best apps for presentations on ipad

9 best apps for building presentations in iOS

You can create presentations from an iPhone or iPad, with nearly all the bells and whistles to make them more visual and less boring.

Slideshow presentations can be notoriously snooze-worthy. Nearly all of us can remember sitting patiently while someone flipped through a seemingly endless stream of slides. Most people have realized that when it comes to presentations, less is more and being visual is better than putting all of our bullet points in each slide.

Our tools for creating presentations have also taken a big leap forward, and we can even create top-notch slideshows on iPhones and iPads, including the use of effects, transitions, video clips , background music, narration and captions.

Here are nine presentation apps for iOS that can get the job done.

Download.com: Best to-do list apps of 2018 for managing tasks on iOS

Microsoft PowerPoint

Practically synonymous with presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint ( download on iOS ) is a great tool for photo slideshows. Create a new presentation, then add a title and as many slides as you need. Then import your images to PowerPoint and add them to their respective slides. You can then edit and arrange them, add transitions, backgrounds and music. Then play from your device, broadcast to your TV or share via the cloud.

Google Slides

The Google Slides app ( download on iOS ) lets you make, tweak, collaborate with colleagues and finally share or present slideshows directly from your phone. Make beautiful slides instantly or customize them to your heart's content. You can also work with PowerPoint slides in Google Slides.

Apple's Keynote app ( download on iOS ) helps you create beautiful slideshow presentations. Start by choosing one of 30 Apple-designed themes and then replace the dummy text and graphics with your own. Add pictures, videos, interactive charts, cinematic animations and elegant transitions. Collaborate with colleagues in real time over iCloud and when you're ready, present in person or remotely using Keynote Live.

Haiku Deck ( download on iOS ) allows you to easily create wow-worthy presentations on your iPhone or iPad . Get access to more than 40 million free-to-use photos; cool fonts, text templates and layouts; and the ability to create professional-looking charts with basic touch controls.

Work on your presentations across your devices or the web or collaborate with others using real-time syncing. Then present on your iPhone or on the big screen using your iPhone as a clicker.

Adobe Spark Video

Adobe Spark Video ( download on iOS ) lets anyone -- from novices to experts -- create video presentations. Easily splice together video clips, photos, text overlays, music and even your own narration, and the app will handle the rest. Then present your video or share it on your blog or social media account.

WPS Presentation, a part of WPS Office ( download on iOS ), lets you create, open and save Microsoft PowerPoint-compatible presentations.

Choose a template, upload your images, video and audio, and add cool font styles, shapes, text effects, columns and tables, advanced animation and slide transitions. After saving, you'll be ready to present via a monitor or a projector.

Make cool videos with Animoto ( download on iOS ) using clips and pictures from your gallery. Choose from 50 video styles, add music from the built-in music library, photo captions and intro and outro cards, and then share.

RealTimes ( download on iOS ) takes the guesswork out of presentation-making by locating the best parts from your pictures and videos, arranging them, adding transitions and music, and making them easily shareable with the touch of a button. You can also customize your collages, montages and movies with filters, captions and your own music.

Prezi Viewer

Prezi Viewer ( download on iOS ), the companion to the Prezi web app , lets you practice and present your presentation from wherever you are. Share via emailed or messaged link, or present on your Mac's monitor using Bluetooth . While you won't create the presentation in the iOS app itself in this case, Prezi is such a powerful and unique tool for creating presentations that it still deserved a place on this list.

Follow  Download.com on Twitter for all the latest app news.

• Slideshow feature joins a slew of new Google Photos abilities  
• Create beautiful slideshows with these 7 top presentation apps for Mac (Download.com)
• Salesforce takes on Microsoft PowerPoint with Quip Slides (Download.com)
• Taking the pain out of building that slideshow deck (ZDNet)
• Over PowerPoint? Here are 4 ways to create more interesting business presentations (TechRepublic)
• 10 easy ways to punch up your presentations (TechRepublic)
• Want to ditch PowerPoint? Here are 3 alternative tools for creating presentations (TechRepublic)

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The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

The latest presentation apps have made it easier than ever to format slides and create professional-looking slideshows without giving off a "this is a template" vibe. Even standard PowerPoint alternatives have updated key features to make it easier than ever to collaborate and create presentations quickly, so you can spend more time prepping for your actual presentation.

If, like me, you've used Google Slides unquestioningly for years, it's a whole new world out there. The newest crop of online presentation tools go way beyond the classic slideshow experience, with new features to keep your audience's attention, streamline the creation process with AI, and turn slide decks into videos and interactive conversations.

I've been testing these apps for the past few years, and this time, I spent several days tinkering with 25 of the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

The best presentation software

What makes the best presentation app, how we evaluate and test apps.

When looking for the best presentation apps, I wanted utility players. After all, slideshows are used for just about everything, from pitch decks and product launches to class lectures and church sermons. With that in mind, here's what I was looking for:

Pre-built templates. The best presentation tools should have attractive, professional-looking templates to build presentations in a hurry.

Sharing and collaboration options. Whether you plan to share your webinar slides later, or you just want to collaborate with a coworker on a presentation, it should be easy to share files and collaborate in real-time.

Flexibility and customization options. Templates are great, but top presentation apps should enable you to customize just about everything—giving you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Affordability. Creating compelling presentations is important, but you shouldn't have to bust your budget to make it happen. With capable free tools on the market, affordability is a top consideration.

Standalone functionality. There's no reason to use multiple tools when one can do it all, so I didn't test any apps that require and work on top of another presentation app like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Familiar, deck-based interface. For our purposes here, I only tested software that uses slides, with the familiar deck-based editor you expect from a "presentation" tool (versus, for example, a video creation app).

Beyond that, I also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

I created a new deck, scanning through all available templates, noting how well-designed they were (and which were free versus paid).

I added new slides, deleted slides, edited text and images, and played around with other content types.

I changed presentation design settings, like color schemes and background images.

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

After my first round of testing, I went back into the top performers to test any unique or niche features, like AI, brand settings, and interactive content. With that, these are the best presentation apps I found—each one really brings something different or radically easy to the table.

The best presentation software at a glance

The best free presentation software

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Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

Canva offers one of the most robust free plans of all the presentation apps I tested. The app delays account creation until after you've created your first design, so you can get started building your presentation in seconds. Choose from an almost overwhelming number of beautiful templates (nearly all available for free), including those designed specifically for education or business use cases.

Anyone who's accidentally scrolled too far and been bumped to the next slide will appreciate Canva's editor interface, which eliminates that problem altogether with a smooth scroll that doesn't jump around. Choose from a handful of preset animations to add life to your presentations, or browse the library of audio and video files available to add. And Canva also has a number of options for sharing your presentation, including adding collaborators to your team, sharing directly to social media, and even via QR code.

Present directly from Canva, and let audience members submit their questions via Canva Live. Once you share a link to invite audience members to your presentation, they can send questions for you to answer. As the presenter, you'll see them pop up in your presenter view window, so you can keep the audience engaged and your presentation clear. Alternatively, record a presentation with a talking head bubble—you can even use an AI presenter here—to share remotely.

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $120/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

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Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

If you're like me, editing granular spacing issues is the absolute worst part of building a presentation. Beautiful.ai uses artificial intelligence to take a lot of the hassle and granular design requirements out of the presentation process, so you can focus on the content of a presentation without sacrificing professional design. If I needed to make presentations on a regular basis, this is the app I'd use.

Many apps have recently added AI design features, but Beautiful.ai has been doing it for years—and they've perfected the experience of AI design, ensuring the tool's reign as the most streamlined and user-friendly option for AI design.

The editor is a little different from most presentation apps, but it's still intuitive—and you'll start off with a quick two-minute tutorial. When creating a new slide, scroll through "inspiration slides" to find a layout you like; once you choose, the app will pull the layout and automatically adapt it to match the design of the rest of your presentation.

With 10 themes, several templated slides, over 40 fully-designed templates, and more than 20 different color palettes to choose from, Beautiful.ai strikes a perfect balance between automation and customization.

While Beautiful.ai doesn't offer a free plan, paid plans are reasonably priced and offer sharing and collaboration options that rival collab-focused apps like Google Slides. And speaking of Google, you can connect Beautiful.ai with Google Drive to save all your presentations there.

Note: I re-tested the generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) this year. It's great for adding individual slides to an existing presentation—automatically choosing the best layout and matching the design to the rest of the deck—but as with most other apps, it struggled to pull in relevant images.

Beautiful.ai pricing: Plans start at $12/month for unlimited slides, AI content generation, viewer analytics, and more. Upgrade to a Team plan for $40/user/month to get extra collaboration and workspace features and custom brand controls.

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

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Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

Prezi Video lets you display a presentation right over your webcam video

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

Struggling to squeeze information into a basic, linear presentation? Give Prezi a try. Unlike nearly all other presentation apps on the market, Prezi Present doesn't restrict the structure of your presentation to a straight line. The editor focuses on topics and subtopics and allows you to arrange them any way you want, so you can create a more conversational flow of information.

With the structural flexibility, you still get all the same customization features you expect from top presentation software, including fully-editable templates. There's a learning curve if you're unfamiliar with non-linear presentations, but templates offer a great jumping-off point, and Prezi's editor does a good job of making the process more approachable.

Plus, Prezi comes with two other apps: Prezi Design and Prezi Video. Prezi Video helps you take remote presentations to a new level. You can record a video where the presentation elements are displayed right over your webcam feed. Record and save the video to share later, or connect with your video conferencing tool of choice (including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet) to present live.

Prezi's generative AI feature works ok, but it's more useful as a wireframe. When I asked it to create a presentation about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example, the resulting content read a lot like a student writing a term paper in the broadest strokes possible to avoid doing any actual research.

The best presentation app for video presentations

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Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

Powtoon makes it easy to create engaging videos by orienting the editor around a slide deck. Editing a Powtoon feels just like editing a presentation, but by the time you finish, you have a professional video. 

You can edit your slides at any time, and when you hit play, a video plays through your deck—the feel is almost like an animated explainer video. Each slide includes the animations you choose and takes up as much time as is needed based on the content on the slide. Powtoon figures the timing automatically, and you can see in the bottom-right of the editor how much time is used on your current slide versus the total presentation. If you ever want to present as a slide deck, just toggle between Slideshow and Movie.

You'll likely need to subscribe to a paid plan to get the most out of Powtoon—like creating videos longer than three minutes, downloading them as MP4 files, and white-labeling your presentations—but doing so won't break the bank. Plus, you'll unlock tons of templates complete with animations and soundtracks.

One of my favorite Powtoon features is the ability to orient your video: you can choose horizontal orientation (like a normal presentation) or opt for vertical (for mobile) or square (for social media). When your presentation is ready, you can publish straight to YouTube, Wistia, Facebook Ads, and any number of other locations.

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

User interface is a little different than you're used to

Need to collaborate on presentations with your team? Pitch is a Google Slides alternative that gets the job done. As far as decks go, Pitch includes all the beautifully-designed templates, customizability, and ease of use you expect from a top-notch presentation tool. But the app really shines when you add your team.

The right-hand sidebar is all about project management and collaboration: you can set and update the status of your deck, assign entire presentations or individual slides to team members, plus comment or add notes. Save custom templates to make future presentations even easier and faster.

You can also invite collaborators from outside your company to work with you on individual decks. And if you opt for a paid plan, Pitch introduces workspace roles, shared private folders, and version history.

Pitch also offers one of the most impressive generative AI features on this list. It still struggles to pull in relevant images, but I found the AI-generated written content and design to be top-notch.

The best presentation app for conversational AI

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Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

I tested a lot of apps claiming to use AI to up your presentation game, and Gamma's conversational AI features were head and shoulders above the crowd.

Simply give the app a topic—or upload an outline, notes, or any other document or article—approve the outline, and pick a theme. The app will take it from there and create a fully fleshed-out presentation. It's far from perfect, but Gamma produces a very useful jumping-off point. (Last year, it was by far the best, but this year, other apps are catching up.)

Here's the key: Gamma is much more geared toward the iterative, chatbot experience familiar to ChatGPT users. Click on the Edit with AI button at the top of the right-hand menu to open the chat, and you'll see suggested prompts—or you can type in your own requests for how Gamma should alter the presentation.

Once you've done all you can with prompts, simply close the chat box to manually add the finishing touches. While you do sacrifice some granular customizability in exchange for the AI features, you can still choose your visual theme, change slide layouts, format text, and add any images, videos, or even app and web content.

The best presentation app for audience engagement

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Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

If you need to engage with an audience during your presentation, Mentimeter makes that easy. The app is designed around interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, Q&As, sliders, and more (even a Miro whiteboard!).

Each of these is included in a number of different, professional-looking templates, so you can build a fully interactive presentation super quickly.

When it's time to present, your audience members can scan the QR code with their phone cameras or type in the URL and access code to participate. There's one code per presentation (so they won't have to do this on every slide), which gives access to each slide as you move through the presentation.

There are two main drawbacks to this one, though. First, there's a bit of a learning curve and less familiar editing interface (but I found it pretty easy to learn with some practice). The other drawback is that you can't get as granular with the visual customization as you can with many other presentation tools.

The best presentation app for generative AI

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Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

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.

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.

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.

Related reading:

This post was originally published in October 2014 and has since been updated with contributions from Danny Schreiber, Matthew Guay, Andrew Kunesh, and Krystina Martinez. The most recent update was in April 2024.

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Kiera Abbamonte

Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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15 Best Presentation Software for 2024 (Full Comparison Guide)

Written by: Orana Velarde

In this comparison guide, we’ll analyze each of these tools and many more to understand what the difference is between them so you can  choose the best presentation maker for your business.

So, if you want to stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations and have a reliable presentation software that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time, you’ll need this guide. 

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• Google Slides
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Beautiful.ai
• Microsoft Sway

What are Presentation Tools

Presentation tools are software applications that enable users to visually present ideas or share knowledge. These presentations are delivered in a slide-show format using a combination of text, images and other graphic elements.

Presentation software is frequently used to pitch an idea to investors , present proposals to clients , introduce new products or services to customers, train staff on new policies or ideas , or teach your students new or complex concepts.

Best Presentation Software: A Visual Comparison

When choosing the right presentation programs for your projects, there are some things to consider:

• Does the price point fit your budget?
• Is it easy to use?
• Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
• Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
• Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
• Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
• Can you add audio to your presentations?
• Can elements be animated?
• Is it desktop or cloud-based ?
• Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
• Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
• Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
• Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
• Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
• Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
• Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
• Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?

We'll take a look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.

Last updated on May 30, 2024.

Visme is a powerful presentation software and all-in-one content authoring tool. It has a user-friendly interface and an extensive set of tools that make it easy for both beginners and experienced professionals to design and deliver impactful presentations.

Presentations made with Visme go beyond the standard slide deck to incorporate interactive elements and easy, full-featured offline sharing.

Making professional presentation slides with Visme is easy and straightforward. Create slides from scratch using content blocks and the extensive slide libraries categorized by style. Browse the presentation template library to find pre-designed slide decks which you can easily customize to fit your needs.

That's not all that Visme can do, though.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as digital documents, animated infographics, interactive reports and whiteboards. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the app.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as infographics, reports and interactive charts. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the software.

Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. With a free account, you can create up to three projects.

To access all of Visme's capabilities, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans .

• Starter: $12.25/month paid annually
• Pro: $24.75/month paid annually
• Visme for Teams: Custom – learn more here

If you're a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for a discount. Visme also offers separate Education plans for students and teachers.

Ease of Use

Visme is incredibly easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is a breeze, and you can even save a slide to your content block or slide library to reuse later.

The editor comes with a handy sidebar that lets you browse media, graphics and data tools and drag and drop relevant elements onto your slides. You can also use the /shortcut feature to open a search bar and quickly find what you need.

The dynamic fields feature ensures you don’t miss out on any critical information. With single click, you can easily update content throughout your presentation.

Who Is It For

Visme is perfect for small and large businesses, enterprises, marketing teams, project managers, educators, content creators and so much more. The resources and tools available in Visme reach far beyond the ability to create presentations.

• Social media teams can create content for their company’s social channels.
• Sales agents can create branded and personalized proposals in minutes.
• Professionals can build visual CVs to find the next ideal job.
• Project managers can conduct team meetings with a collaborative whiteboard.

Template Options

The template options in Visme are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many presentation styles to pick from.

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Company Ethics Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

You can choose from dozens of fully designed presentations tailor-made for specific industries and topics or mix and match hundreds of slide layouts by choosing a presentation theme.

You can also start with a blank canvas, add new blank slides to existing presentation templates, and save custom slides to use later as your own templates.

Graphic Assets Library

When selecting the best tools for presentations, the visual capabilities and creative design elements should be a top consideration. Visme’s graphic library includes thousands of free icons, illustrations, stock photos, videos , 3D graphics , audio clips, charts and graphs to include in your presentations.

The best part is that every graphic asset that comes built-in with the Visme editor is fully customizable. Resize, rotate or change colors to fit your brand, content and theme.

AI-Powered Tools

Visme comes with a wide variety of useful AI-powered tools, making it one of the best presentation software.

Let's start with the AI presentation maker . This advanced tool is engineered to make your presentation creation process as quick and efficient as possible.

To create a presentation using this tool, you only need to provide a text prompt outlining your requirements. The tool will then generate the slides, complete with text, images, illustrations and any other content you specify.

After that, you can use Visme's presentation tools to personalize the AI-generated slides and add the final touches.

Next up is the AI writer . This user-friendly tool is your key to overcoming writer's block and crafting engaging copy for your presentation. It can help you create layouts, edit and proofread text, summarize the content and much more. Explain to the AI writer what you want to generate, and it will take care of the rest.

Visme offers several AI image editing tools , including erase and replace, background remover, unblur, and upscaler. These tools can be used to edit the image content or enhance its quality. For example, you can use the Image Upscaler to resize your image without sacrificing quality, ensuring your visuals always look high-quality.

And as always, you just need to provide the right text prompts. Feel free to tweak the prompts as many times as you want until you achieve the perfect outcome.

Videos and GIFs

It's easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation. This is another that makes Visme a powerful video presentation software .

To insert a video, upload a video from your computer or cloud storage and place it on a slide of your choosing. Once you’ve uploaded it, it’ll be in your Media library for future use.

If you don’t have videos of your own, Visme has hundreds of stock videos to choose from in lots of categories. Browse them by clicking the / shortcut on your keyboard and opening the videos tab.

Edit your videos with the integrated timeline feature. Trim video clips and customize playback settings. Resize the video on your slide easily by dragging the corner. Or you can resize any video into another shape for more flexibility.

GIFs are available through the Giphy integration, which you’ll find in the Media tab. These are a great choice when you want to make a meme-based presentation.

Take note that all presentations that have videos or GIFs in the slides must be shared as a live link or downloaded as HTML5 or MP4. If you download it as a PDF or PPTX, all the interactive elements won’t play back.

Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.

Another great option is accessing our Presenter Studio to record a video of yourself presenting your content. You can turn on your camera or record audio only before sending a link to your audience. This is a great way to present asynchronously or save your presentation for people to view again and again.

Embed Third-Party Content

There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes , forms , online videos and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.

You can also take advantage of several integrations to embed even more engaging and interactive content into your slides.

Some of our integrations include SurveyMonkey, Hubspot, Giphy, and many more.

Animations and Transitions

With Visme, you can animate your content and create interactive experiences such as:

• Hover effects or clickable pop-ups, link your slides or content blocks to objects
• Pre-animated assets like characters, illustrations and gestures
• Custom animation and motion effects

Features inside Visme presentations can be animated, and we also have a number of seamless slide transitions that make your content pop, like "Enter from Side" or "Staggered Fade."

If you want to make your content even more dynamic, you can access our Custom Animation feature. This is perfect for creating video presentations or making your elements look like they're floating on your slide.

Visme also comes with a 3D Character Creator that helps you elevate your storytelling and connect with your audience. You can create and customize 3D animated characters to embody your brand or message.

Tweak everything, from gender and hairstyles to outfits and skin tone, until you achieve the perfect look. You also have the ability to choose their entry, waiting and exit poses.

Desktop or Cloud

Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer. We also provide a desktop app that you can download and use outside of your regular browser for seamless content creation.

And if you need to create content on the go, you can easily edit existing projects right from your mobile device or tablet using the Visme iOS app .

Data Widgets

Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.

Data visualization in Visme goes beyond widgets. Add tables, graphs, and charts to your presentation slides and connect them to a live data source . Create a data stream from Google Sheets or Google Analytics into customized data visualizations.

Offline Viewing

Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats.

The best option is to download it as an HTML5 file. That way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can also be downloaded as a collection of JPG or PNG images, as a PDF or as an editable PowerPoint file.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

Collaboration Possibilities

Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together. Leave comments with edits and feedback, edit projects simultaneously and easily share with other people on your team to move the project along.

Plus, Visme's workflow management features give the project admin complete control over your team's collaboration process. You can assign tasks, manage roles, set deadlines and more, all from a centralized platform. These features are useful for streamlining communication and reducing the time between briefing and final presentation design.

Branding Capabilities

Visme's brand design tool makes it easy to keep all of your content on-brand regardless of who's creating it. It works in three easy steps:

1. Upload all of your branding assets (colors, fonts, logo) to Visme with the Brand Wizard . Input your website URL and watch as our Brand Wizard automatically pulls in all of your branding.

2. Access a bundle of 30+ automatically branded templates that have your logo, fonts and colors already ready to go.

3. Easily access thousands of other templates and input your brand fonts and colors with just a click in Visme's editor.

Then boom! All of your content will always have the same branding, helping increase brand strength and recognition.

Share to Social Media

Once a presentation is finished, it can be shared to social media seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.

Privacy and Password Protection

Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it. It is advisable to only use strong passwords for this purpose. There are a few free password managers that could help you do that and keep your account secure .

Visme’s analytics is what makes it stand out as the best tool for presentation. When a presentation is shared via a live link, it can be analyzed for views and sharing.

Access in-depth analytics that show you how much of your presentation is typically viewed, for how long and which slides seem to be the most popular.

Lead Generation

You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients. Simply head over to our  Advanced Settings tab before sharing your project and turn on  Requires Registration to collect emails from each person who views your content.

The best part of using Visme is that you get access to an interactive online form builder that's proven to generate 2X more conversions than traditional forms. You can choose your preferred form type and customize every aspect, including character appearance, color, background and animations to match your design and branding requirements.

Prezi offers a great alternative to the traditional presentation format that goes slide by slide. The creative idea behind Prezi is you can create an animated, non-sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom in.

While Prezi's interface can be slightly complicated to use, it's a good option for people who need to add a creative touch to their presentations.

Prezi is free for basic capabilities and limited templates.

