Google Slides
Slidev
| Feature | Google Slides | Slidev |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $6/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | students, teams, educators, google-workspace-users | developers, tech-speakers, educators, open-source-contributors |
| Founded | 2006 | 2021 |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Presenter View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Version History | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Offline Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown Slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Coding | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vue Components | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pdf Export | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Google Slides Pros
- Completely free
- Real-time collaboration
- Cloud-based
- Google ecosystem
✗ Google Slides Cons
- Limited templates
- Fewer animations
- Less powerful than PowerPoint
✓ Slidev Pros
- Write slides in Markdown
- Live coding in presentations
- Full Vue component support
- Export to PDF or SPA
✗ Slidev Cons
- Requires developer knowledge
- No visual editor
- Not suitable for non-technical users
The Verdict
Google Slides is built for students and teams, with a focus on real-time-collaboration and templates. Slidev targets developers and tech speakers and leads with markdown-slides and live-coding.
Slidev 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.
Bottom line: Slidev has a slight overall edge — but if completely free matters most to you, Google Slides may still be the right call.