A simpler, browser-based alternative to Cavalry

Cavalry is professional procedural motion design software: duplicators, behaviors, rigging, animation driven by spreadsheets, and scripting. Since Canva bought it in 2026 it's free for individuals, as a desktop app for Mac and Windows that signs in with a Canva account. smooth.video is much simpler: open a tab, put text, images and shapes on a timeline, and export, with no install and no account.

Open the editor

Free
No signup
No watermark

The Bar race template, playing live. Open it in the editor

smooth.video vs Cavalry

	smooth.video	Cavalry
Price	Free	Free for individuals
Install	Nothing, runs in the browser	Desktop app for Mac and Windows
Account	Not needed	Canva account required
How you animate	Presets and keyframes on one timeline	Keyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviors
Transparent video	WebM	WebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP
Animation driven by spreadsheets	No	Yes
Rigging, dynamics, scripting	No	Yes
Lottie and SVG export	No	Yes

Price: smooth.videoFree; CavalryFree for individuals
Install: smooth.videoNothing, runs in the browser; CavalryDesktop app for Mac and Windows
Account: smooth.videoNot needed; CavalryCanva account required
How you animate: smooth.videoPresets and keyframes on one timeline; CavalryKeyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviors
Transparent video: smooth.videoWebM; CavalryWebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP
Animation driven by spreadsheets: smooth.videoNo; CavalryYes
Rigging, dynamics, scripting: smooth.videoNo; CavalryYes
Lottie and SVG export: smooth.videoNo; CavalryYes

Cavalry as of September 2026. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide.

When smooth.video fits better

You need an animated title, a logo reveal or a social post today, on any computer, including one where you can't install software, and you don't need procedural systems to get there.

When Cavalry fits better

You build complex motion design: hundreds of shapes driven by one rig, charts animated from a spreadsheet, dynamics, scripts, or Lottie and ProRes deliverables. smooth.video has none of that.

How it works

Open smooth.video in your browser. Nothing to install.
Start from a template or an empty canvas, and animate text, images and shapes on the timeline.
Export an MP4, a GIF or a transparent WebM.

Start from a template

See all 203 templates

Open one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

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.

Questions

Can I animate a chart from a spreadsheet?

No. In smooth.video a chart is built from shapes, and its numbers are texts you type, which can count up as they appear. That suits a handful of figures; for charts built from real data, Cavalry is the better fit.

Can I open Cavalry projects?

No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth files and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The editor and every export run in your browser.

Try it before you settle on Cavalry.

It opens in a tab, works without an account, and exports without a watermark.