Rive vs Placeit
Rive 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.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
Rive vs Placeit at a glance
| Rive | Placeit | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, then Cadet at US$9 per seat a month billed yearly | Single purchases, or a subscription from US$89.69 a year | Free, no paid plan |
- Price
- RiveFree plan, then Cadet at US$9 per seat a month billed yearly
- PlaceitSingle purchases, or a subscription from US$89.69 a year
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Rive and Placeit before you decide.
Rive
- Exports on the free plan
- None
- Account
- Required
- Output
- .riv files for runtimes, plus video and images
- Interactivity and state machines
- Yes
- Runtimes for apps, websites and games
- Yes
- Rigging, meshes, real-time collaboration
- Yes
When Rive fits better
The animation lives in a product and reacts to people: a button that responds to hover, a character that follows the cursor, a loading state driven by your app's data. That takes a runtime, and smooth.video doesn't have one.
Rive vs smooth.videoPlaceit
- Watermark
- On previews, until you buy
- What you can change
- Text, colors, 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
The animation ends up in a video, a post, an email or a slide, and plays the same way every time: a logo reveal, a product teaser, an animated stat, a GIF.
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 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 smooth.video export Lottie or .riv files?
No. It exports video (MP4 and WebM), GIF and images.
Can I put a smooth.video animation on a website?
Yes, as a video or a GIF. It plays the same way for everyone, without reacting to the cursor or to clicks.
Is there a watermark?
No, on any format.
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.
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