Objective Comparison
Figma Motion vs After Effects
Figma Motion vs After Effects: Figma Motion animates UI right on the Figma canvas and hands developers code. After Effects is the full motion graphics and compositing tool. Which fits your work.
Updated October 2026
The Fundamental Architectural Difference
Figma Motion is a timeline built into Figma, in beta on Full seats since June 2026. It is best for UI motion: hover effects, loading states, transitions and short product videos, with code developers can copy. After Effects is a full motion graphics and compositing app with effects, expressions and a large plugin ecosystem. Use Figma Motion for interface animation you design in Figma, and After Effects for video, VFX and complex motion graphics.
Side-by-Side Matrix
Feature & Capability Breakdown
| Dimension | Figma Motion | After Effects | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | UI motion inside your design files | Motion graphics, compositing and VFX | Tie |
| Animation tools | Timeline, keyframes, auto-keyframing, easing curves, springs, preset styles | Timeline, keyframes, graph editor, expressions, effects | After Effects |
| Design system reuse | Animated components and motion variables shared across files | Templates and scripts, separate from your UI files | Figma Motion |
| Developer handoff | Copy CSS, JSON or React code in Dev Mode; Figma MCP server | Lottie through the Bodymovin plugin, or video for developers to rebuild | Figma Motion |
| Exports | MP4, GIF, SVG, WebM | Video formats and image sequences; Lottie via plugin | After Effects |
| Effects, compositing, 3D | 3D transforms listed as coming soon | Industry standard | After Effects |
| Plugins and learning resources | New, growing | Huge ecosystem and decades of tutorials | After Effects |
| Price | Included with Figma Full seats while in beta | US$22.99/month (annual plan, billed monthly); 7-day free trial | Tie |
When to Choose After Effects
- You make videos, title sequences, explainers or ads.
- You need compositing, tracking, keying or effects.
- You rely on expressions, scripts or third-party plugins.
- You need detailed character or illustration animation.
When to Choose Figma Motion
- You already design the product in Figma and want motion next to the screens.
- The work is UI motion: hover, press, loading, transitions.
- Developers will build the motion and need code they can copy.
- You want motion tokens in your design system so timing stays consistent.
Neither tool makes an animation that reacts to the user inside your app. For that, see interactive animation tools
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