LibreOffice Impress vs Microsoft PowerPoint

LibreOffice Impress

• People who want a desktop presentation app with no subscription
• Linux users who need to open and edit PowerPoint files
• Presenting from a laptop with a second screen or a phone remote

Microsoft PowerPoint

• People who need a full desktop presentation app on Windows or Mac
• Teams that already share files through OneDrive or SharePoint
• Presenters who want to rehearse with feedback on pace and filler words
• Occasional users who only need the free browser version

LibreOffice Impress

• There is no hosted cloud version; The Document Foundation says it does not plan a service like those from Google and Microsoft.
• On Android the foundation offers only a viewer with experimental editing, and Impress Remote for Android and iOS controls a slide show but does not edit it.
• The Mac App Store version costs $8.99 and the Microsoft Store version also carries a charge; downloads from the website are free.
• The Presenter Console works only when two displays are connected.

Microsoft PowerPoint

• The Windows and Mac apps need a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time Office purchase; Microsoft lists the free plan for web, iOS and Android.
• PowerPoint for the web lacks some desktop features: password-protected and digitally signed files open only in the desktop app, and macros do not run.
• Copilot needs a paid subscription, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7.00 per user / month paid yearly, or $5.40 without Teams) includes only the web and mobile versions of PowerPoint.

LibreOffice Impress

Slides with charts and multimedia

Slide shows can combine text, charts, drawing objects and multimedia, starting from the templates included with Impress.

PowerPoint files

Microsoft PowerPoint presentations can be imported and modified in Impress, so existing decks do not have to be rebuilt.

Animations and transitions

Dynamic effects, including object animations and slide transitions, can be assigned to slides for on-screen shows that run automatically or manually.

Presenter Console

With a second display connected, the audience sees the slide show while the presenter's screen shows the current slide, the next one, the notes and a timer.

Impress Remote

An open-source Android and iOS app controls a slide show over Bluetooth or a network link, showing slide thumbnails and speaker notes and offering an on-screen pointer.

Views, handouts and export

The Slide Sorter shows thumbnails of every slide and the Handout page pairs slides with text for the audience. Slide timings can be rehearsed, and decks published as handouts or HTML.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Copilot in PowerPoint

Rewrites, reorganizes and adds slides from a written request, leaving the changes for review. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, and usage limits apply.

Designer

Suggests finished layouts for the content placed on a slide. In the desktop apps only Microsoft 365 subscribers get the suggestions; in PowerPoint for the web they are open to everyone.

Speaker Coach

Listens to a rehearsal and reports on pacing, pitch, filler words and reading straight from the slide, then shows a summary with recommendations. It currently understands English only.

Cameo

Places a live camera feed on a slide, where it can be styled, resized and animated like a picture. It is for Microsoft 365 subscribers on Windows, macOS and the web.

Co-authoring

Several people can edit a presentation saved to OneDrive or SharePoint at once. Indicators show which slide each person is on, and changes that do not conflict are merged automatically.

Templates

Microsoft offers thousands of customizable templates as starting points for a slide show. The free plan includes a basic set of templates, fonts, icons and stickers.

LibreOffice Impress

• LibreOffice$0

  The full office suite, including Impress, downloaded free from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS or Linux.

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Free$0

  PowerPoint for the web for 1 person, with sharing, real-time collaboration, basic templates and 5 GB of cloud storage. Works on web, iOS and Android.

• Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99

  per month, or $99.99 per year

  1 person on up to 5 devices at once, 1 TB of cloud storage, and the PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot.

• Microsoft 365 Apps for business$10.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Desktop versions of PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.

• Microsoft 365 Family$12.99

  per month, or $129.99 per year

  Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, with 1 TB of storage per person. AI features are for the subscription owner only.

• Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99

  per month, or $199.99 per year

  Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.

• Office Home 2024$179.99

  one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac

  Classic 2024 desktop versions of PowerPoint, Word, Excel and OneNote, with no upgrade path to the next major release.

LibreOffice Impress

No public discounts listed.

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Annual discount

  Save up to 17% by paying yearly

  Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.

• Education

  Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal

  Verified college and university students get Microsoft 365 Personal at half price. Student status has to be re-verified each year to keep the discount.

• Education

  Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools

  Educators and students with an eligible education email address get Office 365 A1 at no cost, which includes the web versions of PowerPoint and the other core apps.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit staff pricing on Microsoft 365 E3

  Eligible nonprofits can buy Microsoft 365 E3, with desktop, web and mobile versions of PowerPoint, for $9.75 per user / month paid yearly.

• Lifetime license

  Office Home 2024 one-time purchase

  $179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of PowerPoint, Word, Excel and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription.