A free, simple alternative to Adobe Animate

Adobe Animate, the heir to Flash, is made for frame-by-frame drawing, character rigging with bones and interactive HTML5 Canvas content. Since February 2026 it's in maintenance mode, with security and bug fixes but no new features, and it still takes a subscription. If what you make is motion graphics rather than drawn animation, like titles, logo reveals, banners and social posts, smooth.video does it in your browser for free.

Open the editor

Free
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The Neon sign template, playing live. Open it in the editor

smooth.video vs Adobe Animate

	smooth.video	Adobe Animate
Price	Free, no paid plan	US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
Install	Nothing, runs in the browser	Desktop app for Windows and macOS
Account	Not needed	Adobe account required
Development	New features keep coming	Maintenance mode: fixes, no new features
How you animate	Presets and keyframes on one timeline	Frame-by-frame drawing, tweens, bone rigging
Interactive output	No, video and images only	HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG, sprite sheets
Photoshop files	Each PSD layer becomes an element	PSD and Illustrator layers imported

Price: smooth.videoFree, no paid plan; Adobe AnimateUS$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
Install: smooth.videoNothing, runs in the browser; Adobe AnimateDesktop app for Windows and macOS
Account: smooth.videoNot needed; Adobe AnimateAdobe account required
Development: smooth.videoNew features keep coming; Adobe AnimateMaintenance mode: fixes, no new features
How you animate: smooth.videoPresets and keyframes on one timeline; Adobe AnimateFrame-by-frame drawing, tweens, bone rigging
Interactive output: smooth.videoNo, video and images only; Adobe AnimateHTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG, sprite sheets
Photoshop files: smooth.videoEach PSD layer becomes an element; Adobe AnimatePSD and Illustrator layers imported

Adobe Animate as of September 2026. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide.

When smooth.video fits better

You used Animate for banners, animated logos or social posts, you'd rather not pay for a tool that no longer gets new features, and your animation is made of text, images and shapes that move rather than drawings.

When Adobe Animate fits better

You draw frame by frame, rig characters with bones, or deliver interactive HTML5 Canvas content, games or sprite sheets. smooth.video has no frame-by-frame drawing, no bones and no HTML5 output.

How it works

Open smooth.video in your browser. Nothing to download.
Bring in your artwork as images or a layered PSD, or start from a template, and animate each piece on the timeline.
Export an MP4, a GIF or a transparent WebM.

Start from a template

See all 7 templates

Open one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Neon sign

1080×1080

A sign that flickers on

Word carousel

1200×630

One line, four endings

Award seal

1080×1080

A gold seal and a red ribbon

Letter drop

1200×630

A wordmark, one letter at a time

Circle transition

1920×1080

A disc that swallows the screen

Free, full stop: No plan, no trial, no credits, no export limit.
No account: Open the page and the editor is already there.
Nothing is uploaded: Your files are read and rendered by your own browser.
No watermark: Every export is clean, at any size, 4K included.

Questions

Is Adobe Animate discontinued?

No. Adobe announced its end in February 2026 and reversed the decision the next day: Animate stays available, with security and bug fixes but no new features.

Can I open .fla files?

No. Export your artwork from Animate as PNG images, then animate them in smooth.video.

Can I make HTML5 banner ads?

Not as HTML5: smooth.video exports video, GIF and images. Where an ad slot takes a GIF or an MP4, a banner made here works.

Adobe Animate compared with other tools

Try it before you settle on Adobe Animate.

It opens in a tab, works without an account, and exports without a watermark.

Open the editor

Free
No signup
No watermark