Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft Sway VS Slides

Compare Microsoft Sway VS Slides and see what are their differences

Microsoft Sway logo Microsoft Sway

Sway is an easy-to-use digital storytelling app for creating interactive reports, presentations, personal stories and more.

Slides logo Slides

Slides is a place for creating, presenting and sharing presentations. The Slides editor is available right in your browser. Unlike traditional presentation software, like PowerPoint, there's no need to download anything.
Not present
  • Slides Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18

Microsoft Sway features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Sway has an intuitive interface that makes it simple to create and share presentations, even for users with minimal technical expertise.
  • Design Aesthetics
    It offers visually stunning design templates and a comprehensive set of formatting tools that help users create professional-looking presentations quickly.
  • Cloud Integration
    Sway is cloud-based, making it easy to access and edit presentations from any device with an internet connection.
  • Collaboration
    Multiple users can collaborate on a Sway presentation in real-time, providing flexibility for team projects and group work.
  • Multimedia Support
    It allows for the easy integration of multimedia elements like images, videos, and audio clips to create more engaging content.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Sway

  • Limited Customization
    Compared to traditional presentation tools, Sway offers fewer customization options, which can be a limitation for advanced users.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported lag and performance issues, particularly when working with large or media-rich presentations.
  • Internet Dependency
    Being a cloud-based application, it requires a stable internet connection to function, making it problematic in areas with limited connectivity.
  • Learning Curve
    While generally user-friendly, the unconventional interface can initially be confusing for users who are more accustomed to traditional presentation software.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are potential privacy and data security concerns associated with storing and sharing presentations online.

Slides features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Slides offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies the process of creating presentations for users of all skill levels.
  • Customizable Templates
    The platform provides a variety of customizable templates that allow users to create visually appealing presentations without starting from scratch.
  • Real-Time Collaboration
    Slides enables real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously, which is especially useful for team projects.
  • Web-Based Access
    As a web-based tool, Slides can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, offering significant flexibility for users to work on their presentations anywhere.
  • Embed and Share Options
    Users can easily embed presentations on websites and share them via a unique URL, making it simple to distribute and showcase their work.

Possible disadvantages of Slides

  • Limited Offline Access
    Since Slides is primarily web-based, users may find it challenging to work on presentations offline or during connectivity issues.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic features are easy to use, there can be a learning curve when trying to master more advanced functionalities and customization options.
  • Subscription Costs
    Some of the more advanced features and capabilities require a paid subscription, which could be a drawback for users looking for a completely free solution.
  • Dependent on Internet Connectivity
    The tool’s performance is heavily dependent on internet speed and connectivity, which could be a problem in areas with unstable internet access.
  • Limited Export Options
    Slides offers limited export options compared to some other presentation tools, which might restrict users who need to convert their presentations into different formats.

Analysis of Microsoft Sway

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Microsoft Sway is a solid option for users looking for a simple yet effective way to create and share engaging content. Its web-based nature and the ability to easily share or present via a web link make it a convenient tool for educators, students, and business professionals wanting to convey information in a more captivating manner than traditional slide-based presentation tools. However, it may have limitations for users seeking extensive customization options or those working in environments with restricted access to web-based tools.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Sway is designed to be a user-friendly tool for creating interactive presentations, reports, newsletters, and personal stories. It is part of Microsoft's Office suite and offers a modern interface with drag-and-drop functionality, allowing users to create visually appealing content without needing design expertise. Users can seamlessly integrate multimedia such as images, videos, and other interactive elements, making it suitable for creative storytelling and dynamic content presentation.

Recommended for

  • Educators creating interactive lessons or presentations.
  • Students designing multimedia projects or reports.
  • Business professionals looking for an alternative to traditional presentations.
  • Content creators who want to share stories or portfolios in an engaging format.
  • Nonprofits and community organizations sharing newsletters or informational content.

Analysis of Slides

Overall verdict

  • Slides.com is a great choice for creating professional and engaging presentations, especially for teams who need to collaborate remotely.

Why this product is good

  • Slides (slides.com) is considered a good online presentation tool because it offers a simple and intuitive interface for creating visually appealing presentations. It supports real-time collaboration, which can enhance teamwork and productivity. The platform also provides a variety of customizable design templates and integration with other tools, making it versatile for different presentation needs.

