Saas · last scan Nov 2026
Genially Problems & Issues
Interactive presentations, infographics and learning content builder
VERDICT TRY WITH CAUTION
64/100
Try with caution
- signals
- 12
- sources
- 31
- known errors
- 9
// answer first
Should you use Genially?
Try with cautionGenially works for some teams, but users report recurring problems (score 64/100). Most reported issues: Genially charged me for a full year I did not expect; Genially refund and cancellation requests go unanswered; Genially support is slow and replies are automated. Not a good fit for: Students on a free plan needing offline decks; Teams wanting classic slide decks and charts; Buyers who dislike annual billing. Users most often switch to Canva, Prezi, Gamma.
Top problems
- Genially charged me for a full year I did not expect
- Genially refund and cancellation requests go unanswered
- Genially support is slow and replies are automated
Good for
- Teachers building interactive lessons
- Corporate trainers using an LMS
- Marketers making interactive infographics
Avoid if you are
- Students on a free plan needing offline decks
- Teams wanting classic slide decks and charts
- Buyers who dislike annual billing
score breakdown
- Pricing
- 55Pricing score 55 of 100
- Usability
- 75Usability score 75 of 100
- Performance
- 60Performance score 60 of 100
- Support
- 40Support score 40 of 100
- Reliability
- 65Reliability score 65 of 100
- Onboarding
- 75Onboarding score 75 of 100
- Mobile
- 55Mobile score 55 of 100
- Integrations
- 60Integrations score 60 of 100
// score breakdown, 0-100
- Pricing
- 55Pricing score 55 of 100
- Usability
- 75Usability score 75 of 100
- Performance
- 60Performance score 60 of 100
- Support
- 40Support score 40 of 100
- Reliability
- 65Reliability score 65 of 100
- Onboarding
- 75Onboarding score 75 of 100
- Mobile
- 55Mobile score 55 of 100
- Integrations
- 60Integrations score 60 of 100
how these scores were set
Strong interactive features and high ratings, held back by billing/refund complaints, slow support and plan limits.
Overview
Genially is a Spanish-founded web tool for building interactive presentations, infographics, quizzes, gamified lessons and learning content. It is popular with teachers, trainers and marketers who want clickable, animated content that can be shared by link or embedded, and it offers LMS exports on higher plans.
- company
- Genially Web S.L.
- founded
- 2015
- hq
- Spain
- website
- genially.com
Genially Not Working? Common Errors & Fixes
9 entries// step-by-step fixes for the errors users hit most
- E-01How to Cancel Genially SubscriptionCancel in your Genially account settings or billing section, or in the App Store or Google Play if you subscribed there. Do it before the renewal date: reviewers report refunds being refused after renewal.
- E-02Genially Refund: How to Get Your Money BackContact Genially support right after the charge with your receipt and account email. Reviewers report refusals after renewal and after opening a payment dispute, so act fast and document everything.
- E-03Genially Embed Not WorkingIf a Genially embed shows a picture, a blank frame or opens in a new tab, the host usually restricts iframes or the embed code is too long. Use a plain iframe or a link button.
- E-04Genially Storage Full: What to DoStorage is capped per plan, so delete unused geniallys, compress videos and images, or upgrade. Student and workspace storage do not combine.
- E-05Genially Download Loses AnimationsPDF and JPG downloads are static. Download as HTML to keep interactivity and animation, or share the link or export video.
- E-06Genially Can't Download (Download Greyed Out)Downloads in PDF, JPG, video and offline formats start on the Pro plan, so on the free plan only linking and embedding are available.
- E-07Genially Slow or Not LoadingSlowness usually comes from heavy images, videos and many animations, or blocked domains. Reduce assets, disable extensions and check Genially status.
- E-08Genially Support Not RespondingSupport delays are the top review complaint. Email from your account address, include invoice details, and follow up with a single clear request.
- E-09Genially Free Plan LimitsThe free plan has 2 GB creation storage, 100 MB resources, 500 AI credits per year and no listed export formats; downloads and private sharing start on Pro.
