Google Slides vs Microsoft Sway

Google Slides

• Teams that build and review the same deck together in a browser
• Organizations that already pay for Google Workspace
• Presenters who share their slides in Google Meet calls

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.