Microsoft Powerpoint Alternative Software

3 – 10 Best PowerPoint Alternatives: Keynote. Keynote made the third place in our “Top 10 best PowerPoint alternatives” list because of its easy to use user interface (in comparison with PowerPoint). Initially, Keynote was only available as a software download for Mac users who won’t touch Microsoft PowerPoint if their lives depended on it.

Microsoft's PowerPoint software is used to create professional-looking slideshows that can be displayed on projectors or big-screen TVs. The product of this software is called a presentation. Usually, a presenter speaks to the audience and uses the PowerPoint presentation for visuals to hold the listeners' attention and add visual information. However, some presentations are created and recorded to provide a digital-only experience.

PowerPoint is an easy-to-learn program that is used worldwide for presentations in businesses and classrooms. PowerPoint presentations are equally suitable for huge audiences and small groups where they can be used for marketing, training, educational, and other purposes.

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Microsoft Powerpoint Software Download

The information in this article addresses PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint for Office365, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint Online.

Customizing PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations can be made into photo albums complete with music or narrations to distribute on CDs or DVDs. If you are in the sales field, just a few simple clicks add an illustrative chart of data or an organizational chart of your company's structure. Make your presentation into a web page for emailing purposes or as a promotion displayed on your company's website.

It is easy to customize presentations with your company logo and to dazzle your audience by using one of the many design templates that come with the program. Many more free add-ins and templates are available online from Microsoft and other websites. In addition to an on-screen slideshow, PowerPoint features printing options that allow the presenter to provide handouts and outlines for the audience as well as notes pages for the speaker to refer to during the presentation.

Uses for PowerPoint Presentations

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There is no shortage of uses for PowerPoint presentations:

  • Employee training sessions
  • Product launches
  • Sales meetings
  • Trade show demos
  • Club meetings
  • Public appearances
  • Digital portfolios
  • Photo slideshows
  • Marketing strategies
  • Quarterly-earning presentations
  • Business plans

Where to Find PowerPoint

PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office package and is also available as:

  • A standalone program for Windows computers and Macs
  • Part of an Office 365 subscription
  • PowerPoint Online
  • PowerPoint apps for Android and iOS mobile devices

How to Use PowerPoint

PowerPoint comes with many templates that set the tone of a presentation — from casual to formal to off the wall.

As a new PowerPoint user, you select a template and replace the placeholder text and images with your own to customize the presentation. Add additional slides in the same template format as you need them and add text, images, and graphics. As you learn, add special effects, transitions between slides, music, charts, and animations — all built into the software — to enrich the experience for the audience.

Collaborating With PowerPoint

Although PowerPoint is often used by an individual, it is also structured for use by a group to collaborate on a presentation.

Free Alternatives To Powerpoint Presentations

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In this case, the presentation is saved online on Microsoft OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint. When you're ready to share, you send your collaborators or co-workers a link to the PowerPoint file and assign them either viewing or editing permissions. Comments on the presentation are visible to all the collaborators.

Microsoft Powerpoint Alternative Software Pdf

If you use the free PowerPoint Online, you work and collaborate using your favorite desktop browser. You and your team can work on the same presentation at the same time from anywhere. You just need a Microsoft account.

PowerPoint Competitors

PowerPoint is by far the most popular presentation software program available. Approximately 30 million presentations are created daily in the software. Although it has several competitors, they lack the familiarity and global reach of PowerPoint. Apple's Keynote software is similar and ships free on all Macs, but it has only a small share of the presentation software user base.

I’m in search of the best free Microsoft PowerPoint alternative, thank you for your suggestions.

Google Docs

  1. I recently saw an article that had reviews of SlideRocket

    It is also a web app.

  2. This is what you are looking for http://prezi.com/the-basics/

  3. There is also Softmaker Free Office which is a full featured freeware MS Office like suite: http://www.freeoffice.com/.

    Also take a look at Sparkol Videoscribe which has a 7 day free trial. The output is even more dynamic and interesting than even Prezi in a lot of people's estimation. The downside is once the trial is over, it is very expensive to buy a license. I don't think you have to give them a credit card to run the trial: http://www.sparkol.com/.

  4. It's a no-brainer. Kingsoft Office. Some people might not like it because it's not open source. I've used Open Office, Libre Office and they are fine products but from an average user who just want to get the job done, I'll have to choose Kingsoft Office. Minimal to no learning curve involved.

  5. I am surprised that no one has mentioned Kingsoft Office Free 2012 besides Oron Joffe and me. It is simply the one that come closest to a MS Office alternative in compatibility, look and feel. I would suggest others to try it and I assure you, you would not repent and be surprised that such product exist. Beside it is only between 40 to 50 MB download, for the whole Suite package. Link is http://www.kingsoftstore.com/software/kingsoft-office-freeware .

    Highest level of file compatibility and interoperability with Microsoft Office 2003/2007/2010

    If you have files in formats common to other office software packages, you need not worry about compatibility issues, as Kingsoft Office is readily capable of opening and editing files in such formats. This is not just limited to .doc, .ppt and .xls formats like other open-source alternatives, but even includes the modern Open-XML .docx, .pptx and .xlsx formats.
    Writer:
    Input file formats: Word (97/2000/2003/2007/2010) doc, dot, docx, .rtf, .wps and .wpt formats
    Output file formats: Word (97/2000/2003) .doc, .dot, .wps and .wpt format.
    Spreadsheets:
    Input file formats: Excel (97/2000/2003/2007/2010) .xls, .xlsx, .xlt, .csv, .xml, .html, .et and .ett
    Output file formats: Excel (97/2000/2003) .xls, xlt, .csv, .xml, .et, .ett and more.
    Presentation:
    Input file formats: PowerPoint (97/2000/2003/2007/2010) .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .pot, .dps and .dpt formats
    Output file formats: PowerPoint (97/2000/2003) .ppt, .pps, .pot, .dps and .dpt format.

