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

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Adobe After Effects alternatives are mainly Video Editors but may also be VFX Software or Animation Makers.  Other popular filters includes Windows + Free + Video Editing and Windows + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of 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
  1. Natron icon
     197 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...

    22 Natron alternatives
    Natron screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    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 iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    Natron VS Adobe After Effects

    Is Natron a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?
     
    Comments about Natron as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
     
       
    Paul

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

    Top positive commentApr 9, 2020
    4
    Guest

    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.

    Top negative commentAug 21, 2017
    10
    ahmed52

    free ,open source a bit hard to use at first

    Positive commentJan 7, 2022
    2
    Show more comments
    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
     48 likes

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

    19 Blackmagic Design Fusion alternatives
    Blackmagic Design Fusion screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    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 iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    Blackmagic Design Fusion VS Adobe After Effects

    Is this a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?
     
    Comments about Blackmagic Design Fusion as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
     
       
    Paul

    Great software and well integrated with DaVinci Resolve.

    Top positive commentApr 9, 2020
    4
    Guest

    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 commentOct 27, 2023
    0
    Guest

    High level composition software.

    Positive commentSep 19, 2018
    7
    Show more comments
    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
  3. Blender icon
     1657 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.

    146 Blender alternatives
    Splash Artwork for Blender 4.3

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

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

    Top Blender Features

    1.  3D Animation
    2.  3D Sculpting
    3.  Real time rendering
    4.  Compositor
    5.  Community-based
    6.  Keyframe Animation
    7.  Texturing
    8.  Animation Rigging
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  3D Renderer
    11.  Texture painting
    12.  Grease Pencil
    Blender iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    Blender VS Adobe After Effects

    Is Blender a good alternative to 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.
    sas_ja

    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 positive commentJun 14, 2020
    5
    danielmichel

    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.

    Top negative commentNov 7, 2017
    48
    VicQueiroz

    Blender and After Effects have difference proposes

    Negative commentApr 8, 2024
    0
    Show more comments
    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
  4. NUKE icon
     33 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.

    21 NUKE alternatives
    NUKE screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    NUKE Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Motion Capture
    3.  Real time collaboration
    4.  File Versioning
    5.  Video Masking
    6.  Nodal Compositing
    7.  MultiTrack
    8.  Color correction
    NUKE iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    NUKE VS Adobe After Effects

    Is NUKE a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?
     
    Comments about NUKE as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
     
    Guest

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

    Positive commentDec 11, 2016
    7
    Adobe After Effects Icon
    NUKE icon
    • Most users think NUKE is a great Adobe After Effects alternative.

    • NUKE is the most popular commercial alternative to Adobe After Effects.

    • NUKE is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe After Effects is also Paid and Proprietary
  5. OpenToonz icon
     110 likes

    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
    GTS

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    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 iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    OpenToonz VS Adobe After Effects

    Is OpenToonz a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?
     
    Comments about OpenToonz as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
     
    shay

    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

    Negative commentMay 3, 2023
    3
    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
  6. CapCut icon
     51 likes

    CapCut is a free video editing app offering a suite of features including cutting, speed adjustment, advanced filters, a vast music library, and creative effects to help users produce high-quality videos.

    139 CapCut alternatives
    Web Editor

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

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

    CapCut VS Adobe After Effects

    Is CapCut a good alternative to 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
  7. enve icon
     35 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.

    55 enve alternatives
    Official Enve Screenshot

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux

    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
    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 iconAdobe After Effects Icon

    enve VS Adobe After Effects

    Is enve a good alternative to Adobe After Effects?
     
    Comments about enve as an Alternative to Adobe After Effects
     
    groundjet

    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.

    Positive commentMay 10, 2022
    0
    Adobe After Effects Icon
    enve icon
    • enve is Free and Open SourceAdobe After Effects is Paid and Proprietary
7 of 30 Adobe After Effects alternatives