Ludus vs Slides (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Ludus if

• Fits if a small design team works on decks together
• Makes sense if you want every feature on one plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is only a 30-day trial
• Watch out: the price for teams of 16 or more is not readable
• Watch out: the monthly-billed price is not shown
• Skip it if you want desktop or phone apps, as only web is listed

Pick Slides if

• Fits if you're a developer or speaker who puts code or math on slides
• Works for talks you'd publish anyway, since free decks are public

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want private decks without paying, as free ones are public and carry ads
• Skip it if you hand decks to people who edit in PowerPoint, since those exports are flattened
• Tight if you work on decks with a group on Lite, which allows 1 collaborator per deck and 1 GB of storage
• Pricey if you need custom CSS, the API, private links or Dropbox sync, which start at Pro, $10 a month billed annually
• Watch out: editing needs a browser and a connection, there's no phone or desktop app, and offline presenting is paid

Ludus

• There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial.
• The pricing page lists a price for teams of 1 to 15 only; the price for 16 or more people was not readable.
• The page shows an annual price and says annual billing pays for 9 months; the monthly-billed price was not readable.
• Listed for web only; no desktop or mobile apps appear on its pages.

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.

Ludus

Real-time team editing

Several people work on the same deck at once, with shared channels and a role for each member.

Designer-style editing

Use your own fonts, crop images, GIFs and video, and apply blending modes on slides.

Block-based slides

Content blocks can come from Unsplash, Giphy, Dropbox or Google Drive, and teams can save reusable smart blocks.

Live or link sharing

Present live or send the deck at a customized URL.

Ludus Vox

Record yourself presenting and embed the recording in your slides.

Education pricing

Students and teachers can claim a 75% discount, and schools can buy accounts for a whole domain.

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.

Ludus

• Ludus personal$14.90

  per user / month, billed annually (teams of 1 to 15)

  One plan with every feature: unlimited team members, presentations and storage. Teams of 16 or more use a separate price.

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.

Ludus

• Education

  75% off for students and teachers

  Verified students and teachers get 75% off every plan, shown as $4 per month billed annually.

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.