, text styles, size, and alignment options. Moreover, you can use this menu or the left sidebar to create, duplicate, add, or hide slides.

Besides the left sidebar, Google Slides provides basic editing features via the Format menu. This menu caters to text, alignment, spacing, and other basic features. The Slide menu has many layout selections, slide duplication, and creation features. Many basic formatting options are also visible from the Google Slides toolbar. What sets apart Google Slides formatting options is mainly the availability of different font families, with fewer editing and enhancement features such as text stylizing options in Google Slides.

Both PowerPoint and Google Slides provide various embedding options to embed content within slides.

PowerPoint via the Insert tab offers options to add pictures from your device and online, including via Bing search stock photos provided by Microsoft. You can also insert illustrations, cutout people, stickers, and cartoon characters provided within the app. PowerPoint also comes with stock icons, shapes, 3D models, symbols, charts, and the ability to add videos and audio to slides. The videos include not only ones from within your device but also online videos and stock videos provided by Microsoft. Unlike past versions, Microsoft has come a long way in offering embedding capability for YouTube videos and other platforms such as Vimeo, SlideShare, Stream, and Flip. Additionally, you can instantly record a screencast and insert it into a PowerPoint slide.

PowerPoint supports MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, MPEG, and SWF video formats, as well as audio formats such as MP3, WAV, M4A, and WMA.

Google Slides provides shapes, tables, diagrams, charts, and WordArt that is similar but arguably inferior to PowerPoint. The embedding options offered by Google Slides are a close replica of PowerPoint. Available via the Insert menu, you can add images from your device via URL, Google search, your device camera by taking an instant photo, and Google Drive. Similarly, you can insert Audio and videos from YouTube and Google Drive. 

Google Slides supports videos from  MP4, AVI, MOV, and WMV formats, whereas supported audio file formats include MP3, WAV, and OGG. In terms of embedding capabilities, Google Slides is more geared towards online users, whereas PowerPoint also provides enhanced offline capability to embed videos and reasonable support to embed videos from popular video streaming platforms. Other features, such as making a screencast, require using third-party add-ons for Google Slides.

PowerPoint’s Draw tab and the Pointer options in Slideshow mode (accessible via the right-click menu) can highlight and turn your cursor into an instant laser pointer. You can also move the cursor to the bottom to reveal many of these features in slideshow mode and find options to zoom into text, view slide thumbnails, etc.

Regarding annotation and presentation features, Google Slides lags far behind PowerPoint. The Line and Scribble options are pretty limited, and while you can turn your cursor to a laser pointer or highlight text in Slideshow mode, PowerPoint’s ability to zoom and sort slides and Drawing tools cannot be matched.

When it comes to animations and transitions, PowerPoint’s capability compared to Google Slides has often been overlooked.

The Transitions and Animations tab provides transitions and animations in PowerPoint. Slide switching is a pleasure if you know how to arrange the transitions from the very basic reveal, split, and fade to the advanced Morph transitions. Similarly, PowerPoint animations are divided into four major sections, including animations for Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, and Motion Paths. Motion Paths are the most complex PowerPoint animations, enabling the definition of a path for an animated object.

You can go to Insert -> Animation after selecting an object or Slide -> Transition after selecting a slide to reveal animations and transitions in Google Slides. Unfortunately, both animations and transitions in Google Slides are pretty basic and limited, unlike PowerPoint, which offers basic to advanced transitions and animations. For example, the PowerPoint morph transition can create the illusion of moving objects, and Motion Paths can reveal objects on a set path defined by the user.

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides support file conversion to different formats. However, some conversion options require third-party apps.

PowerPoint supports converting files to PDF, XPS, MPEG 4, WMV, EMF, RTF, SVG, BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, ODP, and other formats. Many file conversion formats in PowerPoint are also native, such as the legacy PPT, PPA, POT, and PPS formats and the new formats PPTX, POTM, PPTM, PPSX, and POTX.

Google Slides provides native file conversion options to download your file as a PPTX, ODP, PDF, TXT, JPEG, PNG, or SVG file. However, to convert Google Slides to video or other formats, you must use third-party add-ons such as Creator Studio.

In the wake of COVID-19 and remote working, the need for collaboration and teamwork, even for presentations, cannot be underestimated. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace have often tried competing in this niche using various products woven into their presentation software.

