Playbook by MediaBistro | Tools & Software for Creative Professionals
Lottie and Rive both deliver lightweight animations for digital products, but they serve different creation workflows. Lottie excels at rendering polished After Effects exports with minimal file sizes, while Rive provides a complete animation editor with built-in interactivity and state machines. Your choice depends on whether you're exporting from existing tools or building animations from scratch with interactive logic.
Lottie transforms how teams ship animations by rendering After Effects work as JSON files that play smoothly across platforms. Born at Airbnb and released as open source, it solves the persistent problem of translating motion design into production code. Designers create in After Effects using familiar tools, then export animations that maintain quality while staying remarkably small.
The library handles playback through native rendering engines on iOS, Android, and web, which means animations scale perfectly and perform efficiently. Lottie supports complex vector animations, shape layers, and basic effects without requiring video files or frame-by-frame assets. The open-source ecosystem includes plugins, converters, and community support that make implementation straightforward for developers working across different frameworks.
Rive offers a purpose-built animation editor that combines timeline-based motion with interactive state machines. The platform lets creators design, animate, and add logic within a single environment rather than exporting from separate tools. This integrated approach means animations can respond to user input, game states, or application events without custom code.
The editor provides vector drawing tools, bones for character rigging, and a state machine system that controls transitions between animation states. Designers can preview interactions in real time and test different scenarios before handing off to developers. Rive runtimes ship with apps at tiny file sizes, and the format supports both declarative animations and complex interactive sequences. The tool targets product designers building UI animations and game developers creating responsive character movement.
Export from After Effects using Bodymovin plugin
Native editor with timeline, drawing tools, and rigging
Playback control via code, basic start/stop/loop
Built-in state machines with visual logic and input handling
JSON format typically 5-10x smaller than GIFs
Binary format optimized for runtime performance
iOS, Android, Web, React Native with official libraries
iOS, Android, Web, Flutter, Unity, Unreal with runtimes
After Effects as primary source, community converters for others
Standalone editor, Figma import for vector assets
Shape layers, masks, mattes, limited effects support
Vector graphics, mesh deformation, skeletal animation, clipping
Lottie costs nothing to adopt since the entire stack runs open source. Rive offers generous free access for individual creators and small projects, with paid plans targeting teams that need collaboration features. Budget matters less here than workflow preferences, since both tools remain accessible for most users.
Choose Lottie when your motion design workflow centers on After Effects and you need a proven way to ship those animations to production. The format handles everything from simple icon animations to complex branded sequences, and the open-source ecosystem means developers can integrate it without vendor dependencies. The workflow splits cleanly between design and development, which works well for teams with established roles.
Pick Rive when you want animation and interactivity in the same tool, especially for product interfaces or games. The state machine system lets you build responsive animations that react to user input without writing interaction code. The editor provides more control over the complete animation pipeline, from vector creation through runtime behavior. Teams building apps with dynamic UI or games with animated characters will appreciate having logic and motion in one place.