For the paid plans, there are three tiers.

• Standard: $5/month
• Plus: $12/month
• Premium: $16/month
• Teams: Upon Request

There are separate plans available for students and teachers.

Prezi has a slight learning curve, but once you create a couple of presentations, you get the hang of it. However, it doesn't offer too much customizability inside the templates.

Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So, who Prezi is for really depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.

There are plenty of templates to choose from, and you can also start from scratch. The templates are different in color and style, but the idea of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.

AI Presentation Assistant

Prezi has an AI assistant that automatically generates presentations for users.

The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Premium plans get access to over 80,000 icons and 500,000 images.

Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.

Voice over can be added in premium plans.

No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.

Prezi is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.

Prezi is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.

Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Prezi presentations can only be created on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.

Prezi for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.

Brand Kits are only available with Prezi's team plans, but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.

Prezi presentations can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Prezi presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi app. There are two options, as an EXE file for PC and a ZIP file for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi app.

Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.

Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to Prezi presentations you share via a link to someone.

There are no lead generation capabilities with Prezi.

3 Google Slides

Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with Google Docs and Sheets, you can create presentations with Google Slides.

The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite, which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.

Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account. All features are available to everyone.

There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at $6/user/month and go up to $18/user/month.

Compared to other examples of presentation software, Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to Google Docs and Sheets.

Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.

There is a general collection of templates, but there are not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.

The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.

Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.

Audio and Embed Third-Party Content

Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.

Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.

Google Slides is a cloud-based program.

Google Slides can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for Android and iPhone. Presentations can be edited and viewed on all devices.

Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides

There is no brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared via email or link.

Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.

Presentations can be shared privately, but there are no password capabilities, only invitations.

Analytics and Lead Generation

These features are not available.

Read either PowerPoint vs Google ,  or you can check out  Google Slides vs Visme to get a detailed overview of each tool and find the perfect presentation software for your needs.

Keynote is the native Apple presentation software — one of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.

Keynote is free for downloading and also accessing via the cloud with an apple ID.

If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze. This feature makes it stand out as one of the best tools for presentation.

Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.

The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.

There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.

Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.

You can upload existing audio files in Keynote to play on specific slides. There's also an option to record your own voiceover to create a narrated presentation.

Including these is not available

Slides and objects can be animated in a number of ways, including path creation, scaling, bounce or jiggle effects, and more.

Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.

You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PC.

Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.

Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.

Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation

None of these are available on Keynote.

Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.

5 Microsoft PowerPoint

This list wouldn't have been complete without the most popular presentation software in the world. Even though there are tons of more advanced presentation tools out there now, PowerPoint is still a favorite of many because of its familiarity, ease of use and availability.

The desktop-based PowerPoint program is part of Microsoft 365, which has different plans for businesses that start from $6/month and go up to $22/month. You can also buy an unbundled digital PowerPoint account for $159.99

PowerPoint Online is free on any device, including mobile.

Most, if not every, computer user knows how to work a PowerPoint. The traditional sidebar interface is easy to use simply because it's familiar. But for people who are using PowerPoint for the first time, there might be a slight learning curve.

Businesses, individuals, students, teachers and anyone who uses a Windows PC or device. PowerPoint is also a good fit for people who want to create simple, conventional presentations, and aren't looking for fancy new features or capabilities.

There are dozens of themes that come built-in with PowerPoint, and there are all customizable so you can play around with the styles.

You can browse stock images, icons, stickers and more by searching for relevant keywords in PowerPoint's graphic library.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also embed videos from YouTube and other online sources. However, this feature is only available to Windows users.

You can upload audio files from your computer. You can also record audio directly inside PowerPoint and edit the settings for playback.

You can embed files created in other Microsoft Office applications, such as charts created in Excel, or any other programs that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE.)

There are tons of animation and transition options available in PowerPoint, which can actually get confusing at times. However, if you know your way around these options, it gets easier to create a professional-looking slideshow.

There are both desktop and cloud versions of PowerPoint available.

You can download the PowerPoint mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.

It's possible to share your presentation with specific people.

Brand kits are not available, but you can save custom themes.

Presentations cannot be shared to social media.

You can download your PowerPoint presentations in various formats, including PPTX and PDF. This makes it easy to access them on any device offline.

You can mark your presentations as read-only to prevent users from editing the file.

This feature is not available in PowerPoint.

Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the number of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography to .svg to code builds.

Ludus starts at $14.99/month for teams of 1-15 people. Teams that need more licenses are encouraged to contact for more pricing information. Ludus does offer a 30-day free trial.

Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.

This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners who have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.

There are no templates to choose from. You have to start from scratch or use smart blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.

Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.

Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.

Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.

You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and HTML options.

Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.

Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.

Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.

Collaborations are possible with the team plans. This includes live collaboration, workspaces and more.

With collaborations, smart blocks and the Brandfetch integration, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.

Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.

Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.

Pro Plans have password protection.

There are no analytics or lead generation capabilities available in Ludus.

Slides is the only presentation software that promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.

Slides is free to use, but finished presentations will be public and available. 

The paid plans start at $5/month, and the Pro plan sits at $10/month and go up to $20/month for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.

Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.

Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities.

Slides has a very limited template library with just a handful of different options to choose from.

The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.

Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.

Including audio is not possible with Slides.

Anything with code can be added in an iframe.

All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.

Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.

Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.

Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities. Users can leave comments with feedback for the creator to review and make edits.

There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.

Yes, quite easily.

You can also share presentations via URL, email or embeddable code.

A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.

Privacy and Analytics

Possible with paid plans.

This is not possible on Slides.

8 Slidebean

Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks.

The highlight of this presentation software is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you put together the best possible slide layouts and configurations. They also have a team of experts that can both write and design your pitch deck for you if you don't want to take the DIY route.

The free plan has limited capabilities but it's enough to see how Slidebean works. To export your presentation, you'll need to upgrade.

There are three price levels from $8/month to $19/month to $149/month. The last one is the Founder's Edition plan, which includes help from the experts on your presentations.

If you choose to get their help on your presentation design, it starts at $29 per slide or $1,999 for the full project.

Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a popup.

Editing can be done in outline or design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up, but there are lots of choices. There's no free size changing or moving around.

Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Snapchat and Buzzfeed.

There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.

GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.

There are no audio capabilities.

The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.

Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.

Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.

It can be used to edit or view on any device.

Collaboration is possible in the paid plans.

This feature is available in the paid plans.

Sharing to Social Media

Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.

This feature is not available.

Analytics are available in the paid plans.

9 Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics Microsoft PowerPoint in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. However, Zoho's version is much nicer and polished.

Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and the company offers different types of apps for teams and office use — Zoho Show is only one of their programs.

Zoho show is completely free and without ads.

Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.

Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.

There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.

The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.

Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.

Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.

There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.

All elements and transitions can be animated.

Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.

You can only create presentations on a computer.

Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.

Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.

Sharing to social media is not possible unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.

Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.

Yes, this is possible on all plans.

Analytics are possible on the paid plans.

10 Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it.

Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually. They offer a 14-day free trial to test out their tool.

This is probably the best thing about Beautiful.ai — it's incredibly simple to use. All you need to do is add smart slides, plug in your content, and choose from different preset layouts.

Of course, that also means that you have limited customization options. But if you're looking for a simple solution and you don't trust your design skills, this may be a good option for you.

Beautiful.ai is a great tool for absolute beginners and non-designers who are looking for a no-nonsense presentation software.

For example, startups and entrepreneurs can use this software to create a nice-looking pitch deck or proposal quickly without any design help.

There are a handful of slide themes available, but they're mostly basic in terms of design. You can play around with the layouts inside each theme to put together a unique presentation.

The graphic assets library comes with a bunch of free stock photos and icons to choose from, but the options are pretty limited.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also import videos from YouTube and Vimeo to embed in your slides.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer.

It's not possible to embed third-party content into Beautiful.ai presentations. However, you can add interactive links to your slides.

Each slide comes with a preset animation style that you're unable to customize. However, you can change the speed, timing and triggers for the animations. 

Beautiful.ai is a cloud-based application.

The software only works on your desktop computer.

You can invite people to collaborate on your presentation by either giving them "view" or "edit" access. Collaborators must have a Beautiful.ai account to view or edit the presentation.

While there's no brand kit feature available, you can customize a theme (colors and fonts) and save it to your library to use in future presentations.

There are several options to share your presentations. Send an email invite, share a public or private link, generate an embed code or share directly to social media.

You can export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint to view offline.

There is no password protection, but you can use the Secure Viewing option to only share your presentation with other Beautiful.ai users via an email invite.

This feature is only available in the paid plans. You can access a number of viewing and usage statistics for your presentations.

This feature is not available in Beautiful.ai.

11 Genially

The main idea behind the Genially presentation software is interactivity.

This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations but also for other visual graphics. It’s great for adding a modern, interactive feel to your presentations.

There is a free plan in Genially, which gives you unlimited creations but limited resources. The paid plans are as follow, paid yearly:

• Pro: $7.49 / month
• Master: $20.82 / month
• Team: $79.15 / month

Genially is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genially.

Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a "design view" and a "layers view."

Professionals and educators of any field who can benefit from interactive presentations.

There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentation templates are also available as "video presentations."

The graphic assets in Genially are quite varied; there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the Pixabay integration.

Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, added via SoundCloud and a couple of other integrations, or recorded directly in Genially.

Third-party content can be added to your presentations with Genially integrations. For example, you can add an interactive map via Google Maps.

All elements can be animated, as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity,” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.

Genially is a cloud-based presentation program.

This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.

It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where  all creations are stored.

Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.

Finished presentations can be shared to social media.

Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.

Premium plans have these features.

This is not available in Genially.

Canva is not only a presentation software but also a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become a favorite with bloggers and home-based businesses.

The free version of Canva is pretty extensive. The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought separately or through the Canva Pro plan. Canva Pro is charged at $12.99/month or $119.99/year.

Canva Teams is $14.99/month + $14.99/month for every team member after the 5th.

Canva is easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling; there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides at once.

Bloggers, small home-based businesses and startups

There are lots of customizable template options, and each slide inside the templates can be used individually.

There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library, including shapes, icons, photos, frames and stickers. Some are free, while others are paid.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded to Canva.

You can add music to your presentations using the available options inside Canva.

Canva offers dozens of integrations and media embed options, including YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and more.

There are several animation options that apply to entire slides inside Canva. You can also add animated stickers to your slides.

Canva is a cloud-based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.

Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.

Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.

Canva Pro has a brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.

Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf. You can also download it as an MP4 video for offline viewing.

All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password-protected sharing though.

These features are not available in Canva.

While Canva offers a wide range of features for various visual design needs, you can explore better alternatives to find solutions that may better fit your requirements. If you want to explore other options, read our article about 12 excellent Canva alternatives .

13  FlowVella

FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode, in which you can create interactive presentations like the ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.

FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark. P aid plans are as follows:

• Premium : $10/month or $60/year
• Pro : $20/month or $200/year
• Enterprise : Upon request

FlowVella is pretty easy to use, and the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.

This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.

The template options are quite varied and well designed.

The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.

Videos can be uploaded or found via YouTube, iCloud and Dropbox integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, or added via iCloud or Dropbox.

You can add PDF files.

Only the transitions are animated minimally.

This is a desktop-based application. It must be downloaded.

There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.

Paid premium plans can work with teams.

Brand kits are not available.

Presentations can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.

These features are available in the paid plans. Analytics can be viewed once the presentation has been published online.

This feature is not available on FlowVella.

14  Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.

Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.

Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.

The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly toward educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.

Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.

The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.

YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.

Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.

Only videos can be embedded.

Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck

Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Haiku Deck is a cloud-based app that is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.

Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.

Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.

Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.

There is no brand kit, but you can add your logo to the finished product.

Pro and Premium plans have private and password-protected capabilities.

Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.

Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.

15  Microsoft Sway

Microsoft has its own alternative to PowerPoint — Sway.

This online presentation software is completely different from PowerPoint and introduces a new concept of building "Sways" instead of "presentations."

Sway is free to use for anyone who has a Microsoft account.

It's super easy to use Sway and kind of fun too. It has a non-traditional storyline editor, which lets you add "blocks" of content that the software configures into layouts.

Sway is mostly for people who don't want to spend too much time designing a complex presentation. For example, students and nonprofit organizations.

There are several templates for different purposes, such as photo slideshows, sales trainings and even personal portfolios.

You can upload your own media or search from various sources inside Sway, including Flickr and Bing Images. There are no shapes and icons included.

You can upload videos from your device or embed from YouTube.

You can add audio to Sway by uploading or dragging and dropping the audio file onto your storyline from your computer.

You can embed images, videos, maps and other content from tons of websites, including Google Maps, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Sway automatically adds animations to your slides. You cannot change or customize them; you can only increase or decrease the level of animation added to your Sway.

Sway is an online, cloud-based software.

Sway works on any device with an internet browser.

You can invite people to view or edit your Sway presentation.

Sway presentations can be shared directly to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF file to view offline.

There is no password protection available, but you can choose to share your Sway with specific people, anyone with a link or only people in your organization who have a link.

You can view reader statistics for your Sway if you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.

This feature is not available in Microsoft Sway.

Presentation Software FAQs

Still have questions? We've compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the best presentation tools available.

Q. Which Is the Best Software for Making Presentations?

There are many presentation tools out there but Visme stands out as a top pick and a creative presentation app with a full suite of advanced features tailored to the needs of individual users and businesses. Visme offers real-time collaboration, interactive and animated elements, hyper-customization options, robust data visualization tools and a brand wizard to maintain brand consistency across your presentations.

Q. What Is Better Than PowerPoint?

Visme is often considered a top presentation software and offers several advantages as a PowerPoint alternative software. Its intuitive interface and extensive template library make creating visually stunning presentations seamless, even for beginners. Visme's collaboration features are superior, allowing teams to work seamlessly. On top of that, Visme is packed with advanced interactive and animated elements to keep your audience hooked.

Q. Is PowerPoint or Prezi Better?

PowerPoint and Prezi each have strengths and are suited for different presentation styles. PowerPoint is easy to use, has a clear structure, and is widely available, making it suitable for traditional slide decks and formal presentations. On the other hand, Prezi excels at non-linear, visually engaging presentations with its zooming and panning features, making it ideal for creative or storytelling presentations. The best choice depends on your content, audience and desired presentation style.

Q. What Is the Best App to Do a Presentation On?

Visme offers a powerful presentation app that allows you to create, edit and present your slides from anywhere. Its mobile app is designed for on-the-go editing and presenting, ensuring you always have your presentation at your fingertips.

Q. Is Canva Better Than PowerPoint?

Canva and PowerPoint are tailored to suit the diverse preferences and requirements of different users.

Generally, Canva is known for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive library of design-focused templates and emphasis on visual appeal. It is an excellent choice for those who value aesthetics and want to create content quickly. On the other hand, PowerPoint offers more traditional features and is super flexible. It is often preferred due to its integration and compatibility with other Microsoft Office tools.

Q. What Is Replacing PowerPoint?

Visme is quickly gaining popularity as a PowerPoint replacement and a free presentation software with a user-friendly interface, tons of customization options, and powerful tools that make creating presentations a breeze. With a plethora of templates, interactive elements, and powerful data visualization tools, Visme empowers you to create presentations that truly captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression

Don't just take our word for it. Hear what Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW!, has to say about Visme:

“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.”

“PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier.”

“I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.”

Read the full case study to learn how they streamlined their presentation creation process and found a better alternative than PowerPoint.

Looking for a Presentation Software?

Choosing the best presentation program for your business is a great first step towards better and more effective slide deck development. In this guide, you learned about 15 different types of presentation software and we gave you a checklist to help you decide.

If you're looking for an easy-to-use presentation maker that also comes with unique features that you won't find in most other tools, Visme might be a great option.

You can look for the right pricing plan for your needs and even apply for a discount if you're a nonprofit organization. And if you just want to try out Visme to see if it's a good fit, sign up for a free account and use it for as long as you like — no strings attached.

Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.

Create stunning presentations in minutes with Visme

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

10 Best Presentation Apps for iPad

Cult.technology.

If you’re looking for the best presentation apps for iPad, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll show you 10 of the best options for iPad presentation apps that are currently available, along with their pros and cons.

iPad presentation apps offer a number of advantages over traditional presentation software. They’re more portable, for one thing, and they tend to be more user-friendly as well. Additionally, many of these apps offer features that are simply not possible with traditional presentation software, such as the ability to use your iPad as a virtual whiteboard.

So without further ado, here are the 10 best presentation apps for iPad:

10 Best Presentation Apps for iPad:

1. keynote :.

Keynote is one of the popular presentation apps for iPad. When it comes to giving presentations, there is no tool more versatile or user-friendly than Keynote for iPad. This powerful app allows users to create beautiful slideshows complete with animations, transitions, and multimedia elements. And thanks to its intuitive interface, Keynote is easy to use even for first-time users.

Keynote is Apple’s own presentation app, and it’s one of the best in the business. It’s got a clean, intuitive interface and a wide range of features, making it perfect for both simple and complex presentations.

Keynote users can create presentations that are as simple or complex as they need to be. Whether you’re creating a quick presentation for work or an elaborate slideshow for a special event, Keynote has the tools you need to get the job done.

There are many reasons to love Keynote for iPad.

• One of the biggest advantages of this app is its flexibility.
• Clean interface
• Wide range of features
• Great for both simple and complex presentations.
• Another great thing about Keynote is its compatibility with other Apple products. If you’re already using iCloud, you can easily share your presentations with other iOS devices and Macs.
• You’re using an iPhone or iPad, you can even control your presentation remotely with the Keynote Remote app

Though Keynote is a powerful presentation tool, there are some cons to using it on your iPad.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Formatting can be tricky. Because the iPad screen is smaller than a traditional computer screen
• The iPad version of Keynote is more expensive than the Mac version.
• You need an Internet connection to use Keynote on the iPad.

2. PowerPoint

If you’re looking for a powerful and easy-to-use presentation app for your iPad, then PowerPoint Presentation is a perfect choice. With its intuitive interface and wide range of features, PowerPoint Presentation makes creating and delivering presentations a breeze.

PowerPoint Presentation comes with everything you need to create professional-looking presentations, including:

• A wide range of templates to choose from
• An easy-to-use editor for creating and customizing your slides
• A library of built-in images and icons
• The ability to add multimedia content to your presentations
• The ability to share your presentations with others via email or social media
• Can be used to create engaging and visually appealing presentations
• Can be used to present on a variety of different devices, including iPads and smartphones
• Can be used to share presentations with others online
• Can be used to create presentations in a variety of different languages
• Some PowerPoint presentation apps can be expensive to purchase
• May require a monthly subscription fee
• Some users may find the app difficult to use
• There may be limited customer support available.

3. Google Slides

Google Slides is a powerful presentation tool that offers a variety of features and benefits. One of the major advantages of using Google Slides is that it is very easy to use and intuitive. Even if you are not familiar with presentation software, you should be able to create a professional-looking presentation with Google Slides in no time.

Another benefit of using Google Slides is that it allows you to collaborate with other people on your presentation. This means that if you are working on a project with someone else, you can both work on the presentation at the same time and see each other’s changes in real time. This can be a great way to get feedback and ideas from others while you are working on your presentation.

Finally, Google Slides is a very affordable way to create professional-looking presentations. If you compare the cost of Google Slides to other presentation software, you will find that it is very reasonably priced. Overall, Google Slides is a great choice for anyone who needs to create a presentation.

• Access presentations from anywhere – Great for collaboration
• you can easily add images, videos, and transitions to your slideshows.
• You can also collaborate with others on your presentations, making it easy to get feedback and make changes together.
• Limited features compared to desktop application
• Requires an internet connection to use
• Not as intuitive as some other presentation software options.

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software and storytelling tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas. The zoomable canvas makes it easy to present details and structure information in a way that is more intuitive and engaging than traditional slide-based presentations. Prezi’s zooming interface brings ideas to life by providing a more interactive way of exploring them. This makes it ideal for presenting concepts that are difficult to explain with traditional slides. Prezi is also great for storytelling, as it allows you to zoom in and out of your story to provide more context and detail.

Prezi is a unique presentation app that allows you to create “zoomable” presentations. This can be a great way to add visual interest to your presentation, and it’s also very user-friendly.

• Zooming interface makes it easy to present complex information in a way that is easy to understand.
• Built-in templates and design tools make it easy to create professional-looking presentations.
• Cloud-based platform makes it easy to share presentations with others and collaborate on projects.
• Prezi is a great alternative to traditional presentation software such as PowerPoint.
• Some users find it difficult to use
• First, the app is not free to download and use
• Not as widely used as other presentation apps.

5. Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is an app that allows users to create beautiful presentations. It is simple and easy to use, and it makes creating presentations fun and creative process. Haiku Deck is perfect for any occasion, whether you’re presenting at work, school, or just want to share your ideas with friends. With Haiku Deck, you can quickly and easily create stunning presentations that will engage and inspire your audience.

• Makes it easy to create beautiful presentations.
• Simple interface and templates make it easy to create stunning presentations in minutes.
• Built-in image library and search engine make it easy to find the perfect images for your presentation.
• Sharing features make it easy to share your presentations with others.
• Mobile apps make it easy to view and present your presentations on the go.
• Firstly, the app is not very flexible when it comes to design.
• There are only a limited number of templates and layouts available, so users may find it difficult to create truly unique presentations.
• Haiku Deck presentations can be quite image-heavy, which can make them slow to load and difficult to view on devices with lower resolution screens.
• The app does not have a built-in notes feature, so users who want to add speaker notes to their slides will need to use a separate tool or write them down separately.

6. SlideShark

SlideShark is a great iPad presentation app for businesses and organisations that need to give presentations on a regular basis. It’s got a ton of features and allows you to view your presentation on any device, even if it doesn’t have PowerPoint installed.With Slide Shark app for iPad is the ultimate presentation tool. It allows you to create beautiful presentations with ease, and share them with your audience with a few simple taps.

With Slide Shark, you can:

• Create slideshows from your photos and videos
• Add text, shapes, and transitions to your slideshows
• Share your presentations with your audience
• View your presentations on your iPad or iPhone
• Export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint

Slide Shark is the perfect presentation tool for busy professionals who need to create great presentations quickly and easily. With its easy-to-use interface and powerful features, Slide Shark makes it easy to create stunning

So what are the pros of using SlideShark? Let’s take a look:

• View presentations in their original formatting
• Present directly from your device
• Access your presentations from anywhere, at any time
• Share presentations with others
• Get feedback on your presentations
• Improve your presentation skills

SlideShark, like all other apps, has its own set of pros and cons. Let’s take a look at some of the main cons of using SlideShark for business presentations.

