Renderforest vs Animaker
Renderforest and Animaker 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
Renderforest vs Animaker at a glance
| Renderforest | Animaker | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, then paid plans with monthly credits | Free plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Required | Not needed |
| Watermark | On free plan exports | On free plan exports | Never |
| Export resolution | 720p on the free and Lite plans, 1080p on Pro, 4K on Business | 1080p on Starter, 2K on Pro, 4K on Enterprise | Any size, 4K included |
| Where your files live | In your Renderforest account | In your Animaker account | On your computer |
- Price
- RenderforestFree plan, then paid plans with monthly credits
- AnimakerFree plan, 1080p from the Starter plan at US$19 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- RenderforestRequired
- AnimakerRequired
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Watermark
- RenderforestOn free plan exports
- AnimakerOn free plan exports
- smooth.videoNever
- Export resolution
- Renderforest720p on the free and Lite plans, 1080p on Pro, 4K on Business
- Animaker1080p on Starter, 2K on Pro, 4K on Enterprise
- smooth.videoAny size, 4K included
- Where your files live
- RenderforestIn your Renderforest account
- AnimakerIn your Animaker account
- smooth.videoOn your computer
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Renderforest and Animaker before you decide.
Renderforest
- How you edit
- Template scenes, some with fixed, pre-rendered animation
- AI video, text-to-speech, stock footage
- Yes
- Logos and websites
- Yes, in the same account
When Renderforest fits better
You want a finished video from very little input: an AI-generated clip, a voiceover read by text-to-speech, stock footage, or a logo and a website made in the same place. smooth.video has none of those.
Renderforest vs smooth.videoAnimaker
- Exports
- Counted each month: 10 on Starter, 30 on Pro
- Characters and lip-synced voiceover
- Yes
- AI video from a prompt
- Yes
When Animaker fits better
Your video tells a story with characters that walk, talk and react to a voiceover, or you want an AI to draft the whole video from a prompt. smooth.video has no characters and no voiceover.
Animaker vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You want an intro, a logo sting or an animated title in full HD or 4K without buying a plan, and you'd like to change how things move, not only the text inside a scene.
Your video is made of text, logos, photos, shapes and numbers, you'd rather not count exports, and you want 4K or a transparent overlay without paying for a plan.
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 use a Renderforest template in smooth.video?
No, but smooth.video has its own gallery of intros, logo reveals and titles, and every element in them can be changed.
Is my video rendered on a server?
No. The export runs in your browser, so there's no queue and nothing to upload. A long 4K video takes a while on a slower computer.
Is there a watermark?
No, never, at any resolution.
Does smooth.video have characters?
No. It animates text, images, video, shapes and drawings. To animate a character, bring it in as an image, or as a layered PSD to move its parts separately.
Can I add a voiceover?
Yes, recorded elsewhere: add the audio file to the scene and line it up with the animation on the timeline.
Is there a limit on exports?
No. Export as many times as you want, at any size.
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