Video presentations are a great tool for communication, education, and marketing. If you’re a presenter, educator, business owner, or a content creator, then having access to a great video presentation maker or presentation recording software, can be essential. We've got you covered. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the best platforms to record a presentation, for 2023.
7 Best Video Presentation Maker & Recording Software for 2023
1. Microsoft PowerPoint
Before the multitude of options we have now, PowerPoint was the king of presentation makers. It’s evolved with technology to include the ability to make video presentations, with a range of templates and customisable assets like charts and graphs. You can make something that looks pretty great without needing a lot of design or video skills.
Quick Look
Pricing
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Trial |
Try it for free for 1 month |
|
Microsoft 365 Personal |
£59.99 per year (for one person) |
|
Microsoft 365 Family |
£79.99 per year (for up to six people) |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
Most of us are familiar with Microsoft products and so PowerPoint will always feel intuitive to many. The animations and transitions are plentiful and easy to use. It’s part of Office 365 so if you already have that then you won’t need to spend more money. |
|
Cons |
Its video capabilities are limited, so if you’re looking for something more advanced in your editing, PowerPoint probably won’t do it. Compatibility issues when moving around software – things like missing fonts – can be a frustrating issue. |
2. iSpring Suite
iSpring prides itself on looking and feeling like PowerPoint, so one plus for this software is it’s really going to feel intuitive if you’ve used Microsoft programs before. iSpring will let you convert your PowerPoint presentation to online courses, combine videos with slides easily, and edit your videos right in the suite. There are 14 interactive templates to choose from for eLearning, too.
Quick Look
Pricing
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Trial |
A free trial |
|
iSpring Suite |
£685 per year – eLearning authoring toolkit plus tech support |
|
iSpring Suite Max |
£863 per year – as above, with text to speech, content library, and the online collaboration tool |
|
iSpring Suite Premium |
£1870 per year – as above, with a video course to help you design content, plus VIP tech support |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
A lot of eLearning features which make it ideal for educational and training presentations. It integrates with PowerPoint, and looks and feels like it too. |
|
Cons |
It’s expensive! If you want to collaborate online that comes with a heftier price tag. If you have specific needs when it comes to branding then you might find customisation more limited than other offerings. |
3. Prezi
Present remotely, in person, or send out your presentation with Prezi, who’ve been making virtual video presentation tools since 2009. Prezi’s cloud-based and their basic license is free (with limits), so it’s a pretty good place to start. Prezi is non-linear and so it offers a different approach to other video presentation makers. You can begin wherever you like, and sort of… dot around the presentation in any order you want which can be creatively freeing!
Quick Look
Pricing
The pricing is a little overly complicated…
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Basic |
Split into Basic and Plus. Basic lets you make 5 presentations for free, Plus is £15 per month for unlimited projects. |
|
Individual |
Split into Standard which is £7 per month, Plus at £15 per month and Premium at £19 per month, with increasing access to tools as the scale goes up. |
|
Students & Educators |
Split into EDU Plus at £3 per month, EDU Pro at £5 per month, and EDU Teams where you’ll need to contact them for a quote. |
|
Business |
Split into Plus at £15 per month, Premium at £19 per month and Teams which again requires you to contact Prezi. |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
The dynamic and engaging style of creation is nice, with an emphasis on storytelling, which will be appealing to those in education. You can collaborate and co-author easily. |
|
Cons |
The first pro is also the con – it’s a new way of working for many of us, so it’ll take some getting used to. The pricing structure is annoyingly complicated. While you can download, most functionality will require an internet connection. |
4. Camtasia
Camtasia is an all-in-one video presentation recording software. You can record your screen, add voice-overs, notes, plus customise your video with pre-made templates. Camtasia pitches itself at people making video presentations for educators, trainers, and marketers.
Quick Look
Pricing
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Individual |
£295.91 buy outright licence plus one year of support |
|
Business |
£295.91 (per user) buy outright licence plus one year of support and site licences. There’s volume discounting too, so if you buy more business licences you’ll get an overall reduction in price. |
|
Education |
£295.91 (per user) buy outright licence but currently discounted to £210. As above but is tax-exempt (if ordering in the US) |
|
Government & Non-Profit |
£265.34 buy outright license (per user), as above and also comes with volume discounting. |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
It does everything in one place. A buy outright license is less usual but definitely a pro factor for those who can’t do a monthly fee. There’s multi-track timeline editing to give you better control over your editing. If screen recording is your biggest priority then Camtasia will work well for you. |
|
Cons |
It’ll take time to learn all the features. It’s more expensive outright, but obviously you have to weigh that with how long you’re likely to use it, plus a free update to a newer version is included. It has limited collaboration features, and it’s not the best at animation and visual effects. |
5. Lumen5
Lumen5 is an AI-powered video presentation software that can analyse your written content – blogs for example - and turn it to video by suggesting relevant visuals. There are hundreds of customisable template designs too, so you can get started with video presentations really quickly.
