Top 10 Adobe® After Effects® Alternatives: Free and Paid

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Top 10 Adobe® After Effects® Alternatives: Free and Paid

January 21, 2024

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Adobe^® After Effects^® is incredible editing software that can bring your visual effects to the next level, but it can become an expensive and complex subscription whether you're using it short term or long term. Finding the choices that bring you Adobe^® After Effects^® free can be challenging but worth the time when you sort through the top alternatives. Comparing different options and utilizing trial periods can assist in picking out which programs like After Effects^® will bring you the most opportunity with your editing. So, if you’re wondering how to get Adobe^® After Effects^® for free, check out some of the best alternatives reviewed in this article.

A feature-rich and simple program: Movavi Video Editor

An app with built-in tutorials for beginners: HitFilm Free

A cross-platform app with a rotoscoping tool: Natron

Special pick: Movavi Video Editor

Living by the motto: Make videos. Create. Inspire – Movavi Video Editor is designed to help you craft seamless cinematography masterpieces. Main features include Chroma Key, which helps you change the background of your clips to anything you desire, stabilization features take away that shaky effect from physically holding your camera, and voiceover action assist with adding commentary and helping you vocally tell your story.

Movavi Video Editor is a great After Effects^® alternative that’s free to download. To get rid of the trial version limitations, you can pay a one-time fee of HK$389.

Pros:

Simple interface
Advanced editing features
Numerous video effects
Built-in media

Cons:

The free trial version is available for 7 days only

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Software

Pros

Cons

Movavi Video Editor

All-inclusive in features, comparison to similar software

Only the trial version is free

HitFilm Free

Surplus of video tutorials

Green screen is not available

Natron

Multi-layer rotoscoping

Difficulty editing large files

Blender

Combining 2D and 3D edits are easy

There is a steep learning curve

Wax

Fully functional 3D composition

Can be difficult to use for a beginner

ButtleOFX

Multitude of downloadable plug-ins

Available only for Linux

Fusion Studio

Create and save custom composition templates

You can't render multiple comps at once

Motion by Apple

Pairs well with Final Cut Pro

You can't import 3D templates

Nuke

Customize realistic 3D composites

Non-commercial and commercial versions offer few upgrades

Corel Video Studio Pro

Beginner-friendly for learning video editors

Noted glitches in operations

View all programs

Top alternatives to Adobe^® After Effects^® for free

Looking for free software like After Effects^® can take a little trial and error. Some programs will offer better resolutions and be similar to Adobe^® AE^®, providing you with specific open-source alternatives to after-effects, while others may replace the standard Adobe^® After Effects^® CS6 download. When you're looking at how to get after-effects for free, these are the top alternatives for Adobe^® After Effects^®.

HitFilm Free

HitFilm Free is an After Effects® alternative crafted specifically for filmmakers. It is an all-in-one video-editing app[1]. Bringing professional-grade VFX tools, you can utilize full 2D and 3D compositing for all of your upcoming projects.

Download HitFilm Free

Pros:

Free video tutorials
Over 410 presets and effects
A built-in voice recorder

Cons:

Lacks advanced editing features
Exports up to HD only

Natron

Natron is another alternative for After Effects® that's free to download. For your composition software, Natron brings you a cross-platform for visual effects and motion graphics. This digital compositor utilizes interface functionality that operates the same across all platforms, including macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Download Natron

Pros:

2D tracking tools
RotoPaint designs for multi-layer rotoscoping
Fluid curve & dope sheet editing

Cons:

Can be laggy when working with large files

Blender

Custom architecture has made Blender a different kind of after effects app. This free Adobe® After Effects® alternative unites flexibility with high-end tools that allow you to directly integrate with other production tools[2]. You can utilize this free after effects software for rigging, compositing, game creation, modeling, and more.

Download Blender

Pros:

Simple rendering
Customizable simulations
Beautiful scripting opportunities

Cons:

A steep learning curve
The interface might seem confusing for beginners

Top alternatives to Adobe^® After Effects^®

For creating and editing 3D scenes

Blender

G2 rating

4.6

For simple and fast VFX creation

Movavi Video Editor

G2 rating

4.8

For professional compositing

Fusion Studio

G2 rating

4.6

Wax

Wax is one more app like Adobe® After Effects® with a free download. It is a versatile yet lightweight free editing program, which allows you to customize your videos with a multitude of tools and add special effects.

Download Wax

Pros:

Graphics acceleration option for powerful devices
Fully functional 3D composition
Unlimited video and audio tracks

Cons:

Can be difficult to use for a beginner
The interface is outdated

ButtleOFX

The final app on our list of free alternatives to Adobe® After Effects® is ButtleOFX. It’s an open-source editor with a simple interface. You can use it not just for videos but for photos as well.

Download ButtleOFX

Pros:

Parameters editor to customize your special effects
Three different workspace layouts
Multitude of downloadable plug-ins

Cons:

Available only for Linux
No updates since 2015

Best paid Adobe^® After Effects^® alternatives

Fusion Studio

Operating as a motion graphics solution for video editors, Fusion is an After Effects® substitute that gives you visual effects, 3D, and VR graphics solutions.

Download Fusion Studio

Pros:

Sophisticated effects
Compositions can be saved as a template
Option to import 3D scenes and models from other applications

Cons:

Rendering multiple comps at one time isn't possible
Lack of tutorials

Motion by Apple

If you’re looking for an app like Adobe® After Effects® to download on your Mac, try Motion by Apple. The app lets you create 3D projects from scratch.

Download Motion by Apple

Pros:

360° titles
Direct upload to your platform of choice
Motion templates with custom controlled parameters
Professional masking tools

Cons:

You cannot import 3D objects
Creating animations can be difficult for beginners

Nuke

Compared to other After Effects® downloads, Nuke is on the pricier end of the spectrum. But you can test out Nuke's free trial before putting up the $5k+ to buy the standard Adobe® Effects® alternative. With industry-standard compositing, you can utilize over 200 creative nodes for all of your performance editing needs.

Download Nuke

Pros:

Realistic 3D viewing experiences
You can pull 3D motion tracks without leaving AE

Cons:

The standard plan vs. the pro version offer few functional differences
More expensive compared to other compositing tools

Corel Video Studio Pro

Created with all-inclusive video editing in mind, Video Studio Pro is designed for all skill levels.

Download Corel Video Studio Pro

Pros:

Beginner-friendly tutorials
Convert 360° edits to standard, downloadable projects
Burn video projects to DVD with ease
Enhanced 4k display

Cons:

Users report delays in transitions, light glitching
The software is heavy on space

Conclusion

Now you know about After Effects^® free alternatives and paid options. We hope this article has been helpful in your choice of a video editor.

Movavi Video Editor

Сreate awesome videos easily

About the Windows version

About the Mac version

*The free version of Movavi Video Editor may have the following restrictions depending on the build: watermark on exported clips, 60-second video or 1/2 audio length limit, and/or some advanced features unavailable when exporting videos.