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.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
Imgflip vs Kapwing at a glance
| Imgflip | Kapwing | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, or Pro at US$11.95 a month billed yearly | Free plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Watermark | imgflip.com on free GIFs, removed with Pro | On free plan exports | Never |
- Price
- ImgflipFree, or Pro at US$11.95 a month billed yearly
- KapwingFree plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Watermark
- Imgflipimgflip.com on free GIFs, removed with Pro
- KapwingOn free plan exports
- smooth.videoNever
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.videoKapwing
- 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.videoWhen 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.
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 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?
As long as you keep the files. The editor autosaves the project you're working on in your browser; save it as a .smooth file to keep it on your computer and reopen it later, on any machine.
Is there a watermark?
No, never.
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