Quick Look
Pricing
The prices here are based on being billed yearly, or it’s 25% more expensive.
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Community |
Free forever but videos are watermarked with Lumen5 and limited to 720p resolution. |
|
Basic |
$19 per month. Everything in Community but no watermark and access to stock images, videos, and icons. |
|
Starter |
$59 per month. Everything in Basic but 1080p resolution and more customisation options. |
|
Professional |
$149 per month. Everything in Starter but some extra features like adding your own watermark and fonts. |
|
Enterprise |
Call for a quote. Everything in Professional but greater access to more features, plus translations. |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
With AI text conversion it opens up a lot of options that will save you a lot of time. Editors need very little in the way of experience to use it. You can create videos tailored for specific social media sites. |
|
Cons |
The tiers are expensive to get even some basic functionality. Lumen5 doesn’t seem to offer a quality above 1080p which might be a deal-breaker for some. |
6. Animaker
Another AI-driven video presentation maker featuring a drag-and-drop system meaning it’s easy to use. You can build and animate your own characters and there’s an auto lip-sync feature so you can add voice-overs without having to do too much animation work.
Quick Look
Pricing
The prices are based on paying annually which saves 50%.
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Starter |
$300 per year. 15 minute video length, limited premium downloads and full HD quality videos |
|
Pro |
$468 per year. Everything in Starter but increased allowances and quality. |
|
Enterprise |
Contact for a quote. Everything in Pro but unlimited allowance plus 4K quality videos. |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
Some nicely made but simple character animations. Text-to-speech and voiceover integration. You get more for your money than some similarly priced video presentation makers. |
|
Cons |
Customisation is limited. It’s an online tool so you’re relying on the internet. Limited export options. |
7. OBS Studio
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Studio is one of the best video presentation recording software options out there. It’s free and open source, with advanced features like overlays, screen recording, and easy sharing options.
Quick Look
Pricing
|
Tier |
Cost and What you get |
|
Free |
That’s it. It’s free! Yes, all of it. |
Pros and Cons
|
Pros |
It’s free, and constantly being updated and improved by a community of developers. It has multiple platform support, and a lot of advanced features and customisation options. |
|
Cons |
If you’re a video newbie, its vast number of options might be a steep learning curve. It doesn’t look visually appealing and creative like some other options. It doesn’t have a built-in video editor. |
Summary: Which is the Best Platform to Record a Presentation?
Like most choices, you need to know exactly what you want before you can make a decision like ‘which is the best platform to record a presentation,’ so as a little summary, here are some of the main considerations when it comes to presentation recording software.
Cost
OBS Studio. Let’s face it, cost often matters most to us. You can rarely beat free, so if it purely comes down to cost when you’re thinking of your video presentations, then this is a fantastic piece of software. Ideally, you either need some prior knowledge of streaming and recording programmes like this, or be prepared for a steep learning curve. You’d also need a separate video editing suite. If you’re screen recording or live presenting (and perhaps even recording that presentation) then OBS Studio is perfect.
Familiarity
PowerPoint. So many of us are used to a particular type of software and it can be hard to start again. If you’re looking to get started quickly with something that feels intuitive to you, then PowerPoint might be for you. If you already have 365 then PowerPoint is included, so this might also be a cost consideration.
Creativity and Storytelling
Prezi. The non-linear arrangement might take some getting used to, but the canvas-like interface means you can get all of your visual ideas down in whatever order you like, making for a more creative process.
E-Learning and Course Content
iSpring. It’s made for this type of video presentation and so it incudes everything you might need: quizzes, multimedia, narration, and so on. It comes with a hefty price tag in comparison to some, but if you’re a heavy user then the benefit of its many features will probably outweigh that.
AI or Automated Video Creation
Lumen5 and Animaker. Lumen5 is great if you’re looking to turn a lot of text into engaging visual presentations, and Animaker will let you make characters and animations really easily. Both will let you automate large parts of your creation process.
Conclusion
Video presentations are an essential and accessible tool for communication and content creation, and are particularly valuable when it comes to learning and education. The availability of feature-rich video presentation recording software means it’s easier than ever to create engaging and professional-quality video presentations.
When it comes to choosing which is the best platform to record a presentation, we hope that you’ve found some great options to look at in this article. Each offers a range of functionalities that cover a wealth of different needs and skill levels. Whether you’re an educator, business professional, or a content creator, these presentation recording software choices – whichever you pick! - will help you captivate your audience and deliver fantastic video presentations in 2023.
More Great Free Presentation Resources
How to Record a Google Slides Presentation for Video Playback
How to Convert Your PowerPoint (PPT) Presentation Into Video
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30 Best Free Keynote Presentation Templates Designs (Download for 2023) + Video
15 Fun PowerPoint Presentation Ideas to Delight Your Audience (+Video)
About This Page
This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Gonzalo Angulo. Gonzalo is an editor, writer and illustrator.
