Do I place every photo by hand?

Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.

Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.

Can I draw in smooth.video?

Yes, with a simple brush: the drawing becomes an image you can move, scale, rotate and fade on the timeline. It isn't made for drawing each frame.

Yes. Add an audio file and it's included in the MP4 or WebM. A GIF can't carry sound.

No, and there's nothing to join.

Animoto vs Brush Ninja

Animoto and Brush Ninja 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.

Open the editorFree, no signup, nothing to install

Animoto vs Brush Ninja at a glance

	Animoto	Brush Ninja	smooth.video
Price	Free plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus	Free with ads, membership at US$7 a month or US$48 a year	Free, no paid plan
Account	Required	Only for membership	Not needed

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Animoto and Brush Ninja before you decide.

Animoto

Watermark: On the free plan
Export resolution: 720p free, 1080p on Basic, 4K on Professional
How you build: Templates made of drag-and-drop blocks
Licensed music and Getty Images stock: Yes
Screen and webcam recording: Yes

When Animoto fits better

You want a slideshow put together in minutes from a pile of photos, with licensed music and stock images included. smooth.video places everything by hand and has no music library.

Animoto vs smooth.video

Brush Ninja

How you animate: Frame-by-frame drawing, with onion skin
Layers: None
Video with sound: WebM, for members
Formats: GIF, image sequence, and WebM for members
Lesson plans for teachers: Yes

When Brush Ninja fits better

You want to draw every frame, like a flipbook, in a tool made for children and classrooms, with stickers, sound effects and lesson plans ready to go.

Brush Ninja vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

You want control over how each photo and title moves, a 4K export, or a clean file, without paying for a plan or creating an account.

The animation is made of things that move: a title, a photo, a logo, a sticker, a chart. You want sound in the video, more than one layer, and no ads, without a membership.

Open the editor

Start from a template

See all 172 templates

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Questions

Do I place every photo by hand?: Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.
Can I add music?: Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.
Is there a watermark?: No, at any resolution.
Can I draw in smooth.video?: Yes, with a simple brush: the drawing becomes an image you can move, scale, rotate and fade on the timeline. It isn't made for drawing each frame.
Can I add sound?: Yes. Add an audio file and it's included in the MP4 or WebM. A GIF can't carry sound.
Are there ads?: No, and there's nothing to join.