After Effects vs Apple Motion

After Effects and Apple Motion 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.

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After Effects vs Apple Motion at a glance

Price
After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
Apple MotionUS$49.99 once, or in Apple Creator Studio at US$12.99 a month
smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
Install
After EffectsDesktop app
Apple MotionDesktop app from the Mac App Store
smooth.videoNothing, runs in the browser
How you animate
After EffectsKeyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
Apple MotionKeyframes, 230+ behaviors, 2D and 3D space
smooth.videoPresets and keyframes on one timeline
Transparent video
After EffectsYes
Apple MotionProRes 4444 and HEVC with alpha
smooth.videoFree, as WebM

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and Apple Motion before you decide.

After Effects

Account
Adobe account required
3D, visual effects, tracking
Yes
Plugins and scripting
Yes

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.

After Effects vs smooth.video

Apple Motion

Platform
Mac only, macOS 15.6 or later
3D and mask tracking
Yes
Final Cut Pro templates
Yes

When Motion fits better

You edit in Final Cut Pro and want titles and effects your editors adjust in its inspector, or you need 3D, behaviors, mask tracking or ProRes with alpha for a professional pipeline.

Apple Motion vs smooth.video

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.

You're on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook, you edit in something other than Final Cut Pro, or you only need an animated title or logo from time to time and don't want to install anything.

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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 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

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.

Can I use smooth.video exports in Final Cut Pro?

Yes. Import the MP4 like any other clip.

Does smooth.video work on a Mac?

Yes, in a recent browser, and just as well on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook.

Or skip the decision.

smooth.video is free, opens in a tab and exports without a watermark. Try it while you compare.

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