Best AI Presentation Tools in 2025: An Honest Comparison

Best AI Presentation Tools in 2025: An Honest Comparison

I've used all of these. Not "tried once for a review"—actually used them for real presentations. Here's what I actually think.

(Disclosure: We make TextDeck. I'll be honest about where others beat us.)

The Quick Take

ToolBest ForWorst ForPPTX Export

TextDeckPPTX-first workflowsWeb-only sharing✅ Native GammaWeb presentationsPowerPoint users⚠️ Limited Beautiful.aiDesign-obsessed teamsQuick generation✅ Okay TomeStorytellingTraditional slides❌ Not really CanvaEverything designFocused workflows✅ Okay

TextDeck (That's Us)

What we built it for: People who need PowerPoint files. Fast. And better-looking than they'd make themselves.

You type a prompt, pick how many slides (1-10), optionally enable images and backgrounds, and get a real PPTX file that opens perfectly in PowerPoint. The AI handles design decisions you'd probably get wrong—text hierarchy, layout balance, visual consistency.

The good:

Prompt-to-PPTX in about 60 seconds

Control over slide count, images, and backgrounds

Attach files to inform generation

Edit specific slides after generation

Exports are genuinely native—no weird formatting

Results often look better than manual work (seriously)

The not-so-good:

We're newer than the others. Less brand recognition.

If you want fancy web-native presentations, that's not our thing

Slide count currently maxes at 10 per generation (edit to add more)

Pricing: $10/month (Base, 300 credits) or $25/month (Pro, 1000 credits)

Honest take: If you present in PowerPoint and value your time, we built this for you. The AI makes design decisions that most non-designers get wrong. If you want flashy web experiences, look elsewhere.

Gamma

What they built it for: Presentations that live on the web.

Gamma's presentations look gorgeous in a browser. The AI is solid. The sharing experience is slick.

The good:

Beautiful web-native presentations

Strong AI generation quality

Nice collaboration features

Good for sharing links rather than files

The not-so-good:

PPTX export is... limited. You'll get a file, but it won't look the same

You're somewhat locked into their ecosystem

If your audience expects a PowerPoint attachment, this gets awkward

Pricing: Free tier, then $10-20/month depending on features

Honest take: If your workflow is "share a link" rather than "attach a file," Gamma is excellent. But most enterprise/client work still wants PPTX files.

Beautiful.ai

What they built it for: Making you look like you hired a designer.

Beautiful.ai pioneered "smart" templates that auto-adjust to your content. Add a bullet point, the layout reflows. It's genuinely clever.

The good:

Consistently stunning results

Great for brand consistency across teams

The auto-layout magic is real

The not-so-good:

AI generation isn't as good as newer tools—it's more about design automation

Learning curve to use advanced features

PPTX export can have quirks

More expensive per seat for teams

Pricing: From $12/month, enterprise plans vary

Honest take: If design consistency is priority #1 and you'll spend time learning the tool, Beautiful.ai delivers. For quick AI generation, others are faster.

Tome

What they built it for: Storytelling, not slides.

Tome said "what if presentations weren't slides?" and built something more like interactive documents. The AI writes narratives, not bullet points.

The good:

Unique format—genuinely different

AI content generation is strong

Great for proposals and narratives

The not-so-good:

It's not really slides. Can feel weird for traditional presentation contexts.

PPTX export doesn't really work (the format doesn't translate)

Clients/investors often expect PowerPoint

Pricing: Free tier, Pro from $16/month

Honest take: I love what Tome is doing conceptually. But when my client says "send me the deck," Tome doesn't fit that workflow.

Canva

What they built it for: Everything visual, presentations included.

Canva is the Swiss Army knife. Presentations are just one of 47 things it does. They've added AI features, but presentations aren't the core focus.

The good:

Massive template library (thousands of options)

You can do everything else in Canva too (social, docs, video)

Generous free tier

Brand kits for team consistency

The not-so-good:

AI features feel bolted on, not native

PPTX export quality varies (some elements shift)

Can be overwhelming—too many choices

Not optimized for presentation workflows

Pricing: Free, Pro from $12.99/month

Honest take: If you already use Canva for everything else, adding presentations makes sense. If you want focused AI presentation generation, you'll fight the interface.

The Design Quality Question

Here's something nobody talks about: most people make ugly presentations.

Too much text. Bad font choices. Cluttered layouts. Weird colors. We've all seen them. We've all made them.

AI tools differ in how much they fix this for you:

TextDeck and Beautiful.ai actively prevent design mistakes

Gamma has strong defaults but lets you break them

Canva gives you rope to hang yourself

Tome sidesteps the issue by not being slides

If you trust your design skills, any tool works. If you know your design skills are mediocre (no shame—most people's are), pick a tool that saves you from yourself.

So What Should You Use?

Choose TextDeck if:

You present in PowerPoint/Google Slides

Speed matters more than fancy web features

You want control over generation settings

You want slides that look better than what you'd make manually

Choose Gamma if:

You share links, not files

Web-native presentations fit your workflow

You don't need clean PPTX export

Choose Beautiful.ai if:

Design consistency is critical

You have time to learn a more complex tool

Your team needs brand guidelines enforced

Choose Tome if:

You're creating narrative content, not traditional slides

The web-first format fits your audience

You're okay explaining why it's not a "normal" presentation

Choose Canva if:

You already use Canva for everything

You want one tool for all design work

Template variety matters more than AI sophistication

The Boring Truth

They're all good. The "best" one is the one that fits your workflow.

Most people reading this probably present in PowerPoint. Most clients and bosses expect PPTX files. If that's you, tools that export clean PowerPoint matter more than tools that look pretty in a browser.

Try TextDeck if PPTX export matters. Try the others if it doesn't. Most have free tiers—experimentation is cheap.