Guide

Google Slides alternative for sharing a deck with a client

Google Slides is free and familiar, which makes it the default for a lot of client-facing decks, but it was not built to be a tracked share link. Per-viewer view logs need a Workspace admin account most people do not have, password protection is not a real option (only account-restricted sharing, which can lock out a client entirely), and there is no way to host AI-generated HTML with real interactivity, you would have to rebuild it as slides by hand. If you need to know exactly who opened the deck and when, gate it with an actual password, or share HTML as it already exists, LiveSend, DocSend, or Tiiny.host are closer fits.

Why Google Slides is the default

It costs nothing, almost everyone already has an account, and the editor is familiar enough that putting a deck together does not require a decision about which tool to use. For a lot of client-facing work, that reflex is fine: the deck gets made, the link gets sent, the meeting happens. The friction shows up later, when someone actually needs to know whether the client opened it, or wants to keep an outside party from forwarding the link freely.

Where it breaks down for client sharing

Three specific gaps, not a general complaint about the tool:

  • No real per-viewer tracking. Slides does not log individual opens with a timestamp and viewer identity on a standard account. The closest thing, Workspace activity reporting, is an admin feature most people sending decks do not have access to.
  • No standalone password. Access control means "anyone with the link" or "restricted to specific Google accounts." A client without the right account, or without wanting to sign in at all, either gets full open access or gets blocked outright.
  • No arbitrary interactivity. If the source material is HTML, generated by an AI tool or otherwise, with live charts, custom scripts, or interactive sections, none of that survives being ported into Slides. It becomes static text and native shapes.

Option 1, LiveSend

If the deck already exists as HTML, or you export it and want a tracked link instead of a Slides share, LiveSend logs every view with timestamp, optional viewer email via an email gate, country, and time spent. Add a real password (works for anyone, no Google account required), set an expiration, edit inline without changing the URL.

Honest trade-offs: 3MB (6MB for Pro) cap per HTML file, a small LiveSend watermark on the Free plan, no native slide-editing experience, you are working with HTML rather than a deck editor.

Use it when: the client-facing document already is, or can be, HTML, and you need real tracking and a password that does not depend on a Google account.

Option 2, DocSend

If the deck stays a deck and PDF is an acceptable export format, DocSend gives page-by-page engagement data and NDA gating, purpose-built for that exact shape of document.

Use it when: the deck is genuinely presentation-shaped and a PDF export loses nothing that matters.

Option 3, Tiiny.host

For a quick static HTML host with a password option on paid plans and basic aggregate analytics, Tiiny.host is a stable, established choice if per-viewer detail is not required.

Use it when: aggregate counts are enough and setup speed matters more than tracking depth.

Picking the right option

Internal review, no client involved: Google Slides is still fine, nothing here applies. Sending to a client and you need to know if and when they opened it, plus a password that works without a Google account: LiveSend. Presentation-shaped and PDF is fine: DocSend. Just need a link, no tracking depth required: Tiiny.host.

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I see who viewed my Google Slides deck?
    Only in a limited way, and only for files inside a Google Workspace organization with activity reporting enabled, which most freelancers and small teams on a personal or basic account do not have. There is no per-viewer log of email, timestamp, and time spent, the way a dedicated tracked-link tool provides.
  • Can I password protect a Google Slides link?
    Not directly. Your two options are "anyone with the link" (no password, no gate at all) or restricting to specific people, which requires the viewer to sign in with a matching Google account. There is no middle ground where a client without a Google account enters a password and gets in.
  • Does a client need a Google account to view a shared deck?
    Depends on the sharing setting. "Anyone with the link" does not require one. Anything more restrictive does, and it is a common failure mode: someone shares a deck restricted to their organization by default, the external client clicks the link, and gets an access-denied page instead of the presentation.
  • Can I share AI-generated HTML through Google Slides?
    Not directly. Slides renders its own object model (text boxes, native charts, transitions), not arbitrary HTML or JavaScript. If a tool generated an interactive dashboard or prototype as HTML, putting it into Slides means manually recreating it with static screenshots or simplified native elements, and losing the interactivity in the process.
  • Is there a free alternative to Google Slides for a trackable client link?
    Yes. LiveSend has a Free plan covering 3 documents with tracked views, password protection, and inline editing (with a small watermark on viewer pages, removed on Pro). It works from any HTML, including a deck exported and rebuilt as HTML, not just AI-generated content.

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