Google Slides vs Slides

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

Slides

• Developers and technical speakers who show code or math on slides
• People who want to fine-tune a deck with their own HTML and CSS
• Teams that want shared themes, slide templates and media on a branded subdomain

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.

Slides

• Free accounts can create only public decks, and those decks show ads.
• PDF, PowerPoint and HTML export need Lite or Pro, and PowerPoint exports are flattened, so text and images cannot be edited separately.
• Lite allows 1 collaborator per deck and 1 GB of storage; private links, Dropbox sync, custom CSS and API access start at Pro.
• Editing happens in a web browser with an internet connection; presenting offline relies on a paid plan.

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.

Slides

HTML-based editor

Decks are HTML documents edited in a visual editor. Developer mode exposes each slide's markup, code blocks get syntax highlighting with line-by-line steps, and Pro adds a CSS editor.

Slides Agent

An AI agent in the editor sidebar, in beta, builds and redesigns slides, writes speaker notes, researches topics and adds charts. AI use draws on monthly credits: 50 on Lite and 400 on Pro.

Live presenting

A deck can be streamed so viewers follow along in their own browsers, with a speaker view for notes and timing, a phone remote control, a live cursor and freehand annotation.

Sharing and embedding

Public decks are shared by link or embedded on other sites. Pro and Team add named private links with passwords and expiry dates. Scroll and kiosk modes change how a deck plays.

Import and export

PDF, PowerPoint, Markdown and reveal.js content can be imported. Lite and Pro export to PDF, PPTX and a self-contained HTML package that keeps animations and works offline.

API and MCP server

A REST API works with decks and account data, a Define API creates prefilled presentations, and an MCP server connects Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools to a Slides account.

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.

Slides

• Free$0

  Public decks only, displayed with ads. Private decks and exports need a paid plan.

• Lite$5

  per month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

  Unlimited private decks, no ads, 1 GB of storage, 1 collaborator per deck, 50 AI credits a month, PDF export, offline presenting and video uploads.

• Pro$10

  per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly)

  Unlimited storage, 3 collaborators per deck, 400 AI credits a month, private sharing, Dropbox sync, custom CSS, API and MCP access, and Google Analytics.

• Team$20

  per month for 2 users, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)

  Everything in Pro for 2 users, with more at $10 each ($14 monthly). Adds SSO, custom branding and subdomain, a theme editor, and shared media and slide templates.

• Custom planCustom

  A tailored plan or quote on request for organizations whose needs do not fit the listed plans.

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.

Slides

• Annual discount

  Save over 25% with annual billing

  The pricing page advertises a saving of over 25% on annual billing: Lite is $5 instead of $7 a month, Pro $10 instead of $14 and Team $20 instead of $28.