• It can be quite expensive to purchase the app outright. Although there is a free trial available.
• Another con of using SlideShark is that it can be quite difficult to use.
• The app is not as user-friendly as some of the other presentation apps out there.
• SlideShark can be quite resource-intensive. The app requires a lot of storage space on your device.
• SlideShark doesn’t have as many features as some of the other presentation apps out there.

7. ClearSlide

The ClearSlide app for presentation is a powerful tool that allows you to create and deliver stunning presentations on your iPad. It’s got a clean, user-friendly interface, you can quickly create slideshows with photos, videos, and text that look professional and engaging. You can also add transitions, animations, and effects to make your presentation more dynamic. And with its built-in sharing capabilities, you can easily share your presentations with others so they can view them on their own devices. Whether you’re giving a sales presentation, delivering a keynote speech, or teaching a class, the ClearSlide app for presentation is the perfect way to get your message across.

You can rely on ClearSlide for the best iPad app for presentations. Now let’s look at the pros and cons of this app.

• ClearSlide has a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started creating presentations.
• ClearSlide also supports presentation sharing, so you can easily share your presentations with others.
• You can add slides, images, and videos from your iPad Pro’s library, or from the web.
• t’s easy to use, packed with features and designed specifically for the iPad Pro.
• One of the main drawbacks of using the ClearSlide app is that it can be quite expensive.
• Additionally, the app requires a subscription in order to use all of its features.
• Another drawback of the ClearSlide app is that it can be difficult to use. The interface is not as intuitive as some other presentation apps
• This app doesn’t have a built-in tutorial, so you’ll need to find one online if you want to learn how to use the app.

8. ShoweDeck

ShoweDeck is a presentation app that helps you create and deliver engaging presentations. With ShoweDeck, you can easily add multimedia content to your slides, including images, videos, and audio files. You can also use ShoweDeck to create interactive presentations, using features such as questionnaires and polls. ShoweDeck is a great tool for both personal and professional use.  It’s very user-friendly and comes with a wide range of features, making it perfect for both simple and complex presentations.

• First and foremost, the app is designed to be easy to use. It has a simple interface that makes it quick and easy to create and edit presentations.
• There are a variety of templates available, or users can create their own custom layouts.
• The app also includes a number of built-in features that make it easy to add multimedia content to presentations, such as photos, videos, and audio files.
• Another key advantage of the ShoweDeck presentation app is its portability. The app can be used on any iPad, which makes it ideal for use in a variety of situations.
• It is also possible to share presentations with others via email or social media.
• The ShoweDeck presentation app offers a number of features that make it easy to give presentations. For example, users can add notes to slides, and the app includes a variety of tools for creating and managing presentations.
• First, it lacks some features that are essential for effective presentations, such as the ability to insert notes or comments on slides or to easily format text.
• Additionally, the app is not very intuitive and can be challenging to use, especially for those who are not familiar with presentation software.
• Finally, the app is not compatible with all versions of PowerPoint, which can limit its usefulness.

9. Hypercontext

The Hypercontext presentation app is a great tool for creating professional-looking presentations in iPad. It’s easy to use and has a wide range of features, making it perfect for both businesses and individuals. With Hypercontext, you can create stunning slideshows with ease, adding photos, videos, text, and more. Plus, the app makes it easy to share your presentations with others, making it perfect for team collaboration. So whether you’re creating a presentation for work or school, Hypercontext is the perfect tool for the job.

• Ease of use : Hypercontext is designed to be extremely user-friendly, even for first-time users. Creating a presentation is as simple as dragging and dropping your slides into the app, and adding text, images, and other content is just a matter of a few taps.
• Flexibility : Hypercontext offers a wide range of features and options to customize your presentations, including the ability to add notes to slides, change backgrounds and fonts, and more.
• Sharing options : When you’re finished creating your presentation, Hypercontext makes it easy to share it with others. You can export your presentation as a PDF or PowerPoint file, or even share it directly to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The Hypercontext presentation app for iPad has some cons that users should be aware of before using it.

• One con is that the app can be glitchy and may not work as intended.
• Another con is that Hypercontext presentations can be very long and time-consuming to create.

10. MyndPlayer

MyndPlayer is a powerful and easy-to-use presentation app for iPad. With MyndPlayer you can easily create, edit and share presentations on the go.

MyndPlayer makes it easy to stay organized and keep your presentations looking great. You can easily add, remove and rearrange slides, and add notes to each slide. MyndPlayer also supports iCloud, so you can access your presentations from anywhere.

Whether you’re giving a presentation for work or school, MyndPlayer has you covered. Download it today and see how easy it is to create beautiful presentations on your iPad.

• MyndPlayer supports both PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, so you can use the app regardless of which program you’re accustomed to using.
• MyndPlayer offers a number of features that make it ideal for presentations. For example, you can use the app to record your voiceover narration for your slideshows, which can be a great way to add professional-sounding audio to your presentations.
• MyndPlayer makes it easy to share your presentations with others. You can export your slideshows as video files that can be played on any computer, or you can share them via email or social media.
• The app includes a built-in whiteboard that you can use to annotate your slideshows in real-time. This can be a great way to add visual interest to your presentations and make them more interactive.
• The app can be challenging to use if you’re not familiar with presentation software. It takes some time to get used to the interface and learn how to create and edit slideshows.
• It is not compatible with all devices. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you won’t be able to use MyndPlayer.
• This app doesn’t have a lot of features compared to other presentation software. For example, it doesn’t allow you to embed video or audio into your slideshows.

Conclusion:

We have listed down the top 10 best iPad presentation apps with their pros and cons. For more tech updates, do follow cult.technology !!

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Best presentation apps

We round up the best Android, iOS and desktop apps to transform your presentations and make a big impact

Whether you're presenting information to your team, potential clients or investors, having a reliable app that can make the process of creating, sharing and making presentations is key.

These apps are all available across platforms and although only some allow you to create presentations on the move, they all allow you to break away from the norm and produce something with that wow factor.

Apple Keynote

Publisher: Apple

Format: Browser, iOS, Mac

Price: Free (basic version via iCloud and bundled with new iPad purchases), £7.99 (sold separately)

Keynote is Apple's sturdy presentation app. Whether compiling your presentation on the go or at the desktop, the app's sleek design makes the process straightforward. Keynote comes with 30 pre-made presentation themes, plenty of slide layout and fonts, and a selection of “cinema-quality” animations.

It’s possible to create and edit a presentation on Mac, any post-iOS 8 iPhone or iPad, as well as a PC via iCloud.com, and users can also import and edit Microsoft PowerPoint files. For iOS users, Keynote’s interoperability with Mac OS and PowerPoint compatibility makes it a sound choice.

Publisher: Canva

Format: Browser, iOS

Price: Free

Canva transforms everyone into a designer, helping you create impactful presentations quickly. Although it is primarily a design app, it has a large database of stock images, themes, appealing text boxes and backgrounds, all which can be used to make professional looking, and image-centric slides.

You can simply drag and drop on the interface, making the slides look as you want them to! Canva allows you to play around with the built-in layouts and themes, making your slideshow seem appealing for corporate brands and businesses, travel, classes and many other environments.

Publisher: FlowVella

Format: Mac, iOS

Price: From free, up to $20 a month

FlowVella makes it easy peasy to create and share presentations with embedded rich media, including photos, videos and sound. You can create galleries within presentations and even add PDFs to be viewed in their full colourful glory.

The company says it is turning presentations into powerful stories, giving them more impact than standard PowerPoint presentations, which is a huge bonus if you’re one who hates the normal slide-by-slide walkthrough of a business matter.

The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Mac, so it’s focused towards creatives, but don’t let this deter you. It’s easy to use with templates to help get your presentation off the ground and with powerful analytics to help you understand who viewed your presentation, which pages were the most impactful and how you can improve next time, it’s a powerful sales tool for any organisation.

Google Slides

Publisher: Google Inc

Format: Android, Browser, iOS

Part of Google’s Docs suite of productivity apps, Google Slides makes the production of and sharing of presentations a simple process. Although not all features are supported on mobile, you can view and edit them on smartphones and tablets.

It’s easy to share the presentations with others and you can download them as a wide range of file formats (including PDF and PPTX) if the person you’re sending the presentation to doesn’t use Google Docs. Google Slides is a simple way to make presentations. It can be used on or offline and comes with a number of pre-installed templates to transform your presentation.

Publisher: Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck allows users to create a presentation on the web, iPad, or iPhone. Users can choose from a range of fonts, layouts, and image filters to use in presentations.

It boasts access to over 40 million free Creative Commons images. Presentations are stored in the cloud and can be displayed on any device.

Publisher: Prezi Inc

Format: Android, Browser, iOS, Windows Phone

Price: Free (basic)

Prezi adds a lot more to your presentation than just the usual boring transitions. You can add motion, zoom, and other effects to your presentations to make them stand out from the crowd. The mobile apps on iOS and Android don't let you create apps (the screens are too small for that), but you can review them and make changes if you need to.

They’re simple to send to colleagues and with collaboration at the heart of everything it does. Prezi allows you to create animated, appealing and nonlinear presentations with moving objects that keep the audience engaged in what you say.

Publisher: SlideBean Format: Browser

Price: Free (basic), $5/month for downloadable presentations, $6/month for private presentations

SlideBean makes it simple to create beautiful presentations without the hassle of implementing the design elements, making it a great option if you don't have an in-house designer. They're all created and available to view online, where you're also able to browse other users' presentations for research or inspiration.

You can simply add the text, images and videos you wish to display, choose a template and hey presto! SlideBean will transform it into a stunning presentation viewable via the company's online presentation viewer. If you opt for the $5/user/month option, you'll be abe to download the presentation to view via your preferred presentation platform or $6/user/month if you want to make it a private presentation so only those granted access can view it online.

You can also add your own branding with the premium options, although the free version's templates look attractive without your logo.

SlidePocket

Publisher: SlidePocket

Format: iOS

Price: Free (in-app purchases)

SlidePocket for iPad gives you the tools create simple and attractive presentations directly from your tablet. You’ll have a selection of templates and themes to choose from, as well as access to a moderate library of stock images.

There are options to import PDFs, edit themes, and export for different apps, delivered through a straightforward interface. It's perfect for those looking for a presentation app that does not require scanning a lengthy tutorial first.

Publisher: Slideshare

If you have made a presentation that you wish the world should see, Slideshare is the place to upload it. It’s one of the largest online slide sharing portals where you can make your public, shared with certain users or completely private.

Owned by LinkedIn, this is the best and the most suitable application through which you can share your knowledge and thoughts and build your portfolio of valuable content for brand building and other such objectives. It's the simplest way to share your presentations with the world and get noticed.

Publisher: Zoho Show

Price: Free (basic version)

Zoho Show is the online, no frills version of Microsoft PowerPoint, but it offers so much more than just being a carbon copy. It uses simple drop down menus and tabs, making it super-intuitive to use. What makes Zoho Show great is that it allows you create instant content by clicking on text boxes that can be added to the slides and apply themes, all with just a single click. A unique feature is ‘broadcast', i.e. you can share your slideshow in real time with anyone online.

With Zoho Show, you can access these files easily online, make and edit them, practice your presentation well before time. Although the basic version is free, for more add-ons there are premium and paid features starting at $5/month.

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As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.

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8 Things I’ve Learned Using an iPad for Presentations

I love using my iPad for travel to conferences, and not just because it’s so lightweight and its battery lasts all day. For one thing, with the LTE version I’m not beholden to conference Wi-Fi; while some conferences have good connectivity, I never want to count on it. With the iPad I can nearly always get online.

But the iPad isn’t convenient only for attending conferences. It’s a good tool for presentations, too-or at least an excellent backup for a dedicated computer. I can easily be ready to present if I have a last-minute computer replacement.

Still, I had some things to learn the hard way about using an iPad for presentations. Perhaps I can save you a few steps.

The Basics of Getting Started

Learn the differences between “desktop” keynote and the ipad version.

While I present nearly exclusively from an iPad, I usually build my initial presentation on a Mac. I build all of my presentations in Keynote, and store them in iCloud. I can (and do) make tweaks to a presentation on-site via the iPad version of Keynote, but it always feels as though I’m slightly fighting with the software.

Keynote supports a customizable presenter display in both versions. On the Mac desktop version, you can pick three ways to give yourself that during-the-talk cheat sheet, instructing it to show you the current slide, next slide, and presenter notes. On the iPad, the presenter display options only give you a “two out of three” option, between current slide, next slide, and presenter notes. I begrudgingly pick Next Slide and Presenter Notes, and then I hope the venue has a confidence monitor that shows me what’s on the projector behind me.

Some folks prefer to use Powerpoint or Google Slides. This distills down to religion, and I can confidently state that those people are wrong. Both tools offer iPad versions as well, but I’m not well versed in them. Deckset doesn’t offer an iPad version, and I’ve not had much patience for the swath of custom JavaScript-based presentation tools that render Markdown inside of browsers. I want to like them, but I can’t quite get there yet. As a result, use Keynote; you’ll be happier. As an added bonus, the presentations live in iCloud; with a bit of notice you can grab a copy on someone’s Mac, iPhone, or iPad and be back in business should calamity befall your iPad.

Do be aware that this means that if your presentation requires a demo in a terminal or a web browser, you either get to do some awkward transitions—or accept that presenting from an iPad isn’t right for this talk. I still haven’t found a good way to give my “Terrible Ideas in Git” talk from an iPad due to its live demos…

Invest in a presentation remote

A presentation remote is a necessity, unless you enjoy being trapped behind the podium. I treated myself to a little luxury with the  Logitech Spotlight .

This device does it all. It speaks its own wireless protocol via a USB-A dongle that plugs into most laptops, but the Spotlight also speaks Bluetooth with a great range. Its battery charges using a built-in USB-C port that hides behind the dongle, and a single charge lasts for months.

I freely accept that most folks find the idea of paying $129 for a single-purpose device a bit nutty. Those folks generally don’t give double-digit numbers of presentations a year. A word of caution: Don’t leave it behind at the podium after your talk. It’s expensive enough to buy the first time. Please don’t ask me how I know.

Pay attention to fonts and typefaces

I have a condition I jokingly refer to as “typeface blindness.” I can’t tell the difference between most fonts unless I stare at them and actively work out what I’m seeing. I’m told this is atypical, and whenever I forget this fact I get reminded on Twitter. “Well, that’s the fifth talk so far today that uses Helvetica (the system default)” always makes me facepalm. As a result, I make it a point to not use system default fonts.

Contrary to what many folks believe, you can use custom fonts on iOS, but the process is a bit arcane. Do yourself a favor and drop the $2 for  AnyFont . This magic app streamlines an otherwise incredibly painful process.

Lessons I’ve Learned

I’m conservative here; while you can save money by buying third party adapters, I find that minimizing the risk of screwing up a presentation in front of 400 people is worth the extortionate rate that Apple charges for first party adapters. You’ll want both HDMI and VGA adapters. Both of these are available in Lightning and USB-C flavors, depending upon which generation of iPad you’re using. Note that this is less of a concern with USB-C than it is with Lightning adapters—just make certain you test all of your adapters before you leave home.

Save time; don’t bother looking for DVI adapters. The iPad officially doesn’t support it, Apple doesn’t sell them for Lightning, and I’ve only ever encountered it on the speaking circuit once. Your test a few hours before your talk will validate that you’ll be okay.

You can never be too rich, too thin, or have a big enough battery pack

Grab a beefy battery pack, and you can go days without finding a power outlet. You don’t want to discover that the podium power strip is full, the extension cord is a trip hazard, or that you don’t have the right adapter for the country you’re in when it’s time to give a talk. Having a battery pack that can borderline jump-start a car means you’re fine so long as your iPad battery level is anywhere about roughly 3%. (Too much lower and the tablet won’t boot at all.)

I like Anker products for this, but your mileage may vary. I soundly endorse finding reputable brands. Saving a few bucks on chargers, cables, or batteries that (a) plug into a very expensive electronic device and (b) have a propensity to include “sets the building on fire” in their list of failure modes just never seemed worth the trade-off to me.

Note: If you need to give away something at a booth, don’t use branded USB battery packs or chargers, as swag. At best, they’re cheap and feel flimsy. At worst, something with your logo on it started a fire.

Spend extra for an LTE connection

You can tether your iPad to a mobile device or ride on conference Wi-Fi. However, if you’re presenting frequently it’s worth the extra money to get an iPad version that can speak to the cell networks. Suddenly you no longer care what the conference Wi-Fi password is, whether you remembered to charge your phone, or if the captive portal login page is going to expire and pop up again mid-presentation.

Speaking of which…

Before the presentation, turn on both “Do Not Disturb” and “Airplane Mode”

In presentation mode, Keynote swears that it blocks pop-ups, reminders, incoming calls, and other distractions. To its credit, I’ve never seen it do otherwise.

That said, I always enable Do Not Disturb on my iPad. I put the device in airplane mode. And only then do I plug in the projector. Perhaps I’m paranoid, but you’re also not seeing horrible screenshots from my talks that feature embarrassing notifications, either.

Update nothing before your presentation

If a new iOS version or a Keynote update comes out the same week as your presentation, fine. But resist the upgrade. It can wait a day.

There have been enough regressions in software over the years that I’m extremely hesitant to trust that everything will “just work” an hour before I go on stage.

These are the sometimes-hard-won lessons I’ve learned after spending a year giving talks solely from an iPad.

Corey is the Chief Cloud Economist at The Duckbill Group, where he specializes in helping companies improve their AWS bills by making them smaller and less horrifying. He also hosts the "Screaming in the Cloud" and "AWS Morning Brief" podcasts; and curates "Last Week in AWS," a weekly newsletter summarizing the latest in AWS news, blogs, and tools, sprinkled with snark and thoughtful analysis in roughly equal measure.

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Presentation Guru

The best presentation apps for iphone and ipad.

In the wake of the demise of Symbian phones, the near death of BlackBerry and the expensive failure called Windows Phone, there are two obvious mobile OS competitors still standing: Android and iOS. As smartphones, tablets and phablets invade the mobile market, it is only a matter of time before desktop operating systems face the prospect of extinction, unless they somehow evolve. In the wake of this shift, it is necessary for presenters to gear up for things to come.

In a previous post we brought you our list of the best presentation apps for Android . This time we have compiled a similar list for iOS devices. The presentation apps listed below are a combination of applications meant to help presenters create, edit, view, present and remotely control presentations using iDevices.

[This article contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here .]

1) P owerPoint

Maybe it’s my bias being a PC guy or maybe because Apple is too high and mighty to let Keynote evolve with better cross-platform compatibility. Either way, PowerPoint for iOS is number one in our list of the best presentation apps for iPhone and iPad.

Many end users have complained about the need for an Office 365 subscription that is required to use PowerPoint for iOS, considering there have been a plethora of free apps providing PowerPoint support on iDevices even before this app was launched.

However, like all good things in life, it is only natural that PowerPoint for iDevices isn’t exactly free. While you can get the app for free via the App Store and create or edit documents by signing in with a free Microsoft account, to make the app really worth using, you would need to log in using an Office 365 account .

PowerPoint for iOS brings the famous desktop presentation to iDevices with support for charts, tables, SmartArt Graphics, animations, transitions, speaker notes, etc. Furthermore, like the desktop editions of PowerPoint 2013 and 2016, PowerPoint for iOS also provides a built-in laser pointer, pen and highlighter. Other options include integration with OneDrive, Dropbox & SharePoint.

With PowerPoint for iOS you not only get all great features of the desktop edition of PowerPoint but you can also wirelessly project a presentation using AirPlay, as well as control your slides using an Apple Watch.

Since PowerPoint is available for a wide variety of platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and provides cloud based variants in the form of PowerPoint Online and Office 365, it is much easier to use PowerPoint files for presentations. In fact, many third-party services and apps like Google Drive, SlideShark and WPS Office also provide support for PowerPoint files.

However, it is safe to say that native PowerPoint support on iDevices from the official PowerPoint app by Microsoft is the best option for creating, editing and viewing presentations on an iPhone or iPad device.

When it comes to making quality presentations, Keynote is an app that cannot be ignored. While there is no real way of using Keynote on a PC or Android device, it is one of the most commonly used presentation apps for Apple users.

For those who have never used Keynote, it gives a plethora of PowerPoint like features for making presentations using readymade themes, with support for adding charts, tables, shapes, etc. Like PowerPoint, Keynote has also added collaboration features (currently going through the beta stage).

Just like OneDrive for PowerPoint, Keynote too provides cloud integration using iCloud. By all means, Keynote is a powerful presentation and there is no shortage of third-party templates which come with some extraordinary graphics and attention grabbing themes.

Other than Apple devices, the iCloud web app allows creating and editing presentations using an internet browser. This unfortunately is the only option for using Keynote other than on an Apple device. This restricts the scope for using Keynote files for presentations and since we live in a PC world, cross-platform compatibility is still a major hurdle for Keynote users.

That said, Keynote is still one of the best presentation apps for presenters and this is why it’s number 2 on our list for recommended presentation apps for presenters using iPhone & iPad devices.

3) Google Slides

While Google Slides isn’t the kind of app which provides killer features, it is decent enough to get the job done. Google Slides provide support for PowerPoint files and this app by Google has come a long way since Google Drive apps were rebranded a few years back.

If you’re looking for a decent iOS app which is free to use and can help you create, edit and view presentations from popular formats (e.g. PowerPoint & PDF presentations), then Google Slides isn’t a bad option. Lately, Google Slides templates have improved in quality and third-party template providers for this underrated platform have also begun providing high-quality templates . While Google Slides lags far behind PowerPoint, as we discussed in our comparison of Google Slides Vs PowerPoint , this poor man’s PowerPoint still deserves a bit of love.

4) Adobe Spark Video

Adobe is known to produce high-quality applications. Ranging from its high-end apps like PhotoShop, Premiere Pro to the free Adobe Reader that millions of users use to view PDF files; Adobe is a name tied to quality apps. Adobe Spark Video is a little known presentation app that can help you create studio quality video presentations.

Unlike most low-end or mid-ranged Android devices, iPhone and iPad devices tend to be more efficient in offering the kind of hardware which can help record better quality videos. This is perhaps the reason apps like Adobe Spark are usually not available for Android. While an Adobe Spark offering for Android is currently in development, it is likely that it might only work with high-end devices. The point is that iDevices have the kind of hardware that gives an edge in making video presentations. You might make such a presentation or video clip by interviewing people on the streets or by capturing an extraordinary event on your mobile device. Such video clips can add a powerful touch to your presentations and enable you to reach out at a very personal level to win hearts and minds.

