Powtoon vs EZGIF
Powtoon and EZGIF 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
Powtoon vs EZGIF at a glance
| Powtoon | EZGIF | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, then Lite from US$15 a month billed yearly | Free, with ads | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Not needed | Not needed |
| Watermark | On free plan videos, and on all but 5 exports a month on Lite | Never | Never |
- Price
- PowtoonFree plan, then Lite from US$15 a month billed yearly
- EZGIFFree, with ads
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- PowtoonRequired
- EZGIFNot needed
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Watermark
- PowtoonOn free plan videos, and on all but 5 exports a month on Lite
- EZGIFNever
- smooth.videoNever
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Powtoon and EZGIF before you decide.
Powtoon
- 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.videoEZGIF
- Makes a GIF from
- An uploaded video or a set of images
- Moving text
- Text shown on a range of frames, without motion
- Where your files go
- Uploaded to its servers, kept up to an hour after last use
- Compression and optimization
- Yes: lossy, fewer colors, fewer frames, target file size
- Format conversion
- GIF, WebP, APNG, AVIF, MP4, WebM and more
When EZGIF fits better
You already have the GIF or the clip and need to do something to it: cut it, change its speed, reverse it, shrink it under a size limit, or convert it to WebP, APNG or AVIF. smooth.video makes GIFs; it doesn't edit, compress or convert them.
EZGIF vs smooth.videoWhen 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.
The GIF doesn't exist yet: an animated headline for an email, a badge for a website, a demo for a README. You want to build it from text and images, make things move, and keep your files on your computer.
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 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 compress a GIF in smooth.video?
No. A short GIF with a modest size and few colors stays light; to shrink it further, run the exported file through a GIF optimizer such as EZGIF's.
Can I turn a video into a GIF?
Yes. Add the video to the scene, put text or stickers on top if you like, and export the whole thing as a GIF.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Everything, the GIF export included, runs in your browser, so your images and videos never leave your computer.
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