Clipchamp vs Adobe Animate
Clipchamp and Adobe Animate 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.
Clipchamp vs Adobe Animate at a glance
| Clipchamp | Adobe Animate | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with Premium or Microsoft 365 for extras | US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Microsoft account required | Adobe account required | Not needed |
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Clipchamp and Adobe Animate before you decide.
Clipchamp
- Watermark
- Never
- Export resolution
- 1080p free, 4K with Premium or Microsoft 365
- Formats
- MP4, GIF under 15 seconds, M4A audio
- Transparent video
- No
- Built for
- Editing videos: trimming, transitions, stock footage
- Screen recorder, AI voiceover, subtitles
- Yes
When Clipchamp fits better
You're putting a video together from clips: trimming, arranging, adding transitions, stock footage, an AI voiceover or subtitles, and you already use Windows or Microsoft 365. smooth.video isn't a video editor.
Clipchamp vs smooth.videoAdobe Animate
- Install
- Desktop app for Windows and macOS
- Development
- Maintenance mode: fixes, no new features
- How you animate
- Frame-by-frame drawing, tweens, bone rigging
- Interactive output
- HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG, sprite sheets
- Photoshop files
- PSD and Illustrator layers imported
When Adobe Animate fits better
You draw frame by frame, rig characters with bones, or deliver interactive HTML5 Canvas content, games or sprite sheets. smooth.video does none of that.
Adobe Animate vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You want the text or the logo to move exactly the way you picture it, need a transparent overlay or a 4K export, or you'd rather not sign in to make a ten-second animation.
You used Animate for banners, animated logos or social posts, you'd rather not pay for a tool that no longer gets new features, and your animation is made of text, images and shapes that move rather than drawings.
Open the editorStart from a template
See all 172 templatesQuestions
- Can I use a smooth.video animation in Clipchamp?
- Yes. Export an MP4 and add it to your Clipchamp project like any other clip.
- Does it work on Mac, Linux and Chromebook?
- Yes. It runs in a recent browser, whatever the computer.
- Is it free?
- Yes, completely: 4K, transparent WebM and GIF included, with no account.
- Is Adobe Animate discontinued?
- No. Adobe announced its end in February 2026 and reversed the decision the next day: Animate stays available, with security and bug fixes but no new features.
- Can I open .fla files?
- No. Export your artwork from Animate as PNG images, then animate them in smooth.video.
- Can I make HTML5 banner ads?
- Not as HTML5: smooth.video exports video, GIF and images. Where an ad slot takes a GIF or an MP4, a banner made here works.