EZGIF vs Animoto
EZGIF and Animoto 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
EZGIF vs Animoto at a glance
| EZGIF | Animoto | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with ads | Free plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus | Free |
| Account | Not needed | Required | Not needed |
| Watermark | Never | On the free plan | Never |
- Price
- EZGIFFree, with ads
- AnimotoFree plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus
- smooth.videoFree
- Account
- EZGIFNot needed
- AnimotoRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Watermark
- EZGIFNever
- AnimotoOn the free plan
- smooth.videoNever
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of EZGIF and Animoto before you decide.
EZGIF
- Makes a GIF from
- An uploaded video or a set of images
- Moving text
- Text shown on a range of frames, without motion
- Where your files go
- Uploaded to its servers, kept up to an hour after last use
- Compression and optimization
- Yes: lossy, fewer colors, fewer frames, target file size
- Format conversion
- GIF, WebP, APNG, AVIF, MP4, WebM and more
When EZGIF fits better
You already have the GIF or the clip and need to do something to it: cut it, change its speed, reverse it, shrink it under a size limit, or convert it to WebP, APNG or AVIF. smooth.video makes GIFs; it doesn't edit, compress or convert them.
EZGIF vs smooth.videoAnimoto
- Export resolution
- 720p free, 1080p on Basic, 4K on Professional
- How you build
- Templates made of drag-and-drop blocks
- Licensed music and Getty Images stock
- Yes
- Screen and webcam recording
- Yes
When Animoto fits better
You want a slideshow put together in minutes from a pile of photos, with licensed music and stock images included. smooth.video places everything by hand and has no music library.
Animoto vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
The GIF doesn't exist yet: an animated headline for an email, a badge for a website, a demo for a README. You want to build it from text and images, make things move, and keep your files on your computer.
You want control over how each photo and title moves, a 4K export, or a clean file, without paying for a plan or creating an account.
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 compress a GIF in smooth.video?
No. A short GIF with a modest size and few colors stays light; to shrink it further, run the exported file through a GIF optimizer such as EZGIF's.
Can I turn a video into a GIF?
Yes. Add the video to the scene, put text or stickers on top if you like, and export the whole thing as a GIF.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Everything, the GIF export included, runs in your browser, so your images and videos never leave your computer.
Do I place every photo by hand?
Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.
Can I add music?
Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.
Is there a watermark?
No, at any resolution.
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