After Effects vs Visme

After Effects and Visme 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 Visme at a glance

After EffectsVismesmooth.video
PriceFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trialFree plan, then Starter at US$12.25 and Pro at US$24.75 a month, billed yearlyFree, no paid plan
AccountAdobe account requiredRequiredNot needed
Transparent videoYesNo, transparent PNG onlyFree, as WebM

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and Visme 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

Visme

MP4 and GIF download
Pro plan
Video size
Up to 1366×1366
Motion
Entrance and exit presets, custom animations, motion paths
Charts from data, interactive presentations, forms
Yes

When Visme fits better

You make whole presentations, infographics and reports, with charts built from data, interactive publishing, forms and a team that approves the brand. smooth.video makes the animated pieces, not the document.

Visme 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 animated stat, chart or title as a video or a GIF, sharper than 1366 pixels or on a transparent background, and don't want a plan just to download it.

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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 put the animation in a presentation?
Yes. Export an MP4 or a GIF and insert it into PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides.
Can I import data into a chart?
No, you type the values in. It suits a handful of figures, not large datasets.
Is there a watermark?
No, and every download is free.