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.

Do I place every photo by hand?

Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.

Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.

Kapwing vs Animoto

Kapwing and Animoto 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

Kapwing vs Animoto at a glance

	Kapwing	Animoto	smooth.video
Price	Free plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly	Free plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus	Free, no paid plan
Account	Required to save a project	Required	Not needed
Watermark	On free plan exports	On the free plan	Never
Export resolution	720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro	720p free, 1080p on Basic, 4K on Professional	Any size, 4K included

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

Kapwing

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

Animoto

How you build: Templates made of drag-and-drop blocks
Licensed music and Getty Images stock: Yes
Screen and webcam recording: Yes

When Animoto fits better

You want a slideshow put together in minutes from a pile of photos, with licensed music and stock images included. smooth.video places everything by hand and has no music library.

Animoto vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

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.

You want control over how each photo and title moves, a 4K export, or a clean file, without paying for a plan or creating an account.

Open the editor

Start from a template

See all 172 templates

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Questions

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.
Do I place every photo by hand?: Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.
Can I add music?: Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.