Coming to Adobe Spark features; you can create videos with a voice-over using an iDevice, add a soundtrack and let the app do its magic. You can choose from an archive of more than 25,000 images and icons for your visual stories and let Adobe Spark automatically render your videos with cinematic animations to give your video presentations and clips a professional look. You can also choose between various themes, fonts and upload videos online.

5) HaikuDeck

HaikuDeck can be used for making attractive presentation decks via iPhone, iPad or web. You can begin making presentations on an iDevice by logging in using your HaikuDeck account, pick a template and start making slides using all major features you would expect in a good presentation app.

What makes HaikuDeck worth using are the very attractive graphics, availability of a plethora of images, a wide range of useful layouts and the ability to publish your slides online. HaikuDeck is not just a presentation maker but also an app you can use to present presentations in fullscreen mode on iOS devices. Needless to say, you can connect your iDevice to a projector to use HaikuDeck just like Keynote or PowerPoint to present professional presentations.

HaikuDeck has a free and a paid version, with the utility to opt for in-app purchases. But that’s not a bad thing. The high-quality graphics and imagery in premium content (e.g. premium templates) are worth the cost.

6) SlideIdea

SlideIdea is the kind of unique app that can help presenters make their presentations more attention grabbing. The app supports three formats, i.e. PDF, PowerPoint and the app’s very own SLD format. The app comes integrated with OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box & KingSoft Cloud to help you instantly import an existing slide deck for remodeling.

You can either import a slide deck or make one from scratch using some very attractive templates offered by SlideIdea. The editing features are similar to PowerPoint and Keynote, with a vast library of slide elements, support for whiteboard, animations and some handy transitions to switch your slides in style. Furthermore, you can add audio recording and video clips to create Slidecasts, as well as engage your audience using online polls.

SlideIdea is only available for iPad and works with devices running iOS 5.0 or above.

7) Prezi Viewer

It is sad to see that Prezi only has a Prezi Viewer for iDevices. Like its Android counterpart, this app is good for viewing and presenting Prezis. Since you can’t make Prezis on iDevices using an app, Prezi Viewer is only useful for presenters looking to use their iDevices for presenting Prezis.

8. SlideShark

Back in the day, SlideShark was one of the top presentation apps for iOS. However, since the advent for PowerPoint for iOS, its importance has arguably diminished. SlideShark is another app that can be used for viewing and presenting presentations. SlideShark supports uploading, viewing, presenting and sharing PowerPoint presentations while retaining original fonts, animations, colors and graphics. Moreover, there are a number of handy annotation features that can help you annotate slides during a Live presentation.

SlideShark also gives the utility to broadcast presentations online to share them with your audience during a Live presentation. The premium edition of SlideShark also supports PDF files.

9. MyPoint PowerPoint Remote

This is a simple app for remotely controlling PowerPoint slides running on a PC or Mac computer. You will need to install the connector app for your computer, as well as the iOS app for MyPoint PowerPoint Remote on your iDevice.

You can start your SlideShow directly from an iDevice remotely and instantly begin controlling your slides. The app has some advanced premium features that you can opt for, these include annotation tools like a pointer and marker, as well as a timer to time, rehearse and see the elapsed time for your slides.

10) Video Teleprompter

While iDevices have always had some good teleprompter apps, this one is as good as it gets. Video Teleprompter not only allows you to instantly turn your iPhone or iPad device into a teleprompter to read out a script but also enables recording video presentations.

The on-screen teleprompter can play your script and at the same time record your video using your iOS camera to enable you to create a video presentation or podcast.

Video Teleprompter provides good legibility for text that scrolls on your screen and makes it possible for you to face the camera while reading your script as if you are talking to your audience. Hence, it serves the dual purpose of acting as a teleprompter and video recording tool, which makes it perfect for making video presentations or video clips that you might want to include in your slides.

We hope our list of the best presentation apps for iPhone and iPad gave you some useful ideas for making more robust presentations using iDevices. The apps mentioned above can not only be used as standalone presentation apps but you can also use a number of these apps to add something special to your presentations. In fact, you might find it very useful to use some of the above mentioned apps in conjunction to design high-quality slides, video clips and to present them using an iPhone or iPad device.

If you know of an awesome iOS presentation app which you believe should have been included in this list, do share your views with us by leaving a comment below.

If you like this, you might also like

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Sanat Patel

6th November 2016 at 2:01 am

These are using new platforms to do things the old way. We need insights that take advantage of new paradigms. Presentations that tell a story and engage your audience. Persuade with interactive data visuals easier to create than a powerpoint animation.

25th February 2018 at 10:09 pm

OctaSales is the sales presentation web app for iPad and other tablets. This interactive tool allows in-depth presentations of your sales material: images, videos, documents and notes in a non-linear way. Works both online and off-line (as a regular app) and its easy to integrate to external CRM systems. More information is available at: https://www.octasales.com/

Rosie Hoyland

27th February 2018 at 9:19 am

Thanks for sharing Zoran

31st October 2018 at 10:52 am

Unfortunately SlideShark is going out of business late fall 2018. That is unfortunate – it was the only 3rd party tool for iPads that rendered Powerpoint files correctly.

For the teams that use common cloud storage platforms like Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, Sharepoint etc to manage their files, I’d like to recommend https://CrescendoApp.com as a great and inexpensive alternative to large, complex and expensive platforms like Showpad.

1st November 2018 at 9:09 am

Thanks for the update Marek. We’d urge any readers you have been using SlideShark to check out their FAQ page at https://www.brainshark.com/sites/default/files/slideshark-discontinue-faq.pdf for further explanation.

The Crescendo app is certainly worth looking at.

21st August 2020 at 12:08 pm

Great compilation. I’m Pramod, Product Marketer for Zoho Show. It would be great if you take a look at our new iOS app. You can create and edit the presentations right from your iPhone or iPad. You can also collaborate with peers and present your ideas using an Apple TV. Take a look at this video to get the gist of the product and the features on offer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm3n0k9Q9io

Please consider adding the app to your list, it would be a fine addition and prove to be handy for your viewers.

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10 Must-Have iPad Apps for Interactive Business Presentations

Apple iPads and mobile devices have become essential business tools across the globe since their release in the late 2000s.

They serve many useful business functions such as email, messaging, media and many administrative tasks with default settings alone. Combine that with some of the best iOS apps for business optimization, a nd your device will be a business power-house machine. 

Why you need it: iOS currently holds a dominant position in the enterprise world. In 2018, 79% of mobile business use came from iPhone’s and iPad’s, with 41% of that coming from iPad usage.

Check out these five apps to help make and present interactive business presentations.

iPads and smartphones offer efficient solutions to everyday projects in the business world. Expedite any and all tasks, such as note-taking, creating presentations, communication, CRM, file sharing, and many others. Continue reading to see our list of some of the best apps to install on your devices for optimal productivity in the office.

5 Must-Have iPad Apps for Interactive Business Presentations

• Prezi Viewer . If you use Prezi to create your interactive business presentations, you can present them with your iPad anywhere. While you won't create the presentation in the iOS app itself in this case, Prezi is such a powerful and unique tool for creating presentations that it’s worth trying for your next presentation.
• Microsoft PowerPoint . Practically synonymous with presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint is a great tool for informational and photo slideshows. Play from your device, broadcast to your TV or share via the cloud.
• Google Slides . Make, tweak, collaborate with colleagues, and share or present slideshows directly from any of your devices. Make beautiful slides instantly. You can also work with PowerPoint slides in Google Slides.
• Adobe Spark Video . From novices to experts — Adobe Spark is a great resource for creating video presentations. Easily splice together video clips, photos, text overlays, music and even your own narration, and the app will handle the rest. Then present your video or share it on your blogor social media account. Just as the iPad and business presentations go together, so do the iPad and the business professional. As a member of the business world, it is important to stay organized, connected and up-to-date on the latest technology. This is where the iPad comes into the picture. T he iPad is there to help organize and complete all of your tasks, ideas and contacts. Check out these five apps for sales and marketing business professionals.

5 Must-Have Mobile Apps and iPad Apps for Business Professionals

• Microsoft 365 . Log into your Microsoft account and collaborate with colleagues on documents across multiple devices. This cloud-based office suite includes the following apps available for the Mac: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.
• Bitrix24 . Features a complete set of business tools in a single, intuitive interface. Bitrix24 contains five areas of specialty: communications, tasks and projects, CRM, contact center and website builder.
• Evernote . Type your notes or scan handwritten notes. Conveniently add anything you need, such as to-do’s, photos, images, web pages, or audio. Notes sync across all devices, making it easy to share with anyone, and anywhere.
• 1Password . This convenient app remembers all your passwords for you, while keeps them safe and secure. This app makes life easier for you and everybody in your organization.
• Dropbox . This app lets you back up photos and videos, and access files stored on any of your computers or mobile devices—from anywhere. Share files of any size with ease to anyone with this cloud-based app.

The apps below didn’t make our “Top 10” list, but these mobile apps will surely benefit yourself as a business professional! Give them a trial run and test the m out.

• Genius Scan . Use the camera on your iPad or mobile device to scan any of your paper documents and export them as PDF or JPEG files with this efficient scanner app.
• Salesforce . Use the Salesforce app to quickly access your company’s CRM. The app is cross-platform along with offline capabilities. 
• Pages . This is a powerful word processor for mobile devices. Use pre-installed templates or start from scratch with a blank document. This app is great for creating resumes, digital books, posters and more. 
• Microsoft Teams . Teams is the perfect app for your company’s collaboration efforts. Meetings, files, messages and apps are stored together in this app. Teams is one of the highest rated apps in the business category on the Apple store!
• HotSchedules . This scheduling app is a fast and simple way to manage your schedule and team communication. Company employees will love it because they can swap, pick-up, or release shifts with ease on their mobile devices.

How has the iPad been beneficial for your business presentations or as a business professional? What apps do you use on a regular basis? Share them with us in a comment below.

Topics: Apps , Apple , Business , Marketing , social media , iPad , Business Presentation

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The 8 Best Slideshow Apps of 2024

Make better, more engaging slideshows with Google Photos, PowerPoint, and other apps for Android and iOS

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Slideshows are fun to watch, so why not use an app that makes it easy to create your own? Here are the best Android and iOS apps to make better slideshows.

Best Fast and Easy Photo Slideshows: Google Photos

Add photos and videos to a slideshow.

Add music to slideshows.

Add multiple instances of the same photo.

Automatically adds music to the entire slideshow.

Can't add animations or special effects.

Can be challenging to find and select photos.

When you want to make a simple slideshow that showcases pictures stored on your Android or iOS device, use Google Photos. It creates simple movies that contain photos, videos, and music. There aren't any extra bells and whistles, so you can't add animations or other special effects.

It's easy to create a slideshow in Google Photos. All you do is organize the images into an album and then create an MP4 movie. Before you finalize the movie, you can change how long each image appears, move them around, and add additional pictures. You can also add music that plays during the entire length of the movie. Google Photos includes a long list of theme music to fit every mood.

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Best for Real-Time Collaboration: Microsoft PowerPoint

Add special effects and animations to slideshows.

Create a slideshow with your family and friends.

Basic features are available with a free Microsoft account.

Requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to access all features.

May not play voiceover or audio during a slideshow.

Save and share slideshows as PPTX files only.

If you use PowerPoint on your desktop or laptop PC, you find the same familiar look and feel in the PowerPoint mobile apps. You also find a basic set of presentation tools, including slide layouts, themes, audio, slide transitions, and animations.

When you save your slideshows to OneDrive , you can start one on your mobile device and then finish it on your PC. Plus, when your files are stored in the cloud, you can collaborate with family, friends, and co-workers via the PowerPoint co-authoring feature.

Best for Long Slideshows: PicPlayPost

Create 30-minute slideshows.

Record in 1080P and 4K HD.

Build live video wallpapers.

Includes its own music library.

Isn't intuitive and may be difficult for novice users.

Ads may get in the way.

Slow to import items.

Imported videos can't exceed five minutes.

Must pay if you want to remove the watermark.

PicPlayPost is a slideshow maker and video editor. After selecting your photos, add text and stickers, apply a slide transition, and choose background music. Then, use the video editing tools to trim the slideshow video and change the layout aspect.

When your slideshow is complete, PicPlayPost includes options to share it to your phone gallery, Facebook, Gmail, YouTube, Messenger, and Google Photos,

Best for Social Media Posts: MoShow

Creates GIFs and looping videos.

Great selection of templates.

Good for beginners.

The free version limits the length.

Not many music options.

Paid add-ons can be expensive.

MoShow is a slideshow maker, photo editor, and video editor. It turns your photos into movies that can grab people's attention on your social media channels. You can easily share your slideshow video on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites.

MoShow contains all the tools you need to create a slideshow with minimal effort. Choose your photos, select a style, and preview the results. It includes dozens of styles. It also has an extensive collection of effects, slide transitions, text overlays, and cinematic glitch effects. 

Best for HD Video Recording: Vizmato

Convert photo slideshows into GIFs.

Includes cool visual video effects.

Exports 1080p video.

Requires in-app purchases for many features.

Slideshows are limited to 15 photos.

The editing process isn’t intuitive.

Doesn't work on some newer Android devices.

To make a slideshow in Vizmato, select the photos you want to display, add a theme and music, and your video slideshow is ready. The app includes a music library, video editor, audio effects that change your voice, and social sharing tools.

Vizmato also contains an HD video and GIF recorder. You can record videos on your mobile device and then use it to adjust the pace and add filters. Your video can be saved as a GIF or as a looped video.

Best Photo Editor: Vimory

A large selection of templates and filters.

Tools to edit and enhance photos.

Built-in slide transitions, effects, and frames.

It's easy to share slideshows on social media.

Slideshows are limited to 30 photos.

Photos sometimes pixelate on the video.

Many templates and effects are only available as premium content.

If you don't have graphic design skills, Vimory includes an assortment of templates to give you a quick start on a stunning slideshow. If you want to create your own look, use it to enhance your photos with effects, frames, and music. Then, add slide transitions to give your project a few groovy moves. When you're finished, Vimory turns your images into a looping video slideshow.

Vimory contains sharing tools, so posting your slideshows to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other sites is straightforward. You can also use the app to send your slideshow through Messenger, Snapchat, Hangouts, and other chat apps.

Best Simple Video Editor: Videoshop

A massive selection of sound effects.

A good introduction to professional video editing.

Easy to use and has basic layouts.

One-time payment option for full access.

A limited number of transitions.

The preview tools are lacking in some effects.

The pro version can be expensive.

Videoshop is primarily a video editor, but you can also import photos and create and edit slideshows. It contains all the features expected in any video editor, including sound effects, text, filters, and transitions. It has controls that trim, adjust the color, stop the motion, rescale the size, and reverse the video.

When you're ready to share your slideshow, Videoshop makes it easy to share with a dozen popular social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Best Companion Mobile App: Movavi Clips

Plays a short tutorial when you first open the app.

Royalty free music can be uploaded to Facebook and Instagram.

Exports HD quality video.

Must pay a separate fee, even if you own the desktop version.

Can't save a slideshow project as a draft and continue later.

Can't apply filters to all clips at once.

Poor performance; crashes often.

Movavi Clips is an advanced video editor that also makes eye-catching photo slideshows. It has all the necessary tools, including cropping, filters, transitions, stickers, and royalty-free music and sounds. You can also trim your slideshows with the video timeline and merge multiple slideshows into one video.

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10 Recommended iPad Apps for Business and Presentation

A list of all the essential presentation and business-related apps for iPad.

Do you want to create a presentation on the go or perform financial analysis during your journey? While a smartphone may be too small for this purpose and a laptop may be a little too big, an iPad can be the perfect solution.

There are numerous apps available that can help you create a wonderful presentation in a short amount of time, such as during a flight or train journey. This post showcases 10 of the best iPad apps for business and presentations , including presentation creators and mind mapping apps . This list contains all the essentials, so let’s take a look.

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1. 1Password

1Password is a fantastic app for storing sensitive business information , such as financial details, passwords, and other information. What I liked is, it helps you create strong yet easy-to-remember pass-phrases for your online accounts.

Moreover, you can create multiple vaults , store items in numerous categories, set favorites, add tags and do a lot more to organize the items. Interestingly, you can also add custom fields to your items to store extra information, for example, two-step verification’s safety code for an account. Lastly, it offers end-to-end encryption and cloud sync features, making it a reliable and secure service.

2. Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is the digital notebook that helps you gather ideas, create audio or video notes, sketches, and to-do lists ; which you can also convert into reminders. You can create handwritten notes with a variety of pens. Also, it features organization options to manage your notes .

If you’re seeking collaborating features, OneNote has got it covered – you can share your notes with friends and team members and collaborate on them, thanks to its shared notebooks . Lastly, your notes are synced to the cloud, making them available on all your devices.

3. Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the best presentation tools that lets you create and view business reports and presentations. You can integrate media and other objects into your presentations , such as charts and graphs, photos and videos, etc. It also provides many customization options for making excellent presentations as well as collaboration, and sharing features, like OneNote.

That said, it is super easy to invite others to view, edit, or comment on your slides, thanks to its “1-click sharing” feature . Last but not the least, PowerPoint syncs your presentations with Microsoft OneDrive so that you can access your work files from almost anywhere, on any device.

Read also: 20 Free PowerPoint Templates to Spice up your Presentation

Apple’s Keynote is another presentation app that helps to create business presentations, diagrams, and illustrations. It offers many customization options including themes, layouts, fonts, etc. Moreover, you can import from, export to, and work on files of Microsoft PowerPoint .

What I found surprising is that you can present a slideshow online , and people can view it from their devices or directly from the web at iCloud. Keynote also offers numerous sharing features, allowing you to share presentations publicly or with specific people and work with your team on presentations stored on the iCloud.

5. Workflow

WorkFlow is a personal automation tool – a tool like IFTTT or Zapier – that helps you to automate and streamline processes , minimize errors, and increase efficiency. That said, you can create time-saving workflows on your iPad, automate processes and tasks, and turn them into simple, one-button-clickable actions.

WorkFlow supports 200+ actions , covering dozens of your favorite apps. The list includes essential apps like Contacts and Photos, fitness apps like Health, online services like Dropbox and Evernote, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and other tools and services such as AirDrop, iCloud Drive , etc.

Skitch is an annotator app that lets you snap pictures, use annotations and markups , and collaborate or share the visual story. Along with annotating photos, it can also annotate PDFs to make your reviews clear and avoid lengthy and confusing emails.

What I liked about Skitch is that it provides a quick and intuitive interface that works. That means it is easy and fun to work with Skitch, which I feel is essential. And last but not the least, you can share the final snaps via email or through social networks.

SignNow, an e-signature app , helps you sign or get signatures on agreements and contracts through your iPad without the need of printing or scanning the documents. Surprisingly, it supports PDF, MS Word , and many other formats. Also, you can email the signed documents, or save and access them from your cloud account.

What I found fascinating is that SignNow packs in lots of features for an e-signature app. It can open documents from the phone or online storage services like Dropbox. It works even offline and offers few document organization features as well. Lastly, you can create a team to share documents and templates with them.

8. MindNode

MindNode is a mind mapping app that lets you create mind maps during a meeting or while collaborating with your team. It enables you to capture your thoughts, explore the connections between them by connecting, detaching, and reconnecting them to reflect your growing understanding of the naive idea. MindNode supports multiple types of inputs like text, links, images, notes , etc.

Moreover, it features “Smart Layout”, which auto-adjusts your map’s layout , keeping it beautiful and readable at all times. Last but not the least, it provides amazing layouts and themes and lets you share your maps with its service “myMindNode”.

9. SAP Roambi Analytics

SAP Roambi Analytics is an app for creating rich, interactive charts , dashboards, or executive reports with integrated data analytics and visualizations. Interestingly, you can pull the data from many sources, then analyze and create visualizations quickly using them. Also, it allows you to examine, filter, and pivot the data .

It is interesting to know that the app supports a number of input sources including Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, CSV files, BI Systems, and many database systems. Moreover, it features complete offline access , giving you full control once you have the data.

10 . FullContact

FullContact works as your smart address book manager . It can scan business cards and capture email signatures, allowing you to manage business contacts easy way. That is not all; you can add shared contacts and also collaborate on notes and tags with your team. However, few of these features require its premium version.

FullContact offers extensive sync support that does not just works with its cloud, but also works for Gmail, Office365, Twitter, and many more accounts. That means your contacts get synced across all these platforms.

10 Best Presentation Apps for iPad

Creating a deck for a presentation is not an easy task. To create visually appealing slides and a visually appealing presentation for the audience, we must have a good sense of art. Nowadays, a lot of presentation apps for iPad can be downloaded from the App Store. However, not all people know which app will meet their needs the most.

In this article I list 10 best presentation apps for iPad that you can use to create or to present a great presentation. I also give review to each app so you will know which app that suits you best.

1. Microsoft PowerPoint

3. google slides, 4. adobe spark video, 6. notability, 7.slideshow creator, 8. slideshare, 9. slides maker: slideshow to pdf, 10. prezi viewer.

Microsoft PowerPoint helps us create slides to deliver our presentation to audiences, collaborate with other people in creating slides, and more.

PowerPoint is developed by Microsoft Corporation . Please check your iPad OS version first before you install the app. Make sure that it is iPadOS 15.0 or later. The app has been used by 300 thousand+ people and it gets a 4.7-star rating in the AppStore.

PowerPoint is free to download and install to our iPad, but to access more features without any restriction a subscription must be purchased first. The price of the subscription is in the range of $6.99 to $99.99.

Create, edit, and present a slide to your audiences from your iPad become easier and fast. Share the link of the slide to others to be able to access your slide helps me to save time in distributing the slide. I can also give other people access to edit the slide to collaborate with.

Create your invitation, cards, YouTube thumbnail, and slides for your presentation with Canva on your iPad.

This app is developed by Canva Pty Ltd. If you decide to install Canva on your iPad, make sure that the iPad OS on your device is iPadOS 12.0 or later. With the great features that Canva has, the app is so underrated so it gest only 3.4-star rating.

Canva is free to download and used. However, some items in Canva required us to have a premium account. The price to get a premium account is in the range of $0.99 to $119.99.

Canva helps me to design cards, YouTube thumbnail, Twitter banner, invitations, slides, and more. I can adjust the brightness, saturation, contrast to make the look of the images or slides better.

Create, present, and collaborate with your friends in creating slides for many purpose with Google Slides for $0 on your iPad.

Google Slides is developed by Google LLC . USed by 200 thousand users more, the app has been rated by them and received a 4.6-star in the AppStore. Before install the app, check the iPad OS version on your device first. It must be  iPadOS 14.0 or later.

This 12th best app under Productivity category can be downloaded from AppStore and can be used on your iPad for totally free. No need to purchase a subscription or items to access the whole features.

