After Effects vs VistaCreate
After Effects and VistaCreate 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.
After Effects vs VistaCreate at a glance
| After Effects | VistaCreate | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free plan, Pro at US$10 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Adobe account required | Required | Not needed |
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and VistaCreate 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 does none of that.
After Effects vs smooth.videoVistaCreate
- Built for
- Every kind of design: posts, flyers, print, presentations
- Motion
- Presets: move, fade, scale, zoom, wobble, flash, shake, spin
- Export resolution
- HD downloads on Pro
- Templates and stock
- 100,000+ templates and Depositphotos stock
- Social media scheduling
- Yes
When VistaCreate fits better
You need lots of matching posts, flyers and print files from a big template and stock library, resized in one click and scheduled to your social accounts, with a simple animation on top.
VistaCreate 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 matters more than the layout: an intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want the timing and motion exactly right, and a 4K or transparent export for free.
Open the editorStart from a template
See all 172 templatesQuestions
- 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 bring my VistaCreate designs in?
- Yes, as images: download your design or its parts as PNG, add them to a scene and animate them.
- Can I schedule posts from smooth.video?
- No. Export the video and post or schedule it with the tool you already use.
- Is there a watermark?
- No, never.