- Responsive stories: Sway lays out content for different screen sizes.
- Web publishing: Create and share Sways through a link.
- Interactive embeds: Combine text, images, video and embedded content.
- Templates: Start from design suggestions rather than placing every object manually.
- Online-first workflow: The product is hosted and edited through the web.
Microsoft Sway
Create interactive presentations, newsletters, and stories with minimal design effort
Updated August 4, 2026
Microsoft Sway Overview
Microsoft Sway is a web-based storytelling tool for presentations, newsletters and reports. It automatically arranges content for different screen sizes and supports sharing by link; it is a lighter, online-first format than PowerPoint and should not be described as a full slide-layout replacement.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Featured |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft account | $0 | Create and share Sways through the web |
| Microsoft 365 Business | From $6/user/month billed annually | Sway access alongside eligible Microsoft 365 business services |
Pricing source: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/
Pros
| Plan | Price | Featured |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPoint | Pros | Sway is quicker for responsive web stories when pixel-level slide control is unnecessary. |
| Google Slides | Pros | Sway automatically handles layout and can publish a web story by link. |
| Canva | Pros | Sway is lightweight for newsletters and reports within the Microsoft ecosystem. |
Cons
| Plan | Price | Featured |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPoint | Cons | Sway offers much less pixel-level layout, animation and offline control. |
| Google Slides | Cons | Sway’s online-first publishing model is not a full multi-cursor slide editor. |
| Canva | Cons | Users needing rich design templates or export formats may find Sway limited. |
Reviews
- Reddit r/Office365: The original poster wrote that Sway is “fairly intuitive and overall nice to use,” but that “the animations are choppy” and projects need to be viewed on Sway.com; exporting to Word or PDF loses the animations.
- G2 Review (Rating: 4.1/5 from 124 reviews): Reviewers value quick interactive reports and templates but criticize online-only access and limited editing controls.
- BrightCarbon Review: The review describes Sway as a visual, scrapbook-like format but notes limited drag-and-drop control.
- Capterra Review (Rating: 4.2/5): Users highlight easy setup and Office integration while noting a learning curve.
- TechRadar Review (Rating: 4/5): TechRadar presents Sway as an easy way to create and share web content.
