Imgflip vs Adobe Animate

Imgflip 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.

Open the editorFree, no signup, nothing to install

Imgflip vs Adobe Animate at a glance

ImgflipAdobe Animatesmooth.video
PriceFree, or Pro at US$11.95 a month billed yearlyUS$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trialFree, no paid plan

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Imgflip and Adobe Animate before you decide.

Imgflip

Watermark
imgflip.com on free GIFs, removed with Pro
GIF size
Up to 360×360 from a video and 500×500 from images, on the free plan
Text and images
1 text and 1 image per GIF on the free plan
Motion
Text and images moved at points in time
Where your files go
Hosted on imgflip.com, public unless marked private
Meme templates, YouTube links
Yes

When Imgflip fits better

You're making a meme: a classic template or a clip from a YouTube video with a caption, posted to Imgflip's community in a minute. smooth.video has no meme library and doesn't read links.

Imgflip vs smooth.video

Adobe Animate

Install
Desktop app for Windows and macOS
Account
Adobe account required
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.video

When smooth.video fits better

The GIF isn't a meme: a product announcement, an animated banner, a sticker for a newsletter. It needs to be bigger than 500 pixels, carry more than one line of text, and come out clean.

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 editor

Start from a template

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Questions

Can I make memes?
You can put a caption over any image or video you add, but there's no library of meme templates: bring your own picture.
Can my GIF have sound?
No, a GIF file can't hold sound. For an animation with music, export an MP4: the audio you added is included.
Is there a limit on text or images?
No. Add as many texts, images and shapes as the animation needs.
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.