Recommended for

  • Professionals who need to create presentations for work
  • Educators looking for a simple tool to build educational content
  • Teams that require real-time collaboration on presentation projects
  • Freelancers and entrepreneurs who need to pitch ideas effectively

Microsoft Sway videos

What is Sway - Microsoft Sway Tutorials

More videos:

  • Review - Microsoft Sway Hands On Review!

Slides videos

MOST COMFORTABLE SLIDES! RANKED AND COMPARED!

More videos:

  • Review - Adidas Yeezy Slides "Bone" Review & On Feet! | Worth the hype?
  • Review - Top 3 Best Most Comfortable Slides!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Sway and Slides)
Presentations
29 29%
71% 71
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Slideshow
25 25%
75% 75
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Sway and Slides

Microsoft Sway Reviews

The 13 Best Presentation Apps in 2018
We're device-agnostic here, but if you prefer a presentation app for focusing on your content over design, Microsoft Sway is a good choice. The only reason it didn't make our list is that it won't play animated GIFs. But we get it—some folks have a severe allergy to anything made by Apple. Sway is free with an Office 365 account.
Source: zapier.com

Slides Reviews

27 dashboards you can easily display on your office screen with Airtame 2
Slides allows you to create and share great complex presentations online, in your very own browser without the need to download anything. See for yourself by clicking here.
Source: airtame.com
Top 25 SlideShare Alternatives To Create & Share Online Presentations
SlideServe allows people to easily upload and share presentations on SlideServe.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email. Just like Slideshare, you can create your own SlideServe channel to brand your content. Also, you can add Youtube videos in your uploaded presentations.
Source: slidehelper.com
The 13 Best Presentation Apps in 2018
Google Slides really shines when it comes to collaboration. Share a link to your presentation, and anyone you want can add details to your slides, write presentation notes, and anything else you want in your presentation. Add comments, similar to Google Docs, to share feedback. You can track changes with Google Slides' detailed revision log, so you don't have to worry about...
Source: zapier.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Slides should be more popular than Microsoft Sway. It has been mentiond 16 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Sway mentions (3)

  • Fedora 37 + sway 1.8
    Lol, I see Sway is also a newsletter maker by Microsoft Https://sway.office.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What program allows me to create a vertical PDF-like document with the ability to make “jump-to” (in page) links, but ALSO (this is key) allows the file to be shared and the user to right click and save photos from it?
    Https://sway.office.com/ This has a lot of option for layouts. You share a link and it scales to the device that's being used. I just did a little test and you can save images just like any other image in browser. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Picture orientation help
    Or make it a Sway (https://sway.office.com) - https://www.thetraininglady.com/convert-powerpoint-to-sway/. Source: over 3 years ago

Slides mentions (16)

  • What software do you use to make presentations?
    (by the way, I use slides.com when I need to prepare something quick, like a presentation at a non-technical meeting; super fast, easy to work with multimedia, and the results can be viewed on multiple devices). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Slideshow app with script
    If you want the same functionality with less code, then check out Slides as it's built on the same revealJS framework by the same people. Source: over 2 years ago
  • CppCon Slides Software?
    The slide editor is browser based and hosted here: https://slides.com. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Looking for ideas on building an interactive intake form
    At my job we have sales members that represent certain products and our reception team takes our buyers through a series of questions to get them to the right sales team member. They aren't hard questions and the process can easily be built as a matrix that spits out a meeting link. I'm a little lost on how to actually build this out and am looking for ideas on ways we can use Hubspot tools (I'm open to other... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a FOSS offering remotely as good as PowerPoint?
    RevealJS is pretty awesome. It is kind of designed for developers though. https://slides.com/ is a paid/hosted version of it. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Sway and Slides, you can also consider the following products

Prezi - Welcome to Prezi, the presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make you a great presenter.

Canva - Canva is a graphic-design platform with a drag-and-drop interface to create print or visual content while providing templates, images, and fonts. Canva makes graphic design more straightforward and accessible regardless of skill level.

Microsoft PowerPoint - Microsoft PowerPoint empowers you to create clean slideshow presentations and intricate pitch decks and gives you a powerful presentation maker to tell your story.

MemeZoo - Get paid to generate memes. Sell your printed memes instantly.

Google Slides - Create a new presentation and edit it with others at the same time — from your computer, phone or tablet. Free with a Google account.

Meme Generator Pro - Meme Generator Pro is a free to use mobile application that offers all the advanced features and services or those who want to enjoy memes.