The best presentation app for generative AI
Tome (Web)
Tome pros:
Top-tier generative AI features
Simple, customizable templates
Intuitive doc-style editor
Tome cons:
There’s definitely a learning curve
Tome is one of the new additions to this list that I’m most excited about. If you’re looking for generative AI that just genuinely works, it’s definitely worth a look. The editor is a bit more stripped down than most presentation apps but intuitive nonetheless—it’s almost a cross between your standard deck editor and a Notion-style doc.
To generate an AI deck, click Generate with AI in the top right, and either write your own prompt or choose from the example prompts that cover a handful of common use cases, like sales enablement and company pitches. Edit or approve the suggested outline, then generate the full presentation.
From there, you can edit each slide as a doc via the right-hand menu—without limits on how much information you can include. During the presentation, you simply size down any slides that take up more than the standard amount of space. It’s super simple but somehow feels revolutionary in a presentation app.
Tome pricing: Free plan available for manual editing without AI; upgrade to the Professional plan for $16/user/month to use the generative AI and design tools, plus engagement analytics, branding tools, and more.
What about the old standbys?
You might notice a few major presentation players aren’t on this list, including OGs Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides. These apps are perfectly adequate for creating basic presentations, and they’re free if you have a Windows or Mac device or a Google account.
I didn’t include them on the list because the presentation space has really developed in the last several years, and after testing them out, I found these behemoths haven’t kept pace. If they weren’t made by Microsoft/Apple/Google, I might not even be mentioning them. They’re pretty basic tools, they’re behind the curve when it comes to templates (both quantity and design), and they don’t offer any uniquely valuable features like robust team collaboration, branding controls, video, and so on.
Some of these companies (think: Microsoft and Google) are openly working on some pretty impressive-sounding AI features, but they haven’t really been focused on their respective presentation solutions just yet. Rest assured, I’m watching this space, and the next time we update this article, I’ll re-test tools like powerpointslid.com to see what new features may be available.
In any case, if you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for an alternative that allows you to move away from one of the big 3, and as the presentation platforms featured above show, there’s a ton to gain—in terms of features, usability, and more—when you do.
What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?
While I focused my testing on tools with full feature-sets—those that can serve as your sole presentation tool—there are a ton of add-on tools you can use atop big name tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides.
If you’re looking to expand what you can do with PowerPoint or Google Slides, apps like Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Plus AI, and Simplified can help you do things like access additional templates, save branded assets, and generate AI presentations from the app you’re already using.
Related reading:
Canva AI tools to improve your design workflow
The best online whiteboards for collaboration
How to share a presentation on Zoom without sharing your browser tabs and address bar
