Can AI replace Gamma?

KINDA · weekend project
price $12/moyou'd save $144/yrbuild time weekendcategory 🖥️ presentationsreplaced by 0 peoplebuild unverified

An AI slide generator is buildable, but Gamma's strength is layouts, editing model, exports, hosting, analytics, and shareable deck/site UX.

the prompt
Build me an AI slide-deck generator to replace Gamma. Requirements:

- A Node CLI around Slidev. `deck new "<topic>"` asks an LLM (key in .env) for
  an outline, then slide-by-slide content as JSON: title, bullets, speaker
  notes, layout name.
- Render that JSON to a Slidev slides.md; `deck preview` runs the Slidev dev
  server, `deck export` writes PDF and PPTX.
- Five layouts: title, bullets, two-column, big-quote, image-right. Images are
  optional via an image API key in .env; skip them cleanly when absent.
- One theme file for fonts and colors so every deck matches without redesign.
- `deck redo <n>` regenerates a single slide by number and leaves the rest
  untouched.
- Decks are files in ./decks/<slug>/ (slides.md plus assets), kept in git and
  hand-editable after generation. No database.
- No accounts, no telemetry; the only network calls are the LLM and optional
  image API.
- Out of scope: a web editor, share links with analytics, collaboration.
  slides.md in my editor is the editor.
- README: keys, export commands, and how to add a layout.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

why people still pay

They pay because the output looks acceptable without wrestling with PowerPoint.

what you lose

xpolished editor

xresponsive card model

xexports

xanalytics

xcustom domains

xtemplate quality

xcollaboration

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherSlidevOpen-source Markdown/HTML slide deck generator; good foundation for a developer-oriented c
share on X ↗"I just replaced Gamma ($12/mo) with one prompt"
questions
Can AI replace Gamma?

Kinda. The core of Gamma is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: polished editor, responsive card model. Read the honest list above before committing.

How much does Gamma cost?

Gamma costs about $12/month (Plus, checked 2026-07-30), which is $144 per year.

What do I lose by replacing Gamma?

Honestly: polished editor; responsive card model; exports; analytics; custom domains; template quality; collaboration. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Gamma?

Yes — Slidev (Open-source Markdown/HTML slide deck generator; good foundation for a developer-oriented c). Using prior art is also a valid exit; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.