•6 min read•Video
Verdict:Natron and Blender cover free compositing and motion graphics we rendered; Resolve Fusion, Cavalry and Jitter are strong docs-backed options depending on VFX vs motion-design focus.
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natron | Free (open source) | Linux, Windows, macOS | Node-based 2D compositing, keying, roto and tracking | Yes |
| Blender | Free (open source, GPL) | Windows, macOS, Linux | 3D motion graphics, animated titles and VFX with a built-in video editor | Yes |
| DaVinci Resolve (Fusion page) | Free; DaVinci Resolve Studio $295 | Windows, macOS, Linux | Editors who want node-based VFX and motion graphics inside their editing app | Docs only |
| Cavalry | Free for individuals | Windows, macOS | Procedural 2D motion design and Lottie export | Docs only |
| Jitter | Free plan (720p/30fps export); paid Pro, Max, Ultra, Enterprise | Web browser | Quick UI and social animations in the browser, starting from Figma designs | Docs only |
Last updated October 18, 2026
Short answer: there is no single free app that copies After Effects, but two open-source tools cover most of its jobs. Natron handles node-based 2D compositing (keying, roto, tracking), and Blender handles motion graphics, 3D titles and VFX. We rendered keyframed animations with both. DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page is the strongest free option if you also edit video, Cavalry is free for individual motion designers, and Jitter is a browser tool for quick UI animations. We reviewed those three from their official sites only.
How we ordered the tools: tools we rendered with hands-on (Natron, Blender) come first, then docs-only options by how much the free tier covers: DaVinci Resolve Free, Cavalry (free for individuals), then Jitter’s free plan (720p/30fps export). None of these products is ours.
After Effects is a layer-based app that mixes two jobs: motion graphics and compositing/VFX. The alternatives split along that line. Pick based on which job you do most, not on which list ranks a tool first.
What it replaces: After Effects' compositing side: keying, rotoscoping, tracking and stacking image layers. Natron's site describes OpenFX plug-in support, a 2D tracking toolset and multi-layer roto. It uses nodes instead of a layer stack, the same approach as Fusion and Nuke.
What we saw in testing: we downloaded the official Natron 2.5.0 Linux tarball from GitHub. The first run failed with a missing system library (libGLU.so.1); installing Debian's libglu1-mesa fixed it. We then used a short Python script with Natron's command-line renderer to build a Radial generator → Transform → Write graph, set two position keyframes and render 24 frames. It wrote 24 PNG files at 1920×1080 with an alpha channel in under 3 seconds of wall time, and the shape moved across the frame between frame 1 and frame 24 as keyed. Scripted, headless rendering like this is something After Effects users usually need extra tools for.
What it lacks vs After Effects: no text-animator system like After Effects' text layers, no shape-layer motion graphics workflow, no Adobe Dynamic Link, and a much smaller plug-in and template ecosystem. Development pace is the biggest caveat: the latest release on GitHub, 2.5.0, was published in November 2022.
Where to get it: natrongithub.github.io or the GitHub releases page. The site lists Windows 8.1/10/11 (64-bit), macOS and x86_64 Linux builds.
What it replaces: After Effects for motion graphics with depth: 3D titles, logo animations, particle effects and camera moves, plus basic compositing and a built-in video sequence editor.
What we saw in testing: we installed Blender 4.3.2 from Debian and ran it in background mode with a Python script: create a text object, keyframe its X position from frame 1 to 48, add a camera, and render with the Workbench engine straight to H.264 MP4. The full run, including Blender start-up, took about 12 seconds and produced a 1280×720, 48-frame H.264 file. Workbench is a preview-quality renderer; production renders with Eevee or Cycles on a machine without a GPU, like ours, would be much slower, and we did not measure them.
What it lacks vs After Effects: Blender is a 3D app first, so simple 2D jobs (lower thirds, kinetic type on flat layers) take more setup than in After Effects. There is no equivalent to After Effects' huge template marketplace inside the app, and its keymap and terminology differ.
Where to get it: blender.org/download. When we checked, the current release was 5.2.2 LTS for Windows, macOS (Apple silicon, macOS 13+) and Linux. We tested the older 4.3.2 Debian package. Blender is licensed under the GNU GPL.
What it replaces: After Effects for editors. Blackmagic Design describes Fusion as built into DaVinci Resolve, with a node-based workflow and hundreds of 2D and 3D tools for visual effects and motion graphics, such as animated titles, lower thirds, 3D infographics and green-screen keys.
