Keynote V/s PowerPoint: Which Presentation Software Is Better?

Creating a presentation is a routine task for students and working professionals both. You must have toiled over charts, pies, graphs, and slides to make a presentation in front of a group of people at some point during your academic or professional career. Because of the internet, creating eye-catching presentations no longer depends on cutting out or drawing actual illustrations.

Creating great slides and interesting documents is now quite easy because of the abundance of commercial tools. However, when it comes down to it, PowerPoint (PPT) from Microsoft, Google Slides and Keynote from Apple are frequently used while creating presentations. Even though most people will claim that PowerPoint is the best presentation program ever, Mac users might beg to differ.

Do you still need to figure out the best presentation software for you? This comparison guide on Keynote V/s PowerPoint will contrast the two and help you understand which presentation software best suits your demands by the end of this article.

What Is Keynote?

Keynote software is from Apple and is only made for the iOS/Apple platform. You can make a polished presentation with the Keynote presentation tool. With many themes and animations available, you can easily create unique designs for your presentations that look polished and smart. You can import and modify MS PowerPoint files, add new slides, and select from various slide layouts, animations, and fonts via Mail or an iTunes file-sharing service.

What Is PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely used computer program designed for creating and delivering presentations. Developed by Microsoft, it allows users to create visually engaging slideshows, incorporating text, images, graphs, charts, and multimedia elements.

PowerPoint offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of customizable PowerPoint templates and themes to enhance the overall presentation design. Users can easily arrange and reorder slides, add transitions and animations, and apply various formatting options to make their content more impactful and professional.

The program enables presenters to convey information effectively, presenting ideas, concepts, and data in a structured and visually appealing way. PowerPoint has become an essential tool for business professionals, educators, and individuals who need to communicate information clearly and engage users.

Detailed Comparison Between Keynote And PowerPoint

Below are the top 5 differentiating points between PowerPoint V/s Keynote:

1. Accessibility

   To be used, a presentation software must be accessible. Let’s compare Keynote with PowerPoint in this case.

   • Keynote

     Apple has ensured you can create and edit presentations using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac because it is optimized for all macOS/iOS platforms. But everything isn’t ideal. While Keynote runs without a hitch on all Apple devices, it is only compatible with macOS and iOS and does not have an app for Windows or Android.

   • PowerPoint

     All platforms, including desktop computers, Macs, iOS, and Android, can use PowerPoint. However, keep in mind that PowerPoint is a desktop application and, as such, will perform at its best in this setting. Microsoft has made significant investments in OneDrive over the past few years, and as a result, you can now collaborate with coworkers on your PowerPoint presentations.

2. Teamwork

   Working on a presentation with others is no longer a privilege. It’s a requirement. A decent presenting program should enable group collaboration to get the best potential results.

   • Keynote

     You can collaborate with your friends and coworkers using the Keynote feature for iCloud integration. While anyone may open an iCloud account, the person who prepares the presentation should own an Apple device. Keynote is incompatible with Windows and Android devices, which is undoubtedly a problem.

   • PowerPoint

     PowerPoint has always been available as a desktop application. However, Microsoft made significant investments to raise its online performance to pace with Google Slides. You can now edit documents in OneDrive together with other people. We must admit that PowerPoint has come a long way from being a desktop-only application to becoming a practical option for collaborative projects.

3. Usability and UI

   One of the most important aspects of using presentation software is its simplicity. For many people to continue using the program, it must offer a speedy onboarding process.

   • Keynote

     Apple has worked very hard on Keynote, and it is evident. It looks fantastic, is incredibly user-friendly for beginners, and allows one to begin and complete their first project quickly. If you’re a new user, Keynote would probably appeal to you more because learning how to use it for presentations is simple.

   • PowerPoint

     The diversity of features in PowerPoint makes it clear that it was designed with business users in mind. But for beginners, the abundance of choices might be intimidating. The program has a steep learning curve, so if you aren’t familiar with it, you can find it challenging to utilize the software to its full potential.

4. Prices

   • Keynote

     The free desktop application Keynote allows for online editing and storage. You can store your presentation on your computer or the cloud, depending on your preferences. iCloud provides 5GB of free cloud storage. You must pay subscription fees to receive more exclusive features:

     Storage	Price
     50GB	$0.99 per month
     200GB	$2.99 per month
     2TB	$9.99 per month

   • PowerPoint

     PowerPoint files may be stored on a device and the cloud. Additionally, OneDrive offers 5GB of free storage. Drive space alone or MS Office (regular package) can be purchased. The family plan offers 1TB of cloud storage and up to 6 users for roughly $1.67 each. The cost of a single PowerPoint-only purchase is $159.99.