The fact that Microsoft doesn’t simply produce a presentation suite but an entire environment, from operating systems to remote meeting apps, gives it quite an advantage. PowerPoint comes integrated with OneDrive, Teams, Loop, Skype, and various other apps you can use to collaborate online. Depending on your Microsoft 365 subscription, some features are limited to enterprise users, particularly for the desktop version of PowerPoint. You can share your files using OneDrive with specific people or by generating a publicly accessible link. Use the online version of PowerPoint to embed a code to share your presentation online.

Collaboration on a Live PowerPoint file can be performed through a browser, the desktop, or the mobile version of PowerPoint. Furthermore, its integration with Microsoft Teams helps integrate PowerPoint natively for remote meetings.

Google Slides initiated online collaboration and sharing long before Microsoft adapted to the concept. The initial version of Google Slides readily provided options such as sharing the file of online cooperation via a direct link that Microsoft later integrated into PowerPoint. Furthermore, you can also use the Publish on the Web option in Google Slides to embed the slides online.

In terms of collaboration, what makes the real difference is the close integration of various Microsoft products with PowerPoint. In contrast, Google Drive and Google Meet have been trying to do the same for Google Slides, with the latter being less popular for remote meetings than Microsoft remote meeting apps such as Teams and Skype. 

Unlike Microsoft, Google has struggled to leverage ChromeOS and Android as a primary choice for enterprise use since both operating systems lack the ability and compatible hardware to run heavy apps. Windows or Mac seems to be an obvious choice for end users when it comes to non-linear editing, research, graphic design, and other fields of work that require using resource-intensive apps. This also impacts the preference for Google Slides compared to Microsoft products such as PowerPoint, which integrates with the Microsoft-provided experience.

While much can be said about PowerPoint and Google Slides’ features, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of using both presentation platforms.

Pros of Using Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint has a number of handy features that make it a worthy presentation software and live up to its reputation as an industry leader.

Feature Rich

PowerPoint is a feature-rich presentation software with many advanced features to help you edit, create, design, and present your slides with many user-friendly options. 

Integration with Microsoft Products

PowerPoint, combined with the overall Microsoft experience, is based on its Windows operating systems, Teams, Skype, OneDrive, and other apps to provide support for PowerPoint.

Offline Access

Unlike Google Slides, which works best online, the offline version of PowerPoint allows users to create and present slides offline without requiring Internet connectivity.

Availability of PowerPoint Templates

You can find PowerPoint templates on any topic imaginable, with countless third-party developers adding free and premium templates daily. This ever-expanding resource is something that presenters can always leverage to make their presentation visually appealing and with easy-to-edit templates.

Advanced Collaboration Features

While PowerPoint was late in providing online collaboration features, the ability to work remotely has been expanding and improving once integrated.

Add-ins and Integration with Third-Party Apps

PowerPoint add-ins and third-party app integration have been seamless and ever-expanding. Not only can you use a wide array of add-ins to further enhance PowerPoint features, but you can also integrate it with various third-party platforms and apps such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Zapier, Bing Translate, etc.

Integration of AI

In recent years, Microsoft has been quick to integrate AI in PowerPoint. From PowerPoint’s Designer feature and Bing Translation tool to the integration of Copilot, Microsoft has been quickly enabling end users to leverage AI to create and design slides.

Cons of using Microsoft PowerPoint

While PowerPoint has many benefits, end users should also consider a number of cons.

Expensive Cost Structure

PowerPoint can be quite costly, and not everyone will be willing or able to afford a hefty annual recurring fee. The free version and license for noncommercial use have stringent requirements from which few can benefit. The free version of PowerPoint available as PowerPoint online has limited features.

Platform Dependency

While PowerPoint has an online version with ever-increasing features and mobile versions for Android and iOS, it is still more of a desktop app. We can argue that the online version isn’t as smooth as the functionality of the desktop version, and the mobile apps still leave a lot to be desired. Other than the Mac version of PowerPoint, it has been designed to integrate with Microsoft OS and apps, making it somewhat platform-dependent.

Pros of Using Google Slides

Google Slides has various pros as a presentation app for different types of end users.

