Google Slides vs Microsoft PowerPoint

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Google Slides

Free browser-based slide editor built for building decks together in real time.

Free

Visit Google Slides Google Slides profile

Microsoft PowerPoint

The standard slide app whose .pptx files every company and conference expects.

Free plan + paid

Visit Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint profile

The short answer

PowerPoint and Google Slides are the two most common presentation apps. PowerPoint is the stronger tool for detailed design, animation and corporate templates, and its .pptx format is the one clients and conferences expect. Google Slides is free, browser-first and built around real-time collaboration, which suits teams and classrooms better, though its design and animation controls are basic.

Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint: our take

PowerPoint covers everything from quick slides to heavily branded corporate decks, with slide masters, animations, Morph, presenter view, rehearsal coaching, live captions and recording to video. Designer suggests layouts, and Copilot can draft decks in paid plans. Google Slides covers the essentials, including themes, layouts, transitions, speaker notes, presenter view, audience Q&A and embedded Sheets charts and videos, and Gemini can help in Google Workspace. Its animation, typography and design controls are noticeably simpler.

Collaboration is Slides' home ground: several people edit at once, comment, and always see the latest version without emailing files. PowerPoint for the web is also free and supports real-time co-authoring, but the full desktop app needs Microsoft 365, starting at $9.99/month for Microsoft 365 Personal, with a one-month free trial. Google Slides is free for anyone with a Google account and included in Workspace.

File compatibility often decides it. Slides imports and edits .pptx files directly and also imports Canva designs, but complex decks with heavy animation or custom fonts can lose formatting. PowerPoint is the reference format, so its decks open correctly almost everywhere. PowerPoint runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web, with some features missing outside Windows; Slides runs in the browser and on iOS and Android, with offline editing in Chrome or Edge.

Choose PowerPoint if you build polished, branded or animation-heavy decks, or regularly exchange .pptx files with clients and partners. Choose Google Slides if several people need to work on the same deck, you already use Google Workspace, or you want a capable presentation tool at no cost.

Choose Google Slides if…

Teams and classrooms building shared decks that several people edit
Smooth real-time co-editing and commenting
Free with any Google account

Choose Microsoft PowerPoint if…

Anyone who has to send, receive or present .pptx decks in corporate settings
You need Windows and macOS, which Google Slides doesn't list
The reference .pptx format, so decks open correctly everywhere
Slide masters, Morph and presenter tools are mature

What is Google Slides?

Google Slides is Google's online presentation app. Its main appeal is collaboration: several people can work on the same deck at once, comment on slides, and always see the latest version without emailing files around. It covers the essentials well, including themes, layouts, transitions, speaker notes, presenter view, Q&A during presentations and embedding of Sheets charts and videos, and it imports and directly edits PowerPoint files as well as Canva designs. It is free with a Google account and included in Google Workspace, where Gemini can generate images and help draft slides. It runs in the browser and on iOS and Android, with offline editing in Chrome or Edge. Compared with PowerPoint or Keynote, its animation, typography and design controls are basic, and complex .pptx decks with heavy animation or custom fonts can lose fidelity when imported.

What is Microsoft PowerPoint?

PowerPoint is the presentation app most organisations run on, and its .pptx format is what clients, conferences and colleagues usually ask for. The desktop version covers everything from quick slides to heavily branded corporate templates, with slide masters, animations and transitions, Morph, presenter view with notes, rehearsal coaching, live captions and recording to video. Designer suggests layouts, and Copilot can draft decks from a prompt or document in paid plans. A free web version handles everyday editing and real-time co-authoring with a Microsoft account, while the full desktop app comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription. It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web. The drawbacks are the familiar ones: it is easy to make cluttered, template-heavy slides, the Mac and web versions lack a few Windows features, and large decks with embedded media get heavy to share.

Side by side

Attribute	Google Slides	Microsoft PowerPoint
Pricing	Free	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Best for	Teams and classrooms building shared decks that several people edit	Anyone who has to send, receive or present .pptx decks in corporate settings
Status	Active	Active