MacworldAt a glanceExpert's RatingProsIncluded as part of Office subscriptionPacked with templatesEasy to switch stylesConsPlenty of great alternatives nowOur Verdict PowerPoint is still a fantastic way to build a presentation, and while there are new rivals to its throne, it remains surprisingly flexible and easy to use thanks to a robust feature set. Itll be interesting to see if AI leads to additional features, too.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayFrom business presentations to high-school slideshows, PowerPoint is so famous its almost a verb in some circles. And, while Apples Keynote is a fantastic alternative, as with Microsoft Word theres a good chance youve worked with Microsofts suite for so long itd be harder to change.That doesnt mean there are plenty of regions to use PowerPoint on its own merit though. In fact, its a fantastic presentation builder thats packed with templates for just about anything, has deep OneDrive integration and is likely to be supported for decades to come.Interestingly, it doesnt pack as many AI features as Keynote (at least not yet), but with the likes of Canva and Figma on its case, theres every chance that could happen soon as Microsoft looks to keep competition at bay.First ImpressionsNew from Template: There are plenty of ways to get startedFoundryBooting up PowerPoint, youre met with pretty much the same screen as youll get when firing up Word or Excel, too.This lets you jump right into a recent file, check out presentations that have been shared with you, or open up one youve saved in OneDrive.Its really nice to be able to get started, and theres a huge catalog of templates to pick from, too, ranging from project outlines, to colorful slideshows, to more fun and whimsical offerings. For someone as creatively challenged as myself, I appreciated finding a starting point was a simple process.It is worth noting that, while itll be familiar to some, there are a lot of toolbars and icons for newcomers. Im not against that, because presentations can be inherently personal, but its something to consider if youre introducing someone that hasnt used Office365 before.Speaking of Office365, its the way PowerPoint feeds into the wide Microsoft app ecosystem that makes it as compelling as the likes of Googles apps. For instance, you likely didnt think to buy a presentation app piecemeal, but if youve got one included in your subscription then its worth using.For $99.99 a year (or $9.99 per month) you get up to six licenses across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more, which is a ton of value even if youre putting a presentation together once in a blue moon.For one user its $99.99/84.99 a year ($9.99/8.49 a month) for Microsoft 265 Personal, which includes up to six licenses across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more, which is a ton of value even if youre putting a presentation together once in a blue moon. Or for $129.99/104.99 a year (or $12.99/10.49 per month) you can get the Microsoft 365 Family edition with up to six licenses.However, if you only want to buy PowerPoint you can do that too. Microsoft sells a lifetime license of Word for $179.99/159.99 (one device). You can also buy a lifetime license to Office Home 2024 for one device, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for just $149.99/119.99. Which is a bargain (if you forget that Apple gives its Office apps away for free).Microsoft PowerPoint featuresChange Styles: Its easy to mix up styles in PowerPoint if youre looking to freshen things up.FoundryAside from a whole host of ways to get cracking with a presentation, I appreciate how simple it is to revise a presentations styling wholesale. Once youve built it, you can switch between styles as if it were as easy as changing a single element, and thats ideal for anyone looking to produce multiple copies of a report for clients and needs a distinct style for each without changing the content wholesale.Keynote is, in my mind, nicer to look at, but PowerPoint is plenty powerful and its easy enough to add images and assets from just about anywhere, including OneDrive (if you have the app installed on your Mac).Templates: PowerPoint is packed with templates for you to use as a starting point.FoundryCopilot plays a sizeable role in the app these days with features like a speaker coach to practice your presentation, but theres no generative AI image drop-in like youll find in Keynote with Apple Intelligence (at least not on Mac).There is support for Apples Writing Tools, and you can drop a video recording directly onto your presentation with a Cameo feature. Its neat, letting you add a personal touch, but Id wager youll have access to much more when working on a Windows PC.You can share presentations for real-time collaboration via OneDrive, too, letting you work with a team member.Microsoft PowerPoint annoyancesTransitions: The transitions you love are still here, youll be pleased to knowFoundryMy only complaint is that Microsofts toolbar-heavy UI means PowerPoint likely isnt particularly beginner-friendly, but at least its relatively uniform across apps.Its also worth looking at what rivals in the space are doing. Google Sheets, Canva, and Figma all offer impressive suites of presentation tools at minimal cost to a user, and theyre starting to introduce additional AI-driven features but I expect Microsoft is doing its own work in that area to maintain an advantage.Should you buy PowerPoint 2024 for Mac?PowerPoint is, well, a powerhouse. Its packed to the gills with features, and if youre on a Windows PC thats only likely to be even more true. If youre an Office365 user, youll find plenty of reasons to invest in it for your next presentation, but rivals are coming for the crown.Also read: Microsoft Excel review: Whats new in Excel 2024? and Microsoft Word for Mac review: Whats new?