Freedom251 › Presentation software
Casual Slides
What Casual Slides is
Casual Slides is an open-source presentation editor that runs in web and desktop browsers or on a self-hosted installation. It is designed to resemble Microsoft PowerPoint and can open and save .pptx files through OOXML round-tripping. The editor provides an Office-style ribbon, slide thumbnails, six layout templates, themes, solid and gradient backgrounds, speaker notes, presenter mode, and slideshow mode. Implemented exports include PDF and PNG as well as PowerPoint files. PowerPoint parsing and serialization run in Web Workers, keeping multi-megabyte decks from blocking the browser’s main thread. Self-hosting documentation covers Docker and Docker Compose for the web app and WebSocket relay on one port. Version 0.0.x has no accounts or persistence: anonymous rooms use URLs, stay in memory, and disappear after a container restart. Collaboration is currently a single-active-editor spike. Mobile support and complete PowerPoint feature parity are listed as non-goals. The project uses the Apache-2.0 license and has no AI assistance.
Who it suits
It suits people who want a free, open-source browser presentation editor with PowerPoint import and export. Self-hosting is available for users who prefer to run the web app themselves.
What it does well
- Open-source Apache-2.0 license
- Imports and exports PowerPoint files
- PDF and PNG export implemented
- Presenter mode and speaker notes
- Docker self-hosting instructions
What to know first
- No accounts or persistent storage
- Rooms disappear after container restart
- Collaboration limited to one active editor
- Mobile support is a stated non-goal
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open-source self-hosted | Self-hosted web editor · Desktop browsers only · Collaboration is a single-active-editor spike | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Casual Slides covers familiar slide editing and PowerPoint file exchange in a free, self-hostable package. Its early version limits persistence, collaboration, mobile use, and full PowerPoint parity.
Facts from Casual Slides's own pages
- AI assistance
- No · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Audience and limits
- The project targets desktop browsers and explicitly lists mobile support and complete PowerPoint feature parity as non-goals for v0.0.x. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Browser processing
- PowerPoint file parsing and serialization run in Web Workers so multi-megabyte decks do not block the main thread. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Collaboration limit
- Co-editing is described as a single-active-editor spike, and the planned Yjs and Hocuspocus migration is not yet implemented. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Data and persistence
- The repository says v0.0.x has no persistence or accounts and uses anonymous sessions identified by room URL; rooms are held in memory and are lost when the container restarts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Editing features
- The editor includes an Office-style ribbon, slide thumbnails, six layout templates, themes, solid and gradient backgrounds, speaker notes, and slideshow mode. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Export
- The project description lists PDF and PNG export among its implemented features. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project is built on the open-source Univer Slides packages and exports PowerPoint files using PptxGenJS. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies Casual Slides as open source under the Apache-2.0 license. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- PowerPoint files
- It can open and save .pptx files and aims to preserve presentation content through OOXML round-tripping. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- PowerPoint export
- Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- PowerPoint import
- Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Presenter mode
- Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Product
- Casual Slides is an open-source, self-hostable, browser-based presentation editor designed to look and behave like Microsoft PowerPoint. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Real-time collaboration
- No · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Round-trip fidelity
- The repository reports 68 of 87 presentation fidelity probes passing in its wave 7o snapshot. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Security and compliance
- The repository describes the self-hosted runtime but does not state security certifications or compliance attestations. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Self-hosting
- The repository provides Docker and Docker Compose instructions for running the web app and WebSocket relay on one port. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The editor includes a Help option that can prefill a GitHub bug report. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- web; desktop browsers; self-hosted · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Where Casual Slides stands on Freedom251
- Presentation software#64 of 93