lottieditorLottieditor guides
An After Effects alternative for simple Lottie animation
Lottieditor fits small vector animations for interfaces: a loader, an animated icon, or a logo. After Effects covers a much broader range of motion graphics and visual effects.
Choose based on the work
Try Lottieditor when you want to animate shapes in a browser and export Lottie without a separate authoring application. Keep After Effects for footage compositing, camera tracking, 3D scenes, and effects-heavy motion work. Adobe documents those capabilities in its After Effects feature overview.
What each workflow supports
| Need | Lottieditor | After Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Where you work | Browser editor | Desktop application |
| Vector motion | Shapes, text outlines on export, keyframes, easing, and presets | Shape and text animation, keyframes, expressions, and effects |
| Lottie authoring | JSON and dotLottie export built into the editor | A Lottie export workflow uses a separate exporter such as Bodymovin, with supported-feature limits |
| Existing project files | SVG, images, Lottie, and Lottieditor .motion projects; no .aep import | Native After Effects project workflow |
| Imported Lottie editing | Generic imports remain a composition. Their internal layers are not individually editable. Lottieditor editable metadata can restore native layers. | Do not assume an exported Lottie file restores the original After Effects project |
| Compositing and 3D | No footage compositing, camera tracking, or 3D scene workflow | Compositing, tracking, 3D animation, and visual effects |
| Exports here | Free editor accounts: five watermarked GIFs per month. Pro: unwatermarked exports. Standalone tools have separate free downloads. | See Adobe's current plan and export documentation |
Try one real task before switching
Use the logo animation guide or loading-spinner tutorial. Export a representative animation and test it in the exact player you ship. SVG effects may rasterize in Lottieditor, and native mobile playback has not been verified by this project.
If your existing project depends on After Effects effects, expressions, or compositing, keep the original project and its current production workflow.
Sources and scope
Reviewed September 8, 2026 against this editor's implementation, Adobe's feature documentation, and the Bodymovin / lottie-web project. This comparison concerns simple Lottie creation, not full product parity. Check our pricing page and Adobe's current offer for current prices.