Imgflip vs Kapwing

Imgflip and Kapwing 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.

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Imgflip vs Kapwing at a glance

ImgflipKapwingsmooth.video
PriceFree, or Pro at US$11.95 a month billed yearlyFree plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearlyFree, no paid plan
Watermarkimgflip.com on free GIFs, removed with ProOn free plan exportsNever

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

Imgflip

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

Kapwing

Account
Required to save a project
Export resolution
720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro
Projects
Deleted after 3 days on the free plan
Where your files live
In Kapwing's cloud
AI subtitles, translation, dubbing
Yes
Real-time collaboration
Yes

When Kapwing fits better

You edit talking videos and need subtitles, translations or dubbing in many languages, or several people edit and comment in the same project. smooth.video has no subtitle generator and no shared workspace.

Kapwing 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're making the animated pieces of a video, like titles, lower thirds, logo stings or animated stats, want them at full quality without a watermark, and don't need a team workspace.

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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.
Does smooth.video generate subtitles?
No. You can type captions as text elements and time them on the timeline, but nothing is transcribed automatically.
How long are my projects kept?
They stay in your browser until you clear its data. Save any of them as a .smooth file to keep a copy or open it on another computer.
Is there a watermark?
No, never.