A free, simple alternative to After Effects
After Effects is the industry standard for motion graphics and visual effects, and it can do almost anything, with the learning curve and the subscription that come with it. For everyday pieces like a lower third, a logo reveal, an animated title or a chart for a video, smooth.video does the job in your browser, for free, without installing anything.
smooth.video vs After Effects
| smooth.video | After Effects | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid plan | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial |
| Install | Nothing, runs in the browser | Desktop app |
| Account | Not needed | Adobe account required |
| How you animate | Presets and keyframes on one timeline | Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions |
| Transparent video | Free, as WebM | Yes |
| 3D, visual effects, tracking | No | Yes |
| Plugins and scripting | No | Yes |
After Effects as of September 2026. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide.
How it works
- 1
Open smooth.video in your browser. Nothing to download.
- 2
Start from a template or an empty canvas: add text, shapes, images or video, and move them at points in time.
- 3
Export an MP4, a GIF or a transparent WebM, and drop it into your video editor.
Start from a template
See all 164 templatesWhen smooth.video fits better
You need a title, a lower third, a logo sting or an animated stat for this week's video, you don't open After Effects every day, and a monthly subscription for a few seconds of animation doesn't add up.
When After Effects fits better
You need 3D, particles, motion tracking, rotoscoping, compositing over footage, expressions or plugins, or you hand project files to a studio that works in After Effects. smooth.video does none of that.
Questions
- Can I open After Effects or Premiere Pro projects?
- No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth projects, and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.
- Can I use the exports in Premiere Pro or After Effects?
- Yes, as regular video files. MP4 imports everywhere; for transparency, export a WebM and check that your version reads it.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. It runs in your browser with no server doing the work, so there's no subscription and no watermark.