Google Sides allows me to create new slides for presentation, or even edit the existing slides of your or others. Once I finish working on the slides, I can share the presentation to the audiences online or to my friends to collaborate with. When someone share their slides to me, I can access it online or offline anytime, and anywhere. PowerPoint files can also be presented using Google Slides.

Create videos for your Facebook ads, business pitches, product demos, Instagram videos, and tutorials like a pro with Adobe Spark Video .

The app is developed by Adobe Inc. . Gained 4.7-star rating in the App Store, the app has been used by more than 20 thousand users. Adobe Spark Video will only work well in iPadOS 15.0 or later. So, if the OS version on your iPad is under iPadOS 15.0, lease update it first.

Download Adobe Spark Video from AppStore and install it to your iPad for free. However, you might need to purchase a subscription if you prefer to get more access in using certain features. The price of the subscriptions are $9.99 for the monthly subscription, and $99.99 for the yearly subscription.

By using the app, I can create videos for many purposes. This app is simple, fun and fast to use. I can combine many video clips, icons, and photos easily into a leasing video. Adding background sound is also handy. It can be the built-in sounds or even our personal music. If the sound is too loud or too low, the volume can be adjusted too from the app. The available templates will help us to produce a high quality video.

Create and deliver a stunning presentation from your iPad using Keynote .

The app is developed by Apple Inc. Has been used by 16.5 thousand more users, Keynote received 3.5-star rating in the AppStore. This app required iPadOS 15.0 or later to run well. So, please update the iPadOS on your iPad first if its version is under OS 15.0.

Download Keynote from AppStore and use it for free. No need to purchase any subscription or items to access all features or increase the app’s performance.

Keynote allows me to create a deck for presentation collaboratively with my coworkers. I can see who are currently edit the deck by following its cursor. If I don’t have a lot of time creating the deck, I can simply pick one of the 40 themes created by Apple, then directly adjust it with the contents that I want to present. Besides, the slide transitions, object animations which are cinematic and beautiful can be applied too.

Create notes from imported textbooks, images, slides, audio, and more using Notability . There’s no need to bring bulky papers or physical notes with you.

Notably is developed by Ginger Labs . This 143rd best app under the Productivity category required iPadOS 14.0 or later to run smoothly. This app is also received a 4.7-star rating in the AppStore, rated by more than 26 thousand users.

Download the app from AppStore for $0 and install it to your iPad. Use the app for free, but if you have an urge to have premium account you must purchase a subscription first. The type of the subscriptions are two; monthly and yearly. The monthly subscription costs $2.99 and the yearly subscription costs $12.99.

Notability allows me to create multi-media notes. Imported textbooks, documents, lecture slides, class assignments, and images can be marked up, highlighted, and more with the app tools. Recording, playing back audio of lectures, and leaving notes to certain time stamp of the audio can be done too.

Produce a slide for many purposes with available templates using Slideshow Creator . There is no need to be an expert in the design field to create a professional slide.

This app is developed by Animoto Inc. Gaining a 4.8-star rating, the app has been used by 25 thousand users more. Slideshow Creator required iPadOS 12.0 or later to be installed on your iPad to work well.

You can get the app for free from the AppStore. Basically, the app can be used for free too, however, if you need to get full access for all the features that SlideshowCreator has, you must have an active subscription. The price of the subscription is in the range of $4.99 to $59.99.

This app helps me in creating slides for birthday invitations and banners, wedings invitations, sports teams and events poster, e-cards and more in just in a few taps. The steps are choosing a template, uploading photos or video clips from my local storage or from my Facebook account, selecting music for background, adding text or caption, and last, sharing it with family, friends or on social media.

Find millions of presentations and videos in SlideShare to enrich the your points on your presentation to your audience using iPad.

SlideShare is developed by Scribd . Has been used by 16 thousand users more, the app gains a 4.6-star rating in the AppStore. Before you install the app on your iPad, please make sure that the OS on your iPad is iPadOS 11.0 or later. If else, the app may not work well or crash.

Currently, the language that is supported by the app only English. So, if you need to change the language to your mother tongue (for those who speak English as second or foreign language) you will not be able to do it.

No need to plan your budget to use the app. It is free to download and use. All features are able to be access without having any active subscription.

SlideShare provides over 15 million presentations, infographics that are professional, and also video in a great layout in full-screen mode. I can also discover contents based on my favorite interests or topics. The favorites feature is really useful for me. I can add any presentation to be saved on my favorites. So, I can read it later whether online or offline.

Import pictures, customize the background of your slide, and more with Slides Maker: Slideshow to PDF .

This ap is developed by 璐 郑 (Lu Zheng). Your iPad must have iPadOS 11.0 or later to run Slide Maker without any problem or without crash. The app is originally developed for iPad. Since it is released in the AppStore for the first time, now the app has a 4.5-star rating.

Currently, the app is only supported two languages; English, and Simplified Chinese.

You will not be charged to download the app from AppStore. However, if you need to access all features in the app without any limitation, a subscription must be purchased first. The price of the subscription is in the range of $1.49 to $35.99.

The app helps me to create a new presentation or continue to edit the existing presentation that I save on the library. Once I finish creating or editing the presentation, I can share it in a long picture or in the PDF extension. Importing photos as a complement to the presentation, add text and also background can be done too in just a few taps. If I am in a hurry and have no time creating slide from scratch, I can pick a template then directly use it to be adjusted the contents based on the points that I want to show.

Create, share, and view your own or others’ prezis from your iPad. Prezi Viewer makes it easy for us to prepare a presentation.

Develoed by Prezi Inc. , this app was originally designed for iPad. Prezi has been used by 6.8 thousand iPad or iPhone users, and gains a 4.4-star rating. This app requires iPadOS 11.0 or later to run well. So, check the OS on your iPad first before downloading the app and make sure if it is meet the requirement.

Say good bye to plan a budget for using app that helps you creating presentation since Prezi is free to download and use. You can access all features there and no subscription is needed.

By using Prezi, I can access and view my prezis online. Sharing my prezis to others via email, social media, and also messaging are possible to do. Prezis own by other that are shared with me can be viewed by me online. It just need to pinch the screen to zoom in or zoom out.

Thank you for reading and visiting Nimblehand.com. Stay healthy, stay happy and see you on the next article. Bye 🙂

Miranda Knight

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10 Best Apps that Bring PowerPoint on iPad

Last updated on December 26th, 2023

PowerPoint being one of the most famous presentation applications in the world has lacked support for mobile devices, until now. In recent years we have not only seen a rise in quality mobile apps that provide editing and viewing support for PowerPoint files but even Microsoft has now officially released mobile and web apps that can help you bring PowerPoint on iPad and other iOS devices.

1. Office Mobile For Office 365 Subscribers

When it comes to support for PowerPoint on any device (let alone iPad ) nothing beats the real deal. This is why perhaps the best method of acquiring PowerPoint support for an iPad is to use Microsoft’s official app. However, the app isn’t without limitations as you will require an Office365 account to login to the app. This unfortunately also means that you will require a subscription that is linked to a recurring cost. For more details, see our post about How To Install Office 2013 On Mobile Devices .

Supported Apps:

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft OneNote
• Microsoft Lync
• SharePoint (Newsfeed)

Go to Download Office Mobile For Office 365 Subscribers

2. Office 365

Of course, you can always make use of the Office375 web app directly to gain support for Microsoft Office applications like PowerPoint, Excel, Word and others. You can also start using Office 365 for free by signing up for a free trial; to test drive the service.

Go to Office 365 (Review And Link For Free Trial)

3. PowerPoint Web App

If you have a Microsoft account like Outlook.com (Hotmail) or SkyDrive, you can login to view, edit and even share your PowerPoint presentations online. This can be done directly from SkyDrive. You can also open attachments in your emails and view, edit or share them after being redirected to SkyDrive. The PowerPoint web app serves as a free alternative to Office 365, however the editing options are somewhat limited. You can find out more about the PowerPoint web app from the link given below.

Go to PowerPoint Web App (Tutorial)

While Keynote might not be an ideal candidate for opening PowerPoint files and there might even be compatibility issues or the need to restart your device, however, as many iPad users readily make use of this app, therefore it might be one of the most convenient options for iPad users to open PowerPoint files.

Go to Instructions for Opening PowerPoint on Keynote

5. SlideOnline

If you are not in the mood for installing apps on your iDevice and require a simple and straightforward method for viewing and sharing PowerPoint presentations online, then you can opt for SlideOnline. It is a free web service which allows instantly uploading and sharing PowerPoint and PDF files as stylish presentations. You will require signing up for an account to begin uploading your presentations.

6. SmartOffice 2

Sometimes third-party apps can often outshine the real deal. This can be rightly said about SmartOffice 2. even before Microsoft released its variants of Office Mobile, SmartOffice has been a viable option for Android and iOS users to create, view and edit Microsoft Office files. While this is a paid app, however, you might find it worth the nearly $10 cost. SmartOffice 2 is interestingly more highly rated at the Apple Store than the official Microsoft app for Office 365 subscribers and Google’s QuickOffice Pro.

Go to Download SmartOffice 2

CloudOn is another fine third-party app for iPad that can be used for editing Microsoft Office files. Unlike SmartOffice 2 this is a free app, however, you might not find it as advanced in functionality as Smart Office 2. Nonetheless, CloudOn is a reasonable option for people looking to use a free app to acquire support for PowerPoint on iPad.

Go to Download CloudOn

8. SlideShark

A project of BrainShark, SlideShark is a free app for iPad which has been designed to provide PowerPoint support for iPad. You can not only view PowePoint slides via SlideShark but also present them directly using iPad.

Go to SlideShark (Review And Download Link)

9. Google Drive

If you are wondering why Google Drive is rated so low on our list, then it is worth pointing out that despite being a workaround for accessing Office files without the MS Office suite, however, Google Drive is known to have compatibility issues when displaying Office files. While you might be able to use Google Drive to open, view and share PowerPoint presentations, however, it might not be the best alternative.

Go to Google Drive

10. QuickOffice Pro

QuickOffice Pro is a mobile app that was acquired by Google a while back. This app comes with Google Drive support and enables viewing, editing and creating files in famous MS Office formats, including PowerPoint.

Go to QuickOffice Pro

There are many other mobile and web apps which offer support for PowerPoint on iPad, as well as for other iDevices. If you know of an app that you believe should be on this list then share your opinion by leaving a comment below.

About Farshad

IT professional, communications specialist and Blogger!

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View PowerPoint on iPad: App Comparison

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Paulina Fox See full bio →

This July, 2015, we analyzed the best free apps that allow you to view PowerPoint on iPad. For this comparison, we examined four market leaders:

• iSpring Present app
• SlideShare app by LinkedIn
• SlideShark app by Brainshark
• PowerPoint iPad app by Microsoft

All these solutions let you view and save PowerPoint presentations on an Apple tablet, while providing a variety of other extra features for free.

Each app is backed by an online storage service where you can upload a presentation file using a PC or Mac computer. For example, PowerPoint iPad app works with OneDrive PPT files, and iSpring Present utilizes iSpring Cloud presentation sharing service. These services process uploaded presentations to an iPad-compatible format. But why is that necessary?

Choose the best PowerPoint presentation app for iPad

iPad can’t play PowerPoint files directly; they have to be transformed to a Web-compatible format, also called HTML5. It can be a set of pictures, a video, or a fully-functional Web version of the original presentation. Each app uses its own proprietary technology. We evaluated each app’s technology by the number of supported PowerPoint features such as motion effects, interactivity, media support and evaluated overall graphics quality of the images and text on iPad.

Our main goal is to help you pick the right solution that suits your needs best. Here is a bird’s eye view of the features that may be utilized by users:

Now let’s swoop down and look at every app in detail. Note that we’ve evaluated only free solutions. Features of the full versions were not included in the competition.

1. iSpring Present iPad app

iPad app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ispring-present/ Online storage service: https://pro.ispringcloud.com/ (or /ispring-cloud )

iSpring Present is an app that shows content which has been uploaded to iSpring Cloud . Also you can share content with other iPad users and track their activity. It’s a well-balanced choice for presenting business ideas authored in PowerPoint and OpenOffice on an iPad tablet. iSpring Cloud’s advanced conversion technology supports PowerPoint’s dynamic features, such as shape and text motion effects and slide transitions. It preserves embedded audio, video and YouTube.

The iPad player is minimalistic and has a few buttons for navigation, slide notes, marker tools and outline. The content catalog has several customizable views (Carousel, tiles, cover flow, etc.)

Though Cloud is mainly used for PowerPoint presentations, it supports many other file formats: .odp (OpenOffice Presentations), .xls, .pdf, .doc, images, audio, and video files. iSpring Cloud’s free storage lets you upload up to 100 content items with no size limitation.

PPT to HTML5 technology: HyperPoint 4.0. Fully-functioning interactive presentation with vector graphics.

iSpring Present pros

• Crystal clear Images and text – best for hi-res retina display. Quality is even better than in the PowerPoint iPad app.
• Supports all PowerPoint features: animations, slide transitions, triggered actions that provide interactivity, inserted audio/video, and YouTube embed.
• Instant loading time and different catalog views for a more captivating experience.

iSpring Present cons

• No online editing capability.
• Though the free version of iSpring Cloud has all the capabilities of the paid version, after 30 days your viewers will see a short splash logo screen before viewing a presentation.
• Other advanced features, such as audio and video narrations, customizable player and Web Object will only be supported if you use a full version of a desktop iSpring authoring tool .

Summary: Best PowerPoint viewer on iPad as it preserves the original look and feel of rich-media presentations.

2. SlideShark

iPad app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slideshark-presentation-app/ Online storage service: http://www.brainshark.com/

SlideShark iPad app doesn’t seem to have problems playing back dynamic presentations. The evidence for this is that SlideShark converts the entire PowerPoint presentation to a fragmented video that is controlled by the player. In other words, it’s like a YouTube video where you can also click on hyperlinks .

This conversion technology gives you identical PowerPoint playback on iPad and desktop, but with limited interactivity; i.e., trigger animations and other actions like play/stop inserted video will not be supported by the SlideShark iPad app.

The presentation viewer mode in the app has a super-convenient panel that shows an outline and can also change the playback behavior of the presentation: Auto Play, set Slide Delay in seconds, and Loop Presentation. The main breakthrough feature that makes SlideShark stand out is broadcasting your presentation live to remote attendees. It syncs presentation playback with multiple iPad devices, driven by a single presenter. Also, this iPad app allows you to save markups on the presentations, while other apps don’t provide this feature.

The aesthetics of the app are controversial. It looks like old Apple interfaces, but many people still like it. The real bummer is that the system gives you just 25 MB of free space to upload presentations (as of 2015). With this limitation, you don’t have much freedom using the free version.

PPT to HTML5 technology: Fragmented video presentation with hyperlinks but no full interactivity.

SlideShark pros

• Supports all PowerPoint animations and transitions.
• Very user-friendly presentation player in the app with a great options panel.
• Broadcasting feature.

SlideShark cons

• Although it supports all automatic animations, it doesn’t support trigger animations which doesn’t let you create interactivities within a slideshow.
• For some reason, it plays PowerPoint-inserted video, but no audio. Also, you can’t play embedded YouTube videos.
• Ridiculously low size limitations in the free version of the account (25 Mb).

Summary: Best for broadcasting live business presentations. The full version unveils all the features of this service, while the free version doesn’t give you a lot.

3. SlideShare

iPad app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slideshare-presentations-official/ Online storage service: http://www.slideshare.net/

As well known as YouTube is for videos, Slideshare is for presentations, with millions of unique users every day. All presentations appear as static slideshows , like a filmstrip, with no sound. It’s good for those who appreciate ultimate simplicity. However, many iPad users won’t be satisfied with the lack of PowerPoint animations, and bad image and text quality.

The standard image resolution employed by SlideShare is only 720 x 480 px. This means that images and text will appear fuzzy on an iPad with retina display (2048 × 1536 px). Thus, SlideShare uses only 11% of the hi-res display’s capacity .

SlideShare has a built-in online editor called Haiku Deck. It works great with SlideShare, but can’t be compared in the same class with Microsoft PowerPoint’s online editing features.

SlideShare iPad app itself is simple and very easy to use.

PPT to HTML5 technology: Set of pictures.

SlideShare pros

• Social component. A lot of users, channels, and plenty of useful content.
• Support for OpenOffice Presentation files (ODP) and YouTube.
• Great analytics.

SlideShare cons

• All slides are converted to raster images that have mediocre quality.
• Animations and slide transitions won’t be preserved.
• No sound and video in your presentations (unless you insert a YouTube video).

Summary: Good for viewing simple presentations consisting of static slides without narrations. Fast loading.

4. PowerPoint iPad app

iPad app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-powerpoint/ Online storage service: https://onedrive.live.com/

Microsoft is a bit above the rest of the competition because it offers the authoring environment for all these presentation-sharing services; i.e., PowerPoint for desktops. As for the PowerPoint iPad app , Microsoft has been doing pretty well so far. It connects to your OneDrive Windows Live account, which generously provides you with 15 GB for all documents and photos.

The strongest part of the iPad app is the online editing capability . No other free tablet application has ever given you this power of creation. Every time you open a presentation on the iPad, it downloads and prepares itself for online editing. This process takes a significant amount of time and is not convenient if you want to deliver several presentations to an audience.

The playback interface of the application is empty of any extra buttons and sidebars. Microsoft, like iSpring, seems to have one of the foremost PPT to HTML5 conversion engines under the hood to play PowerPoint presentations on iPad as they appear on desktops. All dynamic multimedia content and interaction elements appear in an iPad presentation as they do on a desktop.

The PowerPoint iPad app doesn’t support YouTube embed, and also you can’t upload OpenOffice Presentations (ODP).

PPT to HTML5 technology: Fully-functioning interactive presentation with raster graphics.

PowerPoint for iPad pros

• Superior online editing capabilities.
• Supports all functions of PowerPoint.
• Microsoft OneDrive provides you with plenty of free space.

PowerPoint for iPad cons

• A presentation’s loading time is very long every time you try to view it, even if it was closed a second ago.
• In comparison to iSpring, texts appear as a raster graphics instead of vector. It means the text will be not as crisp as in native iPad apps.
• No YouTube/ODP.

Summary: Best for online editing on a tablet. Long loading time.

→ Check out detailed review on the most popular interactive presentation platforms .

Conclusions

What other solutions are out there? There’s the great Apple Keynote iPad app, which also gives you online presentation editing capabilities. However, it is not free ($9.99), and therefore this app was not included in the above comparison. Google Slides is a great free application for creating simple Google presentations; however, according to our benchmark tests, their iPad app doesn’t work well with PowerPoint presentations loaded to Google Drive.

SlideShare clearly shows that millions of people don’t need either animations or audio narrations for their slides. It’s the world’s largest collection of presentations with great social features.

The business shark from our selection is definitely SlideShark . Its iPad broadcasting technology is groundbreaking. However, we don’t see this solution working as freeware.

We recommend that you use these two apps for everyday use: the PowerPoint iPad App for powerful online editing, and iSpring Present for the best PowerPoint viewing experience on iPad.

By Mikhail Kokarev July 20, 2015

Mikhail Kokarev is a senior editor at the iSpring technical blog with 10 years of experience in e-Learning technologies.

If you liked the article, please let us know by clicking the  Share button.

If you have any ideas what kind of e-Learning topics you’d like to see discussed, feel free to leave a comment; we’re always happy to write new content for you.

iSpring Suite

Create online courses and assessments in record time.

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Paulina Fox

Passionate about design and tech, Paulina crafts content that helps customers delve deeper into iSpring products.

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10 Must-Have iPad Apps to Ace Your University Year

An iPad is an indispensable study tool–it’s lightweight, powerful, and highly versatile. You can use it with an Apple Pencil to take notes or make some doodles, and if you add a Magic Keyboard, it practically turns into a laptop.

If you’re ready to take your studies to the next level, here are some helpful iPad apps.

Check Out The Best iPad Apps For University Students

1. goodnotes 6.

GoodNotes is a popular option for college students. Its subscribers swear by its ease of use and helpful features, such as handwriting recognition, spellcheck, and PDF annotation. However, users have also noted that Goodnotes can get buggy.

Taking notes on the app is also not a seamless experience with the Apple Pencil, and has limited pen selection options. Either way, if you prefer having more customization on your notetaking experience—and want to take full advantage of its paid features—check out GoodNotes.

2. CollaNote

CollaNote’s best selling point is that it’s free. CollaNote has a wider selection of pens and brushes versus most paid note-taking apps. The app also has a collaboration feature for easier sharing with classmates or study groups. The downside to CollaNote is its user interface, which some users describe as “clunky.”

Image credit: Todoist

Uni life can be overwhelming with all the assignments that need to be accomplished. Fortunately, productivity apps like Todoist make it easier for students to break down class requirements into specific Projects. From there, they can list individual tasks and set deadlines for each.

Students can also do light project management through the app by granting collaboration access to others in their study groups. The app has a shared to-do board, and users can assign tasks to each other.

Notion is another app for staying on top of projects and assignments. It’s an all-in-one tool for managing tasks, calendars, and notes for school. Many users have commented on its steep learning curve, but several tutorials are available to help you create a workflow that works for you.

There are also templates available for students–including the Cornell Notes System, which gives college students a more effective way to organize and condense their notes. And if you’re enrolled in an accredited college and have a school email account, you can get a Plus plan for free.

5. Google Workspace ( Docs , Sheets , Slides )

Most colleges and universities utilize Google for Education , and for good reason. Google Workspace is already a highly effective collaboration tool, making it more seamless to submit papers, create presentations, and the like. The downside to Google Suite is that it doesn’t have as many apps as Microsoft Office Online.

6. GoodLinks

Image credit: GoodLinks

GoodLinks is a bookmarking app that’s particularly helpful for research. It’s highly rated on the App Store, with users citing its ease of use. Rich text versions of the links you’ve saved show up on the app, and you can access them offline. Best of all, you can sync it to your iPhone and Mac. The downside to GoodLinks is that you can’t highlight or mark up saved pages, and organizing can only be done through tags.

7. QuickScan

Need a fast and secure way to scan an important doc on the go? QuickScan is a highly recommended scanner app that supports text recognition technology. Digital copies are then saved as PDFs and can be exported into images. Recognized text can also be converted to .txt files.

Users have pointed out the app’s high-quality scanning capabilities and translating text into readable and searchable PDF text output. It’s highly rated on the App Store for good reason, and best of all, it’s free.

iPadOS versions before iPadOS 18 don’t have a calculator, and Solves is a quick and easy solution for that. Users appreciate its clean and minimalist interface and its history option for easier referencing. You can even add notes to your previous calculations.

