Formlio vs Google Slides: client proposals for creative studios
Google Slides is a presentation tool anyone with a Google Account can use, and it suits decks you present and edit together. Formlio suits studios, agencies and freelancers sending proposals: clients read a web page, choose options and sign, and you see heatmaps and session replay. Its Free plan publishes two documents per 30 days.
What you pay.
Prices in USD, per seat, before tax. Slides comes with a Google Account; the paid column is Google Workspace. Checked on workspace.google.com, knowledge.workspace.google.com and formlio.com on 2026-11-05.
| Plan | Formlio | Google Slides |
|---|---|---|
| No-cost option | Free plan: every feature, 2 publications per 30 days, with a Made with Formlio badge | Anyone with a Google Account can create in Slides. Recording and speaker spotlight need Workspace |
| First paid plan, one seat | Starter: $27 a month, or $259 a year, with 5 publications per billing period | Workspace Business Starter: $8.40 a month, or $7 a month on an annual plan ($84 a year) |
| E-signature | Every plan, Free included | Business Standard: $16.80 a month, or $14 a month on an annual plan ($168 a year). For Docs and Drive files |
| Your brand only, no vendor badge | Starter and up | Not covered in Google's plan or publishing pages |
| Your own domain | Pro: $41 a month, or $394 a year | Workspace's custom domain covers business email. Google's publishing help lists no domain option |
| Extra fees | None. Viewers are free; tax added at checkout | Some Gemini features are sold as an add-on. Annual plans commit you for a year |
Sources:Google Workspace business editions (2026-11-05)Google Workspace pricing (2026-11-05)Google Slides product page (2026-11-05)Google help: eSignature (2026-11-05)Google help: make files public (2026-11-05)Formlio pricing (2026-11-05)
Which one makes a proposal look like your studio made it?
Slides is quick to pick up and easy to edit together, with templates, themes and comments in real time. It imports PowerPoint and Canva files, and you can animate objects on click or in sequence when you present. Fonts come from Google's own list; an answer on Google's help forum says you can't upload your own.
Formlio is made for proposals that are part of the pitch. Clients read a web page rather than a set of slides. Upload your own fonts on any plan, Free included. Blocks move as the client scrolls: text reveals, number tickers, hand-drawn highlights, gallery transitions. And you can pin a video or voice bubble next to your pricing to walk the client through it yourself.
What does a small studio pay to get a proposal signed?
Slides itself needs no paid plan: anyone with a Google Account can create in it. To send signature requests, Google lists eSignature from Workspace Business Standard, at $14 per user a month on an annual plan, with no seat minimum listed. That seat costs less than Formlio Starter and also buys business email, Meet and 2 TB of storage. Google's help describes eSignature for Docs and Drive files and doesn't mention Slides. Formlio Starter includes 5 publications per billing period, and signing on the page, heatmaps and session replay.
What can you see after you hit send?
Slides' Activity dashboard shows view history on work and school accounts. Google says no one can see view history for a file not owned by one of those accounts, and its help page lists no time per slide, heatmaps or replay. Signing runs through eSignature in Docs and Drive, with up to 10 signers and an audit trail, and the help page names no specific signature law.
Formlio tells you when a client opens the document, how long they spent on each section and how far they scrolled, then adds mouse-tracking heatmaps and a full session replay on every plan. Clients approve with a slide or sign on the page, and each signature records consent, time, IP and a fingerprint of the document. Formlio signatures comply with eIDAS in the EU and ESIGN and UETA in the US.
What each one does.
Checked against each product's site and help docs on 2026-11-05.
| Feature | Formlio | Google Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Design | ||
| Templates | ||
| Real-time editing with your team | ||
| Upload your own fonts | Every plan | |
| Animation | On scroll, as the client reads | On click or in sequence, when presenting |
| Import PowerPoint or Canva files | ||
| Work offline | ||
| Engagement | ||
| View history | Every plan | Work and school accounts |
| Instant notification when a client opens | ||
| Time per section | ||
| Mouse-tracking heatmaps | ||
| Session replay | ||
| Closing | ||
| Interactive quotes with optional add-ons | ||
| Slide-to-approve | ||
| E-signature | On the page, every plan | In Docs and Drive, Business Standard and up |
| Multiple signers | Up to 10, in eSignature | |
| Integrations | ||
| Business email, Meet and Drive in the same plan | Workspace plans | |
Sources:Google Slides product page (2026-11-05)Google Workspace business editions (2026-11-05)Google help: eSignature (2026-11-05)Google help: view activity (2026-11-05)Google help: animations (2026-11-05)Google help forum: adding fonts (2026-11-05)Formlio pricing (2026-11-05)
When is Google Slides the better choice?
Choose Slides for decks you present live or build together, especially if your team already works in Google Workspace. It works with any Google Account, edits in real time and offline, and opens PowerPoint files. If a client only needs a short deck in a meeting, you don't need anything more, and you won't pay more for it.
Choose Formlio if you're a studio, agency or freelancer sending proposals clients read on their own. They choose options and sign on the page, you see what they read through heatmaps and session replay, and the document carries your own fonts and motion. Formlio costs more per seat than Workspace, and it doesn't replace your email or calendar.
Common questions about Formlio and Google Slides.
Price, free options, signing, tracking, fonts, domains and switching, answered with the numbers.
No. Anyone with a Google Account can create in Slides, and Workspace Business Standard, which adds eSignature, costs $168 per user a year. Formlio Starter is $259 a seat a year, with 5 publications per billing period. Formlio's Free plan publishes two documents per 30 days and shows a Made with Formlio badge.
Formlio has a free plan with every feature: interactive quotes, e-signatures, heatmaps and session replay. It publishes two documents per 30 days and shows a Made with Formlio badge. Slides works with any Google Account, but Google's Slides pages list no quote block, and its eSignature help covers Docs and Drive files.
Google's eSignature help covers Docs and Drive files, on Business Standard and up or a Workspace Individual plan, with up to 10 signers and an audit trail. It doesn't mention Slides. In Formlio, clients sign on the page on every plan, and signatures comply with eIDAS in the EU and ESIGN and UETA in the US.
On work or school accounts, the Activity dashboard shows view history. Google says no one can see view history for a file not owned by such an account, and its help lists no time per slide, heatmaps or replay. Formlio shows opens, time per section, scroll depth, heatmaps and session replay on every plan.
Formlio takes uploaded fonts on every plan, and your own domain comes with Pro at $394 a seat a year. In Slides you pick from Google's font list, and an answer on Google's help forum says uploads aren't supported. Workspace's custom domain covers business email; Google's publishing help lists no domain option.
Yes. Start on the Free plan, upload your fonts and brand colours once, then rebuild your main proposal from a template or from blocks and save the blocks you reuse. Formlio doesn't import Slides or PowerPoint files, so move your main template first, then send new proposals from Formlio.
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