Clipchamp vs Cavalry
Clipchamp and Cavalry 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
Clipchamp vs Cavalry at a glance
| Clipchamp | Cavalry | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with Premium or Microsoft 365 for extras | Free for individuals | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Microsoft account required | Canva account required | Not needed |
| Transparent video | No | WebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP | Free, as WebM |
- Price
- ClipchampFree, with Premium or Microsoft 365 for extras
- CavalryFree for individuals
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- ClipchampMicrosoft account required
- CavalryCanva account required
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Transparent video
- ClipchampNo
- CavalryWebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP
- smooth.videoFree, as WebM
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Clipchamp and Cavalry before you decide.
Clipchamp
- Watermark
- Never
- Export resolution
- 1080p free, 4K with Premium or Microsoft 365
- Formats
- MP4, GIF under 15 seconds, M4A audio
- 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.videoCavalry
- Install
- Desktop app for Mac and Windows
- How you animate
- Keyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviors
- Animation driven by spreadsheets
- Yes
- Rigging, dynamics, scripting
- Yes
- Lottie and SVG export
- Yes
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.
Cavalry 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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