Microsoft Sway
Microsoft's browser-based tool for interactive reports, stories and scrolling presentations.
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 6
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
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About Microsoft Sway
Sway is a web app from Microsoft for building interactive reports, newsletters, photo stories and presentations without laying out slides by hand. You add content as cards on a Storyline (text, images, video, embedded Office documents, or media pulled in from web searches), and a built-in design engine handles the layout. A Remix button cycles through styles, and you can choose whether the finished piece scrolls vertically, horizontally or plays like a slide deck. Finished Sways are shared as a web link that viewers can open in any browser without an account. It suits teachers, students and staff who want something more visual than a document but don't want to design slides. Sway is free with a personal Microsoft account, and a Microsoft 365 subscription raises the content limits. It runs in the browser on desktop and mobile. The trade-off is control: layouts are largely automatic, there is no offline desktop app any more, and output is a web page rather than a file you can hand off as a standard slide deck.
Best for: Teachers, students and teams making quick visual reports or stories to share as a web link.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free with any personal Microsoft account
- Automatic design engine means no layout work
- Viewers open shared Sways in a browser without signing in
- Built-in accessibility view with keyboard and screen reader support
Why people leave
- Little fine-grained control over layout compared with slide editors
- Browser-only, with no offline desktop app
- Output is a web page, not a standard PPTX deck to hand off
Top Microsoft Sway alternatives
See all 6- 1
Microsoft PowerPoint66.5Microsoft's own slide editor, for when you need full layout control and a PPTX file to hand off.
- 2
Genially64.8Also builds interactive, web-shared content, with far more templates and animation options.
- 3
Prezi61.8Another non-linear, web-first presentation style, with zooming canvases instead of scrolling cards.
- 4
Google Slides57.5Free browser-based slides with real-time co-editing and standard slide control.
- 5
Gamma57.2Card-based, auto-designed decks and web pages like Sway, with AI drafting from a prompt.
Why people left Microsoft Sway
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Microsoft Sway: common questions
Is Microsoft Sway free?
Yes, Microsoft Sway is free to use.
Is Microsoft Sway open source?
No, Microsoft Sway is not open source.
What platforms does Microsoft Sway run on?
Microsoft Sway is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Microsoft Sway?
The highest-ranked Microsoft Sway alternatives right now are Microsoft PowerPoint, Genially and Prezi. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.