“I wonder if there is an After Effects alternative I can use that guarantees equally incredible video enhancement simply, quickly, and cheaply?”

1. Free Alternatives To Adobe After Effects
2. Iphone Apps Similar To Adobe After Effects

Of course, there are plenty of Adobe After Effects alternatives you can use that are pretty affordable, and you won’t need a YouTube tutorial to learn how to use them. In case you are wondering what in the universe is After Effects, relax and read on. Now, in the world of videography, more often than not, one is required to edit and improve the overall outlook of their videos recorded on a phone or digital camera. To do so, you need After Effects. It is an unmatched technically-advanced motion software used for creating and editing video files. It is trendy in the market, hence if you an aspiring videographer or are interested in graphic design, read along.

Below are the ten best Adobe After Effects alternatives you need to know and try out!

Below are the ten best Adobe After Effects alternatives you need to know and try out! 10 Best Adobe After Effects Alternative 1. Filmora Video Editor. First on our list is the Filmora Video Editor (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) that is excellent After Effects alternative for Mac as well as Windows operating system. It is a brilliant tool for.

10 Best Adobe After Effects Alternative

1. Adobe Photoshop alternatives All three of the programs listed below provide effective photo-editing tools, from sizing, cropping, and retouching to noise reduction, color correction, and more.
2. Mar 11, 2020 Adobe After Effects is a visual effects and motion graphics application used for filmmaking and television production. Natron provides a perfect alternative to Adobe After Effects with motion editing and multi-view workflow. With an intuitive user interface and a quick rendering, you can work with keyframes with a very accurate curve editor.
3. After Effects is a digital visual effects and motion graphics software developed by Adobe. It is widely used for the production process of film making. After Effects provide high-quality virtual effects, this tool helps you to easily remove elements in the film. However, it has some limitations related to 3D animation and sound synchronization.

1. Filmora Video Editor

First on our list is the Filmora Video Editor (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) that is excellent After Effects alternative for Mac as well as Windows operating system. It is a brilliant tool for compositing and editing video clips designed with an intuitive user interface. It has up-to-date editing modes and better control like key-framing over clips.

Features:

• It performs tasks fast, has proxy files, and a changeable preview function that contributes to your productivity.

• It allows you to rectify the most common camera problems, including camera shake and fisheye.

• You can alter the aesthetic of a video clip with just one click.

• It has room for direct sharing of stories online.

• It lets you arrange media files in video tracks of 100.

2. Nuke

The second best After Effects alternative for Mac and Windows users is Nuke. It is prevalant and used in editing many Hollywood movies such as Avatar, Tron: Legacy, Transformers, and The Lord of The Rings. It is also highly utilized by animators since it is an adaptable, efficient, and highly featured video tool.

Price: $1629 quarterly or $4758 for the lifetime plan

Features:

• Nuke comes designed with vector paint tools, color correction, rotoscope, and much more.

• It makes it possible to work with images that have multiple opacity and color.

• It lets you monitor and make necessary alterations to objects precisely and fast.

• It articulately takes care of Lens’ distortion.

• It supports previewing change in 3D.

3. Apple Motion

Apple Motion is an After Effects alternative for Mac computers only. It makes it easier for its user to create amazing 2D and 3D animations, personalize fancy titles, transitions, and effects for Final Cut Pro, which happens to be an Apple software too. What makes Apple Motion a unique video tool is that it gets you immediate feedback on your work without rendition.

Price: $299.99

Features:

• It has High Dynamic Range graphics.

• It lets you drag and drop clips to create animations with a choice of up to 200 filters.

• It allows you to customize hue, brightness, and saturation with improved color wheels.

• It supports the importing of 360-degree media and developing 360-degree titles, generators, and effects.

4. Natron

The fifth on our list is an After Effects open-source alternative that is also free to use. Natron can be downloaded and installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. It is perfect for graphic design enthusiasts as it allows you to personalize the functions and the user interface, giving you more control over the software. Moreover, it is capable of generating numerous layers of masks, mattes, and shapes used in creating effects.

