Claude Code or Codex creates slides through MCP.
Edit the exact HTML and CSS on a visual canvas.
Ship HTML, PDF, or PPTX when the deck is ready.
#Two web-native tools, two workflows
Slidev assumes the author is a developer in an editor: you write markdown, drop in Vue components when you need interactivity, and run a dev server with hot reload. It's a genuinely great authoring experience for technical talks.
Variant assumes the first draft comes from an agent. Claude Code or Codex calls MCP tools to create slides as HTML and CSS, previews them, and edits specific elements. The same deck opens on a visual canvas, so editing isn't limited to people who read markdown and Vue.
#Choose Slidev when
You're giving a talk about code. Slidev's syntax highlighting, line-level code focus, embedded live components, and presenter mode are built exactly for that. It's free, open source, and your deck is a text file you can version like source code.
#Choose Variant when
The deck is recurring work rather than a one-off talk — sprint reviews, metrics updates, client decks — and you want an agent to own the draft. Variant adds a brand kit agents read at draft time, PPTX export for audiences that expect PowerPoint, and a canvas for layout fixes without touching code.
#Code highlighting and live content
Slidev's code features are stronger out of the box. Variant slides are plain HTML, so you can include highlighted code or live Chart.js charts, but you assemble that yourself — or let the agent do it.
| Need | Variant | Slidev |
|---|---|---|
| Source format | HTML and CSS per slide | Markdown plus Vue components |
| Visual editing | Canvas and inspector built in | None — editor and dev server |
| Agent workflow | MCP tools: previews, targeted edits, exports | Agents can write the markdown |
| Code on slides | HTML — bring your own highlighting | First-class highlighting and live components |
| Non-developer editing | Visual canvas | Requires editing source |
| Exports | HTML, PDF, PPTX | SPA, PDF, PNG; PPTX export is limited |
| Price | Free tier, paid plans | Free and open source |
#Common questions
Is Variant a Slidev alternative?
For developer-authored conference talks, Slidev is often the better tool and it's free. Variant is the closer fit when decks are generated and maintained by AI agents over MCP, or when non-developers need to edit the result.
Can AI agents use Slidev?
Coding agents can write Slidev markdown and Vue components. What they don't get is a feedback loop: no rendered previews, no element-level edits, no hosted tool surface. Variant's MCP server provides those as structured tools.
Does Variant support presenter mode and speaker notes?
Yes. Variant has a presentation view with speaker notes, and notes are readable and writable by agents through MCP. Slidev's presenter mode is also strong, with camera view and drawing tools that Variant doesn't have.