Presentations · checked 2026-10-19

Can I vibecode Gamma?

KINDA· weekend project

A deck from a prompt is a small pipeline: the model writes an outline, then each slide as structured JSON, a renderer lays it out from a handful of templates, and PDF and PowerPoint come out the other end. An agent builds a working version in a weekend. The gap is polish: Gamma's layouts adapt to the amount of text, its themes keep a deck looking designed, and its image models fill the pictures. A homemade version makes plain decks you tune by hand unless you invest in the design system, and PowerPoint export fidelity is soft even in Gamma.

$12/moprice per seat

$144you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.

TimeA weekend; layouts and PowerPoint export take the longest

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Node.js 22Playwright downloads a Chromium build for PDF export.
An LLM API keyA deck costs a few cents of tokens, billed by the provider.
An image sourceOptional: an Unsplash access key, or leave pictures out.

Before you buildGamma's Free plan gives 400 starting credits that never refill, enough for a few decks. Exports carry a Gamma badge, but the help center says printing from the browser while signed in has none.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a local AI deck generator to replace Gamma. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify server and a React UI built with Vite. `npm start` serves
http://127.0.0.1:5400.
- Model: `@anthropic-ai/sdk`, with ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and MODEL in .env and an optional
OPENAI_BASE_URL for any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Step one returns an outline (title plus 6 to
15 sections with a one-line intent each) that the user can reorder and edit. Step two turns each
section into a slide as JSON validated with `zod`; invalid output is retried once with the
validation error.
- Slide schema: layout (title, bullets, two-column, image-left, image-right, quote, big-number,
comparison table), heading, body blocks, speaker notes and an image query. Keep the schema in one
file.
- Renderer: one React component per layout at 16:9 using CSS variables, three built-in themes
(light, dark, serif) and a theme editor for colours, a Google Fonts family and a logo. Overflowing
text shrinks stepwise to a floor, then the slide is flagged.
- Images: optional. UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY fetches photos, or point at an image-model endpoint in .env.
Cache files in ./data/images and always store the credit line.
- Editing: click any text to change it; per-slide buttons "shorten", "change layout" and
"regenerate" send only that slide to the model.
- Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/decks.db with decks, slides (JSON) and a version row per edit
for undo.
- Present and export: full-screen mode with arrow keys and speaker notes on `P`; PDF through
Playwright's page.pdf; PPTX through `pptxgenjs` using real text boxes, not screenshots.
- No accounts, no telemetry, local-first: only calls to your model and image endpoints leave the
machine, and the README lists what is sent.
- Out of scope: live collaboration, shared links and analytics, custom domains, PowerPoint import,
mobile apps. README: setup, the .env keys, and a warning that PPTX output differs slightly from
the screen.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

Share on X

Max MiskowSponsoredAI agents, automations and MVPs, built for your company.Visit site ›

Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Gamma.

Add a brand importer to the deck generator in this folder. Requirements:

- A form takes a website URL, fetches the page (`undici`) and parses it with `cheerio`.
- Extract the logo (apple-touch-icon, og:image or an inline SVG), the most-used colours from the CSS
  and the heading font family, and show them as a theme preview.
- Nothing is saved until you accept; the result becomes a normal theme in the editor.
- Fall back to the defaults for any value it can't find, and say which ones.
- Update the README.

Add a presenter view to the deck generator in this folder. Requirements:

- Opening /present/<id>/presenter shows the current slide, the next slide, speaker notes and an
  elapsed timer; the audience window at /present/<id> follows it through BroadcastChannel.
- Keyboard: arrows move, `B` blanks the audience screen, `T` resets the timer.
- Add an optional target duration and show whether you are ahead or behind it.
- Update the README.

Add document import to the deck generator in this folder. Requirements:

- Accept a PDF (`pdfjs-dist`), a Markdown file or pasted text, and extract the text with its
  headings.
- Send the text to the model in chunks of about 3,000 words, ask for a summary outline of one
  section per chunk, then continue through the normal outline and slide steps.
- Keep the source page or heading as a note on each slide.
- Show an estimate of the token cost before anything is sent.
- Update the README.

What you lose

Layouts that adapt to the content, and themes that keep decks looking designed
Gamma's choice of AI image and video models, run on its credits
Publishing with custom domains, analytics and advanced sharing
Card-by-card AI editing tuned on its own prompts and slide structure
Import from PDF and PowerPoint, an API, and Zapier-style connections

Why people still pay

People pay to get a presentable deck in a minute from a rough idea and skip the blank page. Plus is $12 a month, the output shares as a link, and one tool covers decks, documents and pages, so nobody has to manage the design.

