Adobe Animate vs Lottielab
Adobe Animate and Lottielab side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
Adobe Animate vs Lottielab at a glance
| Adobe Animate | Lottielab | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free plan, then Pro at US$12 per editor a month billed yearly, or US$18 monthly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Required | Not needed |
- Price
- Adobe AnimateUS$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- LottielabFree plan, then Pro at US$12 per editor a month billed yearly, or US$18 monthly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- Adobe AnimateAdobe account required
- LottielabRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Adobe Animate and Lottielab before you decide.
Adobe Animate
- Install
- Desktop app for Windows and macOS
- Development
- Maintenance mode: fixes, no new features
- How you animate
- Frame-by-frame drawing, tweens, bone rigging
- Interactive output
- HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG, sprite sheets
- Photoshop files
- PSD and Illustrator layers imported
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.
Adobe Animate vs smooth.videoLottielab
- HD and 4K video
- Pro plan
- Lottie export
- Pro plan
- Imports
- Lottie, SVG, and Figma through a plugin
- Interactive state machines
- Yes
- Team library and comments
- Yes
When Lottielab fits better
The animation ships inside an app or a website as a small vector file, starts from Figma frames, reacts to people, or is shared across a product team. smooth.video does none of that.
Lottielab vs smooth.videoWhen 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.
The animation ends up as a video: a social post, a product teaser, a clip for a presentation or a README, maybe with photos, footage or music, and you want it in full HD or 4K without a plan.
Open the editor- 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.
Start from a template
See all 203 templatesOpen one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.
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.
Can I import Figma designs?
Not directly. Export the pieces you want to move as PNG and drop them in, or bring a layered PSD to get each layer as its own element.
Can smooth.video export Lottie?
No. It exports MP4, WebM, GIF, PNG, JPG and WebP.
Is HD export free?
Yes. Every resolution is free, 4K included.
Or skip the decision.
smooth.video is free, opens in a tab and exports without a watermark. Try it while you compare.
Open the editor- Free
- No signup
- No watermark