After Effects vs VEED

After Effects and VEED 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.

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After Effects vs VEED at a glance

After EffectsVEEDsmooth.video
PriceFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trialFree plan, then Creator from US$12 a month billed yearlyFree, no paid plan
AccountAdobe account requiredRequired to exportNot needed
Transparent videoYesNot availableFree, as WebM

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and VEED 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 does none of that.

After Effects vs smooth.video

VEED

Watermark
On free plan exports
Export resolution
720p free, 1080p on Creator, 4K on Pro
Motion
Enter and exit animation presets
Automatic subtitles, translation, dubbing
Yes
Screen and webcam recorder
Yes

When VEED fits better

You make talking videos that need subtitles, translations or an AI voice, or you record your screen and webcam and edit in the same place. smooth.video does none of that.

VEED vs smooth.video

When 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 overlay, a title or a lower third with a transparent background, or a short animation in 4K, and you'd rather not pay for a plan to get it without a watermark.

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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 make a video with a transparent background?
Yes. Set the scene's background to Transparent and export a WebM: the transparency is kept in the file.
Can smooth.video add subtitles automatically?
No. Type your captions as text elements and place them on the timeline.
Is there a watermark?
No, at any resolution.