GIPHY GIF Maker vs Rive
GIPHY GIF Maker and Rive 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.
GIPHY GIF Maker vs Rive at a glance
| GIPHY GIF Maker | Rive | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with ads | Free plan, then Cadet at US$9 per seat a month billed yearly | Free |
| Account | Required to create a GIF | Required | Not needed |
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of GIPHY GIF Maker and Rive before you decide.
GIPHY GIF Maker
- 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
- Motion
- Captions and stickers that appear and disappear
- 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.videoRive
- Exports on the free plan
- None
- Output
- .riv files for runtimes, plus video and images
- Interactivity and state machines
- Yes
- Runtimes for apps, websites and games
- Yes
- Rigging, meshes, real-time collaboration
- Yes
When Rive fits better
The animation lives in a product and reacts to people: a button that responds to hover, a character that follows the cursor, a loading state driven by your app's data. That takes a runtime, and smooth.video doesn't have one.
Rive 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 ends up in a video, a post, an email or a slide, and plays the same way every time: a logo reveal, a product teaser, an animated stat, a GIF.
Open the editorStart from a template
See all 172 templatesQuestions
- Can I upload my GIF to GIPHY afterwards?
- 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 smooth.video export Lottie or .riv files?
- No. It exports video (MP4 and WebM), GIF and images.
- Can I put a smooth.video animation on a website?
- Yes, as a video or a GIF. It plays the same way for everyone, without reacting to the cursor or to clicks.
- Is there a watermark?
- No, on any format.