# Free alternatives to Adobe After Effects

> Adobe After Effects (After Effects (standalone)) costs $275.88 a year. Free alternatives: Natron and Blender. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/adobe-after-effects/
- Category: Video (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/video/)
- Vendor: Adobe
- Plan: After Effects (standalone)
- Price: $22.99/month, $275.88/year
- Billing: annual plan, billed monthly
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "After Effects for desktop Price US$ 22.99/mo"
- Price source: https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/plans.html (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Natron

- Website: https://natrongithub.github.io
- Repository: https://github.com/NatronGitHub/Natron (5,579 stars, last push 2026-07-24)
- License: GPL-2.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: AUR: natron-bin; Flathub: fr.natron.Natron
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `yay -S natron-bin`, `flatpak install flathub fr.natron.Natron`
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/natron/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### Blender

- Website: https://www.blender.org
- Repository: https://github.com/blender/blender (20,763 stars, last push 2026-10-08)
- License: GPL
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: Arch extra: blender; Flathub: org.blender.Blender
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `sudo pacman -S blender`, `flatpak install flathub org.blender.Blender`
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/blender/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to Adobe After Effects?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Natron (open source, GPL-2.0) and Blender (open source, GPL).

### How much does Adobe After Effects cost?

Adobe After Effects's After Effects (standalone) plan costs $22.99 a month, which is $275.88 a year (annual plan, billed monthly). Source: the official pricing page at adobe.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which Adobe After Effects alternatives run on Linux?

Natron (AUR: natron-bin; Flathub: fr.natron.Natron) and Blender (Arch extra: blender; Flathub: org.blender.Blender).

### Can you self-host a Adobe After Effects alternative?

Natron and Blender are desktop apps that run on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.

### Are these Adobe After Effects alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Natron (GPL-2.0) and Blender (GPL).

---
Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/