Keynote vs 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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.