Tag: Presentation software 2025

📋 Quick Answer

The best Copilot for PowerPoint alternatives in 2025 are Gamma (fastest generation at $8/month), Plus AI (native PowerPoint integration at $10/month), and Beautiful.ai (strongest brand control at $12/month).

Choose Gamma for creative decks, Plus AI if you need to stay in PowerPoint, or master Copilot itself—which remains unbeatable for Microsoft 365 integration when paired with proper training.

🤔 Why You’re Looking for Copilot Alternatives (And When You Shouldn’t Be)

Microsoft Copilot for PowerPoint costs $30/month on top of your Microsoft 365 subscription. For many professionals, that’s £360+ annually for a tool that—according to G2 reviewers—“works only if data is in a table” and “images aren’t always inserted the way you want.”

But here’s what most comparison articles won’t tell you: Copilot isn’t the problem. Knowing how to use it is.

After 35 years helping professionals master presentations and training thousands on AI tools, I’ve seen the pattern. Teams spend £30/month on Copilot, use it three times with mediocre prompts, get frustrated, and cancel. Then they spend another £15/month on an alternative that has the exact same learning curve.

❓ Before you switch tools, answer this:

Are you getting poor results because Copilot is limited, or because you’re using it wrong?

If you’re generating generic slides with prompts like “create a presentation about Q4 sales,” that’s a skill issue, not a tool issue. Copilot excels when you know how to prompt it properly, integrate it with Word documents, and leverage your existing PowerPoint templates.

✅ That said, Copilot genuinely isn’t right for everyone:

• ❌ Don’t have Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise? You can’t access Copilot. Full stop.
• ⚡ Need faster generation speeds? Gamma creates decks 25% faster (45-60 seconds vs 60-90 seconds).
• 🎨 Want creative, web-style presentations? Copilot’s rigid PowerPoint structure won’t cut it.
• 💰 Working on a budget? £30/month vs £8-10/month alternatives adds up.

This guide compares the 7 best Copilot alternatives—tested with identical prompts—so you can make the right choice for your workflow, budget, and presentation style.

🧪 How We Tested: The “Q4 Marketing Review” Benchmark

Every tool in this comparison generated the same presentation: a 10-slide executive deck for Q4 marketing performance review including metrics, ROI analysis, and Q1 recommendations.

We measured:

• ✓ Generation speed (prompt to complete deck)
• ✓ Content quality (does it make sense or is it AI slop?)
• ✓ Design polish (board-ready or needs 2 hours of cleanup?)
• ✓ Editing workflow (how easy is it to fix AI mistakes?)
• ✓ Export quality (what happens when you download?)
• ✓ True cost (pricing + time spent fixing)

🏆 The 7 Best Copilot for PowerPoint Alternatives

1. 🚀 Gamma — Best for Creative Professionals & Fast Iteration

💰 Price: £7/month (annual) or £9/month
⏱️ Generation Time: 45-60 seconds
👥 Best For: Modern web-style presentations, quick iterations, visual storytelling

Gamma doesn’t try to be PowerPoint. It uses flexible “cards” instead of rigid slides, creating presentations that feel more like interactive documents than traditional decks.

✨ What Gamma Does Better Than Copilot:

• ⚡ 25-33% faster generation speeds
• 🎨 GPT-Image-1 integration (edit images by typing commands—no Photoshop needed)
• 📤 Export to websites, PDFs, PowerPoint, and social media formats
• 🎁 400 free credits (roughly 10 presentations before paying)

🏅 Where Copilot Wins:

• 📊 Native PowerPoint features (slide masters, precise formatting, offline access)
• 🔗 Seamless Excel/Word integration for data-heavy presentations
• 🏢 Better for corporate environments requiring strict brand guidelines

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A startup founder needs to iterate quickly on a pitch deck, testing different narratives with investors. Gamma’s speed and modern aesthetic win.

But if that same founder needs to submit a deck to a conservative corporate VC? Export to PowerPoint and polish, or use Copilot from the start.

🎯 Bottom Line:

Choose Gamma if speed and aesthetics matter more than PowerPoint compatibility.

Avoid if you need pixel-perfect control or work in heavily regulated industries.

