Canva vs Animaker
Canva and Animaker 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 Animaker at a glance
| Canva | Animaker | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro | Free plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Required | Not needed |
| Where your files live | In your Canva account | In your Animaker account | On your computer |
- Price
- CanvaFree plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro
- AnimakerFree plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- CanvaRequired
- AnimakerRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Where your files live
- CanvaIn your Canva account
- AnimakerIn your Animaker account
- smooth.videoOn your computer
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Canva and Animaker before you decide.
Canva
- Built for
- Every kind of design: social posts, slides, print, documents, video
- Motion
- Animation presets and timing per element
- Transparent video
- Not available
- 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.videoAnimaker
- Watermark
- On free plan exports
- Export resolution
- 1080p on Starter, 2K on Pro, 4K on Enterprise
- 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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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