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.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
After Effects vs VEED at a glance
| After Effects | VEED | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free plan, then Creator from US$12 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Required to export | Not needed |
| Transparent video | Yes | Not available | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- VEEDFree plan, then Creator from US$12 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- VEEDRequired to export
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Transparent video
- After EffectsYes
- VEEDNot available
- smooth.videoFree, 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 is 2D only, with no particles, tracking or scripting.
After Effects vs smooth.videoVEED
- 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.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 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.
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 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.
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