Powerful presentation software that does a few things differently
By Stefan Ionescu published about 15 hours ago
(Image: © SlideDog)
Presentation tools tend to be a mixed bag. Some are great at what they do, but others are notorious for being slow, prone to crashes, and not very intuitive. SlideDog attempts to address many of these problems by offering its features in a nice, comprehensive package that provides users with pretty much everything they might need to create the perfect presentations. The interface can seem a bit outdated, but it’s organized in an intuitive way, and everyone should find it easy to get started, from beginners to experienced users.
It might take you some time to figure out some of the more advanced features, but SlideDog comes with solid documentation and active support. It can outdo some of the best tools on the market with some of its features, though for some specific things, you might want to use PowerPoint or something similar.
Plans and pricing
SlideDog has a free trial, but no permanent free option. The application is offered in several pricing tiers, including a monthly and yearly subscription, as well as a one-time purchase. The monthly plan costs $19/month, while paying annually gets you a discount at $99/year. Buying the program outright costs $299, which includes free updates until the next major version is released.
All plans limit you to two machines per license, so you should be careful about how you’re using SlideDog, and where you install it. This can be particularly tricky if you need to present on a remote device, so make sure to account for that ahead of time. Both subscription plans can be canceled at any time, and come with advanced customer support, offline presentation support, and other minor goodies. There is no difference in features between any of the pricing plans, including the one-time purchase.
Features
SlideDog offers everything you might need in a presentation creation tool under one roof. You can easily embed various kinds of media, including videos and even YouTube links, and you can easily arrange your slides in any way you want. Thanks to features like consistent drag-and-drop support and conveniently laid out menus, it’s easy to figure out how to do pretty much anything in SlideDog, and the program has a very pleasant learning curve overall.
Using playlists can be an innovative way to approach presentations, and this can open up a world of possibilities for those who frequently need to prepare large presentations and vary their content. It can take a while to get used to this style of managing and navigating your presentations, but it will be well worth it in the long run.
Interface and in use
Anyone coming from other slideshow tools will immediately feel right at home with SlideDog. Everything is where you’d expect to find it, and even when certain features aren’t in the exact same location as in other applications, they are still organized in a logical manner that makes it easy to find everything.
The interface may seem a bit dated visually, as we mentioned earlier, but that shouldn’t matter much to most users. It’s not ugly in any way, just could use a fresh coat of paint to bring it more in line with current UI trends. Some people might appreciate the less flashy approach to the program’s presentation, on the other hand.
Support
The company offers live chat support, as well as a large knowledge base that should answer most of your questions. You will also enjoy the benefits of prioritized support when you subscribe to the premium version, and overall, response time and quality is pretty good across the board. Support specialists seem fully familiar with the application’s range of features and can identify issues with its use easily, so don’t be afraid to raise inquiries. Given the low response time on average, you should be able to get answers to most of your questions fast and effortlessly.
The competition
PowerPoint is perhaps the most notable competitor to SlideDog. Comparing the two is mostly about personal preference, because while PowerPoint offers a sleeker user interface, it still has more or less the same features under the hood. If you like the way SlideDog presents its interface and other aspects, then you should definitely give it a try. But if you insist on having a shiny interface to work with, you might want to look into alternatives like PowerPoint. Microsoft has been making a strong push into the market with the pricing changes in Office, so it’s worth checking out as an option.
Final verdict
SlideDog does its job just fine. It works fast, has an intuitive interface, and is packed full of features that should prove useful to most users who need an advanced presentation tool. It can take a while to get used to the more intricate aspects of its interface, but once you’ve figured out where everything is and how the different tools come together, it turns into an extremely powerful tool, full of different features that can help you take your presentations to the next level, even if you’re relatively new to using programs like this.
