After Effects vs InVideo
After Effects and InVideo 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 InVideo at a glance
| After Effects | InVideo | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Limited free credits, then Starter at US$20 a month | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Required | Not needed |
- Price
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- InVideoLimited free credits, then Starter at US$20 a month
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- InVideoRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and InVideo 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 is 2D only, with no particles, tracking or scripting.
After Effects vs smooth.videoInVideo
- Watermark
- On free plan downloads
- How a video gets made
- AI agents generate it from a prompt, then you edit on a timeline
- Credits
- AI generation uses credits
- Where your files live
- In InVideo's cloud
- Stock footage and AI models
- Yes
- Handoff to Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro
- Yes
When InVideo fits better
You want a whole video from a sentence: a script, a voiceover, stock clips and AI-generated shots assembled for you, then refined with a team. smooth.video doesn't generate anything on its own.
InVideo 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 know what the animation should look like and want to build it exactly: a logo reveal, a title, an animated stat, a product badge, without spending credits or hoping a prompt gets it right.
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 an AI help me in smooth.video?
Yes, from outside: the project format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt, so ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant can write an animation that you open and adjust in the editor.
Does smooth.video have stock footage?
No. Bring your own images, videos and music, or start from a template.
Is there a watermark?
No, never.
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