Layout
Key difference- Lite (free)
- Yoga WASM flexbox
- Pro
- Same
- PptxGenJS v4.0.1
- Manual x/y/w/h
Compare
Stop placing every element with x, y, width, height.
PaperJSX uses a Yoga flexbox engine — your slides reflow automatically when the data changes, with editable charts, animations, and a declarative JSON contract.
[01] Side by side
What changes once layout has to survive real content.
These are the PPTX capabilities that materially change production workflows once the deck has to survive edits, variable data, and repeated generation.
| Capability | Lite (free) | Pro | PptxGenJS v4.0.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layout | Yoga WASM flexbox | Same | Manual x/y/w/h |
| Line breaking | Knuth-Plass (TeX-grade) | Same | Basic |
| Chart types | 6 with embedded Excel | 15+ (ChartEx) | 10 with embedded Excel |
| Animations | — | Entrance, exit, morph | Not supported |
| Template import | — | .potx file import | Code-defined defineSlideMaster() |
| Typography | Basic font metrics | HarfBuzz WASM (CJK, RTL) | RTL attrs, Asian font names |
| Diagrams | 6 generators | Same | Not supported |
| API style | JSON declarative | Same | Imperative slide.addChart() |
[02] Layout engine difference
Manual coordinates versus reflowing layout.
PptxGenJS asks you to place every element with explicit x, y, width, and height values. The layout-aware route lets the slide reflow from a flexbox JSON tree, so the layout adapts when content length changes.
PptxGenJS
const slide = pptx.addSlide();slide.addText('Q2 Board Update', {x: 0.6,y: 0.8,w: 8.6,h: 0.5,fontSize: 24,bold: true,});slide.addText(['Revenue up 34% QoQ','NRR reached 118%',], {x: 0.6,y: 1.7,w: 8.6,h: 1.6,breakLine: true,});
Layout-aware route
{type: 'slide',children: [{type: 'stack',gap: 20,children: [{ type: 'text', text: 'Q2 Board Update', fontSize: 24 },{type: 'stack',gap: 8,children: [{ type: 'text', text: 'Revenue up 34% QoQ' },{ type: 'text', text: 'NRR reached 118%' },],},],},],}
[03] The real tradeoff
Reflow versus direct placement.
Both libraries can generate PowerPoint files. The real difference is whether your team wants to keep owning layout logic in application code or move that problem into a layout engine.
Layout-aware route
Reflow wins when content moves.
Best when variable content keeps blowing up hand-placed slides and the deck still has to stay editable.
- Variable-length content
- Payload-first recurring workflows
Reflowlayout engine
Coordinate-first route
Coordinates may be sufficient for simple, fixed decks.
If the structure is stable and the content rarely changes, explicit x/y placement can be enough for now.
- Local MIT library
- Larger free ecosystem
Controlimperative API
Paste your data. Download the deck. Open it in PowerPoint.
One minute in the playground shows what hours of coordinate debugging cannot fix.