Adobe After Effects AlternativesTop Motion Graphics Software & Animation Makers like Adobe After Effects

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Blender

    1853 likes

   A comprehensive open-source 3D software suite for modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, and animating. It supports renderings, simulations including fluid and cloth dynamics, complex compositing, video editing, and Python scripting, running across all major operating systems.

   151 Blender alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application type

   • 3D Modeler

   Origin

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • BSD
   • Snapcraft
   • Flathub
   • PortableApps.com
   • Haiku
   • Steam
   • Flatpak

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   

   

   

   +9

   

   More about Blender  

   

   Good alternative?Is Blender a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    

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   30comments

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   Blender vs Adobe After Effects Comments

   Top Positive Comment by sas_ja · Jun 14, 2020

   Blender is has a bit different workflow, that doesn't make it worse than AE. People think that Blender is only a 3D program, but it fact it has greasepencil (2d animation tool), and it also includes node-based compositing, video editing and video tracking. With Blender you can combine 2d animations, 3d renderings and video footage without using any external program.

   Top Negative Comment by danielmichel · Nov 7, 2017

   AE's main purpose: Video effect editing. Blender has a whole range of possibilities, but it's hard to get into and it's not designed to be used solely for video effect editing.

   Negative comment by Avoyt · May 6, 2026

   Comparing Blender with After Effects is wild to me. I regularly use both for work, and I can't fathom using one for the other. Like, sure, you can do video editing in both, but neither excel at that.

   3 of 30 comments

   

   

   • Blender is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
   • Blender is a 3D Modeler Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
   • Blender is Customizable, Lightweight and Privacy focusedAdobe After Effects is not according to our users
2. 

   

   Natron

    224 likes

   Natron is an open source, cross platform nodal compositing application. It is built around industry standard open source tech such as OpenFX, OpenEXR, OpenColorIO and OpenImageIO. The feature set includes realtime playback/RAM cache, multi-threaded rendering, 2d tracking...

   23 Natron alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • VFX
   • Motion Graphics

   Origin

   • France
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • FreeBSD
   • Flathub

   • France
   • EU

   

   

   More about Natron  

   

   Good alternative?Is Natron a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    

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   9comments

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   Natron vs Adobe After Effects Comments

   Top Positive Comment by Paul · Apr 9, 2020

   Free and open-source node based alternative to After Effects. It's pretty similar to Nuke, but doesn't cost anything.

   Top Negative Comment by Guest · Aug 21, 2017

   Awful documentation (blank page); The versions change so much that the old tutorials don't help at all; Difficult to learn by just messing around; High learning curve.

   Positive comment by ahmed52 · Jan 7, 2022

   free ,open source a bit hard to use at first

   3 of 9 comments

   

   

   • Natron is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
   • Natron is a VFX Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
4. 

   

   OpenCut

    37 likes

   Open-source video editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux offering non-linear multi-track editing, timeline tools, and advanced features like templates, no watermarks, fast exports, extensive format support, subtitles, user-friendly interface, and offline functionality.

   85 OpenCut alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application type

   • Video Editor

   Platforms

   • Online
   • Self-Hosted

   

   

   

   More about OpenCut  

   

   Good alternative?Is OpenCut a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    
5. Ad

   

   

   CapCut

   Free video editor offering multi-track timeline, trimming, splitting, speed adjustments, advanced filters, stickers, backgrounds removal, licensed music, speech-to-text, stabilization, customizable 4K 60fps export, and direct sha...

   https://www.capcut.com

   Learn More
6. 

   

   Friction

    42 likes

   Friction is a powerful and versatile motion graphics application that allows you to create vector and raster animations for web and video platforms with ease.

   12 Friction alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Motion Graphics
   • Animation Maker

   Origin

   • International

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux

   • Global

   

   

   

   +4

   

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   Good alternative?Is Friction a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    
7. 

   

   OpenToonz

    139 likes

   Open-source 2D animation software supporting raster and vector workflows, node-based compositing, plug-in extensions, anti-aliased painting, and support for major platforms, developed in collaboration with Studio Ghibli and suitable for commercial projects.

   47 OpenToonz alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Animation Maker
   • Digital Painting

   Origin

   • Japan

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux

   • Japan

   

   

   

   +7

   

   More about OpenToonz  

   

   Good alternative?Is OpenToonz a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    

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   1comment

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   OpenToonz vs Adobe After Effects Comments

   Negative comment by shay · May 3, 2023

   while this has video creation functionality, it is intended for animation rather than video editing and compositing. an ae user would find it difficult to do their type of work in this program

   1 of 1 comments

   

   

   • OpenToonz is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
   • OpenToonz is an Animation Maker Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
   • OpenToonz is Privacy focusedAdobe After Effects is not according to our users
9. 