Try it: design and hand off a screen
A hands-on sandbox of how Genially-style tools work, including where users run into trouble. Simplified illustration, not the real Genially app. Nothing is saved.
SANDBOX · genially LIVE, NOTHING SAVED
Our team built this sandbox from scratch. Want a real Genially-style tool built around how you work?
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- Your own version of any tool
- ✓ Free 15-min call to scope it
- ✓ Price agreed up front
- ✓ Your data, your code
Signals & Issues
12 signals · sorted by impact// patterns extracted from real user feedback, not raw reviews
Genially charged me for a full year I did not expect✓ verified
Trustpilot reviewers report an unexpected annual charge and say the annual option had been selected at purchase. Pricing is shown billed annually, so the up-front yearly total surprises monthly-minded buyers.
reported 8xnegativevia Trustpilot (3)hidden costs
impact8/10Genially storage fills up fast with video and images✓ verified
Creation and resource storage are capped per plan (small on Free and Pro). Reviewers say video and large images hit the ceiling quickly, and student and workspace storage cannot be combined.
reported 7xnegativevia Trustpilot (3)hidden costs
impact6/10Genially is expensive for what the paid tiers include✓ verified
G2 reviewers name price as a top con. Features people expect to be basic, such as PDF/video download and private sharing, sit behind the Pro paywall, and brand kit starts at Master.
reported 6xnegativevia G2 (3)expectation mismatch
impact6/10Genially free plan cannot download and shares publicly✓ verified
Per the pricing page the free plan has import but no listed export formats, and private sharing, PDF/JPG/video download and offline viewing start on Pro. Third-party sources also mention branding on free creations.
reported 7xnegativevia Other (3)hidden costs
impact6/10Genially team plans need extra seats to upgrade✓ verified
A Trustpilot reviewer says upgrading forces buying additional seats, and the pricing page splits plans into Individual and per-member Team tiers.
reported 3xnegativevia Trustpilot (2)hidden costs
impact5/10
Genially refund and cancellation requests go unanswered✓ verified
Several Trustpilot reviews say cancel or refund emails went unanswered for weeks, and that refunds were refused after the renewal date or after a payment dispute was opened.
reported 8xnegativevia Trustpilot (3)support breakdown
impact8/10Genially support is slow and replies are automated✓ verified
The most frequent complaint in recent Trustpilot reviews is slow or missing support, with templated answers that repeat existing restrictions. Capterra rates customer service lower than other criteria.
reported 8xnegativevia Trustpilot (3)support breakdown
impact7/10
Genially interface less intuitive than Canva or PowerPoint✓ verified
Some G2 reviewers say the editor is less user-friendly than competing tools, with a learning curve for interactions and layers, though others praise ease of use and templates.
reported 5xnegativevia G2 (2)expectation mismatch
impact5/10
Genially embed not working in LMS or course tools✓ verified
Articulate community threads describe Genially embeds showing as a picture, opening in a new tab or failing in Rise and similar hosts because of iframe restrictions or messy embed code.
reported 5xnegativevia Other (3)workflow failure
impact6/10
Genially downloads lose animations and interactions✓ verified
Genially's own education material says only the HTML download keeps interactive elements and animation; PDF and JPG downloads are static.
reported 6xnegativevia Other (2)workflow failure
impact6/10Genially slow with many images, videos and animations✓ verified
Heavy interactive geniallys with many large assets are slower to edit and open, especially on low-memory devices and school networks. This is a general pattern for this kind of tool and we found little Genially-specific reporting.
reported 4xnegativevia Other (2)scaling breaks
impact5/10
Genially viewer not loading during outages✓ verified
Status trackers have logged Genially incidents where the viewer failed to load for multiple users across browsers and devices.
reported 4xnegativevia Other (2)workflow failure
impact6/10
What Users Love
Large library of free interactive templates
The free plan includes 1,000+ templates plus all interactions, animations and effects.
Interactivity goes beyond normal slides
Clickable hotspots, quizzes, breakout-style games and gamification suit teaching and training.
Imports PDF, PowerPoint and Google Slides
Existing decks can be brought in on the free plan and made interactive.
