iA Presenter vs Keynote
We give iA Presenter a 2.8 GPA and Keynote a 3.4, out of 4.0. iA Presenter grades higher on value for money. Keynote grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
iA Presenter
Markdown presentation app that builds slides from your script
Keynote
Apple's free presentation app for Mac, iPad and iPhone
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAiA PresenterGood | 3.4GPAKeynoteVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe yearly plan is $3.95 a month, billed $47.40, and covers Mac, iPad and iPhone with 1 GB of Web Sharing. Presentation apps typically start at about $9.99. Or pay once: $89 for the Mac, $19.99 for iPad and iPhone. | BThe app costs nothing. The paid part is Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month or $129 a year, the dear end for presentations. It bundles Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro, but for Keynote itself it adds templates, stock media and beta AI tools. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You get a 7-day free trial on the Mac with no credit card needed, and after that it's a subscription or a one-time purchase. | ACreating, editing, presenting and collaborating in real time are all free, with no subscription. Most people could stay here. Premium templates, the Content Hub and the AI slide tools are the paid bits. |
| Features | BIt does one thing: a Markdown script becomes slides, with automatic layouts, a teleprompter, tables that turn into charts and themes you can write in HTML and CSS. Small gaps, though. PowerPoint export is beta, and Web Sharing only runs from the Mac app. | AApple-designed themes, Magic Move and other animations with a live preview, a presenter display for rehearsing, and remote control from an iPhone or Apple Watch. It opens PowerPoint files and exports to PowerPoint, PDF, HTML and video. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, so B is as high as we go. You type your talk and the app lays out each slide for you. It helps to know a little Markdown, and it's a different habit from dragging boxes. | B4.4 from about 83,000 App Store ratings, which is good but not the top band. Every deck starts from a theme, so you swap the placeholder text and pictures for your own. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPad and iPhone only. The pricing page lists no Windows, Android or web version. Unsplash and YouTube are its only listed hook-ups, though a deck can be published as a web link. | BMac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Vision Pro, plus a browser version at iCloud.com that Windows collaborators can join. No Android app and no Windows app. Sharing runs through iCloud or Box. |
| Best for | speakers who'd rather write a script than build slides | good-looking animated decks on Apple devices |
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: iA Presenter and Keynote. How we grade
Where they differ
- iA Presenter starts at $3.95 per month, billed yearly ($47.40); one-time from $19.99. Keynote starts at $12.99 per month or $129 per year for Apple Creator Studio.
- Keynote has a free plan. iA Presenter does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Keynote lists a web app.
- iA Presenter can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- iA Presenter also covers Markdown.
- Keynote also covers templates.
At a glance
| iA Presenter | Keynote | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.95 per month, billed yearly ($47.40); one-time from $19.99 | $12.99 per month or $129 per year for Apple Creator Studio |
| Free plan | None | The app is free: creating, viewing and editing presentations and collaborating in real time do not require a subscription. Premium templates, the Content Hub and the AI slide tools are paid. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on Mac, no credit card required | Apple Creator Studio is free for 1 month for new subscribers, then renews automatically |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Information Architects AG | Apple |
| Price read from | ia.net | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
iA Presenter
- Speakers who would rather write a script than arrange slides
- Markdown users who want slides and a readable handout from one text file
- Teachers and lecturers who keep detailed notes behind sparse slides
Keynote
- People who work mainly on Mac, iPad and iPhone
- Presenters who want animated decks without paying for software
- Exchanging decks with PowerPoint users through import and export
Worth knowing
iA Presenter
- There is no free plan: after the 7-day Mac trial it needs a subscription or a one-time purchase, and one-time purchases are charged per platform.
- The pricing page lists Mac, iPad and iPhone only; there is no Windows, Android or web version on it.
- Web Sharing runs from the Mac app and is not included with App Store purchases; one-time Mac licenses get a short trial of it.
- iA says a one-time payment covers the current version and major updates may cost extra. PowerPoint export is labeled beta.
Keynote
- The apps are for Apple devices only; on a Windows PC, Keynote is available just in a browser through iCloud.com.
- Generating slides from an outline, generated presenter notes and slide clean-up need Apple Creator Studio, at $12.99 per month or $129 per year, and are labeled beta.
