After Effects vs Clipchamp
After Effects and Clipchamp 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 Clipchamp at a glance
| After Effects | Clipchamp | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free, with Premium or Microsoft 365 for extras | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Microsoft account required | Not needed |
| Transparent video | Yes | No | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- ClipchampFree, with Premium or Microsoft 365 for extras
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- ClipchampMicrosoft account required
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Transparent video
- After EffectsYes
- ClipchampNo
- smooth.videoFree, as WebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and Clipchamp before you decide.
After Effects
- Install
- Desktop app
- How you animate
- Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
- 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.videoClipchamp
- Watermark
- Never
- Export resolution
- 1080p free, 4K with Premium or Microsoft 365
- Formats
- MP4, GIF under 15 seconds, M4A audio
- Built for
- Editing videos: trimming, transitions, stock footage
- Screen recorder, AI voiceover, subtitles
- Yes
When Clipchamp fits better
You're putting a video together from clips: trimming, arranging, adding transitions, stock footage, an AI voiceover or subtitles, and you already use Windows or Microsoft 365. smooth.video isn't a video editor.
Clipchamp 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 want the text or the logo to move exactly the way you picture it, need a transparent overlay or a 4K export, or you'd rather not sign in to make a ten-second animation.
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 use a smooth.video animation in Clipchamp?
Yes. Export an MP4 and add it to your Clipchamp project like any other clip.
Does it work on Mac, Linux and Chromebook?
Yes. It runs in a recent browser, whatever the computer.
Is it free?
Yes, completely: 4K, transparent WebM and GIF included, with no account.
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