Slides vs Speaker Deck (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Speaker Deck grades higher than Slides: 2.6 against 2.4 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 platforms. Speaker Deck grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and 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
Speaker Deck
Host and share presentations online with embeds
Which one is for you
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
Pick Speaker Deck if
- Fits if you publish finished talks and embed them in a page
- Works for people who want a link to share slides
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to build slides, as it is not an editor
- Tight if you need private links or passwords, which are Pro
- Tight if you upload a lot, with 100 uploads in total on Free
- Watch out: uploads are limited to 150 MB on Free and 250 MB on Pro
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASlidesFair | 2.6GPASpeaker DeckGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPro is $8 a month or $80 a year, which is $6.67 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of $7.95 for presentation tools. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BFree gives public sharing, standard embeds and 150 MB uploads, with caps of 10 a day and 100 in total that most people will not reach. |
| Features | 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. | CIt hosts, shares and embeds decks but does not build them. It does that fully, which is a smaller job than the category. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo store rating on record. You upload a PDF and share the link. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CWeb only, with no apps or integrations list. |
| Best for | decks with code, maths or your own CSS | hosting and embedding finished decks |
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: Slides and Speaker Deck. How we grade
Price against what you get
Slides starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Speaker Deck starts at $8 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Slides starts $3 a month lower. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Slides for less, and 7 score higher than Speaker Deck 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
- Slides also covers templates.
- Speaker Deck also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Slides | Speaker Deck | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month, billed annually (Lite) | $8 per month, billed monthly ($80 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | 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. | Public sharing, standard embeds and 150MB uploads, limited to 10 per day and 100 lifetime. |
| Free trial | 14-day trial of the Team plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Slides, Inc. | Speaker Deck, LLC |
| Price read from | slides.com | speakerdeck.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Speaker Deck
- It hosts finished decks; it is not an editor for building slides.
- Free accounts are limited to 10 uploads a day and 100 in total.
- Private URLs and password protection require the Pro plan.
- Uploads are limited to 150MB on Free and 250MB on Pro.
Key features
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.
Speaker Deck
- Public hosting and embeds
- Upload a deck and share it by URL or embed it with the standard Speaker Deck player.
- Private links and passwords
- Pro accounts can keep decks private behind an unlisted URL or a password.
- Unbranded embeds
- Pro removes Speaker Deck branding from the embedded player.
- Scheduled publishing and notes
- Pro can schedule when a deck goes live and attach slide notes.
- Student pricing
- Eligible students can apply for Pro at a reduced rate.
Plans
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.
Speaker Deck
Free$0
Public sharing, standard embeds, 150MB uploads, 10 a day and 100 over the account's life.
Pro$8
per month, billed monthly ($80 billed yearly)
Unlimited uploads up to 250MB, private links, passwords, unbranded embeds and scheduled publishing.
Ways to pay less
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.
Speaker Deck
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
The Pro page shows $80 a year against $8 a month, advertised as a 17% saving.
- Education
Student pricing for Pro
Eligible students can pay $4 a month or $40 a year after applying; approval is required.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Slides or Speaker Deck?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Slides is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $8 a month for Speaker Deck. Slides starts at $5 per month, billed annually (Lite), and Speaker Deck starts at $8 per month, billed monthly ($80 billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, Slides or Speaker Deck?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Slides and Speaker Deck 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.