Most "best Google Slides add-ons" lists are written for teachers and casual users. This one isn't. If you build board decks, QBRs, operating reviews, or client presentations in Google Slides — especially if you came from a PowerPoint-and-think-cell world — your needs are different: consultant-grade charts, clean diagrams, fast formatting, and tools that don't fall apart when the data changes the night before the meeting.
ChartKit appears in the charts section below — we've tried to be honest about where competitors are stronger, the same way we are in our think-cell alternatives comparison.
Charts: the biggest gap in Google Slides
Native Google Slides charts can't do real waterfalls with subtotals, Mekko charts, or the delta/CAGR annotations that management decks run on. Two add-ons compete seriously here.
ChartKit — €8/mo
A Chrome extension that adds consultant-style charting inside Google Slides, Docs, and Sheets. Waterfall, stacked bar, 100% bar, and line charts with the storytelling layer that matters: totals, deltas, segment labels, annotations, axis breaks, and harvey balls. Built for recurring reporting — charts stay editable in the deck, so a data update is an edit, not a rebuild.
Best for: Teams whose decks live on waterfalls and stacked bars — the management-deck core. Gap: No Gantt, funnel, or Mekko today. If you need those, see ChartBuddy.
ChartBuddy — ~€10/mo
The most mature charting add-on for Slides, with the widest chart-type library: 15+ types including Mekko, Gantt, funnel, scatter, and bubble. SOC 2 Type II certified, which matters for enterprise IT approval.
Best for: Teams that need breadth beyond the standard management toolkit. Gap: No axis breaks or harvey balls, and no Sheets data link.
Honest verdict: these two split the niche. ChartKit is the focused, slightly cheaper option for the charts decks actually use weekly; ChartBuddy is the breadth play. Both have free trials — test against your own deck.
Diagrams and visuals
Lucidchart / diagrams.net
For process flows, org charts, and architecture diagrams. Lucidchart's Slides integration is polished but paid; diagrams.net is free and exports cleanly. Either beats drawing boxes and arrows natively.
Icons by Noun Project (or Flaticon)
The fastest way to drop consistent, professional stroke icons onto slides. The discipline tip from consulting: pick one icon style for the entire deck and never mix filled and outline icons.
Data and tables
Sheets-to-Slides linked tables (native)
Not an add-on, but underused: paste a Sheets range into Slides and choose "Link to spreadsheet." Tables update with one click when the data changes. The native feature is genuinely good for tables — it's charts where it falls down.
Coefficient
If your reporting data lives in Salesforce, HubSpot, or a database, Coefficient pulls it into Sheets on a schedule — which means your linked Slides tables update themselves. Pairs well with any charting add-on.
Formatting and productivity
Slides Toolbox
A free grab-bag of batch operations — swap fonts everywhere, resize objects to match, clean up formatting. The closest thing Slides has to PowerPoint's format-painter-on-steroids workflows.
Pear Deck / AhaSlides
Mentioned because they top generic lists — but they're audience-interaction tools for classrooms and workshops, not for board reporting. Skip unless you run training sessions.
The shortlist by role
| Role | Install these |
|---|---|
| Ex-consultant / strategy | ChartKit (or ChartBuddy for Mekko/Gantt), Noun Project, Slides Toolbox |
| FP&A / finance | ChartKit, Coefficient, linked Sheets tables |
| Founder building investor decks | ChartKit, diagrams.net, Noun Project |
| PM / product | ChartBuddy (Gantt for roadmaps), Lucidchart |
Common questions
Are Google Slides add-ons safe for company data? Check three things: the permissions requested at install, whether the vendor has security certification (ChartBuddy has SOC 2 Type II; check each vendor's current status), and whether your Workspace admin has restricted Marketplace installs. Chrome-extension-based tools like ChartKit run in the browser rather than as Workspace add-ons, which changes the permission model — review what each actually accesses.
What's the best free charting option? Native Sheets-embedded charts. They're limited — see our waterfall guide for exactly where they break — but they're the only free path.
Do these work in Google Docs too? ChartKit works in Slides, Docs, and Sheets. Most others are Slides-only.
If charts are the gap you're closing — and for most consultants and finance teams, it is — start there. Try ChartKit free for 14 days, no credit card required, and test it against the deck you're building this month.