Cloud-Based and Cross-Platform Accessibility

The promise of Google Slides or Google’s suite was always ease of access through the Internet and cross-platform compatibility. Like other Google products of its kind, Google Slides provides ease of access via the Internet and accessibility regardless of what operating system you are using. Using a modern browser allows you to access and use Google Slides without any platform dependency.

Economical Option for Making Presentations

Using the full-featured PowerPoint can be quite expensive, whereas Google Slides provides all basic features in the free version, with the option to upgrade to Google Workspace for more advanced features. Furthermore, Google Drive comes with 15GB of free cloud storage space compared to the meager 5GB provided by OneDrive. This can be helpful for long-term use for storing presentations online.

Compatibility with PowerPoint Files

If you can’t afford PowerPoint, Google Slides can be the next best thing. It provides compatibility for PowerPoint files, with the option to convert files in various other file formats such as PDF, RTF, ODP, etc. You can even start a presentation using Google Slides and download it as a PowerPoint file for use with PowerPoint. While many other apps also offer such features, the compatibility of Google Slides with PowerPoint files is one of the best you can find.  

Integration of Google-Based Apps

Google Slides is integrated with other Google products, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Forms, and Google Photos. You will find Google Slides quite convenient if you’re used to these products. 

Third-Party App Integration

Google Slides integrates with a number of third-party apps such as Adobe Spark, Canva, Lucidchart, Asana, etc. You can access Google Slides add-ons via the Extensions menu. The add-ons available for Google Slides are mainly for online platforms that integrate with Google Slides.

Cons of Using Google Slides

While Google Slides has been a great free alternative to PowerPoint, it does have various limitations.

Limited Features

When it comes to Google Slides vs. PowerPoint, the latter clearly offers more enhanced features that Google Slides has yet to match. Whether it’s the use of advanced transitions and animations, AI, design features, or basic editing and presentation options, PowerPoint wins by a mile.

Weak Offline Support

Google Slides is primarily an online app with weak offline support. Unlike PowerPoint, it is very hard, if not impossible, to create, edit, and present a presentation entirely offline using Google Slides.

Use by the US Military

There have been many instances where PowerPoint stood out as a presentation software and times when it took flak for the phenomenon called death by PowerPoint. The use of PowerPoint by the American military is well documented. The concept came to light amidst criticism of how bad the presentations were. This led to an article in The New York Times titled, ‘We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is PowerPoint’. Eventually, Microsoft intervened and sent in executive communications manager Dave Karle to rectify the problem. However, the case of death by PowerPoint in the US military is attributed not to the presentation software but to how it is inaccurately used to create presentations. 

Google Slides has many examples of case studies and events where it has been a regular feature. Google’s annual developer conference, called Google I/O, is famous for featuring presentations on Google Slides. In 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other senior officials used Google Slides during Google I/O as a part of the major event highlights. Google Slides has often been used in Google I/O events as a presentation platform by Google’s top management and remains the central app for keynote presentations.

While the US military might have a lot to learn about using PowerPoint, presenters at TED Talks often use it with quite some dexterity. PowerPoint and Google Slides have been regular features of TED Talks and are used by different types of presenters to express their ideas and explain various concepts.

While Google Slide provides an economical and easy-to-access alternative to PowerPoint, the latter remains an industry leader with features that Google Slides has yet to catch up to. While Google Slides had an edge in the past regarding online collaboration and sharing features, once PowerPoint became available online, Google struggled to match the features offered by PowerPoint and lacked the support of operating systems and other apps used by businesses that come integrated with PowerPoint. 

Windows-based operating systems, including client OS and servers, come integrated in an environment where the Office suite provides powerful support to PowerPoint users in an integrated environment. On the contrary, Google has failed to leverage Android or Chrome OS as a powerful operating system that can do the heavy lifting regarding enterprise-level software integration. Microsoft-based products are an obvious choice, even if some of the organization’s base infrastructure uses other operating systems, such as CentOS or Red Hat, to maintain its servers. This is because Windows is still a famous client operating system and Android and Chrome OS cannot match when running heavy applications for design, development, research, etc.

In conclusion, Google Slides serves as an economical alternative to PowerPoint. The latter is still the industry leader in presentation software and has yet to be dethroned.

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Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint Filed under Google Slides Tutorials , PowerPoint Tutorials

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