9. ProCreate

Whether your degree involves creating art, or want to destress and unwind, ProCreate is a fantastic app to get the creative juices flowing. Create high-quality designs with its built-in range of brushes, high-resolution canvases, and enhanced workflows with keyboard support.

The app also allows you to export brushes from Photoshop and even create custom brushes. Most users state that using an iPad Pro for ProCreate lets them maximize the app’s full features, so you may want to consider that.

Image credit: Forest

It can be incredibly tempting to look at other apps while you use your iPad for studying. Forest helps you stay distraction-free, especially during crunch time, and even gamifies your experience. All you need to do is plant a tree on the app, and the seedling grows into the tree the more you stay focused.

Switching over to another app makes the tree die. The more you use Forest, the more trees will grow, and you’ll get to watch your hard work pay off both in academics and in-game.

If you’re also looking to protect your Magic Keyboard from wear and tear, check out these Magic Keyboard skins for your iPad .

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Try these 7 iPad Pro apps to enhance your productivity

The beauty of the iPad and iPadOS is that you have access to the app store. Some say that the iPadOS software tends to bog the user experience down, especially in a productivity setting, but I disagree. Between the nearly 2 million apps you have access to and the raw power from the iPad Pro chipset, I believe the iPad can be a more productive alternative to a traditional desktop or laptop experience. Here are the seven apps I use on my M4 iPad Pro to stay productive.

Be sure to check out our video below to get a true hands-on with the applications I mention:

Sponsor: Sunsama

Sunsama is a daily planner and task management software I have used for years. I actually did a review almost two years ago here . I use it as my life to-do hub and consolidate everything from work-related tasks to home stuff to even hobbies that I want to make sure I make time for. It is a calendar-first focused guided daily planner. The key word here is “guided” – it almost feels like a daily exercise, let me explain.

Sunsama strikes a great balance between making sure you accomplish all of your tasks but also keeping mental clarity and not allowing yourself to get overwhelmed or burned because of all the work you need to get done. Every morning, when you open up the application, which works across all of your devices and syncs perfectly, it will ask you what you want to get done today. There is also a tab with the tasks you did not complete the day before; it even syncs with your calendar to have visibility on any time-sensitive meetings. It will then give you a predicted workload and let you move tasks around to other days if the workload is too intensive. This practice of taking just 2-3 minutes to analyze what your day looks like, has increased my efficiency a lot.

Once you are set up, your day begins, and you can start tackling your tasks one by one. You even have a focus mode that you can initiate that will track how long you spend on a certain task and also clear out all other distractions within Sunsama.

Integrations & end of week recaps

No matter how simple and digitally minimal people try to be, there are always multiple apps that people need access to. That is where Sunsama’s integrations really shine. You can easily integrate your email and then be able to drag and drop certain emails into your Sunsama calendar to act as a reminder task, which I use daily. It also has integrations for the big task management players like Notion, Monday, Jira, Github, Asana, and more. This is why I use Sunsama for my personal task management hub. I can integrate Notion and Monday to make sure I am on top of work tasks and also see my personal tasks all in one view.

Finally, at the end of each day and week you can take 2 minutes to quickly recap everything you were able to finish. not only that, but then you also see what other tasks still need to get done. This allows you to get a sense of accomplishment for the tasks you have done and also allows you to plan the next day or week a bit. That way you have an idea of what is coming next.

Final thoughts on Sunsama

If you are looking for a task management software that will really help you hone in on your daily tasks, then you should give Sunsama a try. They have a 14-day free trial , which you do not even need to provide a payment option. So, no need to remember to ‘cancel’ before you get charged like every other subscription. After the 14-day free trial, it goes to be $20 a month or $16 a month if you pay for the year. For me, Sunsama has been a no-brainer, and I have been able to increase my overall productivity and get rid of that overwhelming feeling. I say, give it a shot and then see if its worth it for you!

FocusedOS is a utility-based app that I now use daily. Technically it’s an iOS app, but of course, it runs on iPadOS. The app is simple and straightforward but has worked wonders to reduce my procrastination. I like to use it in conjunction with Sunsama. FocusedOS will basically block apps that you select when the focus mode is turned on.

I have an “Article Writing” environment that will block all of my social media apps like YouTube, Twitter, and YouTube Studio, and it will play some white noise to really get me in a groove. It has 12 different ambient sounds to choose from, with my favorite being the Cafe one. Then, you can block apps based on categories, individually, and even websites. When your environment is turned on, and you try to access a blocked app, first, the app will be discolored, and then when you tap it, it brings up a blacked view saying that focusedOS is Active.

This is a freemium app, meaning that you can use it for free with a few limitations. Most will be ok with the free version, but if you want to add a bunch of environments, sync across devices, be able to use shortcuts and get full app access, then it is $3.99 a month or $20 for the year. Below is everything you get from the paid version:

• Create multiple environments
• Advanced app + website blocking
• “Allow Only” option
• pick categories of websites
• All ambient sounds (12 at the moment)
• Run shortcuts when starting an environment (Mac)
• Sync across devices

Apple Notes

I have tried countless dedicated 3rd party notes apps, and I always just go back to Apple’s Notes app. This is where the rawest form of ideas started for me. Whether it’s taking handwritten notes, drawing up simple thumbnails, or jotting down a title idea, I always start it in the notes app. It just works so well and gives me a sense of confidence when using it. I always know that whatever I jot down on my iPad, will also be available on my iPhone and Mac. I am able to categorize notes with simple hastags, I can collaborate with others in real time, I have all the basic formatting I need.

It is tough for me to justify leaving the Notes app when I have been using it successfully for so many years. Apple continues to improve it as well with the all new Math notes feature and being able to also clean up actual handwriting to make it more legible. Overall I am big advocate of the Apple notes app for getting myself started for both work as well as personal tasks.

If I were to talk about one app that sort of changed the trajectory of my life, it would have to be Lumafusion. I started using Lumafusion to edit some iPad how-to videos and then post them on YouTube while I was still working at my normal day job. All that eventually led to being able to create videos for a living.

I know it’s not a ‘productivity’ app, but it is my most used work app over the last 6 years. I have edited all of my YouTube videos since 2018 with Lumafusion. There are new competitors like Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad, Capcut, and Davinci; I have tried them all. I always end up right back with Lumafusion. You get everything you would ever need out of a video editor, from integrated voiceovers, lutz imports, working off an external SSD, multicam editing, and so much more. The best part is that it’s a one-time purchase; some in-app add-ons can be purchased but are not needed. If you are looking for a pro-level video editor for your iPad or even your iPhone, I recommend Lumafusion.

The other apps

There are still a few other apps that I mention in our video here . Be sure to head over to them to see what else I use daily and also get a hands-on demo of some of the apps mentioned above. My iPad is my main computer and I love everything about it. But its the apps I use that really sets it apart from any other computer, regardless of form factor or OS.

Let me know what you think of the apps I mentioned! Are there some other apps I should consider? What is your most used app? Let’s discuss below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Fernando Silva started off his professional career in the enterprise technology space with his primary focus being moving large organizations from onsite legacy technologies to a more modern cloud infrastructure. All the technologies he dealt with were mostly in the Microsoft arena but he was always a lover of Apple at heart.

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Best iPad apps for better and smarter usage in 2024

iPad is a powerful device. However, what is the use or significance of all that power if you don’t have the right apps to use it? Well, this list of best iPad apps can help you, whether you’re using an iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini.

Which are the best apps for iPad?

Note that I have taken these apps on a generic basis and tried covering common use cases. However, your use case and choice of apps might differ. So, while the apps mentioned below are some of the best, take them as indications or hints to find the perfect app.

1. Final Cut Pro – For budding directors

Why download it?

• Comprehensive studio tools to record and edit videos
• Dedicated manual camera with live multicam control
• Live drawing on videos with Apple Pencil Pro support
• Fast Cut AI automation for editing workflows

Final Cut Pro is like a professional production studio compressed in one app. Whether you are making music videos, short films, social media content, or other professional clips, you can quickly shoot and edit your projects only with your iPad and hands.

It provides an all-inclusive interface so you can access tools and your video timeline without hassle. I really like the app’s Apple Pencil integration. You can use the Apple Pencil hover to accurately skim video or write and draw on video thanks to the Live Drawing feature.

Although iMovie is great for video editing on iPhone , you may import your projects on Final Cut Pro and enjoy HDR editing on iPad Pro’s Ultra Retina XDR display. The best part is you can use your iPad as a remote controller of the linked camera – thanks to the Live Multicam. This helps you choose the greatest view and audio from any of the recordings.

Moreover, it helps to switch smoothly between production and editing due to preview media auto-sync and full-resolution file transfers. Further, there’s no more struggling with time-consuming editing – you can just use AI-powered Fast Cut tools.

The app also provides a vast library of pre-made titles, transitions, effects, and color-grading presets. Alternatively, to get the ideal sound for your project, reduce background noise, enhance speech clarity, apply voice effects, or include a music track. So, overall, Final Cut Pro is the best video editing app for iPad.

Price: $4.99/month (1-month free trial)

2. Logic Pro – Get music production at fingertips

• Produce music, perform beats, record, edit, and mix music in one place
• AI-powered tools
• Supports GarageBand import
• Vast library of sound effects, vocal, loops, etc.

How about creating the next grooving tune right from your couch? Logic Pro offers you a full-fledged music production studio on your iPad. You can access a comprehensive set of advanced creative tools for proficient songwriting, beat creation, editing, and mixing.

Besides, you can use several plug-ins, such as Beat Breaker, Sample Alchemy, etc., to get more variations. I like its sophisticated interface with easy-to-use controls. Next, the app has a fully functional mixer and Mastering Assistant, providing you with all the required tools.

So, what makes Logic Pro stand out from other music editing apps? It’s the AI tools ! These include ChromaGlow , which quickly adds warmth to recordings; Stem Splitter , which allows you to extract and deal with various portions of a single audio recording; and Session Players , which acts as a personalized backup band.

You can generate custom beats via AI drummer, keyboard, and bass player. Moreover, Logic Pro lets you create kits and sample instruments using more than 6,300 sound effects, vocal, percussion, and over 9000 loops in various genres.

3. Things 3 – Best for task management

• Clean, minimal UI
• Cool organizational features
• One-time cost, no subscriptions

Here’s one task: go to YouTube, search iPad productivity, and go through the first few videos. Or you can trust me when I say that most pro iPad users suggest this app for to-do lists and task management.

And I support their notion; Things 3 is an almost perfect app (check the review for more). It boasts an easy-to-use UI that is customizable and fun. There is also a Home Screen widget and Siri Shortcut support for quick access.

You can also create to-dos, reminders, or notes by mailing them to Things. Moreover, it supports the Apple Pencil, keyboard shortcuts , and several more features.

And if you’re not ready to shell out $20 just yet, try its iPhone or Mac version for free. Although, the seamlessness of Things 3 for iPad is on an entirely different level.

Price : $19.99

4. Spark Mail – Perfect companion for mails on iPad

• Intuitively organizes the inbox
• Easy to schedule, snooze, and sign emails
• Smart collaborative features

Spark Mail has got almost everything you want from a smart email-management app . For starters, its intuitive UI studies your behavior and builds a truly personal experience that’s fast, collaborative, and well-suited for the iPad’s big screen.

The Smart Inbox neatly categorizes all new emails into personal, newsletters, and notifications. You can schedule an outgoing message and even snooze an incoming one, to read it later or at an appropriate time.

Spark also supports a full-featured calendar, integration with apps like iCloud and Dropbox, and quick replies with a tap and swipe to select the apt signature. It also doubles as a chatbot; you can invite teammates and discuss specific emails and threads within the app.

Furthermore, it supports shared inboxes, i.e., multiple people can handle the emails. Interestingly, the feature allows you to assign emails (like tasks), set deadlines, track progress, and more.

Price : Free

5. Procreate – Best iPad app for designers

• Created especially for iPad
• An array of exclusive artistic tools
• Tutorials for almost everything

Procreate, and iPad are a match made in heaven, especially if you own an iPad Pro. You can create sketches, paintings, illustrations, animations, mood boards, and whatnot; the sky is the limit.

Moreover, it’s intuitive, easy to use, supports Apple Pencil, and incorporates various artistic tools. The key highlights include 100s of handmade brushes with over 100 customizable settings, 16K or 8K canvases, numerous buildable color pallets, and customizable single-finger gestures.

Other benefits include an advanced layering system, lightning-fast Valkyrie graphics engine, QuickShape feature for perfect shapes, dynamic type, stroke stabilization, perspective, isometric, and visual symmetry guides.

And that’s not the best part; the iPad app is so popular that you’ll find detailed tutorials on the web and YouTube. So, whether you are a pro or a beginner, Procreate might be the best iPad drawing app.

Price : $12.99

6. iWork – Sufficient for documentation and more 

• Made by Apple for Apple products
• Ready-to-use templates and advanced tools
• Free to use

iWork is a software suite by Apple that comprises Pages for documents, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Keynote for presentations. And since they are made by Apple, they will work seamlessly with your iPad, no matter the model.

Each app is aided with templates that make getting started a breeze. And design tools that facilitate all basic and advanced functions. Moreover, they are built to support Apple Pencil so that you can add notations and handwritten text, draw, highlight, and more.

Plus, iWork enables real-time collaboration, so your team can work together, whether using Mac, iPad, iPhone, or PC. And yes, they might not be the best in their fields, but as mentioned in the title, they are sufficient for day-to-day versions. Plus, they are free to use on your iPad.

Download  

7. Google – Best iPad app for Googling

• All-things Google on your iPhone
• Search via voice or iPhone camera
• Get updates on things that catch your fancy

Yes, you can Google stuff from Safari. However, the Google app has some special tricks up its sleeve, making it a worthwhile app to have on your iPad.

The Google app gives you a fast-track ticket into searching the web. Whether you’re searching a query, nearby shops/restaurants, live sports scores, images, videos, news, or more.

And not just by typing; you can search via voice, use the Google Lens option to search with your camera, or scan QR codes. Moreover, if you want the search to be private, you’re also privy to Incognito mode right from the app.

Another benefit of using the Google app on your iPad is the personalized experience, from getting updates on the topics to real-time updates on sports, movies, and events that interest you.

8. Fantastical Calendar – For organizing your schedule

• Beautiful UI
• More than a calendar – tracks tasks, weather, and more
• Syncs across devices

A multiple award-winning calendar app that keeps you abreast with your schedule, tasks, weather, and more. It boasts a beautiful, minimal, clean, and easy-to-use interface, suitable for students, CEOs, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and almost everyone.

You can view a full-screen calendar for the day, week, month, quarter, or year. Its strength lies in its intuitive, natural language text parsing. That means you can create tasks using natural language and are not restricted to certain phrases or actions.

Furthermore, it integrates apps like Todoist, Google Tasks, Zoom, Google Meet, etc., and auto-creates appointments and tasks accordingly. It also makes finding your availability and scheduling events a breeze.

And if you go for the premium subscription, you’ll be privy to some fantastic tools such as custom calendars as per location, interesting calendars like sports, moon phases, etc., custom event colors, and more.

Price : Free (In-app purchases start at $6.99)

9. 1Password 7: Great for securing passwords  

• Remember all your password and autofill them
• Notifies if your passwords are compromised
• Store cards, accounts details, and documents

So many accounts and passwords, but so little brain bandwidth, pretty unfair, isn’t it? Get yourself out of this rut by using 1Password on your iPad.

It not only saves you from the hassle of remembering the passwords but also helps you set strong passwords for important accounts. And since it supports auto-fill, your login process will be quite seamless.

1Password also doubles as an authenticator; you can store two-factor authentication codes and access them whenever needed. It also keeps a strong vigil on existing passwords and sends you an alert when the password is compromised and needs a change.

There’s more; the app extends its support beyond passwords. You can save your bank accounts, credit cards, addresses, notes, documents, passports, and more into the 1Password vault.

Price : Free (Subscriptions starting from $3.99/month)

10. Headspace: Best iPad app for guided meditation 

• Helps you stay centered and focused on the tasks at hand
• Easy-to-follow sessions
• Mini sessions at your fingertips

You might need to use an iPad Pro for graphic designing, iPad Air for college purposes, or an iPad for watching content, but for all that and more, you need to be in the right head space (pun intended).

The idea is to have a calming app on your iPad, and my weapon of choice is Headspace. One of the best apps of its kind, it houses hundreds of sessions to help you manage stress, relax and focus your energy in the right direction.

It offers guided meditation, sleep aid, breathing exercises, stress-busting workouts, and soothing morning rituals. If you don’t have time at your disposal, don’t worry. The app offers mini 3-minute sessions to keep you refreshed and energized in the meanwhile.

And the best part is that the app helps track your progress, mental and emotional health, mood swings, and how many Mindful Minutes you have spent meditating.

Price : Free (Subscriptions start from $12.99/month)

11. Evernote – Great for organizing notes on the iPad

• Multi-purpose app for organizing notes and tasks
• Simple, minimal, and neat UI

While Apple’s Notes app works flawlessly on iPad, certain features and perks are exclusive to Evernote. This one app can single-handedly take on the jobs of many apps, from note-taking to task management.

You can capture your ideas in any form, write, sketch, or add content like images, docs, PDFs, audios, web clippings, etc. Plus, scan and organize documents, handwritten notes, whiteboards, and more.

Evernote can be integrated with your Google Calendar, bringing your schedule, task lists, and notes to one platform. The app further allows you to organize everything into separate notebooks so personal or professional agendas aren’t mixed up.

If you choose Evernote, you’ll also be privy to an all-inclusive home dashboard, sync across various devices, and a powerful search interface that filters texts from images and handwritten notes.

Price : Free (In-app subscriptions start from $8.95/month)

12. Garage Band: For audiophiles who like to tinker with music    

• Make, edit, or remix music with ease
• Multi-touch support

Wanna set up a custom ringtone for your iPad or iPhone? Or want to build your brand of music? Or just want to practice playing your favorite instrument? Well, you can do all this and more with this nifty app.

Garage Band is created by Apple, so expect a seamless and smooth experience. Plus, it houses a collection of touch instruments, making it a makeshift, full-featured recording studio.

And things don’t stop at that; the app support multi-touch gestures, i.e., you can play the digital keyboard, guitar, or other instruments almost like real-life instruments. You can also plug in a guitar, bass, or capture any other sound, to create the sounds of your choice.

Notably, it is more typical than your usual apps and would require some exploration and experiments from your end. And whether it works for you or not, it will surely be a fun ride, so explore away.

13. Netflix – Most favorite iPad app for streaming content

• Extensive variety of content to choose from
• Great picture and sound
• Accessible PiP mode

I don’t think this app needs any introduction. So, let’s keep this one short and simple. Netflix is my top pick; it has amazing shows and an even more amazing algorithm with additional features like Play Something , games, and more.

Yes, it is more expensive than its competitors, but when you love a show, movie, or series, those extra bucks are just worth it. Moreover, it allows you to take full advantage of your iPad’s screen and speakers. And if you like to multitask, Netflix also has a decent PiP mode.

Price : Free (Subscription start at $15.49/month)

14. Minecraft – One of the best iPad games

• Fun, interactive, and educational game
• Variety of gaming modes
• Large and friendly community

There is gaming, and then there is Minecraft. You can explore infinite worlds and build up stuff, from a simple home to a grand castle. Basically, it’s your world, and you can build it your way.

It is one of the best iPad games out there and correctly so. You can choose the survival mode and play typical challenges with limited resources. Or opt for the creative mode and spend hours enjoying the escapades on the offer.

Minecraft houses a variety of mods, and some of these are so intricate that you can consider them complete games. You also get to interact, compete, and befriend a large community of like-minded gamers.

Price : $6.99 (In-app purchases start at $1.99)

15. GIPHY World: Best fun AR app for iPad  

• Fun to explore
• Could share the experience with friends

When talking about iPad games, I have to bring this one. Although not really a game, it is super fun to play around. And why is this one special? Because it brings GIFs to life.

GIPHY World is an AR (augmented reality) powered app that projects a chosen GIF wherever the camera points. And while you can import GIFs from the vast array of Giphy’s library, you can also draw in the air to bring your imagination and art to life.

Want to share the experience with a friend? Simply collaborate with them, record a video, and share the whole scene.

16. Calculator – If you’re missing this app on iPad

• Easy-to-use, minimal UI
• Works efficiently
• Up to 80 themes to choose from

It’s no secret that the iPad has been missing a calculator app since its inception. And while I somewhat understand the developer’s sentiment, because even this one doesn’t have the perfect design, we still need an alternative.

Now, you can make some small calculations from the spotlight (just type in the query); however, we would need a calculator for complex calculations. So, if you often have to do calculations for your business or deduce canvas sizes, you should try this app.

The Calculator app works how it should work, but what stands out is the array of 80 themes at your mercy. Choose the one you like and start calculating.

17. Amazon Shopping – An app you’ll surely need

• Exhaustive product listing
• Prompt sales and offers notification
• Use AR to view the products

Another app that needs no introduction. Amazon has most of us hooked; it is usually the first place we check for goods availability and price. And I don’t think a shopaholic’s iPad is complete without this app.

Yes, the web interface is decent, and you can seamlessly shop from the browser. However, the app surely offers better perks; for starters, you won’t have to log in repeatedly. In fact, you can use Face or Touch ID to sign in.

Plus, you’ll get notifications for sales, daily deals, special prices for products you have favorited, and more. Further, when using the Amazon app, you can get a 360° view of the product and even use the AR/VR feature to see whether it fits into your room or not.

Price : Free (In-app purchases)

18. CapCut – Great video editor for iPad 

• Suits both beginners and pros
• Ample filters and effects to choose from

The best part about the CapCut app is that it is packed with features and free. Additionally, it boasts an easy-to-use UI, allowing newbies to learn the editing process and make quick and easy edits.

You can trim the video, change its speed, or reverse it with a few taps. CapCut can also help you overlay videos or photos, apply subtle or dramatic effects, smoothen the skin with advanced features, and more.

The app also has an extensive music library, stickers, text style, etc. And most importantly, iPad (especially iPad Pro) truly allows you to have enough screen space to edit videos and the portability to edit them on the go. So, it’s a win-win situation.

Price : Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)

19. Audible – Best iPad app for audiobooks

• Wide selection of audiobooks
• Can adjust the speaking speed
• 3-month trial with Amazon Prime

While physical books will never lose their charm, I prefer audio novels over ebooks. And if you feel the same, Audible is the right app. As an avid audio novel and podcast listener, I have tried and tested a variety of platforms.

And maybe not for podcasts; Audible is one of the best for audio novels. For starters, the variety of books you get with your subscription. I am YA (Young Adult) lover, and Audible originals and novelettes have my heart.

