# reveal.js review (2026): is it any good? > Open source HTML framework for building slide decks Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. reveal.js is a framework for making interactive slide decks in HTML, created by Hakim El Hattab and contributors. It supports nested slides, Markdown content, code highlighting, auto-animation, a speaker view and PDF export. It is MIT-licensed and can run from a downloaded folder with just a browser. - **Category:** Presentations - **Made by:** Hakim El Hattab and contributors - **Website:** https://revealjs.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you do not write code, as the vendor sends non-coders to a different product. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, reveal.js is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free and open source under the MIT license. The hosted visual editor is a separate product, Slides.com. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Open source | $0 | The framework itself, released under the MIT license. Download it, clone the repository or install it from npm. | Read from https://revealjs.com/installation/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with reveal.js before buying. ## Key features - **Vertical and nested slides:** Slides can be nested inside one another, so a high-level slide can have detail beneath it. - **Auto-Animate:** Matching elements are animated automatically between consecutive slides. - **Markdown and code:** Slide content can be written in Markdown, and code is highlighted with highlight.js. - **Speaker view:** A separate notes window shows speaker notes, elapsed time, the clock and an optional pacing timer. - **PDF export:** A print stylesheet exports a deck to PDF through the browser's print dialog. - **Touch support:** Decks work on phones and tablets, where you swipe between slides. ## Good for - Developers who want full control of a deck in HTML and CSS - Presenters who need a deck that runs from a folder in any browser - People who prefer a visual editor and can use the separate Slides.com ## Worth knowing - It is a code framework, not a visual app. The vendor points non-coders to Slides.com, which is a separate product. - PDF export is confirmed to work only in Google Chrome and Chromium. - Loading external Markdown files requires running the deck from a local web server, which the full setup includes. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. reveal.js is an open-source framework for building slide decks as web pages, with nested slides, Markdown, speaker view and PDF export. It is free and MIT licensed. It is code, not an app, and the vendor points non-coders to Slides.com, a separate product. - **Value for money: A.** Free under the MIT licence. You download it, clone it or install it from npm, and there is no paid tier. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright with no account. The hosted visual editor is a separate product, Slides.com. - **Features: C.** Nested slides, Auto-Animate, Markdown and code, speaker view and PDF export. It covers the job, but it is a framework you code, not a visual editor. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. You write HTML and need a local web server for external Markdown files. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Runs in any browser, with touch support. That is one family of device, and PDF export is only confirmed in Chrome and Chromium. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from reveal.js's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among presentation tools - reveal.js's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 65 of the 89 other presentation tools we grade, and level with 12. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 77 of 89) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - reveal.js has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/presentations ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** reveal.js is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 65 of the 89 other presentation tools we grade. - You could make: Markdown: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A slide editor. - You could not: It plugs into other products, highlight.js, Slides.com and npm among them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with highlight.js, Slides.com, npm, zoom.js, Markdown **Tags:** Open source, Markdown, Presentations ## Alternatives - [Slidev](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slidev): Markdown slides for developers, built on Vue and Vite. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/revealjs-vs-slidev) - [Marp](https://toolgpa.com/tools/marp): Markdown presentation ecosystem with PDF and PowerPoint export. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marp-vs-revealjs) - [Slides](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slides): Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/revealjs-vs-slides) - [Deckset](https://toolgpa.com/tools/deckset): Turns Markdown notes into themed slides on Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/deckset-vs-revealjs) - [iA Presenter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ia-presenter): Markdown presentation app that builds slides from your script. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ia-presenter-vs-revealjs) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://revealjs.com - https://revealjs.com/installation/ - https://revealjs.com/pdf-export/ - https://revealjs.com/speaker-view/ - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hakimel/reveal.js/master/LICENSE Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/revealjs Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).