Professional compares AI slide tools for turning rough notes into a branded deck and picks Manus

What they did

They used Perplexity to shortlist AI slide tools, then gave each one the same rough notes and bullet points to lay out in a branded theme. Gamma used its own themes instead of theirs, Google Slides' AI produced a slide as one uneditable image, and Claude's output looked boxy. Manus took the notes and produced a polished deck without them touching the design.

How it went

Manus was the tool that delivered for a notes-first, story-first workflow, and they recommend it for that use.

Worth knowing

• Manus works on credits, and free credits run out. Check that numbers and claims on each slide match your notes, and if brand rules matter, use its option to upload your own .pptx template.
• Price check: Perplexity: free plan; Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year) (checked Oct 31, 2026); Gamma: free plan; Plus: US$12/month, or US$9/month on a yearly plan (US$108/year) (checked Oct 25, 2026); Claude: free plan; Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year) (checked Nov 1, 2026).

Paying for Claude? See cheaper Claude alternatives.

Try it yourself

Paste this into a chatbot, then add your own details underneath.

Here are my rough notes for a presentation: [paste]. Turn them into a 10-slide deck using my uploaded PowerPoint template. Keep my storyline and wording where possible, one main idea per slide, add a simple chart where I mention numbers, and write short speaker notes for each slide.

Original post

See @anantggupta's original post on X → (Mar 29, 2026)