The iPad app is not different from the iPhone app, and that’s a good thing. Because you don’t have to adapt to a separate interface. Plus, it syncs between devices, ensuring you continue exactly where you left, even if you change the device.

And if you have Amazon Prime subscription, you get a 3-month trial for free, so tap that download button and give the app a shot.

Price : Free (Subscription start at $7.99/month)

20. ZOOM – Best iPad app for video conferencing 

• Invite up to 100 people on the call
• Tools to enhance your video calling experience
• Smooth and simple UI

Video calls, conferences, classes, workshops, and more have been the norm. And iPad is one of the best devices for video calls (for a complete explanation, check out this article ), so it’s obvious that the list of best iPad apps will include Zoom.

FaceTime is great and works nicely, although it has its limitations. And Zoom overcomes all that, giving users a smooth video calling experience. Alongside great video quality, Zoom facilitates screen sharing, scheduling meetings, call recording, chats, file sharing, and more.

Zoom further neatly adopts iOS and iPadOS features like safe driving mode with Apple CarPlay, Siri Shortcuts, and direct share in Zoom Rooms.

21. Shadowrocket – Efficient proxy utility client for iPad

• Makes proxy servers easier
• Advanced tool to enhance your user experience
• Doesn’t collect or share your data

While there are several great VPNs for iPad to secure your web usage, proxies have their use case. And if you want to dip into the world of proxy servers or need assistance, Shadowrocket is the perfect starting point.

Once set up, it employs rule-based software that routes all your web traffic via proxy servers, so your IP address is hidden and protected.

And that’s not it; the app also boasts advanced features such as measuring traffic usage and speed, ad blocker, configuring rules to match domain, CIDR IP range, and/or GeoIP lookup.

Price : $2.99

As mentioned earlier, not all of these iPad apps might be the right fit for you. You’ll have to fine-tune things according to your use case and preferences. And if you need some help with that, use the comment section below. Moreover, if you have some apps I might have missed, feel free to share those as well.

Want to explore more fun iPad apps? Check the following out:

• Educational iPad apps
• ArtWorkout: Best app to learn how to draw on iPad
• How to find hidden apps on iPhone and iPad

A self-professed Geek who loves to explore all things Apple. I thoroughly enjoy discovering new hacks, troubleshooting issues, and finding and reviewing the best products and apps currently available. My expertise also includes curating opinionated and honest editorials. If not this, you might find me surfing the web or listening to audiobooks.

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Community dedicated to the iPadPro lineup. Join the iPad Discord : https://discord.gg/ymxWb8W62Q

Best app for annotating live presentations

I am a university teacher and looking for an app that lets me annotate my presentations/slides live during a presentation. I heard Power Point lets you do this but writing looks pretty shitty. When I use Notability I can only present PDFs, but keeping some animations in my presentation is quite important for me.

How about Keynote? I know that annotating is possible, is the pen support good?

Edit: did not buy an ipad pro yet. Thinking about whether it fulfils my needs.

The best iPads for reading, working, and streaming

Apple iPad Air 2024

Apple iPad Pro 2024

Apple iPad (10th generation)

Apple iPad Mini

Table of contents.

Apple's iPads dominate the market. Even with the plethora of tablets from other retailers, iPads are still our favorite. With the 2024 release of the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air , it's clear that Apple is positioning its tablets as a laptop alternative.

Sure, they're great for streaming or reading on the go, but at this point, you can do anything on your computer on an iPad. Whether you want to illustrate or edit videos, iPads will help you do it. Recent developments in the Pro and Air models are also setting them up to be gaming devices.

But since there's not just one iPad to choose from, finding the right tablet isn't so straightforward. Mashable's reporters have hands-on testing experience with the best iPads, so you can figure out which one is for you.

Which iPad model should I buy?

Which iPad model is best for you purely depends on your needs. Do you want something that has enough storage and speed for streaming? Do you want to use it to read? Do you want it as your primary workstation? All of that should factor into your decision.

• Apple iPad Air 2024 (13-inch) review: More space for the 'I use it as a laptop' folks
• Apple iPad Pro 2024 (13-inch) review: The battery life is bonkers
• Apple iPad mini review: Best (small) iPad ever
• 5 wild new iOS 18 features not mentioned at WWDC 2024

The best iPad for most people is the iPad Air 2024. It has the latest tech and solid performance, but is also in the middle of the range in both price and capability. You can find iPads that are even more advanced or some pared down. Read on for Mashable's list of the best iPads for 2024:

Best for most people

Read our full review of the iPad Air 2024.

Who it's for:

The iPad Air is for everyone. It will do the job if you want to use your tablet for streaming, reading, or creative projects. If you plan on using your tablet as a substitute for a laptop, it'll work for that, too. According to Mashable tech editor Kimberly Gedeon, the iPad Air loaded with the M2 chip "delivers impressive performance and noteworthy battery life that will keep creatives, students, and on-the-go busy bees away from the imprisonment of charging cables and wall outlets."

Despite being one of Apple's latest releases, it's an exceptional value, loaded with the M2 chip and starting at $599 for the 11-inch model, and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Why we picked this:

The iPad Air 2024, while no longer the lightest or thinnest, still stands as a testament to Apple's commitment to value. Equipped with the M2 chip, first introduced in the MacBook Air , it delivers the same processing power as a laptop. In our Geekbench 6 tests, it scored on par with the M2 MacBook Air, offering a high-performance experience at a fraction of the cost.

It also has an impressive battery life: It ran over 13 hours in our tests, and it has crisp displays for brilliant graphics. In fact, while testing the most recent iPads, Gedeon noted that it was hard to tell the difference between the iPad Air and iPad Pro displays.

While Apple is desperate to tout the iPad as a gaming device, we wouldn't say it's your best bet with only 8GB RAM. However, it has plenty of power to handle illustration and design work. Essentially, it gives you everything you'd want in a starter MacBook, but it costs you just $599 and has a touchscreen.

• Fast performance
• Long battery life
• Comes in 11- and 13-inch models
• Landscape webcam
• Similar to previous generation
• Processor: Apple M2 chip
• Screen size: 11- or 13-inch
• Memory: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
• Battery life: Over 10 hours

Best for professionals

Read our full review of the Apple iPad Pro 2024.

Professionals planning on using an iPad as their tablet and laptop should go for the iPad Pro . This 2024 release is loaded with Apple's fastest processing power. Graphic designers can store all of their creative work on the device, which has up to 2TB of storage. It's also a smart choice for video editors, as the 1TB and 2 TB models feature texturized nano-glass, which prevents glare while working in any environment — even full sun.

For graphic designers, the Apple iPad Pro 2024 is a dream come true. It's the only iPad on the market that is fully compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro , a tool that features a unique squeezable design and a barrel roll feature, enhancing precision and control in design work.

Why we like it:

The 2024 iPad Pro is essentially an outstanding laptop. Loaded with Apple's latest M4 processing chip, it's the most advanced option from the brand. When running the Geekbench 6 tests, Gedeon did a double take at the results. It got a score of 14,586, making it more powerful than any MacBook we've ever tested, so if you're chasing powerful performance, this is it. And that performance doesn't drain the battery life, as this beast ran for over 16 hours in our tests. And startlingly, it does all of this in a razor thin package. As Gedeon says it feels like "cradling the whispers of technology."

You can often find 1TB storage in computers, but 2TB is rare in a laptop and nearly unheard of with a tablet, so it can store large files without a problem. Plus, the 1TB and 2TB models come with nano-glass, a texturized glass front that prevents glare no matter what environment you're in.

• Extra-long battery life
• Razor-thin design
• Impressive performance
• Brilliant displays
• Nano-glass only available on 1TB and 2TB models
• Processor: M4 chip
• Screen size: 11- or 13-inches
• Memory: 8GB or 16GB
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB
• Battery life: Over 16 hours

Best on a budget

If you prefer saving money over splurging on the latest tech, the Apple iPad (10th generation) is a fantastic choice. It's the base model of all the iPads, meaning it won't have the fastest processor or the latest features, but it is the most affordable. With the 2024 release of the iPad Air and Pro, this iPad's price dropped to $349 — a real steal for Apple technology.

Even though its tech is basic compared to the advanced iPad Air and Pro, it's perfect for someone who wants a portable screen for streaming, playing games, and reading. It's also a nice choice if you're interested in using your tablet as a laptop but don't want to spend a ton of money. It's compatible with the Magic Keyboard Folio and together costs $598 — the same price as the iPad Air.

Plus, it's especially great for kids, if you want to get them a tablet but don't want to spend a fortune on it.

The iPad (10th generation) doesn't possess the flair of the Pro or Air, but it is a testament that Apple's entry-level tablet is still stellar. It's currently the lowest-priced iPad, even defeating the Mini, making it the most affordable choice. PCMag, our sibling site, reviews the iPad 10th generation , stating that it's the best tablet at its price point.

The new landscape camera layout makes video calls look better, and upgraded stereo speakers deliver better sound. It's loaded with the Apple A14 chip, which isn't as impressive as the M-series of chips but is still quick and powerful. It has a decent-sized screen at 10.9 inches, providing plenty of room for those who want to use it as a drawing pad or journal since it is compatible with the Apple USB-C and Apple Pencil 1st generation.

• Quick performance
• USB-C charging port
• High-quality cameras
• No Face or Touch ID
• Processor: A14 chip
• Screen size: 10.9 inch
• Memory: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB or 256GB
• Battery life: 6 hours

Best for reading

Read our full review of the iPad Mini.

If you want to use your tablet as just that, and one of your primary uses is for reading, go with the iPad Mini . The other iPad models start at 10.9 inches, which is a lot of screen when you just want to flip through your e-book. Speaking from experience, holding a 10.9-inch iPad feels more like holding up a magazine than a book, so at 8.3 inches, the iPad Mini is a more comfortable handle for readers. Plus, it has an anti-reflective coating to protect from glare.

The iPad Mini is not just a great e-reader, it's also a versatile tablet. You can still use it to read with the Kindle App, but it also offers the added benefits of a tablet. Imagine reading mid-flight and then switching over to streaming your favorite show. This is a level of versatility that a standard e-reader simply can't match.

So when should you avoid the iPad Mini? If you're after a tablet that can double as a laptop, this won't be for you. 8.3-inches might be plenty of room for reading or watching, but it's going to feel tight when you want to flip between email and Slack. Plus, it's not compatible with Apple's Magic Keyboard, but you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard in a pinch.

The iPad Mini exists in a weird plane in the iPad line-up. Loaded with an A15 chip and 5-core GPU, it's more advanced in some ways than the iPad 10th generation. But on the flip side, it's missing key features like a landscape view camera, headphone jack, and Magic Keyboard compatibility. When we calculate all that, it's clear that the iPad Mini is a great tablet, while the rest of the iPads in Apple's line-ups are capable of being great tablets and laptops.

Where we really like the iPad Mini is for reading. When you use an e-reader, you don't want your wrists to get a workout, and the iPad Mini weighs just over half a pound while the rest of the iPads weigh twice that. Plus, the smaller screen size makes it more ergonomically comfortable to handle. At 8.3-inches it's about an inch and a half bigger than a Kindle Paperwhite Signature . Plus, unlike the iPad 10th generation, it has an anti-reflective coating to help you read in any lighting.

The iPad Mini's smaller size also makes it a better option for traveling. It will take up less space and weight in your bag than any other iPad on this list. Despite being smaller than the iPad 10th generation, it costs more. So what are you paying for? Slightly more advanced tech, the convenience of portability and a better reading experience.

Mashable senior editor Stan Schroeder reviewed the iPad Mini and put it best: "If you value more screen real estate over portability, get something else. If it's the other way around, the iPad mini is the best tablet you can get."

• Compact size
• Fast processing
• Easy-to-use Touch ID
• No headphone jack
• Processor: A15 chip
• Screen size: 8.3-inch screen
• Battery life: 10 hours
• Apple iPad Air 2024 (13-inch) review: More space for the 'I use it as a laptop' folks

Topics Apple iPad

Mashable staff has tested and reviewed all of the iPads on this list. We assessed each model for performance, usability, and special features.

Performance: We looked at the specs of each product and how that measured up. Sure, the iPad Pro has the M3 chip, but does it outperform the iPad Air with the M2 chip? We assessed its speed and processing through hands-on testing and Geekbench tests.

Displays: iPad displays are essential — they are a portable touchscreen. We watched videos to test displays and run creativity apps like ProCreate for accuracy and detail.

Usability: Through daily use, we inspected the usability of these iPads. We assessed things like screen size, placement of front-facing cameras, and how useful special features were.

Special features: With the release of the iPad Pro, we're assessing the special features available on these models, like the nano-texture glass, to see if it's just added flair or actually valuable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which generation of ipad is the newest.

Our answer is slightly complicated because all the models on this list are the latest generations offered. The newest releases are the iPad Pro and iPad Air, released May 15, 2024. The 2024 iPad Pro features Apple's M4 chip, the most advanced processor among both iPads and MacBooks. Meanwhile, the iPad Air has the M2 chip, the same as the MacBook Air M2 .

The newest generation of the base iPad model is the 10th generation, featured here, which debuted in 2022. The iPad Mini is in its 6th generation, originally debuting in 2021.

What are the best iPads for drawing?

Any iPads on this list can be an illustration tool if you have an Apple pencil. If we were going to eliminate any of the options from this list, it would be the iPad Mini because it has the smallest surface area for designing.

But in terms of the best, the iPad Pro is the best for those looking to draw. The 13-inch option provides a plentiful area to design, and it's the only iPad available with the Apple Pencil Pro that now features a squeezable grip and a barrel roll, both expanding creative possibilities.

Can you read books on an iPad?

Yes, you can read on your iPad — no need for an additional e-reader. In fact, reading on your iPad makes traveling far more convenient. You can read and stream on one device rather than pack an e-reader that just lets you read.

All iPads come pre-downloaded with Apple Books and Apple News to read books, magazines, and more. However, you can rely on something besides Apple's apps to read. If you're a Kindle convert or just want to use both, the Kindle app is available on iOS. And don't forget to support your local library and use Libby to gain access to endless audio and e-books.

Boston-based Shopping Reporter, Samantha Mangino, covers all things tech at Mashable, rounding up the best products and deals. She’s covered commerce for three years, spending extensive time testing and reviewing all things home, including couches, steam irons, and washing machines. She thoroughly vets products and internet trends, finding out if those cozy gamer chairs are really as comfortable as TikTok claims.

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Best Restaurant POS Systems of 2024

The best restaurant point-of-sale systems have table and menu management features, inventory and employee management tools, and strong reporting capabilities.

Hillary Crawford is a small-business writer at NerdWallet, with a special focus on business software products. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Yahoo Finance and Entrepreneur, in addition to other publications. She is based in Traverse City, Michigan.

Christine Aebischer is an assistant assigning editor on the small-business team at NerdWallet who has covered business and personal finance for nearly a decade. Previously, she was an editor at Fundera, where she developed service-driven content on topics such as business lending, software and insurance. She has also held editing roles at LearnVest, a personal finance startup, and its parent company, Northwestern Mutual. She is based in Santa Monica, California.

Lisa A. Anthony is a lead writer on NerdWallet’s small-business team, primarily covering small-business lending. She has over 20 years of diverse experience in finance, lending and taxes. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Lisa worked as a writer for Intuit Turbo Tax, loan officer for Bank of America and a business analyst for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Over the years, she has had the opportunity to interact directly with consumers on lending products and tax preparation software. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post and Entrepreneur, among other publications.

Karrin Sehmbi is a lead content management specialist on the small-business team. She has more than a decade of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and tutor. Karrin is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

The best restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems are reliable, easy to use and packed with features that make day-to-day restaurant operations flow seamlessly. These POS systems do much more than accept payments: They also facilitate communication between the front and back of house and have table or menu management capabilities. Other features to look out for include 24/7 customer support, inventory tracking and employee management tools.

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Objective and comprehensive point-of-sale systems ratings rubric . ( Learn more about our star ratings. )

NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including POS systems, payment processing, accounting and payroll. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.

Here are our top picks for the best restaurant POS systems.

Best Restaurant POS Systems

• SpotOn Restaurant

With one of the most competitive payment processing rates we’ve seen among POS providers and a variety of add-ons — including online ordering, labor management, reservations and loyalty programs — SpotOn’s restaurant POS solution stands out for its customizability. SpotOn’s options let restaurants tailor the right solution for their needs, and the company consults with its restaurant advisory board — a group of restaurant-industry veterans — for feedback to continue improving its products.

$0 for Quick Start plan.

$99 for Counter-service plan, plus $3 per employee.

$135 for Full-service plan, plus $3 per employee.

Custom pricing available as well.

$600 for the KDS.

$750 for the Station POS.

$850 for the Counter POS.

Other hardware devices, like the handheld option, are custom.

1.99% plus 25 cents for most cards in the Counter-service, Full-service and Customizable plans.

2.89% plus 25 cents for Quick Start plan subscribers (this processing rate includes hardware and software costs).

2.99% plus 25 cents for reward, international, corporate and keyed-in cards.

Offers a free plan.

Restaurants can customize plans by adding loyalty programs, reservation capabilities, online ordering or employee scheduling software.

24/7 phone support.

No long-term contract or termination fees.

Charges setup fee.

Offline mode includes the hidden cost of a router.

Starter Kit; $69 Point of Sale plan; custom Build Your Own plan.  

Toast offers a wealth of restaurant-specific tools and features, including in-house delivery, online ordering and takeout services. Each of these is included in Toast’s mid-tier monthly plan or available as an add-on with other plans. Toast Delivery Services charges a flat fee for each order with no additional monthly cost. It offers a Pay-as-you-Go pricing option with any of its starter kits, which charges higher processing fees but no monthly software fee and no hardware payment — but you still own the hardware from the start. This can be a great and affordable option for restaurants with a lower volume of transactions. Toast runs on an Android operating system and sells proprietary hardware (at undisclosed prices) that’s been built to withstand the kitchen environment. Read our full Toast POS review .

$0 for Starter Kit plan.

$69 Point of Sale plan.

Custom plans available.

$799.20 for Handheld Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).

$1,024.20 for Countertop Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).

$1,339.20 for Guest Self-Service Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).

3.09-3.69% plus 15 cents per transaction, if you choose a pay-as-you-go plan.

2.49% plus 15 cents for card-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.

3.50% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.

Free plan available for restaurants with up to two POS terminals.

24/7 support via web messaging.

Offers helpful related services, like payroll and team management software, that integrate closely with its POS system.

Built specifically for restaurants with in-house delivery platform available, among other industry-specific features.

Requires a two-year contract and charges early termination fees.

Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.

Charges setup fee, and offline mode includes hidden cost of backup router.

Online ordering is considered an add-on for all plans.

• Square for Restaurants

Square Restaurant POS

Free plan; $60 Plus plan; custom pricing for Premium plan.  

In addition to a free plan, Square offers quick, commitment-free sign-up; flexibility to scale with any number of its add-on tools; the ability to trial the Plus plan free for 30 days and to cancel any of its plans without fees; and the option to pay for hardware in installments — making it an exceptional option for newer and smaller food-service establishments. These benefits in addition to competitive payment processing rates and full pricing transparency have earned Square a 5-star rating from NerdWallet. The tablet accessories offered by Square are mostly compatible with iPads, though they can operate on some Android tablets. Read our full Square for Restaurants review .

$0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.

$29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.

$60 for Square Restaurant Plus plan.

$69 for Square Appointments Premium plan.

$89 for Square Retail Plus plan.

Custom pricing for Square Retail and Square Restaurant Premium plans.

$0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).

$49 and up for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.

$149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).

$299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).

$799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).

2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.

2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.

3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.

Free plan available; all plans include free online ordering page.

App and card readers are compatible with iOS and Android devices.

Can pay for hardware in installments.

No long-term contracts or installation fees.

Free plan doesn’t include 24/7 support.

» MORE: Best bar POS systems

• Clover Restaurant

Clover Restaurant POS

Bustling quick-service restaurants that draw big crowds can likely justify the heavy investment in Clover’s pricey but sturdy hardware. Those that are looking to help shorten long lines may especially appreciate the Clover Flex, a mobile POS terminal that enables employees to take orders, collect payments and print receipts on the go. Clover systems, like many competitive POS providers these days, can accept payments while the internet is down or you don’t have Wi-Fi. The Full-Service Restaurant plans also include online ordering that some competitors treat as add-ons. The company now offers its own kitchen display hardware and software, albeit at a steeper price than many of its competitors. Clover’s POS software runs on an Android operating system and operates only on its proprietary hardware, although it does provide a list of supported third-party accessories. Read our full Clover POS review .

$0 for Clover Go Payments plan.

$14.95 for Clover Go Essentials, Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter, Professional Services Starter and Standard and Home & Field Services plans.

$49.95 for Retail Standard, Personal Services Standard and Advanced and Professional Services Advanced plans.

$59.95 for Quick-Service Dining Starter and Standard plans.

$69.90 for Retail Advanced plan.

$79.90 for Quick-Service Dining Advanced plan.

$89.95 for Full-Service Dining Starter plan.

$109.90 for Full-Service Dining Standard plan.

$129.85 for Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.

$49 for chip, swipe and contactless Clover Go card reader.

$599 for Clover Flex mobile POS with printer.

$799 for Clover Mini POS.

$799-$899 + $25 per month for kitchen display system.

$1,699 for Clover Station Solo.

$1,799 for Clover Station Duo.

$2,499 + $34.95 per month for self-ordering kiosk.

2.3% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions for most plans, though rates may also vary by hardware type.

2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter and Professional Services Standard plans, as well as Home & Field Services Standard and Advanced plans.

3.5% plus 10 cents for online or keyed-in transactions.

24/7 customer support.

Includes online ordering capabilities.

Hardware and software features designed for various dining services.

Must use Clover’s proprietary hardware.

Monthly software fee and hardware costs may be prohibitively high for some businesses.

» MORE: Clover vs. Square: Which restaurant POS system is right for your business?

• Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant POS

Starter plan; $189 Essential plan; $399 Premium plan.  

As a powerful POS system that runs on the higher end of the pricing spectrum for monthly software fees, Lightspeed Restaurant POS is a good fit for restaurants that are firmly established, perhaps with multiple locations to take advantage of the features Lightspeed offers for multi-location management. Given the annual contract requirement and higher priced monthly plans, Lightspeed makes better sense for businesses that have had time to establish a reliable customer base. And if you process more than $50,000 a month, you may be eligible for lower payment processing fees. Lightspeed is compatible with a variety of iPads and iPhones and is optimized for use with iOS systems. Its supported hardware page doesn’t list any Android tablets. Read our full Lightspeed Restaurant POS review .

