Best Open Source Alternatives to Adobe After Effects

Compare the best free and open-source alternatives to Adobe After Effects — self-hosted and desktop replacements you fully control, ranked by GitHub stars, license and platform support.

Curated by open-source.store · Updated November 2026 · 4 alternatives

Adobe After Effects

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Adobe After Effects alternatives compared

Open-source alternatives to Adobe After Effects, compared by stars, license and platform
Tool		License	Platforms	Self-hosted
OpenToonz	7,915	BSD-3-Clause	LinuxmacOSWindows	No	Oct 2026	Visit
Natron	5,628	GPL-2.0	LinuxmacOSWindows	No	Jul 2026	Visit
Synfig Studio	2,329	GPL-3.0	LinuxmacOSWindows	No	Nov 2026	Visit
Wick Editor	854	GPL-3.0	WebLinuxmacOSWindows	Yes	Mar 2023	Visit

Top open-source Adobe After Effects alternatives

OpenToonz7,915BSD-3-Clause

OpenToonz is a free 2D animation suite replacing proprietary ink-and-paint tools with Studio Ghibli's hand-drawn workflow and paper scanning.

LinuxmacOSWindows

vs Adobe After Effects: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed BSD-3-Clause.

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Natron5,628GPL-2.0

Natron is an open-source node-based compositor for VFX and rotoscoping, offering an alternative to After Effects and Nuke with a GPL-2.0 license.

LinuxmacOSWindows

vs Adobe After Effects: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed GPL-2.0.

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Synfig Studio2,329GPL-3.0

Synfig Studio is an open-source 2D animation suite offering automated vector tweening and bone rigging without expensive subscriptions.

LinuxmacOSWindows

vs Adobe After Effects: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed GPL-3.0.

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Wick Editor854GPL-3.0

Wick Editor is an open-source animation and game creation tool. It replaces Animaker with scriptable, self-hosted HTML5 interactive canvas exports.

WebLinuxmacOSWindows

vs Adobe After Effects: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed GPL-3.0.

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Best Open Source Alternatives to Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects alternatives compared

Top open-source Adobe After Effects alternatives

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