🔗 Try Gamma Free →

2. 🎯 Plus AI — Best for PowerPoint Power Users

💰 Price: £9/month (annual) or £13/month
⏱️ Generation Time: 60-90 seconds
👥 Best For: Staying inside PowerPoint/Google Slides workflow, professional business presentations

Plus AI is what Copilot should have been: a purpose-built AI that lives inside PowerPoint and actually understands presentation design.

✨ What Plus AI Does Better Than Copilot:

• ✅ Works with personal Microsoft 365 accounts (Copilot requires Business/Enterprise)
• 🎨 Superior template variety (hundreds of slide layouts vs Copilot’s limited options)
• 🔄 “Remix” feature: regenerate individual slides without starting over
• 🧠 Better prompt understanding for complex requirements

🏅 Where Copilot Wins:

• 🔗 Deeper Microsoft 365 ecosystem integration (pulls from Outlook, Teams, OneDrive natively)
• 💰 Included if your org already pays for Microsoft 365 Copilot license

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A management consultant creates 15 client decks monthly. She needs PowerPoint compatibility, custom templates, and the ability to edit AI output quickly.

Plus AI’s native integration means zero workflow disruption—she never leaves PowerPoint.

🎯 Bottom Line:

If you live in PowerPoint but don’t have access to Copilot (or find it lacking), Plus AI is your best bet.

🔗 Try Plus AI Free →

3. 🎨 Beautiful.ai — Best for Brand Consistency & Team Collaboration

💰 Price: £11/month (individual) or £130/user/year (team)
⏱️ Generation Time: 90-120 seconds
👥 Best For: Agencies, corporates with strict brand guidelines, teams needing design governance

Beautiful.ai enforces design rules automatically. If you’ve ever worked with a designer who made you feel bad about your font choices, Beautiful.ai is that designer, in software form.

✨ What Beautiful.ai Does Better Than Copilot:

• 🛡️ “Anti-fragile templates” adapt content to maintain design quality
• 🎨 Team brand kits with locked colors, fonts, and layouts
• 👥 Real-time collaboration with granular permissions
• 📊 Analytics showing where viewers dropped off

🏅 Where Copilot Wins:

• ⚡ Faster generation (Copilot: 60-90 seconds, Beautiful.ai: 90-120 seconds)
• 💰 Lower cost for individual users (£30/month vs £11/month… wait, Copilot is MORE expensive)
• 🔄 Better for ad-hoc presentations without strict branding needs

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A marketing agency creates 50+ client presentations monthly. Brand consistency is non-negotiable—every deck must match client guidelines perfectly.

Beautiful.ai’s design enforcement prevents junior team members from creating off-brand disasters.

🎯 Bottom Line:

Choose Beautiful.ai if brand control matters more than speed.

Skip if you’re a solopreneur who doesn’t care about design governance.

🔗 Try Beautiful.ai Free →

4. 🌈 Canva Magic Design — Best for Visual-First Presentations

💰 Price: £10/month (Pro) or £8/user/month (Teams)
⏱️ Generation Time: 60-90 seconds
👥 Best For: Social-media-style presentations, visual-heavy decks, non-business contexts

Canva’s AI presentation tool feels like it wandered in from Instagram and decided to crash a board meeting. It creates beautiful, highly visual decks—but the content can feel shallow for business use.

✨ What Canva Does Better Than Copilot:

• 🎨 Massive template library (100,000+ designs)
• 🖼️ Superior image generation and editing
• 🎥 Export to video (MP4) for auto-playing presentations
• 🖱️ Drag-and-drop ease for non-technical users

🏅 Where Copilot Wins:

• 📊 Business-appropriate content depth and structure
• 🧠 Better text-to-slide logic for complex topics
• 📤 Native PowerPoint export (Canva exports look polished but aren’t always editable)

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A teacher creating engaging classroom presentations, or a personal brand creator making Instagram carousel posts. Canva’s visual-first approach shines.

But for a CFO presenting to the board? The aesthetic might feel too casual.

🎯 Bottom Line:

Canva is brilliant for visuals, weak for serious business content. If your presentation needs to look good on social media, it’s perfect. If it needs to persuade a risk committee, use something else.

🔗 Try Canva Magic Design Free →

5. ⚠️ Tome — Best for… Actually, Don’t Use Tome

💰 Price: N/A
📛 Status: Discontinued as of March 2025

Tome pivoted from presentation tool to “AI tools for sales teams” and sunsetted their slides product. Including it here because you’ll see it mentioned in older articles—just know it’s gone.

