Microsoft PowerPoint vs Plus AI
We give Microsoft PowerPoint a 3.8 GPA and Plus AI a 2.6, out of 4.0. Microsoft PowerPoint grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Slide presentation app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
Plus AI
AI slide assistant that works inside Google Slides and PowerPoint
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAMicrosoft PowerPointExcellent | 2.6GPAPlus AIGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BMicrosoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, bang on what presentation apps typically cost, and it comes with Word, Excel, Outlook and 1 TB of storage. Office Home 2024 is $179.99 once, about eighteen months at $9.99. | BBasic is $10 a user a month billed annually, or $15 monthly. That's right in the middle for this category, and it covers both add-ons with 1,500 AI credits a month. Turning an uploaded document into slides needs Pro at $20, mind. |
| Free plan and trial | APowerPoint for the web is free for one person, with sharing, live collaboration, basic templates and 5 GB of storage. Occasional users could stay here. The Windows and Mac apps and Copilot are the paid bits. | DNo free plan. You get a 7-day trial of any paid plan with 1,000 AI credits, but you have to hand over a credit card to start it. |
| Features | ADesigner suggests layouts, Speaker Coach reports on your pacing and filler words, Cameo puts your live camera on a slide, and several people can edit at once. Copilot rewrites and adds slides on request. That's a lot of depth. | BWhole decks from a prompt, single slides in a layout you pick, Rewrite and Remix for slides you already have, plus an API, Zapier and an MCP server. It's an add-on, though, not an editor, and the AI editing tools don't work in its own web app. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 582,000 App Store ratings. Designer suggests a finished layout for whatever you drop on a slide, and there are thousands of templates to start from. | BNo App Store rating on record, so B is as high as we go. You add it to Google Slides or PowerPoint and work where you already do. Watching your credits is the fiddly bit, as a typical task uses 40 to 170. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web, tied into OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams. The web version has gaps, though: password-protected files only open in the desktop app, and macros don't run. | BIt lives in Google Slides and in PowerPoint for Windows and Mac, with a web app that makes decks to export. There's an API, Zapier and an MCP server. No phone apps, and PowerPoint for iPad isn't supported. |
| Best for | the full-fat slide app everyone can open | AI slides inside Google Slides and PowerPoint |
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: Microsoft PowerPoint and Plus AI. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft PowerPoint starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal). Plus AI starts at $10 per user / month, billed annually.
- Microsoft PowerPoint has a free plan. Plus AI does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Microsoft PowerPoint lists Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Plus AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal) | $10 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | PowerPoint for the web is free for 1 person, with sharing, real-time collaboration, basic templates and 5 GB of cloud storage. Microsoft lists the free plan as working on web, iOS and Android. | None |
| Free trial | 1-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 home and business plans; business trials need a credit card. | 7-day free trial of any paid plan with 1,000 AI credits; a credit card is required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Plus Docs, Inc |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | plusai.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Plus AI
- People who want AI help without leaving Google Slides or PowerPoint
- Consultants and sales teams turning documents into editable native slides
- Teams that need generated slides to follow their logo, colors and fonts
Worth knowing
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.
Plus AI
- There is no free plan: a paid plan is required after the 7-day trial, and starting the trial needs a credit card.
- It is an add-on, not a standalone editor: it runs inside Google Slides and PowerPoint for Windows and Mac, and PowerPoint for iPad is not supported.
- Its own web app only generates decks for export as .pptx; the AI editing tools work in the add-ons, not in the web app.
- AI credits belong to each user and reset monthly. Document uploads and image generation need Pro, and custom branding needs Team.
Key features
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.
Plus AI
- Generate from a prompt or a file
- A few sentences, a preset, or an uploaded PDF, Word, PowerPoint or text file becomes a full deck created directly in Google Slides or PowerPoint. File uploads need the Pro plan.
- Insert, Rewrite and Remix
- Insert adds a single slide in a chosen layout, Rewrite summarizes, expands or changes tone, and Remix reformats existing content into a different slide design.
- AI credits
- Using the AI agent draws on a monthly credit limit per user, from 1,500 on Basic to 6,000 on Team. A typical task uses 40 to 170 credits, and limits reset on the billing date.
- Custom branding and templates
- The Team plan applies a logo, colors and fonts to Plus AI templates. Enterprise customers can have slides generated from their own slide masters and asset libraries.
- Presets and custom instructions
- Frequently used prompts are saved as presets, and custom instructions store context about a person or company for later generations. Team plans share a preset library.
- API, Zapier and MCP server
- The Presentations API creates native PowerPoint files over HTTP with a bearer key and needs a Pro or Team plan. Zapier and an MCP server offer the same without code.
Plans
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.
Plus AI
Basic$10
per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
AI presentations in Google Slides and PowerPoint, 1,500 AI credits a month, single-slide inserts, and rewriting and remixing of slides.
Pro$20
per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
3,000 AI credits a month, document uploads (PDF, docx, txt), prompts of over 100,000 characters, AI image generation and unlimited team members.
Team$30
per user / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
6,000 AI credits a month, custom branding with logo, colors and fonts, advanced AI image models, saved presets and custom instructions shared across the team.
Max$200
per user / month, billed annually ($240 billed monthly)
Everything in Team with unlimited AI credits and priority email support, aimed at daily users of the AI agent.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom templates built from the organization's own slides, asset libraries, SSO, user management and guided onboarding.
Ways to pay less
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.
Plus AI
- Annual discount
Lower per-user price with annual billing
Annual billing brings Basic from $15 to $10 per user a month, Pro from $25 to $20, Team from $40 to $30 and Max from $240 to $200.
- Education
Education discount on request
Plus AI's page for teachers says educators who apply through its contact form with a .edu email address can get a discount on paid plans.