Moatexecution polish collaboration

Do the math

Gamma or your own copy?

Seats

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Gamma, 1 yr$144

Your own copy, 1 yr$111running + build session

You keep$33pays for itself in 4 months

Estimate · No subscription: you pay tokens per deck, a few cents for text, more if you add image-model calls. The build is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Gamma

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Gamma

1Open the gamma and click Share, then Export (or the three-dot menu, then Export). Choose PDF, PNG or PowerPoint; pick All cards in the card dropdown to export the whole thing, and an email copy arrives too.
2Google Slides works by uploading the exported PPTX. Word (.docx) isn't supported on any plan.
3Exports follow Present mode: slide master layouts aren't included in PPTX or Google Slides, gradient headings can flatten to one colour, and Google Slides swaps in its own fonts.
4PDF and PPTX exports from a Free workspace carry a Gamma badge; printing from the browser while signed in has none on any plan.

2 · Cancel Gamma

1Open Settings in the left sidebar, then Billing, and click Cancel subscription at the bottom. If it is greyed out, you aren't the billing admin.
2Paid features run until the end of the billing period, then the workspace moves to Free and your gammas stay.
3Plan credits drop to the Free allocation of 400; credits you bought are kept and expire one year after you cancel.
4Cancel at least 30 days before renewal to skip the next charge. There is no pause option.

Cancelling isn't a refund: the help center says you may qualify if you subscribed within the last 3 days and stayed under the credit usage threshold; contact support.
Export before the plan ends. Past exports keep their branding state, and new ones from a Free workspace get the badge.
Reviewers report PowerPoint exports needing cleanup, so check a few decks in PowerPoint or Keynote before relying on them.

Checked 2026-10-19 against Gamma's docs: 1, 2, 3

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

PresentonOpen sourceApache-2.0 AI presentation generator and API that runs in Docker or as a desktop app, with your choice of model including local ones.★ 11k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, Windows, macOS, LinuxVisit ↗SlidevOpen sourceMIT presentation tool for developers: write slides in Markdown, style with Vue and CSS.★ 49k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
WebVisit ↗reveal.jsOpen sourceMIT HTML presentation framework with nested slides, speaker notes, PDF export and a large plugin set.★ 72k · active Sep 2026 · one-click install
WebVisit ↗

All 5 free alternatives to Gamma ›

The numbers

Gamma pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0/workspace	$0/workspace	400 credits at signup, 10 slides per prompt, simple decks, docs, websites, social posts and images.
Plus	$12	$9	1,000 monthly credits, up to 100 slides per prompt, Gamma branding removed, advanced AI image models.
Pro	$25	$18	4,000 monthly credits, premium AI image models, custom branding, analytics and advanced sharing, up to 10 custom domains, API access.
Ultra	$100	$90	20,000 monthly credits, the most advanced text, image and video models, up to 100 custom domains, early access to new features.
Business	custom	—	10,000 credits per seat per month; seats are bought up front.

Free tier: 400 credits that never refill, 10 slides per prompt and a Gamma badge on exports.
Billing: Billed monthly or annually; annual saves up to 28%. Prices are per seat, and on individual paid plans each added member is charged when they accept the invite. You can cancel any time from Settings; paid features run to the end of the period, then the workspace drops to Free. Cancel at least 30 days before renewal to avoid the next charge; there is no pause option.
Hidden costs: AI actions spend credits, and the amount varies by action and model. Unused credits roll over only up to twice the monthly amount, and extra credits are a separate purchase. Credits you bought expire a year after you cancel. Prices exclude local tax.
Source: gamma.app

Also on the list

Canva$18/mo · DesignKINDA

Figma$20/mo · DesignNOT REALLY

Beautiful.ai$45/mo · PresentationsKINDA

Questions

Gamma, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Free gives 400 credits at signup that don't refill, up to 10 slides per prompt, import from PDF and PPTX, and export to PDF, PPTX, PNG and Google Slides.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Layouts that adapt to the content, and themes that keep decks looking designed, Gamma's choice of AI image and video models, run on its credits.

About $12 a month on the Plus plan per seat, $144 a year (checked 2026-10-19).

Layouts that adapt to the content, and themes that keep decks looking designed; Gamma's choice of AI image and video models, run on its credits; Publishing with custom domains, analytics and advanced sharing; Card-by-card AI editing tuned on its own prompts and slide structure; Import from PDF and PowerPoint, an API, and Zapier-style connections. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.