Canva vs After Effects
Canva and After Effects 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
Canva vs After Effects at a glance
| Canva | After Effects | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro | From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Adobe account required | Not needed |
| Transparent video | Not available | Yes | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- CanvaFree plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro
- After EffectsFrom US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- CanvaRequired
- After EffectsAdobe account required
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Transparent video
- CanvaNot available
- After EffectsYes
- smooth.videoFree, as WebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Canva and After Effects before you decide.
Canva
- Built for
- Every kind of design: social posts, slides, print, documents, video
- Motion
- Animation presets and timing per element
- Where your files live
- In your Canva account
- Library
- A huge library of templates, photos and graphics
When Canva fits better
You need a flyer, a presentation and a social post that all match, drawn from a huge library of templates, photos and brand assets, with animation as a finishing touch.
Canva vs smooth.videoAfter Effects
- Install
- Desktop app
- How you animate
- Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
- 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 is 2D only, with no particles, tracking or scripting.
After Effects vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
The animation is the deliverable: a YouTube intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want exact control over timing, a transparent export to put over video, and no account.
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.
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 bring my Canva designs in?
Yes, as images: download your design or its parts from Canva, add them to a smooth.video scene and animate them there.
Does smooth.video have templates?
Yes, a gallery of ready-made animations, from YouTube intros to sale banners. Each one opens in the editor with every element editable.
Is there a watermark?
No. Every export is free and clean, transparent WebM included.
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.
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