Is OpenSlides a free PowerPoint alternative?

Yes. Everything that does not use AI is free and needs no account: editing, every component, presenting, narration, PowerPoint and PDF export, video and sharing. AI is optional, on your own key, a local model or paid credits.

Can it open my .pptx files?

Yes. File → Import PowerPoint reads every shape where it sits, text through the template’s placeholders, pictures, tables, charts from their data, each slide’s transition, the speaker notes and the template’s design system. What it cannot express is approximated or listed as a warning.

Can I send the deck back as a PowerPoint file?

Yes, as a static .pptx: text stays editable, components are placed as pictures of themselves, speaker notes are kept, and fades, pushes, zooms and morphs become PowerPoint’s own transitions. A PDF export is one page per slide.

Is it an open-source PowerPoint alternative?

Yes: OpenSlides is an open-source PowerPoint alternative, licensed MIT OR Apache-2.0 at your choice, with the source at gitlab.com/open-slides/openslides.

Do I need to install anything?

No. This PowerPoint alternative opens in your browser at openslides.dev/studio/ on a desktop, a tablet or a phone. There is no desktop download.

Where are my decks stored?

In your browser’s own storage. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to: AI you connect receives the parts of the deck it needs, and sharing writes static files that you host yourself.

OpenSlides PowerPoint alternative

PowerPoint alternative

A free PowerPoint alternative that runs in your browser.

Last updated 27 October 2026

OpenSlides (openslides.dev) is a free, open-source PowerPoint alternative: presentation software that runs in a browser tab, with nothing to install and no account. It imports a .pptx and exports a static .pptx and a PDF, presents with a presenter view, and adds what a slide deck usually lacks — 263 motion components, narration from your speaker notes, and video export. Everything that does not use AI is free, and the code is licensed MIT OR Apache-2.0.

Why people look for a PowerPoint alternative, and what this one does

You want	In OpenSlides
No subscription	Editing, every component, presenting, narration, PowerPoint and PDF export, video and sharing are free and need no account. AI is optional and the only thing you might pay for.
Nothing to install	The studio is static files running in your browser, on a desktop, a tablet or a phone.
Your existing decks	File → Import PowerPoint keeps shapes where they sat, text, pictures, tables, charts from their data, transitions and speaker notes. Or import only a template’s design, and it becomes one of the looks for a new deck.
Files other people can open	Using a PowerPoint alternative should not cut you off from people who use PowerPoint. Export a static .pptx — text boxes keep their fonts, sizes, colours and bullets and stay editable — or a PDF, one page per slide.
Slides that move	46 motion backgrounds, 51 kinetic type, charts that race, maps, diagrams that draw themselves, 3D, 33 effects and 7 transitions.
A video of the deck	File → Export video (record)… saves an MP4 in current Chrome (WebM elsewhere), with your narration mixed in and no watermark.
Open source	MIT OR Apache-2.0, with the source public at gitlab.com/open-slides/openslides.

Moving a deck over from PowerPoint

A PowerPoint alternative is only useful if your old decks come with you. Here they do, with the limits below.

Open the studio and choose File → Import PowerPoint.
Read the warnings. It is an import, not a round trip: what the studio cannot express, such as SmartArt, is approximated or listed, never silently dropped. Animations on individual elements are not imported; the import names the slides that had them.
Keep working. Drag on the canvas or open the Code tab: every slide is a readable .tsx file, and a canvas edit rewrites only the attribute you changed.
Hand it back when you need to. Export a static .pptx or a PDF. Components are placed as pictures of themselves, speaker notes are kept, and fades, pushes, zooms and morphs become PowerPoint’s own transitions.

If you only want the look of your company template, choose Import design from a .pptx: its fonts, colours and layouts become one of the four looks the studio offers for a new deck.

Presenting, the part a PowerPoint alternative has to get right

The presenter view keeps your notes, the next slide and a timer on your screen while the audience sees only the deck. Sliders that drive a chart, spin wheels, hotspots, flip cards, quizzes and an ink layer answer your clicks mid-talk, and a rehearsal records your clicks and your voice together. You can present from the same phone or tablet you edited on. A shared deck is a folder of static files you host yourself: the audience copy has the speaker notes removed from its data, and a private link is encrypted in your browser.

AI is optional

AI is optional in this PowerPoint alternative, and a first deck needs no model: from a brief and your notes, the studio builds a plan card by card and draws it in four looks using only your headings and bullets. To write and edit with a model, use your own key (Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter or an OpenAI-compatible service), a local model in Ollama or LM Studio, or paid Account credits. Each turn shows an estimate before it runs and a receipt after.

Where this PowerPoint alternative falls short

Not a round trip. A .pptx comes in and a static .pptx goes out; element animations are not imported, and exported effects show each element’s final state.
No desktop app. This PowerPoint alternative runs in the browser. The command-line tools build from the public source, and there are no ready-made downloads yet.
No shared cloud workspace. Decks live in your browser’s own storage. Save a .openslides.zip to move a deck, or publish a share site to show it.

FAQ

Is OpenSlides a free PowerPoint alternative?: Yes. Everything that does not use AI is free and needs no account: editing, every component, presenting, narration, PowerPoint and PDF export, video and sharing. AI is optional, on your own key, a local model or paid credits.
Can it open my .pptx files?: Yes. File → Import PowerPoint reads every shape where it sits, text through the template’s placeholders, pictures, tables, charts from their data, each slide’s transition, the speaker notes and the template’s design system. What it cannot express is approximated or listed as a warning.
Can I send the deck back as a PowerPoint file?: Yes, as a static .pptx: text stays editable, components are placed as pictures of themselves, speaker notes are kept, and fades, pushes, zooms and morphs become PowerPoint’s own transitions. A PDF export is one page per slide.
Is it an open-source PowerPoint alternative?: Yes: OpenSlides is an open-source PowerPoint alternative, licensed MIT OR Apache-2.0 at your choice, with the source at gitlab.com/open-slides/openslides.
Do I need to install anything?: No. This PowerPoint alternative opens in your browser at openslides.dev/studio/ on a desktop, a tablet or a phone. There is no desktop download.
Where are my decks stored?: In your browser’s own storage. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to: AI you connect receives the parts of the deck it needs, and sharing writes static files that you host yourself.

Try it

Open the studio to try this PowerPoint alternative, or open the launch keynote to see what the components do. To turn an existing deck into a video, read PowerPoint to video; everything else is on the product page for this presentation software.