   

   CapCut

    81 likes

   Free video editor offering multi-track timeline, trimming, splitting, speed adjustments, advanced filters, stickers, backgrounds removal, licensed music, speech-to-text, stabilization, customizable 4K 60fps export, and direct sharing to social platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

   232 CapCut alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Video Editor

   Origin

   • China

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Online
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Android Tablet
   • iPad
   • HUAWEI AppGallery
   • Samsung Galaxy Store
   • HarmonyOS

   • China

   

   

   

   +4

   

   More about CapCut  

   

   Good alternative?Is CapCut a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

    
10. 

    

    enve

     43 likes

    Enve is a free and open-source 2D animation app. It can create both vector and raster animations and even use sound and video files. It has been created with flexibility and expandability in mind.

    60 enve alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application type

    • Animation Maker

    Origin

    • Poland
    • EU

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux

    • Poland
    • EU

    

    More about enve  

    

    Good alternative?Is enve a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

     

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    1comment

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    Discontinued

    The GitHub repo hasn't had updates since September 2022. There's already been 2 threads discussing the discontinued state of the program without any comment from the original dev:https://github.com/MaurycyLiebner/enve/issues/315https://github.com/MaurycyLiebner/enve/issues/336

    enve vs Adobe After Effects Comments

    Positive comment by groundjet · May 10, 2022

    Free and open source, much easier on the memory; still a lot of bugs and features missing but it is an absolutely amazing piece of software that will hopefully one day do to Adobe what Blender did to Autodesk.

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • enve is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
    • enve is an Animation Maker Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
11. 

    

    Pikimov

     19 likes

    Pikimov is a free web based motion design and video editor.

    31 Pikimov alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • Video Editor

    Origin

    • France
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Online

    • France
    • EU

    

    

    

    +4

    

    More about Pikimov  

    

    Good alternative?Is Pikimov a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

     
12. 

    

    Cavalry

     17 likes

    Cavalry makes 2d animation smarter, easier and faster to produce. Design in real-time for advertising, mobile, data visualisation, web, broadcast, UI, generative art, experiential, games and more.

    19 Cavalry alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application typeApplication types

    • Motion Graphics
    • Animation Maker

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about Cavalry  

    

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    1comment

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    Cavalry vs Adobe After Effects Comments

    Positive comment by Mosrod · May 23, 2020

    Wow! Cavalry is one of the closest free softwares I have seen with a similar interface and flow to After Effects. Although Cavalry doesn't contain all the bells and whistles of After Effects, it is a great and free software that allows you to create advanced compositions. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to composite within 2d and doesn't want to pay the expensive fee of After Effects.

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • Cavalry is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
13. 

    

    Blackmagic Design Fusion

     53 likes

    Fusion is the world’s most advanced compositing software for visual effects artists, broadcast and motion graphic designers and 3D animators.

    26 Blackmagic Design Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application typeApplication types

    • VFX
    • Video Editor

    Origin

    • Australia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    • Australia

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about Blackmagic Design Fusion  

    

    Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?

     

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    6comments

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    Blackmagic Design Fusion vs Adobe After Effects Comments

    Top Positive Comment by Paul · Apr 9, 2020

    Great software and well integrated with DaVinci Resolve.

    Positive comment by Guest · Oct 27, 2023

    Great node-based alternative if you require an advanced control over your compositions. It supports OFX plugins, macros, and software-specific plugins/scripts(Lua & Python)

    Positive comment by Guest · Sep 19, 2018

    High level composition software.

    3 of 6 comments

    

    

    • Blackmagic Design Fusion is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
    • Blackmagic Design Fusion is a VFX Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
14. 

    

    NUKE

     36 likes

    NUKE is a powerful compositing application that delivers unparalleled speed, an efficient multi-channel scanline rendering engine, and a first-class feature set that is unrivalled in the desktop market.

    19 NUKE alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application typeApplication types

    • VFX
    • Motion Graphics

    Origin

    • United Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    • United Kingdom

    

    

    

    +4

    

    More about NUKE  

    

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    1comment

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    NUKE vs Adobe After Effects Comments

    Positive comment by Guest · Dec 11, 2016

    There is a free commercial version, nuke is also more industry standard for compositing

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • NUKE is Free Personal and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
    • NUKE is a VFX Adobe After Effects is a Motion Graphics Software
15. 

    

    TiXL

     17 likes

    TiXL is an open-source solution for creating interactive 3d content and animations. It combines the best aspects of animation, compositing, and coding into a lightweight and intuitive UI. Your designs can be shared as executable or rendered to movies.

    10 TiXL alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application typeApplication types

    • VFX
    • Motion Graphics

    Origin

    • Germany
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    • Germany
    • EU

    

    More about TiXL  

    

    Good alternative?Is TiXL a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?