📚 What happened?

Tome built beautiful, narrative-driven presentations with AI-generated images. But the market spoke: people wanted PowerPoint integration, not another standalone tool. They pivoted, couldn’t compete, and shut down the presentation feature.

⚠️ Lesson:

Beware of VC-funded AI tools with uncertain futures. Stick to established players (Microsoft, Google) or profitable independents (Gamma, Plus AI, Beautiful.ai).

6. 🎪 Prezi AI — Best for Non-Linear Storytelling

💰 Price: £5/month (Plus) or £14/month (Premium)
⏱️ Generation Time: 90-120 seconds
👥 Best For: Teachers, trainers, creative presentations requiring unique navigation

Prezi’s “zooming user interface” creates presentations that zoom between concepts rather than clicking through slides. Love it or hate it—there’s no middle ground.

✨ What Prezi Does Better Than Copilot:

• 🎨 Unique visual storytelling format (great for educational content)
• 🤖 “Ask AI” tools for text editing, flowcharts, animated stories
• 📊 Presentation analytics (track views, viewer behavior)
• 💰 Lower cost (£5/month vs £30/month)

🏅 Where Copilot Wins:

• 📑 Traditional slide format (clients expect PowerPoint, not Prezi)
• 📤 Export quality (Prezi exports to PDF only, not editable PowerPoint)
• ⚡ Faster generation times

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A high school teacher wants to create engaging history lessons that zoom through timelines. Prezi’s format captivates teenage attention spans.

But if you’re pitching to investors who want a “normal deck,” Prezi’s format is a liability.

🎯 Bottom Line:

Prezi is brilliant for education and training. Avoid for business contexts unless you’re intentionally being provocative.

🔗 Try Prezi AI Free →

7. 🏢 Microsoft Copilot — Still the Best for Microsoft 365 Power Users

💰 Price: £25/month (requires Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise)
⏱️ Generation Time: 60-90 seconds
👥 Best For: Organisations deeply embedded in Microsoft ecosystem, professionals creating data-heavy presentations

Let’s be honest: if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365 Copilot and your organisation allows it, Copilot for PowerPoint is exceptional—when you know how to use it.

✨ What Copilot Does Better Than Alternatives:

• 🔗 Native integration with Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams (pull data seamlessly)
• 🎨 Understands your organisation’s existing templates and branding
• 📴 Offline functionality (alternatives require internet)
• 🔒 Enterprise security and compliance (SOC 2, GDPR, industry-specific requirements)
• 💼 Single license across all Microsoft tools (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)

🏅 Where Alternatives Win:

• 💰 Lower cost (£8-13/month vs £25/month)
• ✅ Available on personal Microsoft accounts
• ⚡ Faster generation speeds (Gamma)
• 🎨 Better creative flexibility (Gamma, Canva)
• 🧠 Superior prompt understanding (Plus AI)

⚠️ The Problem Most People Have With Copilot:

They’re using it wrong. Generic prompts like “create a presentation about Q4 sales” generate generic slides.

✅ Copilot excels when you:

1. Reference specific Word documents: “Create a presentation from Q4_Sales_Report.docx using our corporate template”
2. Provide detailed context: “Create a 12-slide executive presentation about Q4 marketing performance. Include: executive summary, key metrics dashboard, campaign highlights with ROI, channel breakdown, challenges faced with solutions implemented, competitor analysis, and Q1 recommendations. Professional tone, data-driven approach.”
3. Use it with existing templates (it adapts your brand guidelines automatically)

💼 Real-World Use Case:

A pharmaceutical company needs presentations for FDA submissions. They’re already paying for Microsoft 365 E5 licenses.

Security, compliance, and integration with their existing document workflows matter infinitely more than saving £15/month on a faster alternative. Copilot isn’t just the best choice—it’s the only choice.

🎓 Want to actually master Copilot instead of fighting it?

Get our Copilot for PowerPoint Master Guide (£9.99). It includes:

• ✅ 100+ tested prompts
• ✅ Step-by-step tutorials
• ✅ Common mistakes to avoid
• ✅ Time-saving workflows
• ✅ Troubleshooting for when Copilot produces garbage

Most users save 5-10 hours per week once they learn proper prompting techniques. The guide pays for itself with your first saved presentation.

