slides vs Slidev
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 terminal presentation tool that turns a Markdown file into slides you present without leaving the terminal.
Open source · MIT
Write presentation slides in Markdown, rendered with Vue and Vite.
The short answer
Choose slides if you need…
- Developers who already live in the terminal and want to present technical material
- People who prefer writing slides as plain Markdown files
- Presenters who want to show a talk over SSH to viewers without installing the tool
- Anyone who wants live reload while editing a slide file
Choose Slidev if you need…
- Developers who want to present code, technical talks, or architecture diagrams
- People comfortable editing Markdown and who prefer version-controlled slides
- Teams that want slides stored alongside project files in a Git repository
- Anyone who wants to present from a second window or phone using presenter mode
Side-by-side
| slides | Slidev | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 11.7k | 49.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Go | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 months ago | 14 days ago |
What each one is
slides
Slides is a command-line program written in Go that displays a Markdown file as a presentation inside your terminal. You separate slides with horizontal rules and move between them with keyboard keys. It can also run code blocks in a slide, pre-process diagrams through external commands, and serve a presentation over SSH.
Slidev
Slidev is an open-source tool for making presentation slides using Markdown files. You write your slides as text, and it renders them in a web browser with code highlighting, math, diagrams, and Vue components. It can export slides to PDF, PNG, or PPTX.
Best for
slides
- Developers who already live in the terminal and want to present technical material
- People who prefer writing slides as plain Markdown files
- Presenters who want to show a talk over SSH to viewers without installing the tool
- Anyone who wants live reload while editing a slide file
Slidev
- Developers who want to present code, technical talks, or architecture diagrams
- People comfortable editing Markdown and who prefer version-controlled slides
- Teams that want slides stored alongside project files in a Git repository
- Anyone who wants to present from a second window or phone using presenter mode
Strengths
slides
- Slides are plain Markdown files that work with any text editor and version control
- Live reload updates the presentation as the file changes
- Runs anywhere a terminal and, for SSH viewing, an ssh client are available
Slidev
- Slides are plain Markdown files, so they work well with Git and any text editor
- Built on Vite, so changes reload quickly while editing
- Themes can be shared as npm packages and it supports a large set of icons
Not ideal for
slides
- Presenters who need a graphical editor, themes and image-heavy layouts, since the README describes only terminal rendering and a glamour theme option
- Audiences expecting a projector-friendly visual deck with embedded video or animations, because the output is text in a terminal
Slidev
- People who need a visual drag-and-drop slide editor, since Slidev is text-based (the README mentions an integrated editor, but its depth is not described here)
- Users who cannot install Node.js, since the local setup requires Node.js 22.12.0 or newer
- Those who only need simple slides and do not want to learn Markdown syntax and Vue features
Trade-offs
slides
- Output is limited to what a terminal can show, so it is not suited to visual-heavy decks
- Pre-processing and code execution run commands from the file, so the README requires execute permissions as a safety measure and users should review files before running them
Slidev
- Requires a Node.js development environment, which may be a barrier for non-developers
- Visual design customization relies on CSS utilities and Vue knowledge for advanced changes
- The README does not detail the export quality or limitations of each export format
Getting started
slides
macOS (Homebrew)
brew install slidesGo install
go install github.com/maaslalani/slides@latestFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between slides and Slidev?
slides: A terminal presentation tool that turns a Markdown file into slides you present without leaving the terminal. Slidev: Write presentation slides in Markdown, rendered with Vue and Vite. slides suits developers who already live in the terminal and want to present technical material, while Slidev suits developers who want to present code, technical talks, or architecture diagrams.
Are slides and Slidev free?
slides: Free and open source. Slidev: Free and open source.
Is slides or Slidev more popular?
Slidev has more GitHub stars (49.3k) than slides (11.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to slides and Slidev?
Other options people compare them with include reveal.js, Marp, mdx-deck, VitePress, docsify.
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.