5 Key Features of Presentation Software and Top Products That Offer Them
Juggling text, images, and slides while creating presentations? Presentation software can help you organize content and create visually appealing presentations that are easy for viewers to comprehend.
However, not all presentation software solutions are created equal. To reap the most of the software, businesses must identify and understand key features of presentation software that align with their specific requirements.
This article highlights five key features of presentation software based on the ratings given by verified software users. We also include the highest-rated presentation solutions for each feature. Read more.
1. Content import/export
The content import/export feature enables users to incorporate data, images, and slides from external files, such as documents and spreadsheets, into their presentation. It also facilitates media and multimedia inclusion, providing versatility in content creation. Users can further leverage this feature to save their presentations in various formats, such as PDF and PowerPoint for easy sharing and collaboration.
What business problem does content import/export solve?
Businesses often have branding guidelines that need to be followed to ensure consistency across presentations. The content import/export feature allows users to import branding elements, such as brand logos and images into their presentations, ensuring adherence to business standards and facilitating brand consistency. Additionally, it enables presenters to share their presentations across different platforms and devices, including desktop computers and smartphones, ensuring ease of collaboration.
Ideal users of the content import/export feature
Professionals looking to add data, images, and multimedia files to their presentations can benefit the most from the content import/export feature in a presentation tool. For example, sales and marketing executives can use this feature to add product information and customer data to create pitches. Likewise, graphic designers and illustrators can leverage this to import images from various sources and create visually appealing presentations.
Top 3 products with the highest ratings for content import/export
Analysis performed February 2024*
Content import/export feature rating: 4.77/5
Content import/export feature rating: 4.67/5
Content import/export feature rating: 4.61/5
2. Text editing
The text editing feature in a presentation app enables users to add, edit, and format text within slides. Presenters can leverage this feature to add text to slides by selecting a text box and typing directly into it. This allows them to input titles, bullet points, and other textual content in their presentations. Users can also edit their text or format it by making changes to the font size, colors, styles, and indentation. Text editing feature also includes commenting and version control capabilities to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
What business problem does text editing solve?
Clear and well-formatted text is necessary for effective communication in presentations. The text editing feature enables professionals to format text for optimal readability. It also lets users customize the content to suit the preferences and interests of their audience to make it more engaging for a particular audience. In a collaborative work environment where multiple team members need to contribute to or review presentations, the feature enables users to edit and review content, track changes, and communicate feedback effectively.
Ideal users of the text editing feature
Professionals, such as researchers and educators, who rely heavily on text can use this feature to format their text for readability and create impactful presentations. Additionally, professionals with advanced formatting and collaboration requirements can leverage this feature to present complex data and iterate on presentations while maintaining a clear overview of revisions.
Top 3 products with the highest ratings for text editing
Analysis performed February 2024*
Text editing feature rating: 4.85/5
Text editing feature rating: 4.74/5
Text editing feature rating: 4.68/5
3. Customizable templates
Customizable templates allow users to select from a range of pre-defined templates for creating presentations. These templates often include various designs, layouts, and themes suitable for different types of presentations, such as business pitches and creative portfolios. Users can also customize these templates by changing elements, such as fonts, colors, and backgrounds to match their specific requirements.
What business problem does customizable templates solve?
Businesses often face tight deadlines when creating presentations for client meetings and sales pitches. Customizable templates allow users to quickly create presentations using a professionally designed layout rather than starting from scratch. This saves professionals time and effort in the creation process, allowing them to focus more on refining the content and delivering impactful presentations. The feature also helps ensure consistent branding, reinforcing brand familiarity and professionalism.
Ideal users of the customizable templates feature
Sales and marketing professionals can use customizable templates in a presentation tool to create presentations that align with their organization’s branding and messaging, ensuring professionalism and consistency. Additionally, professionals lacking design expertise can also benefit from this feature as it allows them to create professional-looking presentations while minimizing the time spent on formatting and layout.
Top 3 products with the highest ratings for customizable templates
Analysis performed February 2024*
Customizable templates feature rating: 4.87/5
Customizable templates feature rating: 4.87/5
Customizable templates feature rating: 4.75/5
4. Drag-and-drop
The drag-and-drop feature in a presentation app allows users to move elements, such as text boxes and images within a slide or between slides. Users can leverage this feature to reposition elements within a slide or rearrange the order of slides within a presentation. This flexibility allows for easy customization and adjustment of content flow and slide layouts. Some presentation tools also support multi-selection, allowing users to select and drag multiple interactive elements simultaneously.
What business problem does drag-and-drop solve?
Manipulating elements within slides can be complex due to the non-intuitive interfaces of a tool. Drag-and-drop functionality simplifies this by allowing users to move, resize, and rearrange elements within presentations. It streamlines the editing process, increasing productivity and saving time in completing presentations. Users can leverage this feature to experiment with different layouts and visual arrangements that best convey their message to the audience.
Ideal users of the drag-and-drop feature
Professionals, such as sales and marketing executives who need to tailor presentations to different audiences can use the drag-and-drop feature for easy inclusion or removal of specific slides, images, or content blocks. Presenters prioritizing visual storytelling in their presentations can also use this feature to create dynamic presentations, enhancing the narrative and conveying information effectively.
Top 3 products with the highest ratings for drag-and-drop
Analysis performed January 2024*
Drag-and-drop feature rating: 4.74/5
Drag-and-drop feature rating: 4.64/5
Drag-and-drop feature rating: 4.61/5
5. Content management
Content management feature in presentation software enables users to organize, store, and access presentation content, assets, and resources. Users can organize presentation files and slides in a structured manner by creating folders, subfolders, and categories, and locate these using specific filters as and when required. The feature also facilitates the management of multimedia files, such as images and videos within the software.
What business problem does content management solve?
Businesses often deal with a large volume of presentation files, slides, and assets. Content management features help organize and categorize these resources, making it easier for users to find, access, and manage relevant content. It enhances accessibility for remote professionals and traveling teams, allowing them to access presentation materials anywhere, anytime. Content management features also facilitate streamlined collaboration by providing tools for sharing, editing, and reviewing presentations in real time.
Ideal users of the content management feature
Professionals, such as project managers and salespersons, who create numerous presentations can leverage the content management feature to organize and reuse elements, such as text snippets and images across different presentations. Remote presenters can also utilize this feature to store and access presentation elements regardless of their location.
Top 3 products with the highest ratings for content management
Analysis performed February 2024*
Content management feature rating: 4.81/5
Content management feature rating: 4.70/5
Content management feature rating: 4.62/5
Methodology
Key features: To identify the key features of this article, we asked users to rate, on a scale of “low importance” to “critical,” how important different features are for presentation software. The features showcased are those that the highest percentage of reviewers rated as “highly important” or “critical” over the past two years (as of Feb. 13, 2024).
Feature eligibility: To be included in the set of features considered, a given feature had to have at least 200 user ratings within the past two years (as of Feb. 13, 2024), of which at least 20% must indicate the feature is “critical.” Eligible features were determined from two sources:
Our research team’s review of public information about presentation software usage, definitions, and associated features.
Reviewers’ indication of the features they use for presentation.
Product selection: To identify the top-rated products per feature, we evaluated user ratings for products that offer each feature. For a given product, reviewers rate each feature on a scale of one to five stars. A given product had to have at least 20 user ratings (between February 2022-24) for the feature in question to be considered.
*We selected products for this article based on their average ratings between February 2022 - February 2024, which may differ from their current overall average ratings.