Google Slides
Apple Keynote
| Feature | Google Slides | Apple Keynote |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $6/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | students, teams, educators, google-workspace-users | apple-users, designers, educators, creative-professionals |
| Founded | 2006 | 2003 |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Presenter View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Version History | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Offline Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Presenter Display | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magic Move | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export To Powerpoint | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Google Slides Pros
- Completely free
- Real-time collaboration
- Cloud-based
- Google ecosystem
✗ Google Slides Cons
- Limited templates
- Fewer animations
- Less powerful than PowerPoint
✓ Apple Keynote Pros
- Beautiful animations
- Free for Apple users
- Professional templates
- iCloud collaboration
✗ Apple Keynote Cons
- Apple ecosystem only
- Limited export options
- Fewer business templates
The Verdict
Google Slides is built for students and teams, with a focus on real-time-collaboration and templates. Apple Keynote targets apple users and designers and leads with animations and templates.
Apple Keynote uses custom enterprise pricing, while Google Slides starts at $6/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for educators — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.