Apple Motion vs Remotion
Apple Motion and Remotion 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
Apple Motion vs Remotion at a glance
| Apple Motion | Remotion | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49.99 once, or in Apple Creator Studio at US$12.99 a month | Free for individuals and companies of up to 3 people, then a company license | Free |
| Transparent video | ProRes 4444 and HEVC with alpha | WebM or ProRes 4444 | WebM |
- Price
- Apple MotionUS$49.99 once, or in Apple Creator Studio at US$12.99 a month
- RemotionFree for individuals and companies of up to 3 people, then a company license
- smooth.videoFree
- Transparent video
- Apple MotionProRes 4444 and HEVC with alpha
- RemotionWebM or ProRes 4444
- smooth.videoWebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Apple Motion and Remotion before you decide.
Apple Motion
- Platform
- Mac only, macOS 15.6 or later
- Install
- Desktop app from the Mac App Store
- How you animate
- Keyframes, 230+ behaviors, 2D and 3D space
- 3D and mask tracking
- Yes
- Final Cut Pro templates
- Yes
When Motion fits better
You edit in Final Cut Pro and want titles and effects your editors adjust in its inspector, or you need 3D, behaviors, mask tracking or ProRes with alpha for a professional pipeline.
Apple Motion vs smooth.videoRemotion
- How you make a video
- React code
- What you need
- Node.js, a code editor and some React
- Rendering
- On your machine, a server or AWS Lambda
- Videos generated from data, at scale
- Yes
- AI assistants
- Agent skills and a Claude Code plugin
When Remotion fits better
You generate videos from data, personalize them for each user, render them on servers, embed a player in your app, or build your own video product. smooth.video has no API and no server rendering.
Remotion vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You're on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook, you edit in something other than Final Cut Pro, or you only need an animated title or logo from time to time and don't want to install anything.
You want one video, not ten thousand: you'd rather see it and drag things into place than write components, or the person making it doesn't code.
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
Can I use smooth.video exports in Final Cut Pro?
Yes. Import the MP4 like any other clip.
Does smooth.video work on a Mac?
Yes, in a recent browser, and just as well on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook.
Is it really free?
Yes, with no watermark, no account and no purchase.
Can I generate many videos from a spreadsheet?
Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.
Can an AI assistant make the video?
Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.
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