📊 Comparison Table: Copilot vs Top Alternatives

🤔 When to Use Copilot vs When to Switch

✅ Stick with Copilot if:

• ✓ Your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses (it’s “free” to you)
• ✓ You create data-heavy presentations pulling from Excel, Word, Outlook
• ✓ Security and compliance are non-negotiable (regulated industries)
• ✓ You need offline access to presentation tools
• ✓ Your presentations follow strict corporate templates

🔄 Switch to an alternative if:

• ✗ You don’t have Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise (can’t access Copilot)
• ✗ Budget matters (£8-13/month alternatives vs £25/month)
• ✗ You need faster generation speeds (Gamma wins)
• ✗ Creative flexibility matters more than PowerPoint compatibility (Gamma, Canva)
• ✗ You’re a PowerPoint power user without Copilot access (Plus AI)

🎓 Master Copilot first before switching if:

• ⚠️ You’re getting poor results because you don’t know how to prompt AI tools
• ⚠️ You’ve only used Copilot 3-5 times (not enough to judge)
• ⚠️ Your company is paying for it anyway

Most professionals who “hate Copilot” are using prompts like “make a presentation about marketing.” That’s like ordering “food” at a restaurant and being surprised the chef brings you something random.

Learn to prompt properly, and Copilot transforms from frustrating to indispensable.

💰 The £2,000 Question: When Should You Hire a Professional Instead?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth after 35 years in this industry: AI presentation tools—including Copilot and all these alternatives—are brilliant for internal meetings, training decks, and recurring presentations.

They’re terrible for high-stakes situations where £2 million rests on your pitch.

❌ AI tools can’t:

• 🧠 Understand your audience’s unstated objections
• 📖 Structure a narrative that builds to an inevitable conclusion
• 📊 Know which data points matter and which distract
• 🎨 Design slides that guide attention to your key message
• ❓ Anticipate questions and embed answers preemptively

I’ve seen clients spend 40 hours fighting with AI tools, producing mediocre decks, for pitches worth £500,000+. They would have saved time and money hiring a professional from the start.

✅ When to use AI (Copilot or alternatives):

• 📅 Internal team updates
• 📚 Training materials
• 📊 Recurring weekly/monthly reports
• 📝 First drafts for iteration
• 🔄 High volume, moderate stakes

🏆 When to hire us:

• 💼 Investor pitch decks (£2,000-5,000 depending on complexity)
• 🏢 Board presentations requiring strategic narrative
• 💰 Sales pitches to enterprise clients
• 🔄 Transformation/change management presentations to executives
• ⚠️ Any situation where failure costs more than £2,000

At Winning Presentations, our clients have raised over £250 million using methodologies we’ve refined over 35 years. We combine AI tools (yes, including Copilot and these alternatives) with human expertise in narrative structure, visual hierarchy, and audience psychology.

📞 Need high-stakes presentation help?

If you’re reading this article because you need to create a £5 million investor pitch, stop.

Book a consultation call → (free discovery session).

We’ll assess whether you need:

• Full deck creation
• Coaching to improve your existing deck
• Strategic advice

Sometimes the answer is “your deck is 90% there, fix these three slides”—and we’ll tell you that honestly.

❓ FAQ: Copilot for PowerPoint Alternatives

❓ Can I use Copilot with a personal Microsoft 365 account?

No. Copilot for PowerPoint requires a Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise subscription plus a Copilot license (approximately £25/month additional).

Personal accounts can use Copilot Chat on the web, but not the integrated PowerPoint features. Plus AI is the best alternative for personal account users who want native PowerPoint integration.

❓ Which is faster: Copilot or Gamma?

Gamma generates presentations 25-33% faster than Copilot (45-60 seconds vs 60-90 seconds for a 10-slide deck).

However, Copilot’s integration with your existing Microsoft 365 content can save time in other ways—it pulls data from your Word docs, Excel sheets, and emails automatically, which Gamma can’t do.

❓ Do these alternatives work offline?

No. Gamma, Plus AI, Beautiful.ai, Canva, and Prezi all require internet connections.

Only Copilot (and regular PowerPoint) offer offline functionality. If you travel frequently or work in locations with poor connectivity, this is a significant limitation of cloud-based alternatives.

