Questions, answered in the present tense.
What Present Tense does today, what it doesn't, and what we are still finding out.
What do I need to present?
The Present Tense extension for Chrome, and the page open in a tab. Your audience needs only a browser.
Does my audience need to install anything?
No. A browser and a short code or link is all your audience needs.
How is this different from sharing my screen?
A screen share sends video of your screen. Present Tense sends the page itself, so text stays sharp on any phone, everyone stays on the same moment, and you can point at the exact element. The comparison table has the full list.
Can my audience read it in another language?
Yes, if their browser does. Because it's text, not video, each person's browser can translate the page on their own screen.
Which pages work best?
Slides and docs in the browser, GitHub and code, dashboards like Grafana, and whiteboards. Embedded frames from other sites don't come through.
What can I present?
Anything that runs in a browser tab: slides, docs, dashboards and live products. Content drawn on a canvas, such as Excalidraw or a charting dashboard, comes through as a still image that refreshes as it changes; motion inside it does not. Content inside an embedded frame from another site does not come through.
Is this a video stream?
No. Your audience receives the page itself and their browser draws it, which is why text stays sharp and far less data is sent.
What happens if my connection drops?
Your audience keeps the last page on their screen. When you are back, everyone lands on what you are showing now. Nothing replays.
What if someone joins late?
They land on the current slide or page straight away, with any highlights you have made.
Can the audience read ahead or scroll around?
They can step away to read their own copy. One tap brings them back to follow you.
Can the audience read it in their own language?
Yes. Your page reaches them as real text, so their browser's own translation works on it, the same way it works on any page. The session menu explains where to find it in their browser. A video has nothing to translate.
Can the audience control my page?
No. They see a read-only copy, and nothing they do reaches your browser.
Will the audience see my other tabs or notifications?
No. Only the tab you present is shared.
How many people can watch?
We are measuring real venues during the beta and will publish what we find, rather than guess.
Does it need internet at the venue?
Yes, you and your audience need a connection. Present Tense uses far less of it than video.
Which browsers are supported?
Presenting needs the Chrome extension. Your audience can use any current desktop or mobile browser.
How much does it cost?
The beta is by invitation. Pricing comes after we have measured real venues and know what it costs to run.
Who makes Present Tense?
Sentence Labs, based in India. You can reach us at feedback@present-tense.io.
Still stuck? Contact support.
Try it in a real room.
We're letting people in by email while we test in real venues.