Adobe After Effects Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Adobe After Effects for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is Blender, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe After Effects and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Adobe After Effects are Natron, OpenToonz, Friction and EffectCraft.

filter to find the best alternatives

Most Adobe After Effects alternatives are Motion Graphics Software, but you can also narrow the list to VFX Software or Video Editors. Other popular filters are Open Source, Free, Linux, Windows and Mac. You can also filter for EU-based alternatives if you prefer software from the European Union.
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Alternatives
Adobe After Effects alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Blender icon
     1865 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.

    159 Blender alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 1994

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Steam
    • Flatpak
    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU
    Splash Artwork for Blender 4.3
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    30
  2. Natron icon
     225 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...

    24 Natron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2014

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • FreeBSD
    • Flathub
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    9
  3. OpenToonz icon
     143 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.

    52 OpenToonz alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2016

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  4. Friction icon
     46 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.

    15 Friction alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2023

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  5. CapCut icon
     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.

    265 CapCut alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2020

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • HarmonyOS
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Cavalry icon
     18 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.

    20 Cavalry alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2020

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  7. Fusion is the world’s most advanced compositing software for visual effects artists, broadcast and motion graphic designers and 3D animators.

    27 Blackmagic Design Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    6
  8. NUKE icon
     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.

    20 NUKE alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • GB flagUnited Kingdom
    NUKE screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  9. PopcornFX icon
     6 likes

    A suite of tools dedicated to real-time visual effects creation, along with ready-to-run mainstream game engine integrations and a runtime simulation framework for custom integration.

    27 PopcornFX alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2025

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Good alternative?
     
  10. Autodesk Flame software is a powerful finishing and visual effects solution with an integrated environment that accelerates creative workflows.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2020

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Create interactive SVG animations with precise keyframe and easing control, custom vector paths, shape and text editing, gradients, masks, boolean operations, blend modes, snap, grid, advanced export options including Lottie, GIF, and no JavaScript required.

    87 Expressive Animator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2021

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 33 Adobe After Effects alternatives