    System Requirements for Free Office Suite 2012

    Required Operating System: Windows 2000 / Windows XP, Windows Vista (32bit, 64bit)
    Windows 7 (32bit, 64bit), Windows 8
    Basic Configurations: CPU: Pentium II 266 MHz or higher, Memory: at least 128 MB,
    Hardware: at least 200 MB available space
    Recommended Configurations: CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher,Memory: 256 MB or larger, Hardware: 250 MB available

    It is FREE and a small download. Try it at least!!! :D :)

    • The download size is 39.1MB to be exact. :D

  6. Try Prezi! You will be amazed.

  7. Of the three alternatives that I have tried, I prefer Libre Office. Kingsoft comes in a poor third based upon the type of activity that I am doing with Open Office second.. However, I should point out that none of the three accept well the macros that were written in MS Office and then saved in all of the three different programs.
    I have not tried rewriting the macros so use MS Office when I have to.

    • You are a power user of Microsoft Office with lot of automated scripts via VB macros. In that case I agree that Kingsoft Office may fare poorly as also other alternative. In your case, probably only MS Office can deliver what you want. :D However, for a basic usage, I would rather rate Kingsoft Office no. 1 alternative for it's look and feel and compatibility with MS office. Going by the question, I think he is looking for a alternative to Powerpoint, which is free and do almost 95% of what Powerpoint can do, therefore I have suggested Kingsoft Office to him. :)

  8. There is no question. Prezi is the best. You can even import your old Power Point presentations into it. I've been working with it for a while (3-4 months) and jsut love it.

    • I have come to love OpenOffice it comparable to Microsoft and best of all it`s free.

    • Prezi is awesome!

  9. This might not be what you're looking for but for a very different approach to presentations take a look at prezi.com (free if your presentations are public, fee to make them private).

  10. I agree with Dragonmouth that 'best' is a subjective term. Specifically, it depends on what features YOU are looking for, which you haven't specified. That said:
    In the 'very similar to PowerPoint' category, the LibreOffice/OpenOffice/NeoOffice packages do fairly well, and in my opinion, Kingsoft Office Suite (free or Pro) does even better.
    For an online solution which is similar to PowerPoint (and can import/export PowerPoint files), try Google Drive/Zoho Office.
    For something quite different, with beautiful interactivity, try Prezi. Note that the free version of Prezi only works online and your presentations are always public. To make your presentations private and/or work offline you must subscribe to the service.

  11. The 4 Best Free Alternatives To Microsoft PowerPoint
    //www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-free-alternatives-microsoft-powerpoint/

    4 Excellent Browser-Based Alternatives To PowerPoint
    //www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-excellent-browser-based-alternatives-to-powerpoint/

    Better Than PowerPoint: 3 Online Tools For Creating Gorgeous Presentations
    //www.makeuseof.com/tag/better-than-powerpoint-3-online-tools-for-creating-gorgeous-presentations/

  12. Hi,

    LibreOffice.
    I assume you know that for reading PowerPoint files, you can use PowerPoint Viewer - which is free.

  13. There are many alternatives to Microsoft Powerpoint. You can try the following -

    1. OpenOffice.Org Impress - This is the one I have used the most. It's quite good but the text and images are messed up sometimes when I open files created with Microsfot Office.

    2. Libre Office - A fork of OpenOffice.org

    Or you can try these web based alternatives -

    3. Google Docs - This one is the best in the web based options, in my opinion.

    4. SlideRocket

    5. Prezi

    6. Zoho Docs

    • *Typo - Microsoft

  14. OpenOffice
    Open Office is one of the most popular alternatives. It is a free, open source suite of office products that match the look, feel and functionality of Microsoft Office products. The ability to read AND write Microsoft Office documents is an added advantage

  15. If you want to install on your Desktop, I would highly recommend Free Kingsoft Office 2012. The whole Office Suite is only around 40 to 50 MB download and includes Word, excel and PowerPoint alternative and is 100% compatible with the latest Microsoft file format. Only at the last screen of installation, see to it that the options are ticked to support the MS formats. You can download the product from http://www.kingsoftstore.com/software/kingsoft-office-freeware .

    If you wand a browser / web based solution, my choice is SlideRocket at http://www.sliderocket.com/

    • Kingsoft Office Free 2012 totally looks and feels like MS Office earlier version interface, however supports the latest MS file formats. It can read, edit and save as the latest MS file formats and also you can create document, spreadsheet and presentation and save as latest or earlier MS Office file formats. :D Cool product for free.

  16. LibreOffice, the only alternative that can even be compared with powerpoint. Although you would not have ribbon BS, I very much doubt that it'll be a hindrance to your productivity.

  17. 'Best' is a very subjective designation. What one person thinks is 'best' to other may be junk.

    I am partial to Libre Office Impress.

  18. Check these out:

    http://www.libreoffice.org
    http://www.openoffice.org
    LibreOffice and OpenOffice are pretty much the same thing, but are becoming different mostly in 'under the hood' ways that the enduser won't detect

    //www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-free-alternatives-microsoft-powerpoint/
    http://lifehacker.com/5888189/five-best-powerpoint-alternatives
    http://workawesome.com/software/6-web-based-alternatives-to-microsoft-powerpoint/

    • Hi Kulvir,
      Have you heard of Moovly?
      http://www.moovly.com is a tool that allows you to create your own animated presentation with objects that you can drag and drop.
      they are now in betatesting, but you can register.
      Good luck
      Thierry