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.

Open the editor
  • Free
  • No signup
  • No watermark
The Kinetic typography template, playing live. Open it in the editor

smooth.video vs After Effects

Price
smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
Install
smooth.videoNothing, runs in the browser
After EffectsDesktop app
Account
smooth.videoNot needed
After EffectsAdobe account required
How you animate
smooth.videoPresets and keyframes on one timeline
After EffectsKeyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
Transparent video
smooth.videoFree, as WebM
After EffectsYes
3D, visual effects, tracking
smooth.videoNo
After EffectsYes
Plugins and scripting
smooth.videoNo
After EffectsYes

After Effects as of September 2026. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide.

When 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 is 2D only, with no particles, tracking or scripting.

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 203 templates

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

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

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

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.

After Effects compared with other tools

Try it before you settle on After Effects.

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

Open the editor
  • Free
  • No signup
  • No watermark