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Figma has quietly become a much more serious place for motion work. For a long time, Smart Animate was the main answer. Now, there is a real mix of plugins and workflows that cover everything from quick prototype transitions to proper animation timelines, exports, and banner builds. This article compares the main options without the hype, so you can pick the one that actually fits the job.
The short version
If you only need simple screen-to-screen transitions, Figma’s native Smart Animate is enough. If you want a real motion workflow inside Figma, MotionKit and Figmotion are the strongest “stay inside the canvas” options. If you want fast polished motion with templates and collaboration, Jitter is very hard to ignore. If your output is banners, HTML, GIF, or video, Bannerify is the most purpose-built. If your goal is Lottie export and Lottie-based delivery, LottieFiles is the obvious pick.
1. Figma Smart Animate
This is the native baseline. Smart Animate looks for matching layers across frames and animates the differences between them. It is built into Figma, available on any plan, and it is still the fastest way to make simple motion without installing anything. The catch is obvious. It is great for prototypes, but it is not a full motion design tool.
Use it for loading states, simple transitions, toggles, expands, and quick product demos. Skip it when you need timeline control, frame-by-frame work, morphing, or export-focused motion.
2. MotionKit
MotionKit is the most complete “motion design inside Figma” tool in this group. Its official docs and site describe a full timeline, keyframes, frame-by-frame animation, vector morphing, text animation, easing presets, recording mode, nested compositing, and direct export to MP4, GIF, PNG sequence, and Lottie JSON. That makes it much closer to a real motion studio than a prototype helper.
The big reason it stands out is depth. It is not just a neat plugin. It is trying to replace the “design in Figma, then rebuild the motion elsewhere” loop. That matters a lot if your motion work lives inside product design, social clips, explainers, or UI demo assets.
3. Figmotion
Figmotion is another serious Figma animation plugin. Its site says the free tier includes animation features and export options, including code export and render output such as WEBM, MP4, GIF, and WEBP, with paid tiers adding things like versioning, support, and more advanced properties.
Figmotion feels strong when you want classic motion control without leaving Figma, and it has been around long enough that a lot of designers already know the workflow. It is not the flashiest option, but it is one of the more established ones.
4. Jitter
Jitter is not just a plugin, it is also a collaborative motion design tool with a Figma workflow. Its site positions it as a way to animate Figma designs with an intuitive timeline, presets, text animation, reusable animations, templates, and export to formats like video, GIF, and Lottie. It also leans hard into collaboration and speed.
This is probably the best option if your top priority is making polished motion quickly, especially when templates and teamwork matter more than staying purely inside Figma.
5. Bannerify
Bannerify is the banner export specialist. Its docs and product pages describe it as a Figma plugin for animated HTML banners, GIFs, and videos. It is aimed at production-ready ad work and banner workflows, not general motion design.
That makes it very useful, but also very specific. If you need marketing banners, ad creatives, or HTML-based outputs, it is one of the best tools in the list. If you want general motion design, it is probably too narrow.
6. LottieFiles for Figma
LottieFiles for Figma is built around Lottie export and lightweight motion delivery. The official pages describe creating, animating, and exporting Lottie animations from Figma without leaving the app. That makes it strong when your end goal is web or app implementation, not just a pretty preview.
It is less about being a full motion studio and more about connecting design to a runtime-friendly animation format. If your team already uses Lottie, this one belongs on the shortlist.
So, which one is best?
For pure motion design inside Figma, MotionKit is the strongest overall choice in this list because it goes furthest toward a real animation workflow, not just prototyping. For speed and collaboration, Jitter is the easiest recommendation. For simple product motion, Smart Animate still wins on convenience. For banner ads, Bannerify. For Lottie delivery, LottieFiles. That is the honest answer.
Comparison table
| Tool | Best for | What it does best |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Animate | Quick prototypes | Native, fast, built in, good for simple transitions. |
| MotionKit | Full motion inside Figma | Timeline, frame-by-frame, morphing, text animation, exports. |
| Figmotion | Classic Figma animation | Keyframe-style motion and export-focused workflow. |
| Jitter | Fast polished motion | Templates, collaboration, easy animation, multiple exports. |
| Bannerify | Banner and ad exports | Animated HTML banners, GIFs, and video. |
| LottieFiles | Lottie workflow | Create and export Lottie animations from Figma. |
Link to each one in Figma
Smart Animate: built into Figma prototypes
MotionKit: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1602896408819057835/motionkit
Figmotion: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/733025261168520714/figmotion
Jitter: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/961270034818256057/jitter-animation-for-figma
Bannerify: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/796124491692147799/bannerify-banner-studio
LottieFiles: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/809860933081065308/lottiefiles
What do you think?
I can't select the winner here, you should ( Write inside comments )
But I definitely suggest you try MotionKit ( because it's newer and you don't usually hear about it ).
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