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.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
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 |
- Price
- KapwingFree plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly
- AnimotoFree plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- KapwingRequired to save a project
- AnimotoRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Watermark
- KapwingOn free plan exports
- AnimotoOn the free plan
- smooth.videoNever
- Export resolution
- Kapwing720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro
- Animoto720p free, 1080p on Basic, 4K on Professional
- smooth.videoAny 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.videoAnimoto
- 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.videoWhen 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- 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
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.
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.
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