Genially vs Microsoft Sway
We give Genially a 3.2 GPA and Microsoft Sway a 3.0, out of 4.0. Genially grades higher on features and platforms. Microsoft Sway grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Genially
Interactive presentations, quizzes, games and learning content
Microsoft Sway
Web app for interactive reports, newsletters and presentations
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAGeniallyVery good | 3.0GPAMicrosoft SwayVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is €6 a month billed annually, or €10 monthly, and adds downloads, private sharing and password protection. That's fair. But brand kit, surveys, quizzes and tracking need Master at €20 a member, and LMS packages need Author at €40. | BYou can't buy Sway on its own. The extras come inside Microsoft 365, from $7.00 a user a month paid yearly for Business Basic, or $9.99 a month for Personal. About typical here, but that's a whole office suite if all you wanted was a password on a Sway. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree has 2 GB of storage, 1,000+ templates, every interaction and animation, file import and live sessions for up to 50 people. But you can't download anything, and AI is 500 credits a year. | AFree with a personal Microsoft account, and most people could stay there. You get up to 200 content items per Sway, including 150 images and 150 paragraphs, with sharing by link and export. Password protection needs Microsoft 365. |
| Features | AAny element can be made clickable or animated without code, with games, challenges and branching scenarios. Live sessions take questions and polls in real time. Higher plans add quizzes with individual tracking and SCORM or xAPI packages for a learning platform. | BCards for text, images and videos, a design engine that lays them out, Remix for a new look in a click, and export to Word or PDF. Solid for reports and newsletters. But video and audio files can't be uploaded any more, only embedded. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, so B is as high as we go. It's a browser tool, and you start from a template, an AI prompt or an imported PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides file. | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. Sway handles the formatting and layout itself, and you can start from a topic or a document instead of a blank canvas. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no phone or desktop app listed. It connects to where teaching happens: Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology and D2L Brightspace. | CA web browser is the only place it runs, and it needs a connection. Support for the Windows app ended on June 1, 2026. You can embed a Sway in a web page, but that's about it for hooking into anything else. |
| Best for | clickable lessons, quizzes and games for a class | newsletters and reports shared as a link |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Genially and Microsoft Sway. How we grade
Where they differ
- Genially starts at €6 per month, billed annually (Pro). Microsoft Sway starts at $7.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic).
- Genially also covers surveys.
- Microsoft Sway also covers documents.
At a glance
| Genially | Microsoft Sway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €6 per month, billed annually (Pro) | $7.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic) |
| Free plan | 2 GB of storage, 500 AI credits a year, 1,000+ free templates, all interactions and animations, file import and live sessions of up to 50 participants. Downloads need a paid plan. | Free with a personal Microsoft account: up to 200 content items per Sway, including 20 headings, 150 paragraphs, 150 images and 10 embeds. Password protection needs Microsoft 365. |
| Free trial | None listed | 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal and the business plans; business trials need a credit card |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Genially Web, S.L. | Microsoft |
| Price read from | genially.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Genially
- Teachers and trainers building interactive lessons, quizzes and games
- Presentations that viewers explore by clicking rather than watching slide by slide
- eLearning teams publishing courses to an LMS through SCORM, xAPI or LTI
Microsoft Sway
- Newsletters, reports and visual stories shared as a web link
- People who want the layout handled for them rather than designing slides
- Organizations that already pay for Microsoft 365
Worth knowing
Genially
- The Free plan has no downloads: PDF, JPG and video start at Pro, HTML at Master, and SCORM or xAPI packages at Author.
- Brand kit, metrics, surveys, quizzes and tests need Master or higher, and Master and Author are billed annually only.
- Prices show in euros by default and vary by country; an archived September 2026 copy of Genially's price file lists US prices of $120, $300 and $600 a year for the paid plans.
- Single sign-on, groups, domain restriction and activity history are limited to the Enterprise plan.
Microsoft Sway
- Sway runs only in a web browser and needs an internet connection; support for the Windows app ended on June 1, 2026.
- Free accounts are limited to 200 content items per Sway, against 1,500 with Microsoft 365; password protection and autoplay also need a subscription.
- Video and audio files can no longer be uploaded: since June 2024 they can only be embedded.
- Sway is not sold on its own. Its paid features come with Microsoft 365 subscriptions that cover the whole suite.
