Microsoft PowerPoint vs think-cell (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Microsoft PowerPoint: it is first in our ranking of presentation tools, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 1.2.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft PowerPoint grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
think-cell
PowerPoint add-in for data-linked charts, layout tools and AI slides
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft PowerPoint if
- Fits if you need the Windows or Mac app and already pay for Microsoft 365
- Works for teams that share files through OneDrive or SharePoint and edit together
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if slides are all you need: the desktop apps need Microsoft 365 at $9.99 a month or Office Home 2024 at $179.99
- Skip it if you want AI help without paying, as Copilot needs a subscription, has usage limits and on shared plans works only for the owner
- Not for you if you stay on the free web version and need macros or password-protected files, which open only on the desktop
- Watch out: Business Basic at $7.00 a user a month gets only the web and mobile apps, and business trials need a credit card
- Not for you if you rehearse in another language, because Speaker Coach understands English only
Pick think-cell if
- Fits if you build waterfall and Gantt charts in PowerPoint every week
- Works for firms that can buy volume licences, as the price falls with more users
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want charts: Suite is $28.60 a user a month for one user
- Skip it if you use a Mac or Google Slides, as the pages name only Windows and PowerPoint
- Tight if you lean on AI: AI Suite is $46.54, usage is capped, and you are told at 80%
- Watch out: the billing term and the trial length are not stated on the pages read
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAMicrosoft PowerPointVery good | 1.2GPAthink-cellWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CMicrosoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, which is exactly the middle figure for this category, and it brings Word, Excel, Outlook and 1 TB of storage with it. Office Home 2024 is $179.99 once, about eighteen months of that middle, with no upgrade to the next release. | DThe chart tools sit on Suite at $28.60 a user a month, nearly three times the category's $10 middle. Essentials at $8.90 covers layout tools only, and the billing term is not shown. |
| Free plan and trial | BPowerPoint for the web is free for one person, with sharing, live co-editing, basic templates and 5 GB of storage, and an occasional user could live on it. It isn't the whole app, though: macros don't run and password-protected files only open on the desktop. | DA free trial of the full product is offered, but the pages do not say how long it lasts or whether a card is needed. |
| Features | ACovers the whole job and adds two things: Speaker Coach listens to a rehearsal and reports your pacing and filler words, and Cameo puts your live camera on a slide to be styled and animated like a picture. Neither is offered by Google Slides, Keynote or Canva. Designer, co-authoring and Copilot are included too. | D40+ chart types, alignment tools, Excel linking and AI slide building, all inside PowerPoint. It does not work without it. |
| Ease of use | A4.73 from about 582,000 App Store ratings, one of the two highest marks in this category. Designer offers a finished layout for whatever you drop on a slide, and there are thousands of templates to start from. | CNo store rating on record. It installs into Office, then charts link to Excel data. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web, tied into OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, which is everything this grade asks for. The web version has holes, mind: password-protected files only open in the desktop app and macros don't run. | DWindows only, as the pages name Windows and list no web version. |
| Best for | slides on every device, tied to Microsoft 365 | waterfall and Gantt charts inside 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 think-cell. How we grade
Price against what you get
Microsoft PowerPoint starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 4.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. think-cell starts at $8.90 a month and scores 1.3.
Microsoft PowerPoint scores higher and starts $0.57 a month lower. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Microsoft PowerPoint for less, and 19 score higher than think-cell 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
- think-cell also covers diagrams and reports.
At a glance
| Microsoft PowerPoint | think-cell | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal) | $8.90 per user / month for 1 user (Essentials) |
| 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. | Free trial of the full functionality; its length is not stated on the pages read. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | think-cell Software GmbH |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | thinkcell.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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.
think-cell
- It runs inside PowerPoint, so a PowerPoint license is needed; the pages read name Windows and list no web version.
- Charts and Excel linking need the Suite plan; AI features need AI Suite at $46.54 per user / month for one user.
- Prices shown are for one user and fall as the user count grows; the page did not state the billing term.
- AI usage is capped by volume, and users are notified at 80% of it.
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.
think-cell
- 40+ chart types
- Suite and above include waterfall, Gantt and Mekko charts, linked to Excel so charts update when the data changes.
- Layout and alignment tools
- Essentials and up add automatic alignment, sizing and scaling tools for objects on a slide.
- Team slide and image library
- A shared library of slides, templates and images is included from the Essentials plan.
- AI slide building
- AI Suite adds slide building and precision editing through an AI chat, plus Excel data analysis and chart creation.
- Deck translation
- AI Suite lists AI translation of whole decks in 70+ languages, and 20 template updates a month from Excel or JSON data.
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.
think-cell
Essentials$8.90
per user / month for 1 user; billing term not shown
Team slide, template and image library plus tools for automatic alignment, sizing and scaling. Price drops with more users.
Suite$28.60
per user / month for 1 user; billing term not shown
Adds 40+ chart types including waterfalls, Gantts and Mekkos, Excel data linking and auto-updating annotations.
AI Suite$46.54
per user / month for 1 user; billing term not shown
Adds AI chat slide building, AI Excel analysis, summaries, translation in 70+ languages and 20 template updates a month.
AI Suite Plus$97.60
per user / month for 1 user; billing term not shown
Everything in AI Suite with 5x the usage volume for complex AI tasks.
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.
think-cell
- Education
Student, professor and staff licenses
The order page lists a Students program and a Professor & staff program, with their terms on separate pages.
- Startups
Startup program
A startup program is listed on the order page; the terms are on its own application page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft PowerPoint or think-cell?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft PowerPoint is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against $8.90 a month for think-cell. Microsoft PowerPoint starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal), and think-cell starts at $8.90 per user / month for 1 user (Essentials).
Which has a free plan, Microsoft PowerPoint or think-cell?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft PowerPoint has a free plan. think-cell does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Microsoft PowerPoint and think-cell run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft PowerPoint lists a web app and macOS, iOS and Android apps. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.