Remotion vs Placeit
Remotion and Placeit 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.
Remotion vs Placeit at a glance
| Remotion | Placeit | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for individuals and companies of up to 3 people, then a company license | Single purchases, or a subscription from US$89.69 a year | Free for everyone |
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Remotion and Placeit before you decide.
Remotion
- How you make a video
- React code
- What you need
- Node.js, a code editor and some React
- Rendering
- On your machine, a server or AWS Lambda
- Transparent video
- WebM or ProRes 4444
- Videos generated from data, at scale
- Yes
- AI assistants
- Agent skills and a Claude Code plugin
When Remotion fits better
You generate videos from data, personalize them for each user, render them on servers, embed a player in your app, or build your own video product. smooth.video has no API and no server rendering.
Remotion vs smooth.videoPlaceit
- Watermark
- On previews, until you buy
- What you can change
- Text, colours, images and music in the template
- Formats
- MP4 for videos, PNG for designs
- Product mockups and logo generator
- Yes
When Placeit fits better
You sell merch and need photo mockups of your designs on shirts, mugs and phones, or want a logo generated for you along with matching assets. smooth.video only animates.
Placeit vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You want one video, not ten thousand: you'd rather see it and drag things into place than write components, or the person making it doesn't code.
You need one intro or logo animation rather than a subscription, want it to move your way, or need it on a transparent background.
Open the editorStart from a template
See all 172 templatesQuestions
- Can I generate many videos from a spreadsheet?
- Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.
- Can an AI assistant make the video?
- Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.
- Can I use my own logo?
- Yes. Import it as an image, remove its background in one click if it has one, and animate it.
- Does smooth.video make mockups?
- No. It animates: intros, logo reveals, titles and social posts. For product mockups, Placeit is the better tool.
- Is there a watermark?
- No. The download is free and clean.