Marp vs Slides (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Marp grades higher than Slides: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Marp grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Slides grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Slides
Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support
Which one is for you
Pick Marp if
- Fits if you already write in Markdown and want slides from the same text file
- Works for developers who keep decks in Git
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to drag boxes around, as there is no visual editor
- Skip it if you do not use a command line or VS Code
- Watch out: HTML, PDF and PowerPoint export needs Google Chrome or Chromium installed
- Watch out: the site does not say which operating systems it supports
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
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMarpGood | 2.4GPASlidesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree under the MIT licence, and anyone can download and run it. Marp for VS Code, the command-line tool and the core library are all free. | BLite is $5 a month billed annually, or $7 monthly, inside the cheapest quarter for this category, which starts at $5.83. That buys unlimited private decks, no ads, PDF export and offline presenting. Pro at $10 is the middle price and adds custom CSS, the API and unlimited storage. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid plan and no account. The vendor says all its tools are open source. | CFree accounts can only make public decks, and those carry ads. Private decks and every export, PDF, PowerPoint or HTML, need a paid plan. Fine for a conference talk you'd publish anyway, a wall for anything else. |
| Features | CMarkdown slides, themes in CSS, and export to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job: there is no visual editor. | CFor code and math on slides it covers the job: syntax highlighting you can step through line by line, formulas, real HTML underneath, custom CSS on Pro, live streaming to viewers' browsers and an API with an MCP server. Narrower than the category's usual job, and its own docs say PowerPoint exports come out flattened. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You write Markdown and use a command line or VS Code, and exports depend on Chrome or Chromium being present. | CNo App Store rating on record, and building the deck is the work, in a browser that needs a connection. The visual editor means you only open the HTML if you want to. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns through VS Code or the command line on a computer. The site does not list operating systems. | BA browser and nowhere else, with no phone or desktop app. It connects through a REST API, an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT, Dropbox sync and Google Analytics on Pro, and Okta or Microsoft Entra sign-in on Team. |
| Best for | slide decks written in Markdown | decks with code, maths or your own CSS |
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: Marp and Slides. How we grade
Price against what you get
Marp has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Slides starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3.
Slides scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Marp for less, and 1 scores higher than Slides for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Marp is open source, according to its own site.
- Marp also covers Markdown.
- Slides also covers templates.
At a glance
| Marp | Slides | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $5 per month, billed annually (Lite) |
| Free plan | Free. The vendor says all Marp tools and libraries are open source under the MIT license. | Free accounts can create and share public decks only, and those decks show ads. Private decks and PDF, PowerPoint and HTML exports need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day trial of the Team plan |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Marp team | Slides, Inc. |
| Price read from | marp.app | slides.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Marp
- There is no standalone visual editor; you write Markdown in VS Code or any text editor and convert with the CLI.
- HTML, PDF and PowerPoint export is powered by Google Chrome or Chromium, which has to be present.
- The site does not list operating systems, so supported platforms were not confirmed beyond the VS Code extension and the command line.
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.
Key features
Marp
- Markdown based on CommonMark
- Slides are ordinary CommonMark Markdown, with a horizontal rule separating pages.
- Directives and extended syntax
- Directives and extra syntax cover image placement, math typesetting and auto-scaling text.
- Themes in CSS
- Three themes ship with the core engine (default, gaia and uncover), and you can write your own theme in plain CSS.
- Export to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint
- Markdown converts directly to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint files, using Google Chrome or Chromium.
- Marp for VS Code
- An extension that previews slide Markdown and custom themes inside the editor's Markdown preview pane.
- Marp CLI
- A command-line tool that converts Markdown into the supported formats, watches for changes and can run a server for on-demand conversion.
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.
Plans
Marp
Open source$0
Marp for VS Code, Marp CLI, Marp Core and Marpit, all MIT-licensed and free to use.
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.
Ways to pay less
Marp
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Marp or Slides?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Marp is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for Slides. Marp is free, and Slides starts at $5 per month, billed annually (Lite).
Which has a free plan, Marp or Slides?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Marp and Slides have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.