After Effects vs CapCut
After Effects and CapCut 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.
After Effects vs CapCut at a glance
| After Effects | CapCut | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free version, with CapCut Pro for premium features | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Sign-up asked for in the online editor | Not needed |
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and CapCut before you decide.
After Effects
- Install
- Desktop app
- How you animate
- Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
- Transparent video
- Yes
- 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 does none of that.
After Effects vs smooth.videoCapCut
- Export resolution
- Up to 1080p free, 4K and 60 fps with Pro
- Premium templates, effects and fonts
- Pro needed to export them
- Built for
- Editing videos: cuts, transitions, filters, effects
- Phone and desktop apps
- Yes
- AI tools, music and sticker library
- Yes
When CapCut fits better
You're editing footage: cutting clips, adding transitions, filters, trending sounds and effects, on your phone as much as on a computer. smooth.video isn't a video editor, and it has no app.
CapCut vs smooth.videoWhen 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 need the graphics, not the edit: an animated title, a stat, a logo reveal or a lower third, in 4K or on a transparent background, and you'd rather not unlock Pro for a font or a template.
Open the editorStart from a template
See all 172 templatesQuestions
- 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 a smooth.video animation in CapCut?
- Yes. Export an MP4 and import it into your CapCut project like any other clip.
- Can I edit my footage in smooth.video?
- Only lightly: add a video file to the scene and put text, shapes and images on top. For cutting and arranging footage, a video editor is the better tool.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No. Your projects stay in your browser, and you can save any of them as a .smooth file.