Lark
Slides
| Feature | Lark | Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, asian-market-teams, small-businesses, cross-functional-teams | designers, developers, educators, remote-teams |
| Founded | 2019 | 2013 |
| Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Conferencing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Documents | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spreadsheets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Approval Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Online Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Css | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embedding | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version History | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Lark Pros
- All-in-one suite (chat, docs, video, tasks)
- Very generous free tier
- Fast and responsive
- Built-in approval workflows
✗ Lark Cons
- ByteDance ownership raises data concerns
- Less popular in Western markets
- Some features feel overwhelming
✓ Slides Pros
- Clean minimal interface
- HTML/CSS export for developers
- Real-time collaboration
- Responsive presentations on any device
✗ Slides Cons
- Limited template variety
- No offline editing
- Less feature-rich than PowerPoint
The Verdict
Lark is built for startups and asian market teams, with a focus on messaging and video-conferencing. Slides targets designers and developers and leads with online-editor and collaboration.
On pricing, Slides is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $12/mo for Lark. That $7/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
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.