Format comparison
PPT vs HTML
How do PPT and HTMLcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.ppt
Full guide →Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation (Legacy)
PPT is the legacy binary format for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. While replaced by PPTX, many older presentation files and templates still use this format.
.html
Full guide →HyperText Markup Language
HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages. While primarily a web technology, HTML files are also used as a portable document format with rich formatting and multimedia support.
| Specification | PPT | HTML |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation (Legacy) | HyperText Markup Language |
| Extension | .ppt | .html |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint | text/html |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | W3C / WHATWG |
| Year introduced | 1987 | 1993 |
PPT advantages
- Compatible with older PowerPoint versions
- Widely recognized
- Still supported by modern software
- Simple for basic presentations
PPT limitations
- Larger files than PPTX
- Binary format — harder to recover
- Missing modern features
- Being phased out
HTML advantages
- Viewable in any web browser
- Rich formatting and multimedia
- Accessible and searchable text
- Can include interactive elements
HTML limitations
- Not a fixed-layout format
- Rendering varies between browsers
- External resources may break links
- Not ideal for print or signing
Which should you use?
PPT and HTML serve different purposes. PPT is ideal for opening legacy presentations, while HTML excels at web pages and email newsletters.
Best uses for PPT
Opening legacy presentations
Compatibility with older systems
Archived presentation files
Simple slideshows
Best uses for HTML
Web pages and email newsletters
Online documentation
E-book content (EPUB basis)
Report generation
Convert between PPT and HTML
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.