# Slidev review (2026): is it any good? > Markdown slides for developers, built on Vue and Vite Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Slidev is a web-based slide maker and presenter in which a whole deck is written in one extended Markdown file. Because slides are a web app, they can hold Vue components, live code editing with the Monaco editor and interactive demos. It is released under the MIT license and run from the command line with Node.js. - **Category:** Presentations - **Made by:** Anthony Fu and contributors - **Website:** https://sli.dev - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you do not use a command line, as it needs Node.js 22.12 or later. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Slidev is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free and open source under the MIT license. There is no paid plan. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Open source | $0 | The full project, released under the MIT license. Run it locally with Node.js or start in the browser through StackBlitz. | Read from https://sli.dev/guide/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Slidev before buying. ## Key features - **One Markdown file:** The whole deck lives in a single plain-text file in an extended Markdown format, so it works with Git and any editor. - **Code-first slides:** Code snippets use Shiki highlighting, and the Monaco editor is built in for live coding during a talk. - **Vue components and interactivity:** Slides can include Vue components and anything else a web app can do, such as iframes or API requests. - **Themes and addons:** Themes and addons are shared as npm packages and applied with a line of configuration. The site keeps a gallery of both. - **Recording and camera view:** Built-in recording and a camera view let you record the screen and camera, or show yourself in the corner while presenting. - **Export and hosting:** Decks export to PDF, PPTX (as images, or as editable shapes through the CLI), PNG and Markdown, or build into a static single-page app. ## Good for - Developers giving technical talks with code on screen - Teams that want slides kept in Git as plain text - People comfortable with Node.js and the command line ## Worth knowing - It is a command-line tool that needs Node.js 22.12 or later, with no visual drag-and-drop editor. - Exporting to PDF, PPTX or PNG through the CLI needs the playwright-chromium package installed. - The default PPTX export turns slides into images, so text is not selectable. Editable PPTX is CLI-only, and some elements such as SVG and videos stay as pictures. - Interactive features may not survive export, so interactive decks are best shared as a hosted web build. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Slidev makes slides from one Markdown file, with code highlighting, Vue components and live coding. It is free and MIT licensed. It is a command-line tool that needs Node.js 22.12 or later, has no visual editor, and its PPTX export turns slides into pictures by default. - **Value for money: A.** Free under the MIT licence, with no paid plan. You can run it locally with Node.js or start in the browser through StackBlitz. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no account and nothing to buy. - **Features: C.** One Markdown file, code-first slides, Vue components, recording and export. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller one, with no visual editor. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. It needs Node.js 22.12 or later and a command line, and export needs the playwright-chromium package. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Runs on a computer through Node, with a hosted web build for sharing. One kind of device, and no phone or app version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Slidev'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 - Slidev's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 37 of the 51 other presentation tools we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 44 of 51) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Slidev 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.** Slidev 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 37 of the 51 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, Vue, Vite and Shiki 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 Vue, Vite, Shiki, Monaco Editor, Mermaid, KaTeX, UnoCSS, StackBlitz **Tags:** Open source, Markdown, Presentations ## Alternatives - [Marp](https://toolgpa.com/tools/marp): Markdown presentation ecosystem with PDF and PowerPoint export. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marp-vs-slidev) - [reveal.js](https://toolgpa.com/tools/revealjs): Open source HTML framework for building slide decks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/revealjs-vs-slidev) - [Slides](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slides): Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/slides-vs-slidev) - [Deckset](https://toolgpa.com/tools/deckset): Turns Markdown notes into themed slides on Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/deckset-vs-slidev) - [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-slidev) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://sli.dev - https://sli.dev/guide/ - https://sli.dev/guide/why - https://sli.dev/guide/exporting - https://sli.dev/guide/hosting Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/slidev Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).