After Effects vs SVGator
After Effects and SVGator 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 SVGator at a glance
| After Effects | SVGator | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free plan, then Starter at US$20 and Pro at US$24 a month, billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Required | Not needed |
| Transparent video | Yes | MOV or WebM, on Pro | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- SVGatorFree plan, then Starter at US$20 and Pro at US$24 a month, billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- SVGatorRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Transparent video
- After EffectsYes
- SVGatorMOV or WebM, on Pro
- smooth.videoFree, as WebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and SVGator 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.videoSVGator
- Watermark
- On animated exports on the free plan
- Video and GIF export
- Pro plan
- Video and audio in the scene
- No
- Animated SVG, Lottie, React Native, Flutter
- Yes, from Starter
- Interactive animations
- Yes, from Starter
When SVGator fits better
The animation goes on a website or in an app as code: a lightweight animated SVG, an icon that reacts to hover, a Lottie file or a Flutter widget. smooth.video only exports video, GIF and images.
SVGator 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.
The animation goes into a video, a social post, an email or a slide, uses photos, footage or music next to shapes, and you want the file without paying for a plan.
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 smooth.video export animated SVG?
No. It exports MP4, WebM, GIF, PNG, JPG and WebP.
Can an AI assistant make the animation?
Yes. The .smooth format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: give it to an assistant, describe what you want, and open the file it writes.
Is there a watermark?
No, on any format.
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