What Is Animoto? Drag-and-Drop Video for Small Teams
By Joris van Huët · Animoto's own site
The short answer: Animoto is a drag-and-drop video maker for people whose main job is not video: you upload photos and short clips or record your screen, then shape them with a template (homepage). For a small business or a two-person marketing team making social ads and product demos, Professional at $29 a month on monthly billing, or $19 a month billed annually, adds your logo and colours, Getty Images stock, 4K export and video analytics (pricing page, checked on 26 October 2026).
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Pick the tier by what leaves the building:
- The watermark and the download set the floor. Free makes unlimited videos at 720p with an Animoto watermark; share links, embeds, watermark removal and 1080p downloads start on Basic at $19 a month, or $9 billed annually (sharing and downloads article). For example, Basic billed annually is 12 x $9 = $108 a year, against 12 x $19 = $228 on monthly billing.
- Start from the photos you already have. The AI Video Creator builds a scene-by-scene draft from a description and your images, or from a website URL (AI Video Creator guide).
- Measure on the play page. Professional's custom play page carries a clickable call-to-action button to a URL you choose (call-to-action guide), so clicks from the video have somewhere to be counted.
What Animoto covers
The editor works by drag and drop: templates, text styles, licensed music, screen and webcam recording, a voice-over recorded in the browser, and stock photos and video from Getty Images. Saved brands apply your font, colours and watermark in one click, and saved templates keep a format for the next video. Videos come in three shapes, landscape (1920x1080), square (1080x1080) and vertical (1080x1920) (aspect ratio guide). Professional Plus adds a shared team workspace, roles and time-stamped comments. Animoto is part of the Redbrick family of brands.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits a team that edits occasionally and wants branded output without learning a timeline: an e-commerce shop, a local services business, a trainer filming screen demos. Registered non-profits, teachers and schools can ask for discounted plans.
It suits less a team that needs a 4:5 feed format or an automation hook: the ratio menu stops at three shapes, and the help centre documents no API, no automation integration and no captions generated from speech.
Plans on 26 October 2026
USD, from the Animoto pricing page.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually, per month | Users | Output | Getty Images stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 | 720p, watermarked | Not included |
| Basic | $19 | $9 | 1 | 1080p, no watermark | Not included |
| Professional | $29 | $19 | 1 | 4K | 1M+ photos and videos |
| Professional Plus | $79 | $39 | 3 | 4K | 100M+ photos and videos |
The pricing page banner says "Save up to 50% on annual plans", which is true of Basic and Professional Plus. On Professional, the plan the page marks most popular, the saving is $120 of $348 a year. A headline discount describes the deepest cut on the page; price the plan you will use.
How it compares
CapCut. CapCut is a deeper editor with AI generation built in, Pro listed at USD 19.99 a month with 1,200 AI credits, and it notes the price is a reference until you sign in. If the team wants a full timeline and AI clips, CapCut; if it wants a template and a brand applied in one click, Animoto.
Movavi. Movavi Video Editor is desktop software you download, sold by the month or the year on the Movavi store. One editor on one machine, working offline, favours Movavi; a team sharing drafts by link favours Animoto.
Getting started
How to use Animoto builds one product ad from photos and turns it into landscape, square and vertical versions with a call-to-action play page.
FAQ
Can I make videos for free?
Yes, as many as you want, per the FAQ on the pricing page. They carry the Animoto watermark at 720p, and downloads need Basic or above.
What happens to my videos if I cancel?
The account reverts to Free and you keep the rights to your videos, but videos stored in free accounts may be deleted, with advance warning, according to the same pricing page FAQ. Download the masters before you cancel.
Who can edit the brand settings on a team?
Only Team Admins, and Saved Brands need Professional or Professional Plus, per the saved brands guide.