Adobe After Effects vs RealFlow
Adobe After Effects
adobe.comRealFlow
realflow.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe After Effects | RealFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 9 |
| Spec score · Vfx Tools | 8.3 (#3) | 7.9 (#10) |
| Spec score · Visual Effects Software | 8.3 (#6) | 7.9 (#16) |
| Founded | 1982 | 1998 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, USA | Madrid, Spain |
| Purpose | After Effects is motion design and visual effects software for animating text, graphics, and illustrations and compositing effects for film, TV, video, and the web. | RealFlow is fluids and multiphysics simulation software for visual effects and 3D production. |
Plans
Adobe After Effects
- Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers$19.99 a month
- After Effects$22.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
- After Effects for teams$37.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro for teams$99.99 a month
RealFlow
- RealFlow | 5 nodes pack$545, paid once
- RealFlow 10 + 1 Node$547.50, paid once
- RealFlow 10 | Plus$697.50, paid once
- RealFlow | 3ds Max$795, paid once
- RealFlow | Cinema 4D 3$795, paid once
- RealFlow | Maya$795, paid once
- RealFlow 10 | Starter Pack$997.50, paid once
- RealFlow 10 + plugin pack$1,295, paid once
- RealFlow 10 | Premium Pack$1,997.50, paid once
In their own words
Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is motion design and visual effects software for animating text, illustrations, and graphics and compositing effects for film, TV, video, and the web. It can animate still images for title sequences and credits, and its 3D workspace combines animated 3D shapes with 2D graphics. AI Object Matte isolates a moving subject, with refinement brushes for stray pixels; object tracking and Content-Aware Fill can remove unwanted elements across frames. Compositions can move into Premiere through Adobe Dynamic Link without intermediate rendering, and layered Photoshop files keep their layers on import. Render projects in the app’s Render Queue or with Adobe Media Encoder. Adobe recommends a dedicated video editor such as Premiere for editing clips. The software runs on macOS and Windows; activation, subscription validation, and online services require internet access and registration. A seven-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Adobe also provides free training guides and instructor-led video courses.