❓ Can I export presentations from Gamma to PowerPoint?

Yes, but with caveats. Gamma exports to PowerPoint (.pptx), PDF, and even websites. However, the PowerPoint export isn’t always pixel-perfect—some formatting may need adjustment.

Plus AI avoids this issue entirely by creating native PowerPoint files from the start.

❓ Are these tools worth it for a small business?

Depends on your presentation volume. If you create 2+ presentations weekly, any of these tools (£8-13/month) save enough time to justify the cost.

But if you make one deck every quarter, invest that budget in learning to prompt properly instead. Our Copilot Master Guide (£9.99 one-time) will serve you better than 12 months of subscription fees you barely use.

❓ Why are there so many AI presentation tools suddenly?

The AI presentation software market grew from £5.1 billion in 2024 to £7.5 billion in 2025, with projections reaching £16.5 billion by 2032. Every company sees the opportunity. Most will fail.

Stick to established players (Microsoft, Google) or profitable independents with clear business models (Gamma, Plus AI, Beautiful.ai).

❓ Is Copilot worth £25/month?

For individuals? Rarely.

For organisations already paying for Microsoft 365? Absolutely. The single license works across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

If you only use it for PowerPoint, probably not worth it—switch to Plus AI (£9/month) or Gamma (£7/month). But if you use AI assistance across all Microsoft tools, the value multiplies.

🎯 Final Recommendation: What Should You Actually Use?

Here’s the decision tree:

🚀 Choose Gamma if:

• ⚡ Speed and aesthetics matter most
• 🎨 You create modern, web-style presentations
• 💰 Budget is tight (£7/month annual)

🎯 Choose Plus AI if:

• 📊 You live in PowerPoint and want native integration
• 💼 You’re a PowerPoint power user without Copilot access
• 🧠 You need superior prompt understanding

🎨 Choose Beautiful.ai if:

• 🛡️ Brand consistency is non-negotiable
• 👥 You work in teams needing design governance
• 💰 You can afford £11-130/user/year

🌈 Choose Canva if:

• 🖼️ Visuals matter more than business content depth
• 📱 You create social media content alongside presentations
• ✅ You’re already a Canva user

🎪 Choose Prezi if:

• 📚 You’re a teacher/trainer creating educational content
• 😴 Traditional slides bore your audience
• 🔄 You want unique navigation/storytelling

🏢 Master Copilot if:

• ✅ Your org already pays for it
• 🔗 You need Microsoft 365 integration
• 🔒 Security/compliance matters
• 📊 You create data-heavy presentations

🎓 Stop Fighting With AI – Get The Master Guide

And if you’re still getting mediocre results from Copilot (or any alternative), it’s probably your prompts, not the tool.

Stop fighting with AI and get our Master Guide → (£9.99). It includes:

• ✅ 100+ tested prompts
• ✅ Step-by-step tutorials with screenshots
• ✅ Common mistakes guide
• ✅ Time-saving workflows for recurring presentations
• ✅ Industry-specific examples
• ✅ Troubleshooting for when things go wrong

📊 Investment Details:

💰 Investment: £9.99 one-time (no subscription)
⏰ Time saved: 5-10 hours weekly once mastered
📈 ROI: Your first saved presentation pays for itself

🏆 Or Hire Us for High-Stakes Presentations

For high-stakes presentations worth £100,000+, stop messing around with AI tools and contact us directly →.

After 35 years and £250+ million raised by our clients, we know what works—and it’s not hoping an AI tool magically creates a winning pitch.

👤 About the Author

With 35 years of experience helping professionals master presentations, pitch decks, and business communication, I’ve trained thousands on leveraging AI tools effectively.

My clients have raised over £250 million using the methodologies we teach.

Connect:

• LinkedIn →
• Presentation Coaching Services →

Related Articles:

• The Best Pitch Deck Software in 2025: Ranked and Reviewed
• 50 Copilot PowerPoint Prompts That Actually Work
• How to Use Copilot in PowerPoint: Complete Tutorial 2025
• Is PowerPoint Copilot Worth $30/Month? [Honest Review]
• PowerPoint Copilot Not Working? 10 Fixes That Work

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links for Canva, Gamma, and other presentation tools. We may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links at no extra cost to you. All recommendations are based on our 35 years of presentation expertise and genuine testing.