Google Slides vs Ludus (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Google Slides if

• Fits if a few of you need to build and review the same deck at the same time
• Works for companies already paying for Google Workspace, since it's part of every plan

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want to record yourself presenting for free, as recording is kept for some Workspace plans
• Skip it if you build slides on an iPhone or iPad, as reviewers say the app leaves out much of the web version
• Pricey if you only want Gemini's help, because that starts on Business Standard at $14 a user a month
• Watch out: each recording stops at 30 minutes and can only be made in Chrome or Edge
• Tight if you work offline on a computer, as there's no desktop app and you need Chrome or Edge with an extension

Pick Ludus if

• Fits if a small design team works on decks together
• Makes sense if you want every feature on one plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is only a 30-day trial
• Watch out: the price for teams of 16 or more is not readable
• Watch out: the monthly-billed price is not shown
• Skip it if you want desktop or phone apps, as only web is listed

Google Slides

• There is no standalone paid Slides plan; the business version comes only as part of Google Workspace, with Gmail, Drive and Meet.
• Gemini in Slides is not in Business Starter; it starts at Business Standard, $14 per user / month on a 1-year commitment.
• Slides recording and speaker spotlight are not available with a free personal account; Google limits them to some Workspace plans.
• Google's help lists Slides for computer browsers, Android, iPhone and iPad; no Windows or Mac desktop app is listed.

Ludus

• There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial.
• The pricing page lists a price for teams of 1 to 15 only; the price for 16 or more people was not readable.
• The page shows an annual price and says annual billing pays for 9 months; the monthly-billed price was not readable.
• Listed for web only; no desktop or mobile apps appear on its pages.

Google Slides

Co-editing and revision history

Several people can work on the same slide at the same time. Sharing settings control who can view, comment or edit, and revision history restores earlier versions.

Gemini in Slides

Generates new slides and images from a prompt, summarizes a presentation, rewrites text and can draw on files in Drive. It requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan.

Slides recording

Records a presenter talking through a deck and saves the video to Drive for sharing. Each recording is limited to 30 minutes and can only be made in Chrome or Edge.

Presenting in Google Meet

Slides and Meet controls appear in one place during a call, and speaker spotlight places the presenter's video inside the slide. Both are limited to some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.

PowerPoint and Canva files

PowerPoint presentations can be edited directly without making a copy, or converted to Slides format. Canva presentations can also be imported.

Offline editing

Presentations can be opened, created and edited without a connection. On a computer this requires Chrome or Microsoft Edge with the Google Docs Offline extension.

Ludus

Real-time team editing

Several people work on the same deck at once, with shared channels and a role for each member.

Designer-style editing

Use your own fonts, crop images, GIFs and video, and apply blending modes on slides.

Block-based slides

Content blocks can come from Unsplash, Giphy, Dropbox or Google Drive, and teams can save reusable smart blocks.

Live or link sharing

Present live or send the deck at a customized URL.

Ludus Vox

Record yourself presenting and embed the recording in your slides.

Education pricing

Students and teachers can claim a 75% discount, and schools can buy accounts for a whole domain.

Google Slides

• Personal Google Account$0

  Create, edit and present slides in a browser or the mobile apps, with co-editing, comments, templates and offline access.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with Slides and 30 GB of pooled storage per user. Gemini in Slides is not included.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB of pooled storage per user. The lowest Business edition that includes Gemini in Slides.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  Everything in Standard with 5 TB of pooled storage per user, plus Vault, eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  No minimum or maximum user count, with data loss prevention, context-aware access and data regions; priced through Google sales.

Ludus

• Ludus personal$14.90

  per user / month, billed annually (teams of 1 to 15)

  One plan with every feature: unlimited team members, presentations and storage. Teams of 16 or more use a separate price.

Google Slides

• Annual discount

  Save 16% with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter is $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan against $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Slides, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions.

Ludus

• Education

  75% off for students and teachers

  Verified students and teachers get 75% off every plan, shown as $4 per month billed annually.