Blender
Focus: 3d, animation and vfx. Shares after effects alternative with Cavalry. Adds Linux. Rated 4.8 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.8Visit
Desktop App
Cavalry
Professional real-time 2D motion design, free for individuals.
Rating
4.6 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Advanced
Works on
Windows, macOS
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Cavalry?
Cavalry is professional, real-time 2D animation and motion graphics software built around procedural motion design, with rigging, data import and Lottie export. It is now part of Canva and free for individuals with a Canva account, with no stated usage limits. It runs on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel) and Windows; enterprise access goes through Canva sales.
Pros: what Cavalry does well
- Pro motion design tool, free for individuals
- Procedural animation and data-driven graphics
- Exports Lottie for web and apps
Cons: where it falls short
- Needs a Canva account
- No Linux version
Who Cavalry is for
Motion designers who want a modern, procedural alternative to After Effects.
Who can skip it
People who need compositing for live-action footage.
Cavalry alternatives
Not sold on Cavalry? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Bloop
Focus: product demos, video and social media. Shares motion design with Cavalry. Freemium (Cavalry: Free). Rated 4.5 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFree planmacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
OpenToonz
Focus: frame-by-frame, open source and animate alternative. Shares 2d animation with Cavalry. Rated 4.3 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.3Visit
Pencil2D
Focus: hand-drawn, open source and animate alternative. Shares 2d animation with Cavalry. Adds Linux. Rated 4.2 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.2Visit
Synfig
Focus: vector animation, open source and animate alternative. Shares 2d animation with Cavalry. Adds Linux. Rated 4.2 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.2Visit
Annnimate
Focus: gsap, animation library and react components. Shares motion design with Cavalry. A website, not a desktop app. Freemium (Cavalry: Free). Adds Web. Rated 4.8 (Cavalry: 4.6).
WebsiteFree planWeb
4.8Visit
Free alternatives to Cavalry
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Kombai Selects
Focus: design inspiration, ui design and curation. Shares motion design with Cavalry. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.5 (Cavalry: 4.6).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Viewport UI
Focus: ui inspiration, interaction design and gallery. Shares motion design with Cavalry. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.5 (Cavalry: 4.6).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Ghostty
Focus: terminal, emulator and gpu. Also in Personal Productivity, like Cavalry. Adds Linux. Rated 4.9 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.9Visit
Everything
Focus: file search, windows and search tool. Also in Personal Productivity, like Cavalry. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Offline
4.8Visit
fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Also in Personal Productivity, like Cavalry. Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.8 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
lazygit
Focus: git client, terminal ui and developer tool. Also in Personal Productivity, like Cavalry. Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.8 (Cavalry: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
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