What it lacks vs After Effects: it uses nodes rather than layers, which changes how you think about a comp. Some features are reserved for the paid Studio version; the product page lists extra Resolve FX, the DaVinci AI Neural Engine and more in Studio. We did not test Resolve.
Where to get it: blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve. The page lists a free version and DaVinci Resolve Studio at $295, for Mac, Windows and Linux.
What it replaces: After Effects' motion-design side, especially procedural and data-driven animation. Its site advertises Lottie export and real-time animation.
What it lacks vs After Effects: it is not a VFX or footage-compositing tool. There is no Linux version listed. Cavalry's pricing page notes it is now offered as "Cavalry by Canva", free for individuals, with paid team and enterprise options. We did not test it.
Where to get it: cavalry.scenegroup.co (Windows and macOS).
What it replaces: After Effects for simple UI animations, product mock-ups and social clips made by designers who already work in Figma.
What it lacks vs After Effects: it is a browser tool focused on design animation, with no compositing, keying or tracking. On the free plan, Jitter's pricing page lists 3 workspace files, video/GIF/Lottie export, and a maximum of 720p at 30 fps; higher resolutions, ProRes/WebM export and removing the watermark require paid plans. We did not test it.
Where to get it: jitter.video (runs in the browser).
1. Project files don't transfer. None of these tools lists .aep import on its official site. Treat migration as rebuilding, not converting. Keep After Effects installed (or keep rendered masters) until active projects are done.
2. Move media as image sequences. For anything mid-production, render clean plates and elements out of After Effects as PNG or EXR image sequences with alpha. Natron and Blender both read image sequences; our Natron test wrote 1920×1080 RGBA PNG sequences, which import cleanly into Blender's compositor or video editor.
3. Vector art and shape layers. Shape layers do not export as editable shapes. Keep source artwork as SVG or AI from your design app. Cavalry and Jitter are built for vector motion design (Jitter's site advertises importing from Figma); we did not test SVG import in Natron or Blender.
4. Lottie. If you used After Effects with a Lottie exporter for app animations, Cavalry and Jitter both list Lottie export on their sites. Neither Natron nor Blender is a Lottie tool.
5. Expressions and scripts. After Effects expressions are JavaScript-based; Natron and Blender use Python (we drove both with Python scripts in our test). Simple wiggles and loops have to be rewritten as Python expressions or drivers.
6. Shortcuts. Blender ships an "Industry Compatible" keymap option in its Preferences; see the Blender manual's keymap page. Plan a week of slower work either way.
7. Plugins. Natron supports OpenFX plug-ins per its site, so OFX plug-ins that also run in Resolve or Nuke may work; After Effects-only plug-ins (Adobe's own SDK) will not. Check each vendor's compatibility list.
8. Rendering. After Effects' render queue becomes command-line rendering: NatronRenderer and blender -b both rendered our test files without opening a GUI, which is handy for render farms or overnight batches.
If you work on Linux, start with Natron (node compositing) or Blender (3D motion and titles): both list Linux builds and both rendered output in our tests. DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion page is the docs-only Linux option for compositing inside an editor. Cavalry is Windows/macOS only, and Jitter runs in a web browser, so it works on Linux without an install but keeps your projects in its web app. For related decisions, see After Effects alternative free, After Effects vs Premiere Pro, best free video editor, Premiere Pro alternatives and Camtasia alternatives.
Natron-2.5.0-Linux-x86_64-no-installer.tar.xz from GitHub. Needed libglu1-mesa installed first. Ran NatronRenderer with a Python script (Radial → Transform with two keyframes → WriteOIIO), 24 frames to PNG. Verified the output size (1920×1080 RGBA) and that the shape's position changed between frame 1 and frame 24.4.3.2+dfsg-2): blender -b --python script creating keyframed text and a camera, rendered 48 frames with Workbench to MP4. Verified with ffprobe: H.264, 1280×720, 48 frames.DaVinci Resolve, Cavalry and Jitter were not installed. No After Effects install, no GPU Eevee/Cycles production benches, no keying quality study.
Natron 2.5.0 (official Linux tarball) and Blender 4.3.2 (Debian 13 package) were run headless on a CPU-only Linux machine: Natron rendered a 24-frame keyframed Transform to PNG, Blender rendered a 48-frame keyframed text animation to H.264 MP4. DaVinci Resolve, Cavalry and Jitter were not tested; they are reviewed from their official websites only. Prices were read from vendor sites on 2026-10-14.