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.

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After Effects vs VistaCreate at a glance

After EffectsVistaCreatesmooth.video
PriceFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trialFree plan, Pro at US$10 a month billed yearlyFree, no paid plan
AccountAdobe account requiredRequiredNot 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.video

VistaCreate

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.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.

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.

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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 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.