     Storage	Price
     100GB	$1.99/month
     1TB (+PowerPoint)	$6.99/month
     6TB (+PowerPoint)	$6.99/month

5. Backup & Storage

   You can store your presentations on your computer or any other device because Keynote and PowerPoint are downloadable programs.

   • Keynote

     Your presentations can be stored in the cloud and on your PC using Keynote.
     You can download presentations in the following file types: PDF, PPTX, PPT, HTML, picture, and video. You’ll need an iCloud account to store your presentations on the cloud.

   • PowerPoint

     Like Keynote, you can save PowerPoint presentations to your computer in various file formats, including PDF, PPTX, PPT, HTML, and more. Additionally, you can link your software to OneDrive to enable presentation online storage.

READ MORE: Microsoft PowerPoint V/s Google Slides

When Should You Prefer Using PowerPoint Over Keynote?

Here are some good reasons when to use PowerPoint over Keynote:

1. If PowerPoint is already installed on your PC: You might spend a lot of money on a PowerPoint license. Therefore, hunting for another presentation app like Keynote is unnecessary if it is already pre-installed on your PC. Almost all MS Office apps operate similarly while using the ribbon. And having quick access to PowerPoint will let you open it whenever you need to work on your presentation.
2. Your team as a whole can utilize PowerPoint: If you’re working together, asking other PowerPoint users to utilize Keynote wouldn’t make sense. You should also use PowerPoint to swiftly complete duties allocated to you. You might be wondering why that would be an issue, given that Apple has said that Keynote’s compatibility with PowerPoint has been improved. Would you genuinely choose to do a task that requires ten clicks on Keynote over just one click on PowerPoint?
3. Advanced Features: Did you know that PowerPoint also functions as a standalone graphics application and a potent presentation tool? You can make social media graphics, trim and resize photos, and even remove backgrounds from images! Additionally, you can convert your PowerPoint file to a video.
4. You may utilize the PowerPoint templates you found online: There is a sizable PowerPoint community worldwide. There are lots of designers who work on PowerPoint slides in their own time. Offline templates save time and are even widely available, making them wonderful. You can update an existing template and finish your slides in under an hour rather than spending ten hours on them.

When Should You Prefer Using Keynote Aver PowerPoint?

Here are some strong arguments favoring Keynote over PowerPoint:

1. You have been in the Apple Ecosystem: Keynote is the best choice if you’re thoroughly ingrained in the Apple ecosystem and regularly use MacOS or iOS. Apple consumers adore the continuity function for a good reason. On all Apple devices, Keynote is a free download as well. Therefore, there is no cost to utilize this incredible program.
2. More Attractive Themes: Compared to Keynote presentations, PowerPoint presentations are considerably easy to distinguish. This is because the majority of PowerPoint users just utilize the default settings. They employ the standard Calibri typeface, the standard layouts, and even the pre-installed, antiquated templates and themes applied to numerous presentations. Keynote excels in this area. The default options in Keynote seem far nicer than those in PowerPoint.
3. You need simple-to-use presentation software: Yes, PowerPoint is strong but can be overwhelming for new users. You might also find Keynote confusing if you’re switching from PowerPoint and are using it for the first time. Both applications have a learning curve, with PowerPoint having a far higher learning curve because of its outstanding feature set. Keynote can be the best choice if you want to spend less time fine-tuning your slides and want a professional-looking presentation.

Summarizing Apple Keynote v/s PowerPoint

Let us see the table below to get a more comprehensive view of keynote vs powerpoint differences:

Which Is Better: Keynote Or PowerPoint?

The answer to this question boils down to your needs. If you are familiar with how PowerPoint works, then continue with that. If you are planning to switch to iOS, give Keynote a try. However, PowerPoint can be a very professional and comprehensive tool to use once you get the hang of it, and has excellent features you must try!

We have included the differences between Keynote and PowerPoint for you to understand both of them better.

Remember that when making a presentation, you must select the program that offers convenience, adaptability, and high-quality output. Looking closely, you can see similar features in both PowerPoint and Keynote. A presentation of the highest caliber can be made using either. Therefore, you must choose which one is most appealing to you.