Free alternatives
7 free Adobe After Effects alternatives
Motion graphics and visual effects do not need a Creative Cloud subscription. These free tools cover procedural motion design, node-based compositing, 3D and VFX tracking, and lightweight animation for the web.
Short answer
The best free Adobe After Effects alternatives are Cavalry, DaVinci Resolve, Blender and 4 more. Adobe After Effects has no full free plan, and each pick here is free or has a usable free plan.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
Is Adobe After Effects free?
Adobe After Effects pricing
Adobe After Effects is Adobe's app for motion graphics, animated titles and visual effects compositing.
After Effects is only available through a Creative Cloud subscription, as a single app or in bundles. Prices vary by country.
Free plan
No. After Effects has a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel. Adobe suggests Adobe Express as a free option for simple videos.
Checked on Adobe After Effects's official pricing page on . Prices change, so check before you buy.
The 7 best free Adobe After Effects alternatives
Every pick is free or has a usable free plan, and is listed in our directory. Free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site before you switch.
Why switch: Professional real-time 2D motion design, now free for individuals with a Canva account.
Professional real-time 2D motion design, free for individuals.
Works on Windows, macOS
Why switch: Its built-in Fusion page does node-based VFX, keying, tracking and animated titles.
A professional video editor, colour grader and audio suite with a powerful free version.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Free, open-source 3D, animation and VFX tracking, from logo reveals to full scenes.
Free, open-source 3D creation suite for modelling, animation, VFX and 2D animation.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Animate UI and social graphics in the browser, with a free plan.
Fast, simple, collaborative motion design tool that runs in your browser.
Works on Web
Why switch: Create Lottie animations for websites and apps in the browser, free to start.
Simple browser editor for creating and editing Lottie animations for websites and apps.
Works on Web
Why switch: Animate SVG graphics for the web without code, with a free plan.
Create SVG animations without code and add them to your website or app.
Works on Web
Why switch: Open-source animation library with a visual editor for web motion.
An animation editor with a visual interface for the web.
Works on Web
Frequently asked questions
- Is Adobe After Effects free?
- No. After Effects has a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel. Adobe suggests Adobe Express as a free option for simple videos.
- How much does Adobe After Effects cost?
- After Effects is only available through a Creative Cloud subscription, as a single app or in bundles. Prices vary by country. Checked on Adobe After Effects's own pricing page in October 2026; prices can change.
- What is the best free alternative to Adobe After Effects?
- Cavalry is our top pick, followed by DaVinci Resolve and Blender. Each one is free or has a usable free plan.
- Are these Adobe After Effects alternatives really free?
- Yes. Every tool on this page is either completely free or has a free plan you can keep using. Paid upgrades exist on some of them, and free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site.
Keep exploring
Free alternatives to other paid tools
- monday.com
- Jira
- Things 3
- Fantastical
- Miro
- Canva
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Submagic
- Lovable
- CleanShot X
- Squarespace
- Airtable
- Mobbin
- Tailwind Plus
- Adobe Fonts
- Grammarly
- Slack
- Zapier
- Typeform
- Mailchimp
- Figma
- Zoom
- Dropbox
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe XD
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- Adobe Express
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe Animate
- Adobe Substance 3D
- Adobe Bridge
- Adobe Fresco
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile
- Adobe Photoshop Express
- Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Adobe Illustrator Draw
- Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Adobe Firefly
- Adobe Stock
- Behance
Weekly newsletter
New tools and visual guides, every Monday.
One short email a week with the best new tools and websites, plus my latest visual guides. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Join the newsletterYou sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.