Price: Free

Features:

• It has a mighty and brilliant sheet editor.

• It has an excellent 2D and planner tracker.

• It developed with GPU and rendering ability.

• It accommodates a myriad of free and open-source OpenFX plugins.

• It supports the most popular image formats, including PNG, JPG, SVG, and PSD.

5. Blender

Blender is an Adobe After Effects alternative for free that is also open-source software. It is a cross-platform video tool designed specifically for creating animation effects. It is suitable for developing motion tracking, visual effects, thrilling 3D applications, or video games. You can customize Blender using its API for Python script.

Price: Free

Features:

• It is ideal for making incredible renders.

• It allows you to alter animation pose editor.

• It is capable of rendering to multi-layer OpenEXR files.

• Allows you to merge 2d and 3D images smoothly.

• It has onion skinning support for animation.

• It lets its users personalize interface layout as well as shortcuts.

6. Wax

Sixth in the list is Wax, which is another After Effects alternative for free for Windows users exclusively. It is instead a lightweight software that you can use single-handedly or as a plugin for other software like Sony Vegas. When you use Plugin Adapter, you have a variety of Wax plugins to select from like DirectX, Windows Movie Maker presets, or Virtual Dub filters.

Price: Free

Features:

• It allows for the creation of 2d and 3D video effects.

• It is an ideal plugin for Premiere.

• It lets the user utilize graphics acceleration for processing.

7. Autodesk Smoke

Autodesk Smoke is pretty expensive with quite a challenging user interface. You will have to put aside some minutes just to get acquitted with the software’s platform. Otherwise, it is an excellent video enhancer that lets you work on your clip on the timeline. It makes jaw-dropping 3D text effects.

Price: $1545 per year

Features:

• It lets you scale your workflow using automated processes.

• It allows creating smart particle effects like water, snow, fire, and spray.

• It has a polygon subdivision surface that lets you develop organic and parametric objects.

• It provides selection and styling tools that make it easy to manipulate hair and fur directly in viewports.

8. Hitfilm

Hitfilm is an Adobe After Effects alternative that’s free for use. It is a feature-packaged VFX software that takes care of editing and compositing tasks exhaustively and simply. Designed with a lot of preset effects, it enables its users to create state-of-the-art videos effortlessly.

Price: Free

Features:

• It has more than 820 VFX and presets.

• It accommodates mostly used media formats.

• It supports audio visualization.

• It comes with surface studio effects that let you create animated texture.

9. Fusion 16

Fusion 16 is an excellent animation software designed with visual effects, VR, motion graphics, and 3D functionality. It makes it easier for the user to develop the impact by joining different kinds of photograph processing software. It is available for download on Windows and Linux platforms.

Price: Free or $299

Features:

• It accommodated popular Virtual Reality (VR) headsets.

• It designed to analyze live-action shots and integrate them into 3D camera movement.

• It is capable of automatically identifying the tracking details of an image.

• It has better performance thanks to extra GPU acceleration.

10. Continuum

Last but not least, on our list of best Adobe After Effects alternative is the Continuum software. This software is a plugin development by Boris FX. It lets you streamline workflow using up-to 17 different creative effects. Its cinema 4D integration makes it stand out.

Price: Free

Features:

• It lets you incorporate spotlights and moody rays on-stage performances.

• It enhances classical look in films with the help of the film style unit.

• There is a variety of choices for use in color correction and matching.

• It helps achieve advanced visual effects (VFX).

• It comes with plenty of presets to begin a project.

Conclusion

So, have you made your pick on the best Adobe After Effects alternative you would like to give a try?
Now, if you are a first time or potential graphic-designer cum videographer, it is advisable to start with user-friendly apps like Filmora9 Video Editor.
Go ahead and click on the links provided to download the app of your choice immediately. Enjoy.

