Patat review

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Patat is an open-source presentation tool for people who prefer writing slides as Markdown or other Pandoc-supported formats and presenting from an ANSI-compatible terminal. It targets technical presenters working on Linux or macOS, especially those who want presentations to remain text files and fit naturally into command-line workflows. Its feature set includes slide navigation, speaker notes, incremental reveals, syntax highlighting, themes, transitions, image rendering, automatic reloading, and optional code-block evaluation.

Authoring and presentation are closely connected: automatic reloading lets slides update while editing, while speaker notes can be sent to a second window or monitor. Incremental display supports staged reveals, and syntax highlighting is useful for code-focused material. Themes support customization, including 24-bit RGB, while configurable transitions and auto-advance add control over pacing. Image rendering depends on supported terminal backends, with integrations including iTerm2, Kitty, WezTerm, and w3m.

Patat is a strong fit for solo technical presenters who value Markdown, Pandoc, terminal rendering, and source-controlled presentation files. Its narrow focus is also the main constraint. The published positioning does not include collaboration, PPTX compatibility, AI features, or broad platform coverage, so teams sharing decks, exchanging PowerPoint files, or presenting outside Linux and macOS should choose a more broadly oriented presentation application. Choose Patat when terminal-native authoring is central; choose an alternative when collaborative editing and conventional slide-file compatibility matter more.

Patat pros and cons

• Where it wins
  • Markdown and Pandoc input support for text-based authoring
  • Automatic reloading, speaker notes, and incremental slide display
  • Syntax highlighting, themes, transitions, and terminal image rendering
• Where it doesn't
  • Runs on Linux and macOS rather than across a broad platform range
  • No collaboration features for shared presentation workflows
  • No PPTX compatibility or graphical slide-editor workflow

Patat fact sheet, pricing and score →

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update