After Effects vs Cavalry
After Effects and Cavalry 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
After Effects vs Cavalry at a glance
| After Effects | Cavalry | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free for individuals | Free, no paid plan |
| Install | Desktop app | Desktop app for Mac and Windows | Nothing, runs in the browser |
| Account | Adobe account required | Canva account required | Not needed |
| How you animate | Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions | Keyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviors | Presets and keyframes on one timeline |
| Transparent video | Yes | WebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- CavalryFree for individuals
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Install
- After EffectsDesktop app
- CavalryDesktop app for Mac and Windows
- smooth.videoNothing, runs in the browser
- Account
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- CavalryCanva account required
- smooth.videoNot needed
- How you animate
- After EffectsKeyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
- CavalryKeyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviors
- smooth.videoPresets and keyframes on one timeline
- Transparent video
- After EffectsYes
- CavalryWebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP
- smooth.videoFree, as WebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and Cavalry before you decide.
After Effects
- 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.videoCavalry
- Animation driven by spreadsheets
- Yes
- Rigging, dynamics, scripting
- Yes
- Lottie and SVG export
- Yes
When Cavalry fits better
You build complex motion design: hundreds of shapes driven by one rig, charts animated from a spreadsheet, dynamics, scripts, or Lottie and ProRes deliverables. smooth.video has none of that.
Cavalry 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 an animated title, a logo reveal or a social post today, on any computer, including one where you can't install software, and you don't need procedural systems to get there.
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
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 animate a chart from a spreadsheet?
No. In smooth.video a chart is built from shapes, and its numbers are texts you type, which can count up as they appear. That suits a handful of figures; for charts built from real data, Cavalry is the better fit.
Can I open Cavalry projects?
No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth files and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The editor and every export run in your browser.
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