Adobe After Effects sits at the pinnacle of 2D-based animation compositing tools with great motion graphics tools and well-supported communities with a plethora of scripting, plugins, templates, and tutorials for creating spectacular outcomes. However, the demand for Adobe After Effects alternatives is growing because of it's high subscription fee ($20.99/month under an annual plan), random crashes, and the steep learning curve. Thus, I pick up the 10 best Adobe After Effects alternatives, range from free open-source software to comparatively expensive programs, fitting your various demand and budgets. Quick navigations:

1. Adobe After Effects Free Alternative [Natron, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Cavalry]
2. Online After Effects Alternative [Clara.io]
3. Cheap Software that Can Replace Adobe After Effects [Motion 5]
4. Easy Adobe After Effects Alternative [Hitfilms Pro, Vegas Post]
5. Advanced After Effects Alternatives [Cinema 4D, Nuke]

Adobe After Effects Free Alternatives

#1. Natron - Best After Effects Open Source Alternative

• Price: Free
• Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐
• Download Link: https://natrongithub.github.io/

Natron is a free and open-source compositor which is capable of generating unlimited layers of masks, matters, and shapes. It can also be utilized to create simple 2D/2.5D animation VFX, but you won't get particle effects to create smoke flow, clouds, and some special visual effects directly. It supports countless open-source plugins as well as commercial add on. Thanks to the support of the 2D planar tracker, you can quickly and accurately accomplish your tracking jobs.

The nitty interface, as well as the node-based compositing workflow of Natron, is nearly the same with the expensive Nuke (an advanced After Effects alternative that we'll talk about later) which enables you to set expressions on animation curves to create animation move objects. Well, it's no wonder why it is considered as the best After Effects open source alternative by many reddit users.

Natron VS After Effects

• Natron wins in: Node-based Compositing, Ease-of-Use, Customizable, Cross-platform.
• After Effects wins in: Title Creation/Generation, Motion Graphics, 3D Compositing, Color Grading, 3D Models Importing, Particle Generators, Simulations, 2D/3D Animation, Render Speed, Rotoscoping, Third-Party Plugins, Audio Editing.

#2. Blender - After Effects Freeware for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows

• Price: Free
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐
• Films that used Fusion for production: Cosmos Laundromat, Agent 327
• Download Link: https://www.blender.org/download/

Blender is an open-source 3D animation and modeling program with integrated compositors. That's being said the killer feature of Blender is its capability in creating stunning 3D animation graphics. If your work requires lots of 3D effects, Blender can deliver further more possibilities than After Effects does. And Better yet, everything you can do about 2D-based VFX and composition with After Effects can get accomplished in Blender, though very possibly in a more time-consuming and cumbersome way.

Blender VS After Effects

• Blender wins in: 3D compositing, 3D modeling, Editing Capabilities, Cross Platforms.
• After Effects wins in: 2D animation, Render Speed, 2D Motion Graphic and VFX work, Templates Creation, Title Generation, Rotoscoping, Third-Party Plugins, Text Motion Tracking.

#3. Blackmagic Fusion – Free Alternative to After Effects for Linux, macOS, Windows

• Price: Free
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Films that used Fusion for production: Deadpool 2
• Download Link:https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/

Fusion is developed by Blackmagic Design as a standalone application-Fusion 16, and also an integrated utility in Davinci Resolve 16. As a professional compositing software, it's widely used by broadcast companies, TV-series producers, and commercials to create special visual effects, motion graphics, virtual reality video, camera/planar tracking, animate titles, etc. With the advanced stereoscopic 3D tools, it's capable of loading and rendering 3D models and scenes.

What's more? You can add interactive physical effects like wind and gravity with 2D/3D objects in the scene. Suppose you are using the Fusion tab integrated with the free DaVinci Resolve, you can get access to the advanced audio/video editing toolsets, and the strong color-correction utility as well.

Fusion VS After Effects

• Fusion wins in: Node-based Compositing, Color Grading, Video Editing, Audio Editing, VFX work, Cross-Platform.
• After Effects wins in Stable, 2D/3D animation, Render Speed, 2D Motion Graphic, Templates Creation, Title Generation, Third-Party Plugins, Simulations.