$69 for Starter plan.

$189 for Essential plan.

$399 for Premium plan.

Pricing for Lightspeed's iPad and desktop hardware kits is quote-based. Individual hardware products are listed in Lightspeed's online store:

$79 for Mobile Tap V2 card reader.

$199 for iPad stand or swivel stand.

$299 for WisePOS E countertop reader.

$429 for Lightspeed Lite Server for data backup and offline mode functionality.

2.6% plus 10 cents per in-person transaction.

Offers advanced inventory management and recipe costing tools.

All plans include CRM and loyalty programs.

Essential and Premium plans include one-on-one support.

24/7 support available.

Syncing with accounting software costs extra.

Some plans may require long-term contracts.

• TouchBistro

From a table management feature that shows total spend and time seated per table to a new (admittedly pricey) profit management tool with advanced inventory, reporting and vendor management capabilities, TouchBistro’s POS software features place a particular emphasis on helping restaurants assess, manage and increase profitability. It’s a hybrid POS system (meaning data is stored both locally and in the cloud, which enhances offline functionality) that has solutions for all types of restaurants, including food trucks , catering companies and bakeries. TouchBistro is an iPad POS system. It’s compatible with most iPad models but not Android devices. Read our full TouchBistro review .

$69 for base plan.

$25 for gift cards feature.

$50 for online ordering feature.

$99 for loyalty features or marketing features.

$229 for reservations feature.

24/7 phone, chat and email support.

Includes restaurant-specific features, like table and menu management.

Optional profit management system provides tools for improving margins.

As a hybrid POS system, TouchBistro can operate without the cloud. Offline capabilities include accepting payments, taking orders, editing menus and managing staff.

Payment processing rates are quote-based, making them difficult to compare to the competition.

Contracts are automatically renewed and can't be terminated early.

No free plan options and charges setup fee.

Ability to accept online orders costs extra.

On top of offering a cash discount program, all of Lavu’s POS software plans include team management features, inventory management tools and bluetooth scale plug-ins. You can also add gift card capabilities, as well as specific integrations for third-party products like QuickBooks Online, Xero, UberEats and DoorDash. Read our full Lavu review .

$99 for Starter plan with Dual Pay.

$149 for Growth plan with Dual Pay.

$279 for Optimize plan with Dual Pay.

Lavu's POS terminals use iPads, which can be bought through Lavu or elsewhere. Vault Pro iPad enclosures start at $190. Stands, rotation bases, receipt printers and cash drawers are sold separately.

Quote-based.

24/7 phone and chat support.

Highly customizable POS platform for those with programming skills.

Restaurants can set up timed menu changes, start customers’ tabs on one register and cash them out at another.

Dual pricing program can help decrease payment processing fees.

No free plan options.

Cannot cancel subscription before term is up.

Does not list payment processing fees.

No virtual terminal for accepting transactions remotely.

for card readers only; $99 for Connect Lite plan; $199 for Connect Plus plan; $289 for Connect Pro plan.  

SumUp’s POS system can help new and existing restaurants build and expand their customer base with automated marketing tools for sending targeted promotions to customers through text and email. While it’s true that restaurant-specific competitors generally offer some type of marketing tool, SumUp POS stands out for incorporating AI-powered text and email promotions in its highest-tier plan. The company also maintains its own customer network that businesses can tap in to. Other features include online ordering, a customer directory, QuickBooks integration and ingredient management tools. Read our full SumUp review .

$0 if using card readers only.

$99 for Connect Lite POS plan.

$199 for Connect Plus POS plan.

$289 for Connect Pro POS plan.

$54 for SumUp Plus card reader.

$64 for SumUp Plus cradle bundle.

$99 for SumUp Solo touchscreen.

$169 for SumUp Solo Printer Bundle.

SumUp POS bundle is quote-based.

2.90% plus 15 cents for online invoice transactions.

3.5% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions.

Free POS plans for card readers.

Automated marketing tools for sending customers targeted promotions.

Available in more than 30 countries.

Online transaction rate is more expensive than some competitors.

Money-back guarantee requires a 12-month subscription.

• What is a restaurant POS system?

A restaurant POS system has features designed specifically for food-service businesses. These can include helping employees:

Accept various forms of payment. 

Keep track of inventory. 

Take orders and send them to the kitchen. 

Clock in and out. 

Manage table layouts. 

Maintain menus.   

Restaurant POS system providers commonly offer hardware (usually a terminal, card reader, cash drawer and receipt printer), software and payment processing services under the same umbrella, making them a one-stop shop. However, some providers, like Clover, let you use third-party payment processors. Working with a separate payment processor isn’t the most convenient option, but it could help you save on credit card processing fees . Many restaurant POS systems are also compatible with third-party hardware accessories, like receipt printers and barcode scanners.

What is a POS system?

• How much does a restaurant POS system cost?

When you’re estimating the cost of a restaurant POS system, factor in hardware, software and payment processing. Here are more details about each.

Expect to pay around $800 to $1,700 upfront for a countertop register setup that includes a POS terminal , card reader , receipt printer and cash drawer. Other restaurant hardware accessories could include a kitchen display system or handheld terminal for taking orders tableside. Taxes, delivery and potential setup and training fees can get pricey too, so make sure you understand what additional costs are associated with a product before you sign a contract.

Some software plans are free while others cost around $60 or $70 per month on the lower end. Most companies charge extra fees per additional terminal, too.

Consider whether you’ll need integrations such as advanced inventory management, vendor management or online ordering. These will further increase your monthly cost. And don’t forget to factor in the cost of add-ons, like delivery services and online ordering. Some providers include these services in their plans, but others charge extra for them.

Payment processing fees vary, but try to avoid monthly PCI compliance fees and high chargeback fees (those over $25 per dispute). In general, the flat-rate processing services that come with POS systems from companies like Square and Toast will be the most convenient options, but not necessarily the most cost-efficient.

Interchange-plus processors, on the other hand, pass savings to the merchants when customers use cards with low interchange fees , and their markups may be more negotiable. However, you’ll need to select a restaurant POS system that allows you to work with outside processors to access that option.

• Restaurant POS system features

Making a list of must-have features can help you narrow down your list of potential restaurant POS systems. Here are some main capabilities to consider.

Reporting: Strong reporting features are a must. Look for actual versus theoretical cost reports on food and labor to find opportunities for improving margins. Ideally you should be able to run reports on your restaurant’s different sales channels to see how each channel is performing. This can tell you which dishes are selling best in house versus takeout, for example.

Menu and inventory management: A restaurant POS system should allow you to customize the menu, track inventory and note modifications, special offers and sold-out items.

Recipe costing: To appropriately price your menu items, it’s important to calculate how much each recipe costs to make. 

Employee management and access: A good system allows you to set up employee access and permissions, schedule shifts, let employees clock in and out and split tips.

Customer loyalty programs: These programs help you collect customers’ contact information and award them points and/or discounts to motivate them to return. This is especially common for cafes and coffee shops. Some loyalty programs automatically send out targeted promotions, too. 

Online ordering: Instead of calling in an order for pickup, some customers prefer to order online, pay in advance and schedule a pickup time. Most restaurant POS systems include online ordering capabilities in higher-tier plans or offer them as an add-on. 

Delivery services: If you’d like to offer delivery as an option for customers, your restaurant POS system should offer its own in-house services (typically as an add-on) or integrate with third-party services, like DoorDash. 

• How to choose a restaurant POS system

Take into account the following factors to choose the best restaurant POS system for your business:

Before purchasing restaurant POS hardware and subscribing to a software plan, make sure to test out the system’s user interface by requesting a demo or searching for videos online. Above all, the system should be easy for your employees to navigate — they should be able to alter menu items and prices as needed, clock in and out and add special notes to orders for the kitchen. Scrolling through user reviews of a particular restaurant POS system can also help you identify potential pain points ahead of time.

Hardware costs and setup fees are typically paid upfront, but some restaurant POS system providers allow you to pay off your purchase in monthly installments. On top of hardware pricing, estimate your monthly software subscription costs and payment processing fees to make sure they’ll fit within your budget in the short and long term.

The best restaurant POS system will allow you to streamline your front-of-house operations with features like tableside ordering, floor plan management, employee management and the ability to split tables’ tabs.

Common back-of-house features include in-depth reporting, ingredient tracking, inventory management and recipe costing. Since restaurants carry perishable inventory, it’s important to take food waste into account and make sure your menu prioritizes recipes that have high margins.

Many restaurant POS systems allow you to connect to additional internal or third-party tools, such as online ordering apps, email marketing software and payroll services. Accounting integrations are especially important, so that you don’t have to manually enter sales data into your restaurant accounting software and risk making an error.

Consider the type of support offered, as well as the days and times it’s available. Some restaurant POS system providers have phone, chat and email support, in addition to implementation and training services. If your restaurant is open late at night, go with a product that offers 24/7 live support.

• Methodology

NerdWallet’s point-of-sale systems provider ratings reward companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including cost, system capabilities, contract requirements, customer service, and integrations and add-ons. Learn more about how we rate point-of-sale (POS) systems providers .

These ratings are a guide, but services, hardware and pricing can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.

NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines .

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This App Will Sync a Pomodoro Timer Across All Your Apple Devices

We've talked more than once about the pomodoro technique , which is built around intensely focusing on a task for 25 minutes and taking a five minute break. There's a lot of software out there for the job, but most of them live on only one of your devices.

Not Focus Timer , an indie app that's been around in various forms for eleven years. The current version works on every Apple platform: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, and even Vision Pro. Your settings—including the current timer—sync via iCloud, all without you having to do much of anything other than install the app on various platforms. It's very convenient, but it's not free: The app costs $40 per year for access on all platforms.

That's a lot to pay for a timer, granted, but it is really nice having a Pomodoro timer that follows you everywhere. I, for example, like to get up and walk around the house during my breaks—with this application installed I can start my break on my laptop, get up, and get my "back to work" reminder on my phone.

Meaningful Things , the Germany-based four-person team behind the application, offers updates constantly—basically any major Apple feature you can think of is offered. There are versions for Apple Watch and Vision Pro. There's a live activity for the iPhone app, meaning you'll see the realtime countdown on your phone's lock screen as soon as you start a session (even if you start that session on your Mac). There are a variety of widgets available for all platforms. There's extensive support for Apple Shortcuts. There's a menu bar icon for the Mac version.

I could go on, but basically if you're the kind of person who likes to take advantage of the latest Apple features, this application has you covered. Focus Timer isn't going to be the perfect Pomodoro app for everyone—the price alone means some people aren't going to touch it—but I recommend at least giving the seven-day free trial a shot. It's rare to find something that works across devices this smoothly.

How-To Geek

The best podcast apps for iphone and ipad.

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We're living in a golden age of podcasts, and a good podcast app can make all the difference to your listening experience. Here are our top picks for enjoying podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

1 Apple Podcasts

Before you run to the app store to download a third-party tool, take a look at Apple's app first. Apple Podcasts is a basic all-rounder that comes pre-installed on your iPhone (though you can delete it or re-download it from the App Store if you want).

It's a solid choice for podcast fans old and new, especially those with a few Apple devices since it syncs over iCloud. This means you can carry on where you left off on your Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, Apple TV, and more.

The app is surprisingly customizable for a pack-in, allowing you to do things like choose how many episodes of a show you want to keep offline on a per-podcast basis. You can customize some parts of the UI (the skip forward and backward buttons), and there's a whole set of additional Apple Watch-specific settings if you prefer to listen that way instead.

Since it's an Apple app, Siri will use it when you ask the assistant to play a podcast. This works most of the time, and you can even ask Siri to play podcasts that you aren't currently subscribed to. Apple Podcasts integrates nicely with CarPlay , so you can enjoy your shows while driving too.

There's not a lot to write home about in terms of additional features. You can modify the speed of a podcast so that it plays back faster or slower (though this will affect the audio quality), set a sleep timer, and save specific episodes indefinitely. There are limited podcast suggestions based on your listening habits, what's currently popular, and editor's picks.

Don't write off Apple Podcasts just because it comes pre-installed, especially if you want an app that "just works" with your other Apple devices. If all you want is a simple podcast player, this is it.

Overcast is an easy-to-use app with some powerful features that set it apart from the rest. The App has been named Editor's Choice in the App Store and is routinely praised by enthusiasts. It's free to use and supported by banner ads that appear on the playback screen. You can remove these by subscribing to Overcast Premium for $9.99 per year, which also lets you upload files and supports ongoing development.

Two of the app's standout features are Voice Boost, which applies equalizer settings to your podcasts that are designed to make spoken word easier to hear, and Smart Speed which shortens silences and speeds up episodes without distorting the audio. The app also features some powerful playlist tools with filters for building a personalized radio station.

Customization runs deep, from the theme colors to a whole menu titled "Nitpicky Details" for those extra preferences that allow you to get your podcast app running precisely how you want it. There are per-episode settings for things like the number of episodes that should be downloaded and retained at once, and the app even remembers your Voice Boost and Smart Speed settings for each episode (if you want it to).

Overcast has a companion Apple Watch app that saves podcasts to your wrist and supports streaming over a cellular connection (if your watch supports it), plus CarPlay support for listening in the car.

3 Pocket Casts

Pocket Casts is a slick podcast app that feels like it was designed with power users in mind. The app is free to download and use, but to get the full Pocket Casts experience (and to support the app's development) you'll need to subscribe to Pocket Casts Plus for $3.99/month or $39.99/year.

Your contribution unlocks bonuses like access to desktop apps for Windows and macOS (plus a web app), the ability to organize your podcasts into folders, Apple Watch functionality, 10GB of cloud storage for your own files, and more themes and icons to further tweak the app's appearance.

Despite paywalling some of its features, there's still plenty to love about Pocket Casts even if you stick with the free version. By creating an account you can sync your podcasts with other platforms, including the Android app. The UI is uncluttered and easy to get along with, and all of your podcasts are presented in a tiled interface on the "Podcasts" tab for quick perusal.

The app's most interesting feature is "Filters" which allows you to quickly make playlists based on set criteria. For example, you can apply a filter that only includes certain podcasts (like your favorite news bulletins), in an unplayed state, that were released in the last week. You can also filter by duration, download status, whether you've starred the episode, and media type.

It's a powerful tool if you have a lot of subscriptions and want a smarter way of getting through shows. It also ensures you always have something to listen to, since you can default to a custom playlist at any point whenever you're feeling indecisive.

Pocket Casts works with CarPlay and lets you cast to AirPlay (like the rest of this list), Chromecast, and Sonos devices. The app also has a Volume Boost for optimizing voices and a Trim Silence setting, plus the usual speed controls, and a vast menu of options for tailoring the listening experience to your liking.

Castro takes a unique approach to managing your podcast library. You can use it like a traditional podcasting app, where you pick a show and episode, but it works best as a curation platform. It's great if you feel overwhelmed by an avalanche of incoming podcasts and don't necessarily want to listen to every single one.

Subscribing to podcasts is fast and easy, simply search and hit the "+" plus icon right from the results page (you can also import your podcasts from other apps). New episodes will appear on the "Inbox" tab, where you can choose to put them into your "Queue" or archive them. You can then work through your queue as if it were a feed, with one episode rolling into the next.

Castro is free to use but some features are hidden behind a $3.99 monthly, $9.99 quarterly, or $24.99 yearly subscription. Subscribing unlocks features like a companion Apple Watch app, a Trim Silence feature, the ability to trim audio from Safari and listen to it with Castro, per-podcast settings, and an Enhance Voice audio booster. The free version is supported by adverts that take the form of promoted shows, which also disappear when you upgrade.

There are plenty of options for customizing Castro outside of this, including download limits, UI tweaks, the ability to create Siri Shortcuts, plus color tints and light or dark themes. Castro is worth a shot if you're looking for a way to tame your podcast problem, particularly if you listen to a lot of shows that post frequent (even daily) episodes.

If you already use Spotify for music streaming, you might want to keep everything under one roof and use it for podcasts too. Even if you aren't subscribed to Spotify Premium, the app still has some merit as a podcast player since it can be used free of charge. Spotify neatly separates music, podcasts, and audiobooks both in terms of library organization and discovery.

If there's one thing that Spotify does well, it's podcast discovery. The service is packed with content, allowing you to filter by podcasts in search queries or browse by categories. Spotify also hosts podcast charts, giving you a quick overview of what's popular right now. Some shows are exclusive to Spotify, which means you're only able to listen to them if you use the streaming service's app. If you need a

Tap "Follow" when you find something you like, and use the bell icon to get notifications when new episodes are available. You can customize automatic downloads on a per-show basis, or set global limits so that you always have something to listen to when you're offline. A companion Apple Watch app lets you control Spotify using your wrist, and CarPlay integration lets you listen along in the car.

The app features a small selection of Now Playing tools including podcast chapters, a sleep timer, and speed controls.

Are you a YouTube Music subscriber? Just like Spotify, YouTube Music also features podcasts . If you're a fan of keeping everything in one place, it's a good alternative to a service like Spotify.

6 Download, Listen, Delete

Podcasts provide an unlimited amount of entertainment and you can consume them while doing almost anything. Unfortunately, this can lead to us being a little over-zealous when subscribing to new shows. Make sure that podcasts don't take up all of the free space on your iPhone .

Looking for Android apps instead? Check out our favorite Android podcast apps .

8 cool ways to use LiDAR on your iPhone and iPad

Your iPhone Pro and iPad Pro may have a helpful and powerful feature you might not know about. Built directly into the last few generations of devices, the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner emits a laser to measure the distances of surrounding objects. This feature provides a few key benefits.

Also: How to use split-screen on iPad (and why you should)

First, LiDAR helps the camera take sharper photos, particularly in dark conditions. Second, the scanner taps into AR, or augmented reality, to combine the real and virtual worlds, acting as an AR virtual tape measure, showing you how new furniture would look in your home, scanning and recreating 3D models, or immersing you in AR games.

Introduced a few years ago, the LiDAR scanner is available on the Pro and Pro Max models of the iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15, as well as the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models from 2020 and later. Nestled among the rear cameras, the scanner can detect objects up to 5 meters, or 16.5 inches.

1. Take a photo in the dark

Snapping a sharp photo with your iPhone can be challenging in low-light situations. Thankfully, the LiDAR scanner can detect the distance of your subject, allowing your camera to power up the autofocus quickly. 

Also: How to take better iPhone photos

Apple claims that the LiDAR sensor helps the camera autofocus as much as six times faster, an advantage when you want to take a shot before it's too late. There's no need to do anything special. Aim your phone's camera and the LiDAR automatically kicks in if necessary.

2. Measure distances

Say you need to measure a physical distance but don't have a ruler or tape measure. You can use a virtual measure. Included with iOS and iPadOS, and downloadable from the App Store , Apple's free Measure app can determine the distance between any two points, display the dimensions of an object, and tell you if a surface is straight.

To measure the distance between two points, open the Measure app on your device and position the starting point in the dot within the circle.

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Tap the plus icon, move your phone along the area you want to measure, and then tap the plus icon again. The distance should appear on the screen.

To measure an object such as a square, position your phone in the same way. Tap the plus icon and move your phone along the first area to measure it. Then double tap the plus icon. Move your phone to capture the next area and, once again, double-tap the plus icon. Continue this way until you've captured the entire object. Double-tap the plus icon at the endpoint, and the distance should appear for all four sides.

To determine if an area is level, tap the Level icon in the app's toolbar. Tilt your device horizontally or vertically along a surface until the screen turns to 0 and flashes green to indicate that you're level.

Beyond using Apple's Measure app, check out other free AR measuring apps from the App Store, including Tape Measure and AR Measure .

3. Try out furniture in your home

Are you looking at a new desk, chair, table, or other piece of furniture and wondering how it would look and fit in your home? Let the IKEA app give you a helping hand.

Start by browsing or searching for a specific piece of furniture or other item, including chairs, beds, desks, sofas, lamps, mirrors, clocks, dressers, or bookcases. When you find an item that interests you, select it and tap the "View in room" button. Choose an area in your home where you'd like to see the item. You can then move the item around the room by dragging and dropping it. When it's in the right spot, tap the shutter button to snap a picture.

A few other apps that let you virtually position and view furniture in your home are Wayfair , Housecraft , and Bob's Discount Furniture .

4. Scan a room

Maybe you're redecorating an entire room and want to measure it to help with your home improvement efforts. One app up to the task is Canvas: LiDAR 3D Measurements .

After signing up for a free account, start a new home project, give it a name, and then kick off your scan. Move your phone to capture every nook and cranny of the room you want to measure. When done scanning, tap the checkmark, and you can view the scanned area and save or share the scan itself.

5. Try on glasses

Need a new pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses but want to check out some options before you head to the store? The Warby Parker app will let you try on virtual glasses to see how they look. Browse the different glasses on display in the app. Spot a pair you like and swipe down from the top of the screen for the Virtual Try-On feature. The glasses automatically appear on your face, where you can check your appearance.

6. Hear your environment described

Designed for people who are blind or sight-impaired, Microsoft's Seeing AI acts as a talking camera able to analyze and describe nearby people and objects. 

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After launching the app, tap one of the icons at the bottom for the item you want to be described, choosing from short text, a document, a product, a person, currency, or a scene. Tap the shutter button and the app should show text and provide a spoken description of the item.

7. Scan a 3D model

If you want to capture a 3D image of an object in the real world, Scaniverse - 3D Scanner is an effective tool. Fire up the app, tap the shutter button, and then select the size of the object you want to scan -- small, medium, or large. Move your phone around the object to capture as much of it as possible. Tap the shutter button when you're finished. Then choose how you want to process the scan. You can view the scan of the object by moving it around the screen, and then edit and share the scan.

Other 3D AR scanner apps worth trying include 3D Scanner App , Polycam - LiDAR & 3D Scanner , and ARama!

8. Play a game

Finally, many AR games are available for the iPhone and iPad. Here are just a few you may want to check out.

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Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs offers a twist on Angry Birds-style gameplay by letting you overlay a virtual island of piggies in the real world and aim your slingshot to take down their buildings.

ARia's Legacy - AR Escape Room offers a variation of the usual escape room scenario by overlaying a virtual room in a real room. You must discover and use the right virtual objects to solve the underlying mystery.

Who doesn't like to watch robots duking it out? With AR Robot , virtual robots fight to the death in your home. 

Choose the room, pick your mechanical champion, and let the match begin. Strive toward victory by building and customizing your bot and tapping into the right abilities in the heat of the battle.

In Defend It! AR , you shoot a horde of robots before they take over your living room. The AR element here is that the robots burst through your wall as you struggle to get them before they steal your magic crystal of power.

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