Powtoon vs Cavalry

Powtoon and Cavalry 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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Powtoon vs Cavalry at a glance

PowtoonCavalrysmooth.video
PriceFree plan, then Lite from US$15 a month billed yearlyFree for individualsFree, no paid plan
AccountRequiredCanva account requiredNot needed

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Powtoon and Cavalry before you decide.

Powtoon

Watermark
On free plan videos, and on all but 5 exports a month on Lite
MP4 download
Paid plans only
Export resolution
720p on the free plan, 1080p on paid plans
Animated characters and props
Thousands, with a character builder
PowerPoint import
Yes
Team review and brand locking
Yes

When Powtoon fits better

You're making an explainer with characters and scenes, turning a PowerPoint deck into a video, or working with a team that reviews videos and locks the brand. smooth.video has no characters, no PowerPoint import and no shared workspace.

Powtoon vs smooth.video

Cavalry

Install
Desktop app for Mac and Windows
How you animate
Keyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviours
Transparent video
WebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP
Animation driven by spreadsheets
Yes
Rigging, dynamics, scripting
Yes
Lottie and SVG export
Yes

When Cavalry fits better

You build complex motion design: hundreds of shapes driven by one rig, charts animated from a spreadsheet, dynamics, scripts, or Lottie and ProRes deliverables. smooth.video has none of that.

Cavalry vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

You need a short animated piece, like a title card, a stat, a product demo with a cursor or a social post, and a file you can download right away, with no watermark and no plan.

You need an animated title, a logo reveal or a social post today, on any computer, including one where you can't install software, and you don't need procedural systems to get there.

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Questions

Can I import my PowerPoint?
No. Export your slides as images, add them to a scene and animate them there.
Can I put a smooth.video animation in a presentation?
Yes. Export an MP4 or a GIF and insert it into PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides.
Is there a watermark?
No, and the download is free too.
Can I animate a chart from a spreadsheet?
No, you type the values in. smooth.video suits a handful of figures; for charts built from real data, Cavalry is the better fit.
Can I open Cavalry projects?
No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth files and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The editor and every export run in your browser.