Animaker vs Kapwing
Animaker and Kapwing 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
Animaker vs Kapwing at a glance
| Animaker | Kapwing | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly | Free plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Required to save a project | Not needed |
| Watermark | On free plan exports | On free plan exports | Never |
| Export resolution | 1080p on Starter, 2K on Pro, 4K on Enterprise | 720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro | Any size, 4K included |
| Where your files live | In your Animaker account | In Kapwing's cloud | On your computer |
- Price
- AnimakerFree plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly
- KapwingFree plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- AnimakerRequired
- KapwingRequired to save a project
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Watermark
- AnimakerOn free plan exports
- KapwingOn free plan exports
- smooth.videoNever
- Export resolution
- Animaker1080p on Starter, 2K on Pro, 4K on Enterprise
- Kapwing720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro
- smooth.videoAny size, 4K included
- Where your files live
- AnimakerIn your Animaker account
- KapwingIn Kapwing's cloud
- smooth.videoOn your computer
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Animaker and Kapwing before you decide.
Animaker
- Exports
- Counted each month: 10 on Starter, 30 on Pro
- Characters and lip-synced voiceover
- Yes
- AI video from a prompt
- Yes
When Animaker fits better
Your video tells a story with characters that walk, talk and react to a voiceover, or you want an AI to draft the whole video from a prompt. smooth.video has no characters and no voiceover.
Animaker vs smooth.videoKapwing
- Projects
- Deleted after 3 days on the free plan
- AI subtitles, translation, dubbing
- Yes
- Real-time collaboration
- Yes
When Kapwing fits better
You edit talking videos and need subtitles, translations or dubbing in many languages, or several people edit and comment in the same project. smooth.video has no subtitle generator and no shared workspace.
Kapwing vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
Your video is made of text, logos, photos, shapes and numbers, you'd rather not count exports, and you want 4K or a transparent overlay without paying for a plan.
You're making the animated pieces of a video, like titles, lower thirds, logo stings or animated stats, want them at full quality without a watermark, and don't need a team workspace.
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
Does smooth.video have characters?
No. It animates text, images, video, shapes and drawings. To animate a character, bring it in as an image, or as a layered PSD to move its parts separately.
Can I add a voiceover?
Yes, recorded elsewhere: add the audio file to the scene and line it up with the animation on the timeline.
Is there a limit on exports?
No. Export as many times as you want, at any size.
Does smooth.video generate subtitles?
No. You can type captions as text elements and time them on the timeline, but nothing is transcribed automatically.
How long are my projects kept?
As long as you keep the files. The editor autosaves the project you're working on in your browser; save it as a .smooth file to keep it on your computer and reopen it later, on any machine.
Is there a watermark?
No, never.
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