Key features
Genially
- Interactions and animations
- Any element can be made clickable or animated without code, and every plan includes all interactions, effects and animations, plus games, challenges and branching scenarios.
- Genially AI
- AI Builder drafts a creation from a prompt, and other tools write text and questions. Use is metered in credits: 500 a year on Free, 2,000 on Pro. Image and voiceover generation start at Master.
- Live sessions
- Content can be projected in a live session with questions and polls answered in real time. Sessions hold 50 participants on Free and Pro and 200 on Master and Author.
- Quizzes, surveys and tracking
- Master adds surveys, open-ended questions, tests, quizzes and competitions, with metrics on each creation, individual tracking and a view of responses.
- Import, download and LMS export
- PowerPoint, PDF and Google Slides files import on every plan. Pro downloads PDF, JPG and video, Master adds HTML, and Author adds SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 and xAPI packages.
- Collaboration and brand kit
- Real-time collaborative editing and comments are on every plan. Master adds a brand kit with logo variations and palettes, team templates, spaces, and roles and permissions.
Microsoft Sway
- Storyline of cards
- Content is typed or dropped into a sequence of cards, each holding text, images, videos or Office documents. Cards can be reordered at any time.
- Built-in design engine
- Sway handles formatting and layout itself. A different design can be applied in a click through Remix, or the layout can be customized by hand.
- Start from a topic or document
- A new Sway can be started from a topic or an existing document rather than a blank canvas, and featured templates are offered on the My Sways page.
- Sharing by link and embed
- View or edit links are sent to others, and viewers need no account or download. A Sway can be embedded in a web page, and work accounts can limit access to the organization or named people.
- Export and accessibility
- A Sway can be exported to Word or PDF and printed. An accessibility view, an accessibility checker and closed captioning support are available on every plan.
- Microsoft 365 extras
- A Microsoft 365 subscription adds password protection, removal of the Sway branding overlay, logo support, autoplay, reader analytics and higher content limits.
Plans
Genially
Free€0
2 GB of storage, 500 AI credits a year, free templates, all interactions and animations, and import of PDF, PowerPoint and Google Slides files.
Pro€6
per month, billed annually (€72); €10 billed monthly
Individual plan: 7.5 GB, 2,000 AI credits a year, premium templates, PDF, JPG and video downloads, private sharing, password protection and folders.
Master€20
per member / month, billed annually (€240)
25 GB and 5,000 AI credits per seat, brand kit, team spaces, metrics and responses, surveys, quizzes and tests, and live sessions of up to 200 people.
Author€40
per member / month, billed annually (€480)
50 GB and 10,000 AI credits per seat, SCORM and xAPI downloads, LTI connection to a learning platform, video upload, AI translation and version recovery.
EnterpriseCustom
Single sign-on, a custom subdomain, groups, domain restriction, activity history, a team library and a dedicated success manager.
Microsoft Sway
Free$0
Sway with a personal Microsoft account: up to 200 content items per Sway, with sharing by link, export and the accessibility tools.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Suite plan with web and mobile Office apps that includes Sway, as the Business Standard and Premium plans do, with sharing limited to specific people or groups.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
Suite plan for 1 person. In Sway it adds password protection, removal of Sway branding, autoplay, analytics and up to 1,500 items per Sway.
Ways to pay less
Genially
- Annual discount
Pro is 40% cheaper on annual billing
Pro is €72 a year (€6 a month) on annual billing. The monthly price in the plans page's price data is €10, which makes annual billing 40% cheaper.
- Education
Education plans for teachers and schools
Teacher plans run from EduPro at €4.99 a month to Edu360 at €25 per teacher a month, billed annually, with unlimited students invited free. A Campus plan is quoted on request.
- Education
StudentPro plan for students
A students-only StudentPro plan costs €1.25 a month, billed annually (€15), with 2,000 AI credits, premium templates and downloads.
- Nonprofit
Up to 50% off for nonprofits
Genially's plans FAQ offers non-profit organizations up to 50% off the Master, Author or Enterprise plan after they send proof of NGO status to support.
Microsoft Sway
- Annual discount
Save $19.89 a year on Microsoft 365 Personal
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, which Microsoft's plan page shows as a $19.89 saving with a yearly plan.
