It took a while for cloud services to catch up with desktop apps in the provision of robust editing features for Office documents. It all started with Google Docs, which started the trend for cloud based viewing and editing for Office documents. Microsoft was slow to catch up but came with their very own Office Online web apps. Now, we have some very competitive cloud services providing viewing and editing features for Office files such as PowerPoint presentations, Word documents and even Excel spreadsheets.
OneDrive
If we were to pick a winner among the best cloud services to view and edit PowerPoint presentations, PowerPoint Online will take the cake. Using OneDrive, you can easily view and edit PowerPoint presentations. While the viewing and editing features are provided via the PowerPoint Online web app, documents are saved to OneDrive’s cloud storage. All you need is to use PowerPoint Online by logging in using a Microsoft account. You can even launch your OneDrive documents directly via desktop Office apps. For example, you can open a PowerPoint file saved in OneDrive directly via your desktop edition of PowerPoint.
And in case you don’t know, the service is free. OneDrive offers 15GB free cloud storage (expected to be reduced to 5GB in coming weeks for new users), with the option to upgrade for more cloud space and features. You can however, use PowerPoint Online web app for free anytime via OneDrive.
Google Drive
Google Drive has overhauled its web apps and the next best alternative to PowerPoint Online seems none other than Google Slides. In this case, Google Slides is the web app for viewing and editing PowerPoint files, while the file storage takes place to a Google Drive account. But that’s not all! Since Google Drive is supported by a plethora of third-party web apps, you can connect a number of apps to Google Drive and play around with different features. For example, you can digitally sign your documents and convert them to various formats by connecting apps like CloudConvert and DocuSign to Google Drive.
Dropbox
In case you don’t want to use OneDrive and are a Dropbox fan instead, fret not! You can make use of robust PowerPoint Online features by connecting it to your Dropbox account. Simply open a PowerPoint file and you will be asked to connect to PowerPoint online, approve the request and you will be able to view and edit your Dropbox files using the PowerPoint Online web app.
Box
If you are a Box user, you can view and edit PowerPoint files from both the cloud and the desktop. When you try to open a PowerPoint file, you are given the option to either open it using PowerPoint Online or open the file on your desktop. To directly edit and save your Box files via desktop version of PowerPoint, you will need to use the Box Edit app.
Sway
If you want to convert your ordinary PowerPoint presentations, word documents or PDF files into something beautiful, then you need to try Sway. It is an online presentation app by Microsoft which is a viable cloud based PowerPoint alternative. You can import your PowerPoint presentations and edit them using many extraordinary editing features. Like PowerPoint Online, Sway also comes connected to OneDrive.
To find out more about this awesome web app, see our review of Office Sway.
