presentation-md vs Beautiful.ai — smart templates vs agent-native decks

Side-by-side

Criterion	presentation-md	Beautiful.ai
Where it runs	Inside your AI agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Gemini CLI)	Browser SaaS — smart templates and design guardrails
Output format	Single self-contained HTML file — you own it (plus optional PPTX)	Platform-hosted decks; export available on paid plans
Price	✓ Free, MIT licensed, no account	Subscription (team brand kits behind paid tiers)
LLM schema	✓ Typed Deck JSON spec — consistent, validatable	✗ Freeform / template-driven generation
MCP support	✓ Typed MCP tools for agents	✗ No MCP integration
Offline / no login	✓ Works fully offline after install	✗ Requires internet + account
Design system	75 swappable npm theme packages + brand import	Smart slides + company brand kits in-app

Where Beautiful.ai is stronger

Smart templates that resist layout collapse while you edit
Team brand kits and designer-led polish in a guided UI
Collaboration and sharing inside a familiar SaaS product

Where presentation-md is stronger

Runs inside Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Gemini CLI — no tab switch
Portable HTML + native PPTX with speaker notes — PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides
75 schema-validated themes, asymmetric craft, MCP tools, brand import
Free, MIT licensed, no account or subscription

Verdict

If you want a polished SaaS editor with smart templates and brand kits, Beautiful.ai is a strong product. If your decks should come from the AI agent already in your terminal or IDE — with a file you own and no platform lock-in — presentation-md is the shorter path.

Try presentation-md in one command:

npx @presentation-md/install claude-code

Open Studio → See the gallery →

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