Free Adobe After Effects Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Adobe After Effects for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best free Windows alternative is Natron, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Adobe After Effects and 14 are free and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Windows alternatives to Adobe After Effects are Blackmagic Design Fusion, Blender, Friction and OpenToonz.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe After Effects alternatives are mainly Motion Graphics Software, but if you're looking for VFX Software or Animation Makers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free + Video Editing. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe After Effects.
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Professional-grade motion graphics and visual effects tool for post-production in film, TV, and creative projects through cloud subscription.

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Adobe After Effects alternatives page was last updated Jan 21, 2025
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  1. Natron icon

    Natron

     205 likes
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    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...

    19 Natron alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Natron screenshot 1

    Top Natron Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Open FX Support
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Video filters
    5.  Nodal Compositing
    6.  Portable
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    10.  Support for 4K
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required

    Natron VS Adobe After Effects

     
    Comments about Natron as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    Apr 9, 2020
    4

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Aug 21, 2017
    10

    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.

    Most Recent Comment
    ahmed52
    Positive Jan 7, 2022
    2

    free ,open source a bit hard to use at first

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    3 of 9 comments
    Adobe After Effects Icon
    Natron icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Natron is a great Adobe After Effects alternative.

    • Natron is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe After Effects.

    • Natron is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe After Effects.

    • Natron is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Blackmagic Design Fusion icon

    Blackmagic Design Fusion

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

    18 Blackmagic Design Fusion alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Blackmagic Design Fusion screenshot 1

    Top Blackmagic Design Fusion Features

    1.  Camera tracking
    2.  Node Based
    3.  Planar tracking
    4.  Nodal Compositing
    5.  Support for 4K
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    8.  Colour Grading
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Motion Capture
    11.  3D Renderer
    12.  Deep Pixel Compositing

    Blackmagic Design Fusion VS Adobe After Effects

     
    Comments about Blackmagic Design Fusion as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    Apr 9, 2020
    4

    Great software and well integrated with DaVinci Resolve.

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Oct 27, 2023
    0

    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)

    Guest
    Positive Sep 19, 2018
    7

    High level composition software.

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    3 of 6 comments
    Adobe After Effects Icon
    Blackmagic Design Fusion icon

    • Most users think Blackmagic Design Fusion is a great Adobe After Effects alternative.

    • Blackmagic Design Fusion is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Blender icon

    Blender

     1693 likes
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    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.

    139 Blender alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Steam
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Splash Artwork for Blender 4.3

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  3D Animation
    2.  3D Sculpting
    3.  Real time rendering
    4.  Community-based
    5.  Compositor
    6.  Keyframe Animation
    7.  Texturing
    8.  Animation Rigging
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  3D Renderer
    11.  Texture painting
    12.  Ad-free

    Blender VS Adobe After Effects

     
    Comments about Blender as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
    Comment summary: Blender is mainly recognized as a 3D modeling and animation tool, with capabilities that extend to video editing and compositing. However, many users highlight that its primary focus differs significantly from Adobe After Effects, which is designed for VFX and motion graphics. While Blender is praised for being open-source and versatile, it isn't typically seen as a direct alternative to After Effects for video effects work. Some users appreciate Blender's potential for specific tasks, but note its steep learning curve and differing workflow.
    Top Positive Comment
    sas_ja
    Jun 14, 2020
    5

    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
    danielmichel
    Nov 7, 2017
    48

    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.

    Most Recent Comment
    VicQueiroz
    Negative Apr 8, 2024
    -1

    Blender and After Effects have difference proposes

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    3 of 28 comments
    Adobe After Effects Icon
    Blender icon

    • Some users think Blender is a great Adobe After Effects alternative, some don't.

    • Blender is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
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    CapCut icon
    CapCut

    This free video editing app offers features like cutting, speed adjustments, advanced filters, chroma key, and a vast music library. Enjoy non-destructive editing, keyframe animation, transitions, and 4K support across multiple d...

    https://www.capcut.com
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  6. Friction icon

    Friction

     16 likes
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    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.

    5 Friction alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Friction screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  WYSIWYG Support
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Keyframe Animation
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Automated Tweening
    9.  Hardware Accelerated
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Non Destructive Editing

    Friction VS Adobe After Effects

     
  7. OpenToonz icon

    OpenToonz

     112 likes
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    OpenToonz is an animation program that is a free software version of Toonz, the animation software used by Studio Ghibli, amongst others.

    40 OpenToonz alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    GTS

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Pen Stabilization
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Stop Motion
    4.  Custom Brushes
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Support for scripting
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Drawing Tablet Support
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Automated Tweening

    OpenToonz VS Adobe After Effects

     
    Comments about OpenToonz as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
    shay
    Negative May 3, 2023
    3

    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

    Adobe After Effects Icon
    OpenToonz icon

    • Some users think OpenToonz is a great Adobe After Effects alternative, some don't.

    • OpenToonz is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
    • OpenToonz is Privacy focusedAdobe After Effects is not according to our users
  8. CapCut icon

    CapCut

     59 likes
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    This free video editing app offers features like cutting, speed adjustments, advanced filters, chroma key, and a vast music library. Enjoy non-destructive editing, keyframe animation, transitions, and 4K support across multiple devices without ads or registration.

    144 CapCut alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    CapCut screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Automated Captions
    6.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Colour Grading
    9.  Transitions Effects
    10.  Non Destructive Editing
    11.  Support for Layers
    12.  Support for 4K

    CapCut VS Adobe After Effects

     

    • CapCut is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Adobe After Effects.

    • CapCut is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
    • CapCut is LightweightAdobe After Effects is not according to our users
  10. enve icon

    enve

     35 likes
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    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.

    55 enve alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • PL flagPoland
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Official Enve Screenshot
    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

    Top enve Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Cloud Sync
    5.  Pressure Sensitivity
    6.  Custom Brushes
    7.  Automated Tweening
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  No Coding Required
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Hardware Accelerated

    enve VS Adobe After Effects

     
    Comments about enve as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
    groundjet
    Positive May 10, 2022
    0

    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.

    Adobe After Effects Icon
    enve icon
    • enve is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
7 of 14 Adobe After Effects alternatives