reveal.js vs Spectacle
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A free HTML framework for building slide presentations that run in a web browser.
Open source · MIT
A React library for building slide presentations by writing JSX, including live code demos.
The short answer
Choose reveal.js if you need…
- Developers who already write HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and want full control over slide design
- People who want presentations as code that can be versioned and reviewed like other files
- Teams who need slides with code samples or math notation
- Anyone who wants a free, self-hosted alternative to a proprietary slide tool
Choose Spectacle if you need…
- React developers who want to build slides as code
- Engineers giving technical talks that include live demos
- Teams that keep presentations in version control
Side-by-side
| reveal.js | Spectacle | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 72.5k | 10.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 37 days ago | 10 days ago |
What each one is
reveal.js
reveal.js is an open source HTML presentation framework. You write slides as web pages, and the result runs in any browser, so you can present or share it without special presentation software. The README highlights features such as Markdown slides, speaker notes, PDF export, LaTeX math, syntax-highlighted code, and an API for customization.
Spectacle
Spectacle is a JavaScript library built on React that lets you create presentation slides by writing components in JSX, the syntax React uses. Because slides are ordinary React code, you can embed live, running code examples inside a talk. The README describes it as a ReactJS based presentation library and points to a docs site for details.
Best for
reveal.js
- Developers who already write HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and want full control over slide design
- People who want presentations as code that can be versioned and reviewed like other files
- Teams who need slides with code samples or math notation
- Anyone who wants a free, self-hosted alternative to a proprietary slide tool
Spectacle
- React developers who want to build slides as code
- Engineers giving technical talks that include live demos
- Teams that keep presentations in version control
Strengths
reveal.js
- Free and MIT licensed, with a large community (about 72,000 stars on GitHub)
- Presentations are plain web files that run in any modern browser and can be hosted anywhere
- Documented feature set covering Markdown, speaker notes, PDF export, and math
Spectacle
- Slides are written as JSX, so they fit into an existing React workflow
- Supports live demos of code within a presentation, according to the description
- Published under the MIT license and actively maintained per the README
Not ideal for
reveal.js
- People who want a drag-and-drop editor: the README points to Slides.com, a separate graphical editor by the same authors, for that
- Non-technical users who do not want to edit HTML or configuration files, since setup assumes some web development familiarity
- Those needing a paid video course to learn it: the README links a course, but it is a paid product and the README does not describe its contents
Spectacle
- People who want a drag-and-drop slide editor, since the README describes a code-based library and does not mention a visual editor
- Non-programmers, because creating slides requires writing React components
Trade-offs
reveal.js
- Requires comfort with HTML and a build or hosting step, which is a barrier for non-developers
- The README is truncated here, so details of specific browser support and version requirements are not confirmed
- Design polish depends on your own CSS and theme choices
Spectacle
- Requires knowledge of React and JavaScript to use
- The README is short and defers most detail to the docs site and package README
- Not a visual editor, so layout changes are made in code
Getting started
reveal.js
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/hakimel/reveal.jsSpectacle
Install the spectacle package from npm
npm install spectacleFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between reveal.js and Spectacle?
reveal.js: A free HTML framework for building slide presentations that run in a web browser. Spectacle: A React library for building slide presentations by writing JSX, including live code demos. reveal.js suits developers who already write html, css, or javascript and want full control over slide design, while Spectacle suits react developers who want to build slides as code.
Are reveal.js and Spectacle free?
reveal.js: Free and open source. Spectacle: Free and open source.
Is reveal.js or Spectacle more popular?
reveal.js has more GitHub stars (72.5k) than Spectacle (10.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to reveal.js and Spectacle?
Other options people compare them with include Marp, Slidev, impress.js, remark, mdx-deck.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.