Boozle is not a slide editor. It’s what you use after your slides are already a PDF and you need reliable fullscreen playback with timing, looping, and minimal setup.
Comparing PDF auto-advance and playback capabilities across tools.
| Need | Boozle | PowerPoint / Keynote | Acrobat / Preview | Browser PDF Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-advance a PDF | Built-in (--auto) | Requires importing the PDF first | Acrobat only, limited support | Not available |
| Loop a PDF fullscreen | --loop flag | Possible but heavyweight | Not designed for this | Often awkward or impossible |
| Per-slide timing control | TOML sidecar config | Native slide files only | No | No |
| Single command launch | One binary, one command | Full app install required | App + file association | URL or drag-and-drop |
| Monitor / display selection | --monitor <N|name> | Presenter mode only | No | No |
| Page range restriction | --pages 1-5,8 | Custom slide shows (complex) | No | No |
| Progress / countdown HUD | --progress | Presenter view (not audience-facing) | No | No |
| HiDPI / Retina rendering | Native pixel density | Supported | Supported | Browser-dependent |
| Designed for kiosk / lobby loops | Primary use case | Possible, not purpose-built | No | No |
| Zero dependencies | Single static binary | Full install required | Full install required | Browser + OS required |
| Cross-platform CLI workflow | macOS, Linux (x64/ARM64), Windows | GUI only | GUI only | Limited |
| Sidecar config file | TOML travels with PDF | No | No | No |
| Presenter view with speaker notes | Notes from TOML, .pdfpc, or PowerPoint | Built-in (own format) | No | No |
| Reuse PowerPoint speaker notes from a PDF | boozle notes import | Only inside the original .pptx | No | No |
| List connected displays | --list-monitors | OS-level only | No | No |
| Reuse pdfpc page order & notes | .pdfpc sidecars | No | No | No |
| Open source | Apache-2.0 | Commercial | Commercial | Browser-dependent |
Each tool excels at something different. Here’s when to reach for each one.
Use when the PDF needs to present itself.
Your slides are already a PDF. You need them to open fullscreen, advance on a timer, loop cleanly, and look sharp — on the screen you choose, with no manual interaction. Trade show loops, lobby screens, kiosks, hands-free talks.
Use when you need to design and edit slides.
Full presentation authoring tools with rich animation, transition, and layout capabilities. Best when you’re still building the deck, not just playing it. Export to PDF when you’re done — then use Boozle.
Use when reading, annotating, or reviewing PDFs.
The right tool for interacting with PDFs as documents — commenting, signing, editing, extracting pages. Not designed for unattended fullscreen presentation loops.
Use for one-off viewing in a web context.
Convenient for sharing and viewing inline. No loop mode, no auto-advance, no monitor selection, no kiosk controls. Fine for casual review; not for presenting.
Boozle adds the presentation behavior. Install it and run your first auto-advancing slideshow in under a minute.
Open source · Apache-2.0 · Zero dependencies