The Best PowerPoint Alternatives

PowerPoint has been the king of presentation software for as long as I can remember, but the development of HTML5 and other web languages have provided a type of rich farmland for other presentation tools to form.  Below you will find some of my favorite PowerPoint alternatives for both my use and for students.  Most, but not all, are platform agnostic and/or web based so they should work with any technology you have available.

"Traditional" Presentation Tools

Blendspace

Blendspace isn't a true PowerPoint replacement as much as a PowerPoint (or Slides/Keynote) enhancer.  Blendspace allows you to create a presentation that is a mixture of videos, presentations, pictures, and quizzes that you then push out to the students to progress through at their own pace.  There is also a huge library of pre-created presentations so you don't have to feel like you need to reinvent the wheel.

Google Slides

Google Slides is Google's version of PowerPoint (obviously).  There are a lot of strengths to Slides, like the ability to collaborate, and publish as/embed in a website, just to name a few.  But don't confuse it as a direct comparison to PowerPoint.  PowerPoint will let you do clip art and cheesy animated slides to your heart's content, but don't expect the same "jazz handed" showmanship with Slides.  With Slides you will get functionality, versatility, and portability in a way that PowerPoint just can't.

Prezi

I hesitate to put this on the list because it is almost as overused as PowerPoint, but Prezi (when done right) has the ability to be spectacular.  If you've never seen a great Prezi just imagine PowerPoint reimagined by Siegfried and Roy.  It is fluid, active, and, in some cases, show stopping.  Unfortunately, they tend to be less Vegas Strip and more Hee Haw: corny, overused, and nauseating.  With that warning it is best to keep in mind that Prezi is best used when the audience has the ability to interact with the presentation instead of sitting and watching.  When the audience interacts with Prezi they can progress through the presentation either in a "tour" mode or "freestyle".

Haiku Deck

If your goal is Spartan-like simplicity combined with minimalist beauty then Haiku Deck is the presentation tool for you.  The background is the focal point for this presentation tool.  The idea is to use less text and charts (though the charts are pretty cool) so that you spend more time focused on the important parts of the presentations.  This is a great tool for student presentations because it forces them to not read off a screen, and for lectur.

Video Based Presentation Tools

Zaption

Zaption is one of my new favorite presentation.  It utilizes video clips to create a hybrid video lesson/quiz/class discussion.  Insert videos from anywhere, add your questions, and present.  It is that simple and it is always engaging.  You can see a great example of a Zaption here.

Adobe Voice

This is one of only two tools on this list that isn't device agnostic.  Adobe Voice only runs on iPads, but it is such a cool tool I had to keep it on this list.  The idea is simple:  your voice is the star of the presentation. If you have a voice like mine you are probably saying no way, but it isn't as bad as it sounds.  You pick a video type and template, drop in some icons or pictures, and ad your narration.  Adobe Voice takes care of the the timing and animation to create a professional quality video in minutes.

Touchcast

Touchcast is another video presentation tool that isn't completely device agnostic.  You have to create the videos on an iPad or with a desktop app, but you can watch the videos on any device through the free Touchcast service.  The great thing about Touchcast is it is more than just a video recorder.  It has built in tools like inlays, teleprompter, annotator, and vApps just to name a few.

"Hacked" Presentation Tools

Blogger

Blogger isn't technically a presentation tool because it actually a blogging platform, but I have used Blogger several times for presentations.  Because it is a blog it will be more text heavy than other tools, but that is a benefit if you want students to go through a presentation at their own pace.  I use Blogger for professional development because it is a great place to warehouse a lot of information that I can pull up for a quick presentation or refer people to if they need help.

Smore

Smore is a great newsletter creation tool but works equally well as a presentation tool for teachers.  With Smore you can create visually stunning presentations with a combination of text, graphics, and videos, slideshows, links, and more.

Tackk

If Haiku Deck married Twitter, their child would be Tackk.  With this tool it is super simple to create beautiful presentations and then share with the world.  From their registered users can comment on and share presentations.

Web Ready Presentation Tools

Piktochart

I love Piktochart.  Piktochart is an infographic creation tool that is simple to use and requires little to know graphic design experience.  You can use either professional pre-designed templates or start from scratch to create infographics fit for flyers, posters, websites, or presentations.  The added ability to add live updating charts and really cool transitions makes this a really powerful presentation tool.

Canva

Canva started off as a web based graphic design tool for novices that wanted to make a polished graphic without the fuss of Photoshop.  Since then Canva has developed into the go to place for web based graphic creation.  It is user friendly, chalk full of helpful guides and templates and even has a presentation tool.  It gives you the beautiful look of Haiku Deck with the flexibility of Piktochart.

Thinglink

Thinglink makes it on this list because when it comes to audience driven presentations Thinglink is the way to go.  Thinglinks consist of a background image that has interactive dots layered over the top of it.  The dots can be links to websites, videos, documents, social media feeds, etc.  It is a great way to let students explore content at their own pace and in their own way.







Update 5/14/2015

I was introduced to two other "PowerPoint Killers" yesterday so I thought I would mention them here.

The first is Emaze.com which is a like a newer and more user friendly version of Prezi.
The second is Slidedog.com which is very similar to Google Slides.  You get more pizzazz, but less Google integration.