Shorthand vs Slides (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Slides grades higher than Shorthand: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Slides grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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.
Slides
Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support
Which one is for you
Pick Shorthand if
- Fits if you make long visual stories for a communications team
- Works for publishers who want stories on their own CMS
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price, because none is published
- Tight if you publish a lot, as Core includes 12 new stories a year
- Watch out: a published story uses a credit that is not returned if you unpublish it
- Watch out: unused publishing credits expire at the end of each yearly cycle
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
| 2.2GPAShorthandFair | 2.4GPASlidesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan price is published; Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are arranged with sales, so it sits at C. | 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 | CBuilding stories is free, but a paid plan is needed to publish or export them, so you cannot ship anything on the free plan. | 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 | CA story editor, publishing, branding, collaboration and analytics. Core includes only 12 new stories a year, and publishing a story spends a credit that is not returned. | 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 | CNo store rating is on record, and designing a story page by page takes learning. | 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 | BWeb, with WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, Contentful and Adobe Experience Manager listed. No desktop or phone app. | 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 | scrolling web stories like annual reports | 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: Shorthand and Slides. How we grade
Where they differ
- Shorthand also covers documents.
At a glance
| Shorthand | Slides | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $5 per month, billed annually (Lite) |
| Free plan | Creating stories is free; a paid plan is needed to publish or export them. | 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 | Shorthand | Slides, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | slides.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Shorthand
- No plan prices are published: Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are arranged through the sales team, so pricing is recorded as unverified.
- Core includes 12 new stories per year, and publishing a story uses one credit that is not returned if you unpublish.
- Unused publishing credits expire at the end of each yearly cycle.
- Shorthand says it is SOC 2 Type II compliant and ISO 27001 certified.
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
Shorthand
- Story editor
- Stories are built from sections and layouts in a browser editor, and can be embedded into existing pages.
- Publishing options
- Shorthand-hosted publishing on annual plans, or self-hosted through S3, WordPress, Drupal plugins or API.
- Branding
- Themes carry a team's logos, colors and fonts across stories.
- Collaboration
- Editors, designers and developers work in one shared workspace.
- Analytics
- Built-in cookieless analytics, plus Google Analytics, Tag Manager and other trackers.
- AI Creative Companion
- An AI feature the site describes as turning a rough draft into a designed story.
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
Shorthand
Pricing could not be confirmed. See shorthand.com.
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
Shorthand
- Nonprofit
Discounts for charities and NGOs
Shorthand says it offers discounted plans for registered charities and NGOs, and free educational plans for universities and colleges.
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, Shorthand or Slides?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Shorthand has no price we could confirm, and Slides starts at $5 per month, billed annually (Lite).
Which has a free plan, Shorthand or Slides?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Shorthand 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.