Comparison: Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint is the preferred presentation software for way too long all over the world. For a long period of time, presentation means PowerPoint presentation only; so much is the reach and acceptability of the app. Many alternatives have come over the years but none could stand in the competition for long. As the time passed by the Microsoft kept on improvising the features to make it the most preferred tool and became the best choice for PowerPoint design services in India and abroad.
Google Slides also gained popularity as one of the best presentation software. We give below the comparison of Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint. It will be helpful to read this blog to understand Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint, which is better for your design project.
For the first time, with the arrival of Google Slides, the popularity of PowerPoint has been tested on a serious level. Not that there aren’t any alternatives for PowerPoint, but the limitations of the alternatives couldn’t help to gain the required momentum for these options. The Keynote, promising presentation application software designed for Mac, is limited to Apple devices only. The Budapest based Prezi with all its wonderful features couldn’t attract much or due attention to be a rival. All of these presentation apps are best for the business PowerPoint presentation.
In the last couple of years, the popularity of Google Slide is on a steady rise. It is actively encroaching into the domain of PowerPoint. With Google Slides gaining popularity, designers often look out for Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint that best suits for each of their design projects, as per the client requirements. Now, both of these presentation software’s are on the same footing when it comes to features and popularity. But the debate, which one of these two is best, is gaining traction as users are squarely divided.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, though the efficacy of each of these could be tested on a few grounds to determine which one is a better performer. The grounds to test are diverse and not limited to performances. Design powerpoint design services providers are using both the apps too.
Let’s examine which is better under a few heads now.
1. File Compatibility
The most important factor to consider when choosing between Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint is file compatibility. Both programs can open and render presentation files from the other, although you will get the best results if you use the native format of each program. With Google Slides, presentations can easily be shared across multiple platforms, so it’s ideal for collaborative work with colleagues, friends or family. Microsoft PowerPoint has a wide range of features for more complex tasks such as animating objects and inserting various media into your slides. Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint, both have options for easy sharing with others and collaborative work.
2. Collaboration
Google Slides offers real-time collaboration between users, making it great for sharing ideas in teams or brainstorming sessions. In addition to this, Google Drive allows you to store your files securely online so they’re always accessible wherever you log in from. Microsoft PowerPoint is also capable of collaboration but requires an Office 365 subscription if you wish to share documents with others in real-time. Comparing Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint, both give options for effective collaboration.
3. Interface
The interface of both applications are fairly similar; however, Google Slides tends to have fewer bells and whistles than its counterpart due to being an online product. The main difference between them lies in the templates available – Google Slides offers less variety than Microsoft PowerPoint because it draws its content from the web while Microsoft’s native software is fully loaded with pre-made designs which makes it more suitable for creating sophisticated presentations faster than its competing platform can manage.
4. Integrations
Both products are extendable via integrations that allow users access to third party apps and services such as mind-mapping tools or cloud storage solutions like Dropbox or OneDrive repository so remembering where certain resources were uploaded should not be a worrisome task ever again! That said some services are limited according to platform – i.e. Dropbox connectors only useful with MS PowerPoint whereas better options await those using Google Slide alike G Suite apps letting users write formulas directly within slides themselves!. Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint offers features for integrations and as per your requirement, can look for better compatibility options.
5. The cost factor
Obviously, when we have to choose between two things, the most obvious factor often could be the pricing. Because if you are not in a position to afford a particular howsoever effective it might be, the question of purchasing it is ruled out altogether.
Here, Google slides out to do the PowerPoint. Google Slides is free and easily available to everyone with a Google account. It’s a part of Google Docs, everyone with a computer or mobile and internet connection can avail this without installing anything.
Whereas the PowerPoint comes with the Office package, which is subscription based and costs 60 to 70 US dollars a year. If you want to buy it at once you will have to pay nearly $200. There are free versions but are limited to very few people like students. There is free online version PowerPoint Online, but it neither features rich nor any better than the Slides. Comparing the cost factor for Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint is crucial to come to a conclusion on choosing the one that is affordable for your design project.
So, on the cost factor, it is the Google Slides which clearly emerges as a winner.
6. The ease of access
Both the Presentation Apps are available online and offline. Microsoft PowerPoint comes with Office package and needs installation on the computer. Once you installed, you can make presentations using all the features available in it. After installation, you don’t need an internet connection except for saving on the drive so as to access the same on the move from other devices. There is complete online version as mentioned earlier called PowerPoint Online, many features have been clipped in the online version.
Google Slides is completely cloud-based, you can avail it in many ways from a variety of devices on simultaneously making it easy to collaborate. As it is integrated with Google Drive where changes are automatically saved, it is easy to update and edit. Google slides offline services are being revamped to offer equally resilient offline access like the PowerPoint does.
So, here both stand on the same footing. Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint offers ease of access and stands the best for usability.
7. Availability of Storage and embedding options
PowerPoint and Google Slides provide cloud storage. Slides are linked to Google Drive, where the free storage space is limited. PowerPoint is integrated into the Microsoft’s cloud storage One Drive. Slides can be accessed easily from anywhere and by any device, as changes to the drive, accessed files are saved immediately. In Microsoft, unless particularly stored in One Drive by enabling the auto sync.
As for embedding options, both allow a variety of embedding options, including the video and other links. Here Google Slides has a distinct advantage as it allows easy embedding of videos. All that you have to do is drag the images or the videos you would like to embed into the slide it is embedded, whereas in PowerPoint you have to do it manually. While it is good to compare Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint, in this aspect Google Slides has a definitive advantage for embedding videos.
8. Availability of ready to use templates
In Google Slides as well as PowerPoint many ready to use templates are available, and these are editable as well. The availability of diverse templates in PowerPoint is much more than the Slides. Also, these are easily editable to customize to suit requirements better. In Google’s platform, many templates available over the internet can be used as well.
The PowerPoint offers robust means to edit and customize the presentation to a great extent allows incorporating of a variety of design elements to make the presentation to speak for you and your brand. Comparing Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint in this aspect, Microsoft PowerPoint score better than the Google Slides in offering variety of design elements for customization.
9. Collaborations and Conversion options
As per the collaboration options concerned, the PowerPoint is integrated with One Drive which can be shared by a variety of means, including by mail, social media. In the offline direct collaboration is not possible but with the online version, it can be done. The shared PowerPoint presentation can be edited and improved as desired. As Google Slides is integrated into Google Drive and Google account it is much easier to collaborate. The changes made gets saved immediacy, it is perfect for collaborations.
Both of the presentation making apps allows conversion. You can convert your PowerPoint or Google Slides into PDFs. PowerPoint allows conversion into a plethora of other formats including the image, video and HTML files. Slides can’t be converted directly but by using various online tools you can convert the Slides to the format of your choice.
Google Slides must not be as robust as PowerPoint when it comes allowing the conversion, the same can be compensated for with the online tools. When we compare Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint for conversions, PowerPoint offers various formats for easy conversions.
Both have their own advantages and set of disadvantages. Yet each offers comprehensive solutions for presentation making. As each platform is trying to improvise further the debate is far from over and likely to escalate in the near future as Google Slides is a recent development compared to PowerPoint.
Instead of concluding which one is best, we ask the enlightened users to explore both the apps and decide which suits you best and get going on.