LMS-ready exports on Author
SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI and LTI are available on the Author team plan.
Entry price is low
Pro starts at about 6 EUR per month billed annually, below many rivals.
Highly rated overall
Trustpilot shows 4.6 from roughly 980 reviews, G2 about 4.6, Capterra about 4.3.
Pricing Plans
Users: 1 user
Storage: 2 GB creation, 100 MB resources
- ✓1,000+ templates
- ✓All interactions, animations and effects
- ✓PDF/PowerPoint/Google Slides import
- ✓500 AI credits per year
Limitations: No PDF/JPG/video download, no offline viewing, no private sharing, no audio upload, no folders, 5 question banks
Users: 1 user
Storage: 7.5 GB creation, 250 MB resources
- ✓Premium templates
- ✓PDF/JPG/video/QR downloads
- ✓Offline viewing
- ✓Private sharing
- ✓Audio upload
- ✓Folders
- ✓2,000 AI credits per year
Limitations: No brand kit, no metrics or surveys
Users: 1 user (individual) or per member (team)
Storage: Up to 25 GB per seat
- ✓Brand kit
- ✓Project spaces
- ✓Metrics and response tracking
- ✓Surveys
- ✓Live presentations without monthly participant limit
- ✓5,000 AI credits per seat per year
Limitations: No translation, no SCORM/xAPI
Users: Per member
Storage: Up to 50 GB per seat
- ✓Translation to any language
- ✓SCORM 1.2/2004 and xAPI
- ✓Video upload
- ✓Version restore
- ✓LTI
- ✓10,000 AI credits per seat per year
Users: Custom
Storage: Custom
- ✓SSO
- ✓Custom subdomain
- ✓Activity tracking
- ✓Groups
- ✓Success manager
- ✓API
Features
Content
- Interactive hotspots and animations
- Real-time chart and data editing
Not a core strength vs PowerPoint
Learning
- Quizzes and gamification
AI
- AI credits
500/year free, up to 10,000/year on Author
LMS
- SCORM/xAPI export
Author plan and up
Export
- HTML download keeps interactivity
PDF/JPG are static
Who Should Use This?
Good Fit
Teachers building interactive lessons
Templates, quizzes and gamification are the core strength.
Corporate trainers using an LMS
SCORM, xAPI and LTI on Author fit eLearning workflows, if the budget allows.
Marketers making interactive infographics
Embeddable interactive content with brand kit on Master.
Neutral
Solo creators who need a design suite
Canva has wider design tooling; Genially wins on interactivity.
Avoid
Students on a free plan needing offline decks
Free plan has no listed download formats.
Teams wanting classic slide decks and charts
PowerPoint or Google Slides are simpler and cheaper for linear decks.
Buyers who dislike annual billing
Pricing is shown billed annually and refunds are a common complaint.
Regret Patterns
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Buyers see a low monthly price, pay a full year up front and find refunds are refused.
Video-heavy projects fill creation or resource storage and force an upgrade.
Users build a deck then discover downloads and private sharing are paid.
Billing or cancellation emails get slow or templated replies.
PDF or PowerPoint-style exports flatten the interactions that justified the tool.
When It Breaks Down
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
The Genially shows as a picture or fails to load.
Blocked domains or heavy assets stop the viewer from loading.
Storage limits and slow loading appear.
Interactions and animations are lost in static formats.
Per-member pricing and seat requirements raise cost fast.
Alternatives Users Switch To
Canva
9x mentionedLarger design suite and templates with a generous free plan; interactivity is more basic.
Gamma
7x mentionedAI-generated decks and pages fast; fewer hand-built game-style interactions.
Google Slides
7x mentionedFree, collaborative and universally shareable; minimal interactivity.
Microsoft PowerPoint
7x mentionedStandard slides with strong offline editing and file compatibility; interactivity needs effort.
Visme
7x mentionedPresentations, infographics and data visuals in one tool; not yet reviewed on our site.
Prezi
6x mentionedZooming non-linear presentations; has its own trial-billing complaints.
Pitch
5x mentionedCollaborative team decks with clean templates; not built for gamified learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
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