Software Comparison
Fabrik vs PowerPoint for Evacuation Plans
PowerPoint is often the first tool businesses reach for when they need to quickly produce an evacuation plan — it's already installed, familiar, and free with Microsoft 365. But is it enough for fire code compliance? Here's an honest comparison.
PowerPoint's ubiquity makes it tempting for simple evacuation plans: drop an image of the floor plan, add arrows and boxes, print. For internal informational use this can work adequately. For any plan that must meet NFPA 101, OSHA 1910.38, or be reviewed by an AHJ, PowerPoint falls short in specific ways: no ISO 7010 symbol library, no compliance templates, no scale preservation, no revision tracking for annual reviews. The apparent "free" price often becomes expensive when measured in hours spent working around these limitations across a portfolio of plans.
Recommended for evacuation plans
Fabrik
Purpose-built evacuation plan software
- 250+ safety symbols out of the box, including ISO 7010 evacuation, fire and mandatory signs
- Safety-instruction templates by occupancy type (French ERP rules)
- Import floor plans with scale preserved
- Revision history for annual compliance reviews
- 10x faster than manual PowerPoint workflow
- Multi-building dashboard for facility managers
Alternative
Microsoft PowerPoint
Presentation software included in Microsoft 365
Strengths
- Already installed on most business computers
- Familiar interface — minimal learning curve
- Included in Microsoft 365 (no additional cost)
- Can produce acceptable output for informal internal use
Limitations for evacuation plans
- No ISO 7010-compliant symbol library
- No evacuation plan templates
- Floor plan imports are just images — no scale
- No compliance workflow or audit features
- Slow manual workflow (each symbol placed individually)
- Hard to update across multiple plans when layout changes
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Fabrik | Microsoft PowerPoint |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose-built for evacuation plans | ||
| ISO 7010 symbol library | 250+ | |
| Evacuation-specific templates | ||
| Import scaled floor plans | Image only | |
| Drag-and-drop symbol placement | Manual shapes | |
| Automatic pre-export check | ||
| Revision history for audits | Via OneDrive | |
| Team sharing with roles | ||
| Print-ready PDF export | ||
| Multi-floor plan management | Slide by slide | |
| Browser-based | ||
| Cost (if existing MS 365 user) | €19.99 per building | Included |
| Presentations and slide decks |
Full support Partial / with workarounds Not supported
Pricing
Fabrik
From €19.99 per building
Unlock a building for €19.99 (unlimited exports) or subscribe for €49.99/month (unlimited exports, unlimited buildings), 250+ safety symbols, instruction templates, automatic pre-export check, version history. Free editor (on-screen preview), no credit card, no time limit.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Included with Microsoft 365
If your business already has Microsoft 365 ($6+/user/mo), PowerPoint is included at no extra cost. However, the time spent building evacuation plans manually often exceeds the apparent savings — especially across multiple buildings or frequent updates.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Fabrik if…
Choose Microsoft PowerPoint if…
Ready to Build Your Evacuation Plan?
Import your floor plan, add ISO 7010 symbols, and export a print-ready PDF in minutes. Free to start — no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use PowerPoint to make a fire evacuation plan?
Technically yes, and many small businesses do. PowerPoint has rectangles, arrows, and text boxes that can approximate an evacuation plan. However, its shape library is not ISO 7010-compliant, which is a meaningful limitation for any plan reviewed by a fire marshal or AHJ. For a simple internal document at a small business, it may be acceptable; for regulated occupancies (healthcare, education, assembly, industrial), purpose-built software is strongly recommended.
Does PowerPoint have ISO 7010 symbols?
No. PowerPoint's built-in shape library includes general arrows, lines, and basic icons (Office 365 icons), but not ISO 7010-compliant safety pictograms. You would need to source ISO 7010 symbols externally (often as PNG images or from paid stencil packs) and manually insert them one at a time. This defeats much of the apparent time advantage of using PowerPoint.
Is PowerPoint cheaper than dedicated software for evacuation plans?
On license cost, yes — PowerPoint is included with Microsoft 365. On total cost (factoring in time), usually no. A well-made PowerPoint evacuation plan takes 2-4 hours to produce from scratch, compared to 15-30 minutes in a purpose-built tool. Across a year with multiple plans and updates, the time difference more than offsets the license cost of dedicated software.
Can I convert my PowerPoint evacuation plan to a compliant format?
Yes. Export your PowerPoint slide as a PDF or PNG, then import that into Fabrik as a floor plan backdrop. You can then overlay proper ISO 7010 symbols and evacuation routes on top of your existing layout. This lets you preserve the work already done in PowerPoint while upgrading the compliance-critical elements.
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