In the world of presentation design, there are numerous tools that you can use for the creation of your presentations. Arguably the two most popular ways of creating presentations right now are Prezi and Powerpoint. Both of these can create great presentations and can provide great user experiences, but if you are new to making presentations you might be wondering which one is better. In this article, we will cover both tools so as to determine which one will give you the best result.

Prezi vs Powerpoint

While both of these tools offer you the ability to create a presentation, their focus, and way of creating presentations are different. Prezi’s interface uses a zooming user interface (ZUI) which allows users to zoom in and out. This means that material is not presented through a linear system of slides but rather through the zoom-in, zoom-out method. By contrast, Powerpoint uses a linear format, which means that you can use a linear format for your audience to follow. This is a key difference in the way that your presentation is going to be perceived by your audience.

Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office suite and over the years it became the mainstream presentation creation tool. Currently, it is on its 12thversion, which means that the software is both well-made and updated as well as equipped with an arsenal of tools that most everyday users might not even be aware of.

PowerPoint Advantages

1. User-friendly

Most people will have been taught how to use PowerPoint in school or early on. The user interface is extremely easy to use and most people are already familiar with it.

2. Handouts

If you want to easily print out handouts for your Presentation, PowerPoint has a pre-existing tool that allows you to create them.

3. Customization

Many different designs, fonts, colors, and backgrounds are available to use in PowerPoint. Utilizing existing templates through PowerPoint is also extremely easy as they are widely available. This means that you can easily create themed PowerPoint presentations in very little time.

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PowerPoint Disadvantages

1. Costs

The Microsoft Office Suite comes with large licensing costs. Buying multiple licenses for multiple computers can mean that the costs will add up.

2. Graphics

Because of how widespread PowerPoint usage is, all of the pre-existing graphics have usually been seen before. This means that on many occasions they might look outdated to your audience who has seen them many times before.

3.Clumsy Navigation

The linear interface might mean that occasionally it can seem hard to switch between slides if those slides are out of order. During a presentation, this could make you seem unprepared.

Prezi

Prezi is a web-based application that allows you to create presentations using their unlimited canvas. From there you can zoom in to any point in the presentation that you would like to bring your audience focus on.

Prezi Advantages

1. Zoom Function

Prezi does not use a linear timeline but rather a zoom function. This means that you can navigate through content easily by zooming in and out while giving your presentation.

2. Cloud-based

As it is web-based, you can use it from any computer at any given time. It does not require the same costly licenses that PowerPoint did, which means that you won’t need to carry your own device, or hard drive, so as to give your presentation.

Prezi Disadvantages

1. Learning Curve

For designers, Prezi might be easy to use, but for everyday users adapting to this new tool can take practice and time.

2. No Handouts or Printed Slides

As there are no slides in Prezi, that means that handouts are not as easy to make. This means that you will need to spend extra time on the creation of handouts. 

3. Zoom Function

While the zoom function is an advantage, it can often be overused and the message that you are trying to present can be lost in all the zooming in and out.

Conclusion

While both tools have advantages and disadvantages choosing which tool to use can depend on the type of usage you need to make. For Business use, PowerPoint is usually preferred as it allows you to use simple graphs and charts to present your message. The linear interface and handouts can also be useful in your presentation. For Education, Prezi can create interesting presentations that capture the attention of students and audiences. No matter which one of the two you go with you will be able to create a beautiful presentation so long as you are familiar with their user interface and tools.