GIPHY GIF Maker vs Adobe Express
GIPHY GIF Maker and Adobe Express 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
GIPHY GIF Maker vs Adobe Express at a glance
| GIPHY GIF Maker | Adobe Express | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with ads | Free plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month | Free |
| Motion | Captions and stickers that appear and disappear | In, Loop and Out presets, with duration, speed and intensity | Entrances and keyframes on a timeline |
- Price
- GIPHY GIF MakerFree, with ads
- Adobe ExpressFree plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month
- smooth.videoFree
- Motion
- GIPHY GIF MakerCaptions and stickers that appear and disappear
- Adobe ExpressIn, Loop and Out presets, with duration, speed and intensity
- smooth.videoEntrances and keyframes on a timeline
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of GIPHY GIF Maker and Adobe Express before you decide.
GIPHY GIF Maker
- Account
- Required to create a GIF
- What you get
- A GIF uploaded to your GIPHY channel, public unless you set it to private
- Starting point
- A video under 15 seconds, images, or a YouTube link
- Sticker library
- The whole GIPHY sticker library
- Other exports
- No
When GIPHY fits better
You want your GIFs out in the world: reaction GIFs or brand stickers on a GIPHY channel people can share from, with GIPHY's sticker library at hand while you make them.
GIPHY GIF Maker vs smooth.videoAdobe Express
- Built for
- Every kind of design: social posts, flyers, PDFs, presentations, video
- Transparent video
- Not supported
- Photoshop files
- PSD and Illustrator files placed linked or converted
- Where your files live
- In Adobe's cloud, 5 GB on the free plan
- Templates and stock
- 100,000+ templates and Adobe Stock
- Generative AI
- Firefly, with monthly credits
When Adobe Express fits better
You need matching flyers, posts and presentations from a huge library of templates and stock, you work with Photoshop and Illustrator files that stay linked, or you want AI to generate images. Animation is a finishing touch.
Adobe Express vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You need a GIF for an email, a website, a README or a slide, built from your own text and images, and you'd rather keep it off a public platform and skip the account.
The animation is the deliverable: an intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want to decide exactly where each element is at each moment, and a transparent export to put over video.
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 upload my GIF to GIPHY afterward?
Yes. Export the GIF from smooth.video, then upload it to your GIPHY channel like any other GIF.
Can I make a GIF from a YouTube video?
Not from a link. Add a video file from your computer to the scene and export it as a GIF.
Is my GIF public?
No. Nothing is uploaded: the GIF is made in your browser and saved to your computer.
Can I bring my Adobe Express designs in?
Yes, as images: download your design or its parts as PNG, add them to a scene and animate them in smooth.video.
Can I animate a Photoshop file?
Yes. Drop the PSD into the editor and each layer becomes its own element, in place, ready to animate.
Is there a watermark?
No. Every export is free and clean, transparent WebM included.
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