Free alternatives to Pear Deck

Last updated 19 Oct 2026 · 4 options

Quick answer: Xournal++ has the most stars on its repository of the 4 options here (★ 15.5k), followed by OpenBoard (★ 3.1k). Stars show popularity, not fit, so check formats, platforms and licence for your own work.

Interactive Google Slides / PowerPoint add-on for formative checks. Here are 4 free options, most-starred first.

Xournal++

Interactive lessons & boards

Open-source handwriting and PDF annotation

Stars: ★ 15.5k
Licence: GPL-2.0
Updated: today

Alternative to Nearpod, Pear Deck

OpenBoard

Interactive lessons & boards

Open-source interactive whiteboard for classrooms

Stars: ★ 3.1k
Licence: GPL-3.0
Updated: 6 months ago

Alternative to Nearpod, Pear Deck

AhaSlides

Formative assessment & polling

Live quizzes and polls for presentations

Licence: Proprietary
Status: Freemium

Alternative to Mentimeter, Kahoot

Wooclap

Formative assessment & polling

Interactive questions in presentations (freemium)

Licence: Proprietary
Status: Freemium

Alternative to Mentimeter, Socrative

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Pear Deck?

Yes. TeacherAlts lists 4 options: Xournal++, OpenBoard, AhaSlides and Wooclap.

Which Pear Deck alternatives are open source?

Xournal++ (GPL-2.0) and OpenBoard (GPL-3.0). The others are free or freemium but not open source.

Which Pear Deck alternatives run in a web browser?

AhaSlides and Wooclap. The others listed here aren't listed for web browser.

Edtech features change with school year pricing. Always confirm the free-tier limits on the vendor's pricing page before you rely on a tool for a whole class.