- Apple's compatibility list marks PowerPoint WordArt, text effects, image effects and OLE objects as not supported on import; SmartArt is imported as a shape.
Key features
iA Presenter
- Text-first editor
- A talk is written in a Markdown editor. Titles and visuals show on the slide, while regular paragraphs stay as speaker notes that only the presenter sees.
- Automatic layouts
- The app analyzes each slide's content and chooses a layout that adapts to the display. Fixed aspect ratios are also available, including 16:9, 4:3, 9:16 and square.
- Themes and custom themes
- Built-in themes can be adjusted for fonts, colors, headers and footers, and every slide updates to match. Custom themes can be written from scratch in HTML and CSS.
- Teleprompter
- Presentation mode shows the script on a teleprompter beside the slides the audience sees, with a timer. On iPhone and iPad, speaker notes appear as subtitles instead.
- Tables and charts
- Tables are written in Markdown, and adding a line of metadata turns a table into a chart that stays in sync with its data. CSV blocks handle larger datasets.
- Export and Web Sharing
- Exports to PDF, PowerPoint (beta), HTML, images and Markdown. Web Sharing, in the Mac app, publishes a deck as a link that stays available for one year by default.
Keynote
- Themes and slide layouts
- Every presentation begins with an Apple-designed theme, a set of slide layouts whose placeholder text and images are replaced with your own. Layouts and backgrounds can be changed slide by slide.
- Animations and Magic Move
- Slide transitions, emphasis builds and Magic Move animate objects within and between slides, with a live preview on the canvas while editing.
- Presenter tools
- A customizable presenter display for rehearsing, remote control from an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, multi-presenter slideshows, and a separate window for notes and controls during video calls on a Mac.
- Real-time collaboration
- Share a presentation publicly or with specific people through iCloud or Box and see a list of their changes as they happen. Collaborators can also join from a browser on a Mac or Windows computer.
- PowerPoint import and export
- Imports and edits Microsoft PowerPoint files and exports to PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, movies and images. Apple publishes a feature-by-feature list of what carries over from PowerPoint.
- Creator Studio slide tools
- For Apple Creator Studio subscribers, Keynote can turn an outline into a slide deck with presenter notes and correct layout, typography and alignment issues. Apple labels these features beta.
Plans
iA Presenter
Yearly$3.95
per month, billed yearly ($47.40)
Subscription bought from iA that covers Mac, iPad and iPhone and includes 1 GB of Web Sharing.
Quarterly$8
per month, billed $24 every 3 months
The same subscription billed every 3 months: Mac, iPad and iPhone with 1 GB of Web Sharing.
One-Time Payment: iPad and iPhone$19.99
one-time payment on the App Store
The iPad and iPhone app, sold on the App Store only. App Store copies do not currently include Web Sharing.
One-Time Payment: Mac$89
one-time payment, bought from iA
The current Mac version for one user, with a one-month Web Sharing trial. Web Sharing after that is a separate add-on at $9.99 a year per GB.
Keynote
Keynote$0
Create, edit and present on Mac, iPad, iPhone and iCloud.com, with real-time collaboration, Apple-designed themes and PowerPoint import and export.
Apple Creator Studio$12.99
per month, or $129 per year
Adds premium templates and themes, the Content Hub media library and beta tools that generate slides and presenter notes, plus Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro.
Ways to pay less
iA Presenter
- Annual discount
Yearly plan marked as 50% off
The pricing page labels the Yearly plan "SAVE 50%": $47.40 a year ($3.95 a month) against $24 every 3 months ($8 a month) on the Quarterly plan.
- Education
Student and faculty discount
Students and faculty get a discount on non-renewing yearly subscriptions bought from iA, on request. App Store purchases are not eligible, and schools can buy multiple licenses.
Keynote
- Annual discount
About 17% less on the yearly plan
Apple Creator Studio is $129 per year or $12.99 per month. Twelve monthly payments come to $155.88, so the yearly plan costs about 17% less.
- Education
Students and educators: $2.99 a month
Verified college students and educators pay $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year for Apple Creator Studio. Apple calls it a limited-time offer, and it cannot be shared through Family Sharing.
- Other savings
3 months free with a new Mac or iPad
Buyers of an eligible new Mac or iPad can try Apple Creator Studio free for 3 months, claimed within 3 months of activating the device.
