Figma Slides

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction

  • Many are enthusiastic, especially those already making decks in Figma; they see Slides as a natural “first‑class” version of an existing workflow.
  • Others find the beta underwhelming so far, saying it mostly replicates decade‑old slide software and looks like “PPT on the web.”

Why Figma Slides appeals

  • Designers and some devs already favor Figma for architecture diagrams and “serious” decks due to:
    • Precise alignment, layout, and visual control.
    • Components, auto‑layout, and reuse of existing design systems.
    • Better typography and brand consistency than Google Slides, and often better than PowerPoint.
    • Strong real‑time collaboration and infinite canvas.
  • Presenter mode, notes, and a simple AI “tone selector” are seen as key missing pieces now added.
  • Some expect it to “murder Google Slides” in design‑centric teams that previously tolerated Slides only for remote collaboration.

Comparisons to existing tools

  • Frequent benchmarks: Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, Canva, Pitch, IA Presenter, Penpot, LibreOffice Impress, draw.io, Excalidraw, Typst, Inkscape+Sozi.
  • Google Slides is criticized for poor typography, object alignment, font limitations (no custom corporate fonts), lack of SVG support, and weak or buggy animation.
  • Keynote is widely praised for animation, vector handling, and polish but knocked for weak collaboration and ecosystem lock‑in.
  • Text‑first tools (IA Presenter, Typst) appeal to those who prioritize content over design.

Current limitations and concerns

  • Beta feedback: animation is slide‑level only, with few transitions and limited timing control; advanced animation from Figma Design is not yet exposed.
  • Advanced design tools inside Slides require a paid Figma Design seat; casual users may get less than in free desktop tools.
  • Reports of poor Firefox support and worries about offline reliability for conference talks.
  • Accessibility gripe: FigJam still lacks dark mode while new products ship.

Pricing, lock‑in, and strategy

  • Slides will be free on Starter; otherwise $3–5/seat/month. Using full design capabilities requires a paid design seat.
  • Some see this as sensible expansion of a popular use case; others see ecosystem lock‑in and data capture for AI, plus continuation of perceived “dark patterns” in Figma pricing.
  • Debate over whether this further silos designers away from PPT/Slides‑centric organizations vs. simply letting each discipline use the best tool.