Ready for Another Presentation Software Comparison?

It's time for PowerPoint vs. Slidebean!

Most corporate professionals are familiar with PowerPoint, but Slidebean might be new to you. Slidebean, launched in 2014, has quickly grown to 250,000 users, compared to PowerPoint's 500 million users worldwide. Slidebean focuses on enabling users to create simple and beautiful slides quickly.

How Is Slidebean Different?

With Slidebean, users start by inputting their written content. Slidebean then transforms that content into a more visual format, which users can tweak to fit their needs, such as changing the color theme, adding logos, and inserting pictures.

Given the extensive use of PowerPoint, we're going to focus on the five things that Slidebean brings to the table, along with our commentary after trying the best presentation software for 14 days.

1. Slidebean Brings Boring Text to Life Quickly

Slidebean's philosophy relies on you entering your content, and then using its "magic beans" to turn your content into a professional-looking presentation. Slidebean is very much a "plug and play" tool, making it incredibly simple to create slides. Unlike PowerPoint, which starts you off with an empty canvas and a ton of tools, Slidebean guides you through all the steps using its intuitive interface.

When starting a new presentation, all you have to do is curate the text, images, and videos you want to include. Then, select a theme, and Slidebean will create a presentation for you, complete with formatting. Slidebean’s outline editor makes it easy to create slides from your content.

However, the downside to this setup is that you won’t get the same level of customization that PowerPoint Presentation Tips offer. Slidebean's options for designing your slide are limited. This simplicity can be good for some but limiting for those who want extensive customization. For instance, in PowerPoint, you can tweak every element of a slide, from fonts to icons to shapes, which is not possible in Slidebean.

2. Slidebean Has a Library of Free Images and Animated GIFs

If you've been following our blog, you know that increasing the use of images is crucial. People are highly visual, and incorporating lots of good-looking visuals keeps them engaged.

Slidebean’s user interface makes it easy to add images to slides. You can simply pick an image you want to change or insert a new one from a library of preloaded images or upload your own. However, we found Slidebean's image library somewhat underwhelming. It would be better if they partnered with reputable free stock image websites like Unsplash. When searching for terms like "meeting," the image selection was limited.

Nevertheless, Slidebean has an image library, which PowerPoint lacks. While it's not difficult to find nice images online and paste them into PowerPoint, having integrated image options is a nice time-saver.

3. Slidebean Incorporates Cool Icons from The Noun Project

We often talk about presentation icons, as they are essential for modern Presentation slides design. Slidebean has partnered with The Noun Project, a fantastic resource for icons, making it easy to insert cool icons into presentations. However, these icons cannot be customized in Slidebean, unlike PowerPoint, where you can change icon colors and more.

4. Slidebean Offers Analytics

Slidebean allows you to track viewer behavior for each presentation. You can find out when, where, and for how long viewers engaged with your presentation and which slides they looked at the longest. This feature can be very helpful for sales reps and others who need to prioritize opportunities based on viewer engagement. PowerPoint slide design does not offer analytics at this time.

5. Slidebean Offers Customizable Templates for Premium Users

Slidebean users on the “Premium” or “Professional” plans get access to a curated library of premade Professional PowerPoint templates that can be customized. These templates are more functional than PowerPoint’s standard templates, though they may not match the quality of professionally designed PowerPoint templates available for download.

Slidebean Pricing and Support

Slidebean offers several pricing plans, including a free trial. Their "Premium" plan starts at $19/month, while the "Professional" plan, which includes 24/7 support, starts at $29/month. PowerPoint, on the other hand, is part of the Office 365 suite, costing $5/month per user.

After a 14-day trial of Slidebean, we concluded that while it offers some interesting features, it may not be the best fit for everyone. For those who value extensive customization, PowerPoint slide design remains the superior choice. However, Slidebean's simplicity and unique features, such as automated Presentation slides design and integrated analytics, can be very appealing, especially for startups and non-designers.

I personally prefer using PowerPoint slide design for most projects due to its customization capabilities and widespread familiarity among clients. However, Slidebean offers a quick and straightforward alternative for creating visually appealing presentations, especially for users without advanced Presentation slides design skills.

FAQs

What is Slidebean?
Slidebean is a presentation software designed to simplify the creation of visually appealing slides by automating the design process.

What are the unique features of Slidebean?
Slidebean offers features like a library of free images and GIFs, integration with The Noun Project for icons, presentation analytics, and customizable Professional PowerPoint templates for premium users.

How does Slidebean compare to PowerPoint?
Slidebean provides ease of use with automated Presentation slides design features and a straightforward interface, whereas PowerPoint slide design offers more extensive customization options suitable for complex presentations.

Is Slidebean suitable for all types of users?
Slidebean is ideal for users looking for a simple, quick way to create presentations without advanced design skills, making it particularly useful for startups and small teams.

What are the pricing options for Slidebean?
Slidebean offers several pricing plans, including a free plan, a Premium plan starting at $19/month, and a Professional plan at $29/month, each providing different levels of access to features and support.

Whether you select PowerPoint or Slidebean, practice your presentation skills for the best results. Each tool has its strengths, and the best choice depends on your specific needs and preferences. Give Slidebean's 14-day free trial a shot, and let us know what you think!

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