Animoto Reviews

Your first stop with Animoto is its dashboard, which brings all your projects into one place. It feels uncluttered and straightforward, which makes it easy to get started.

Projects can run up to 50 minutes, while individual uploads must stay under 20 minutes.

This limit is more generous than Canva’s 30-minute cap, though Adobe Express still wins out with no strict time limits beyond file size. Even so, Animoto's ceiling is more than enough for most users.

To create a project, you can either start from scratch, pick a template, or build a slideshow.

• Starting fresh means selecting a theme, choosing your aspect ratio, and pulling media from your computer or cloud storage.
• Templates are neatly organized by category – everything from TikToks and real estate videos to holiday reels.
• The slideshow option is similar but leans toward business, photography, and education.

The slideshow editor is one of Animoto's best features.

You can rotate or duplicate clips, add logos and text, or even extend the playtime of your favorite photos. Audio can be swapped or adjusted, pacing can be fine-tuned, and styles can be changed even after you’ve built your sequence.

We especially liked that a live preview let us check our work before sharing or downloading.

Creating a polished slideshow is quick and painless, which is something Adobe Express struggles with, given its heavier toolkit.

Canva is easier to use but feels more like a general design platform that happens to support video.

Animoto, by contrast, stays focused on video creation, making it a stronger choice if slideshows and social clips are your priority.

Animoto's editor is simple to navigate, feels thoughtfully laid out, and the basics are all there.

You can trim or resize clips, adjust opacity, change backgrounds, or apply clipping masks. Text is also easy to add, and the built-in presets save time when you want different looks.

Design options are flexible, as well.

You can swap themes without starting over, apply filters and transitions, or adjust text styles and animations.

We were impressed by the possibility of creating brand kits to stay consistent across multiple projects, which is particularly useful if you are creating content for different clients.

Importing media is just as straightforward.

You can drag files from your computer, pull from cloud storage, or upload directly from your phone.

We found the mobile upload option especially handy. Scanning a QR code adds photos or videos instantly to the media library, which is much faster than sending files manually.

The only limitation is that audio must be added from your computer or recorded as a voice-over.

Speaking of audio, Animoto includes a library of more than 3,000 licensed songs.

Finally, we also liked how seamless it was to adjust formats. Switching between 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 keeps edits intact, and layouts can be previewed with thumbnails before applying.

Animoto makes it easy to record directly from your webcam or capture your screen. You can even do both at the same time, with a maximum recording length of 30 minutes.

Sharing options are equally flexible.

The platform has a dedicated sharing page that centralizes everything, from advanced shareable links and email distribution to embedded videos and one-click publishing on social media channels.

But it’s also possible to privately share videos and send commenting invitations with a premium plan, streamlining approval rounds by allowing collaborators to leave direct feedback on your edits.

Another standout is Animoto's AI script generator.

You simply choose the type of video you want to create, add a short description, and the tool generates a ready-to-use script.

The only caveat is that this feature currently works exclusively in Chrome. Still, for anyone dealing with creative block, it’s one of the most effective ways we have seen to move from idea to execution without staring at a blank screen.

To streamline the editing process, Animoto integrates with cloud services such as Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box.

In short, Animoto strikes a balance of being simple enough for new users while still being practical for creators who want to create professional-looking video scripts quickly.

It’s a bit strange that there isn’t an Android app, but then there are two for iOS.

There’s Animoto: Video Maker & Editor for video creation and editing, and Slideshow Creator for slideshows. We would have preferred to have everything in one place, as juggling between two apps isn’t the best user experience.

Both mobile apps include fundamental editing features in their free version, which is perfect. However, you have additional in-app purchases even if you’re subscribed to Animoto's web app.

Additionally, the mobile apps aren’t cross-compatible, and videos created with mobile apps cannot be accessed in the browser app.

When compared to the competition, Animoto offers strong value at the entry level for quick and basic editing, but leans to the pricier side if you need more advanced features.

There’s also a limited free plan that lets you try out the platform but puts Animoto's watermark on your videos and blocks downloads. Make the most out of this because the company doesn’t provide any refunds.

Premium is the cheapest paid plan, costing $9 per month. It removes Animoto's watermark, adds 1080p and download support, and increases the cloud storage to 5GB.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to Professional for $19 per month. It builds upon Premium by adding custom branding, voice-overs, thousands of songs, over 1 million licensed media, 50GB of cloud storage, and much more.

If you work with a group of people, Animoto has a team-oriented subscription called Professional Plus that supports three users and comes with the option to purchase additional seats. This plan offers more licensed media and saved brands, custom font uploading, unlimited cloud storage, and a dedicated account manager.

All plans come at a discounted rate of 50% if you choose to pay yearly.

In addition to the free version, you can book a demo call with Animoto's sales representatives to understand how it can help you specifically.

We were impressed with how fast the company answered. We reached out via email and got a cordial reply within one hour.

The general positive feedback about Animoto's customer support quality only reflects our experience. For example, Mary McBeth says on TrustPilot:

Those looking for community updates can visit Animoto's socials on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

If you mainly work on social clips, slideshows, or short marketing reels, Animoto definitely fits the bill.

The AI script generator is a welcome touch, especially when you are stuck on what to say.

On the downside, the pricey higher-tier subscriptions, lack of an Android app, and limited customization might discourage users from subscribing.

Even so, starting at $9 per month, Animoto offers good value for users who want straightforward video creation without distractions.