#4. Cavalry - New After Effects Alternative for Windows and macOS

• Price: Free
• Ease of Use：⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Download Link: https://cavalry.scenegroup.co/

Cavalry, first released in 2019, focuses on 2D motion graphics, is also good at data visualization, character animations, FUI, and much more. As a nova in animation software, Cavalry is friendly for armature with a nitty interface and straightforward workflow. For instance, you can simply double click on the keyframe node to adjust the properties. With features like deformation, voxelising shapes, - Users review from Reddit.

After Effects Online Alternative

#5. Clara.io - Free After Effects Online Alternative

• Price: Free (The paid version costs $10/month)
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Official Site: https://clara.io/scenes

Clara.io is a full-blown 3D modeling, animation, and rendering program. The paid account charges you $20 per month, but the free account already packs all features required by daily needs. As an online animation maker, Clara.io is easy to use but still offers 3D artists and newbies superb results. It is highly compatible with a wide range of supported 3D formats including OBJ, FBX, STL, 3DS, and many more. Also, it responses extremely fast even on a less powerful machine thanks to the application of the V-Ray cloud engine. Moreover, it is supported by +100,000 free 3D models which give beginners lots of possibilities to quickly create 3D animation and modeling.

Clara.io VS After Effects

• Clara.io wins in: Ease of Use, Low Requirement in Computer, 3D Modeling Rendering, and Creating.
• After Effects wins in: 2D Animation Compositing, Motion Graphics, Rich Plugins, Title Generation, Rotoscoping, Motion Tracking, Simulation, VFX/Visual animation effects creation.

Cheap Alternative to Adobe After Effects

#6. Motion 5 - Cheap After Effects Alternative for Mac

• Price: $49.9/permanently usage
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Download Link: Apple official site

Motion 5, developed by Apple Inc, is a motion graphic application runs on macOS. It has everything you need for creating 2D/3D animations, smooth transitions, 360° effects/titles, and realistic effects. Besides, the build-in real-time design engine offers you a live view without lagging. Motion is easy to learn and more efficient compared to AE. However, it lacks the support of the raft of plugins and templates that AE has. However, this isn't a deal-breaker for average users as you can use either Apple Motion or After Effects to create or edit simple motion graphics and animation titles as well as composite 2D/3D FOR visual effects.

Motion 5 VS After Effects

• Motion 5 wins in: Ease of Use, Color Grading.
• Adobe After Effects wins in: Third-Party Plugins, 2D Animation Compositing.

Easy Alternative to Adobe After Effects

#7. Hitfilm Pro - Easy Alternative to Adobe After Effects for Windows and macOS

• Price: $299
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Download Link: https://fxhome.com/hitfilm-pro

FXhome Hitfilm is an all-in-one app with great features on 3D facilities modeling, motion graphics, and complex procedural animations, graphics compositing, color correction, and advanced video editing. The many quick 3D presets offered by Hitfilm may limit you your creatively but it enables you to create bonfires, falling debris, Fire Explosion, and other amazing 3D effects with a few clicks of a mouse. In addition, it's fast composition workflow allows you to watch the video without rendering. So, basically, you can use Hitfilm Pro as a quicker and easier replacement of After Effects.

Hitfilm Pro VS After Effects

• After Effects wins in: Multi-Cam Editor, Shape Layers, Respond and Render Speed, 2.5D animation creation and Composition, Title Generation.
• Hitfilm Pro: Simulations, Lens Flares, Color Grading, VFX works, 3D composition, Ease of Use, Customization, Thrid Party Plugins, Video Editing.

#8. Vegas Post - Expensive Alternative for After Effects for Windows

• Price: $999
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Download Link: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-post/

VEGAS POST is a collection of software including VEGAS PRO 17 (editing videos), Vegas Effects (creating and compositing animations and VFX), and VEGAS Image (processing image). A beginner or hobbyist can purchase Vegas Effects separately at the price of $399. You can get most things that are needed in visual effects and compositing, to name a few, 3D model rendering and effects, environment maps, versatile color-grading kits.

Vegas Effects gives you 800 staggering effects, filters, and presets that help you create eye-catching outcomes without having to install extra plugins. Other than that, you can enjoy a smooth playback even when copping with plenty of VFX works own a good deal to the support of threaded rendering.

Vegas Post VS After Effects

• Vegas Post Wins in: Color Correction, Video Editing, Quick Visual Effects Creation.
• After Effects Wins in: Ease of Use, Motion Tracking, 2D/2.5D animations, Title Generation, Third-Party Plugins.

Advanced Alternatives to After Effects

#9. Cinema 4D - App Similar to After Effects for Windows, macOS, Linux (More Advanced)

• Price: $60-120/Month
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐
• Films that used Hitfilm Pro for production: 2012, Spider-Man
• Download Link: https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d

Cinema 4D, developed by Maxon, is all about creating 3D graphics for Motion and Visual Graphics. It usually collaborates with Adobe After Effects to build breathtaking 3D animations and models for Hollywood films. Certainly, it can be used stand-alone as an industry-level 3D modeling, painting, rendering, and animation program. Cinema 4D responds extremely fast and boasts robust rendering plugins. If all you need is about 3D-based things, Cinema 4D is more desirable than Adobe After Effects.

Cinema 4D VS After Effects

• After Effects wins in almost everything but 3D modeling.

#10. Nuke - Node-based Adobe Effects Alternative for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows

• Price: $9298
• Ease of use: ⭐
• Download Link: https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke

Nuke is an industry-standard composition program before anything else. Being one of the most advanced node-based compositing tools, it can cope with 1023 channels in a single stream. Therefore, it is widely regarded as an advanced substitution of After Effects for the compositing jobs required by high-end films or TV shows. It is considerably more expensive and has a steeper learning curve, higher requirements on the PC built.

Rotoscoping is easier made and more adjustable in Nuke. The support of third-party plugins allows you to realize endless possibilities when creating VFX effects. Be that as it may, After Effects is still unreplaceable if you are working with multiple cameras, and videos with different durations, resolutions, and formats.

Free Alternatives To Adobe After Effects

Nuke VS After Effects

Iphone Apps Similar To Adobe After Effects

• Nuke wins in: Node-based Compositing, 4K Video Compositing, 3D/VFX Compositing, Team Work, Effeciency.
• After Effects wins in: Motion Graphics, Animation, Templates Creation, Title Generation, Ease of Use.

FAQ

Is After Effects free or there a free version?

No, in short. After Effects is a paid-for motion graphics, visual effects, and compositing software that offers no free version.

However, you can get a free trial for 7 days with the capability to use all features. To use After Effect for free, come cover to its official site, click on Free trial to download the .exe file, and have it installed on your pc or mac.

Can you buy After Effects permanently?

There is no access to buy Adobe After Effects permanently from Adobe since 2013. Though you can still purchase some older versions of AE from eBay and many commercial sites without having to pay the subscription fee every month ($19.9/month for the first year, and $29.99/month for next years), more bugs and crashes you would experience. And as such, it's worth going to dip your toes in some cheaper alternative before subscribing After Effects.

What is better than Adobe After Effects?

It's up to your target, personal preferences, machines, source files, skill level, and many other factors. For instance, Node-based visual effects and compositing programs like Fusion, Nuke, and Natron are far more efficient than layer-based Adobe After Effects to process complex composites entailing a vast number of layers. Hitfilm Pro and Vegas Effects have numerous ready-made options for creating spectacular VFX effects, they are better substitutes for After Effects if the project you are working on is time-sensitive. As for 3D rendering or modeling, even the free Blender can easily rival AE.

Which version of After Effects is the best?

Adobe After Effects 17.5 released on Oct 2020 is currently the best version with lots of bug fixed and new/improvement features including Tapered shape strokes, concentric shape repeaters, support of ProRes RAW files, etc.