Overview

Framer Motion is a open-source animation library for React with declarative syntax and gesture support. It handles react animations, gestures, layout animations, and svg, and it's best suited for react developers who need animation. It has been around since 2019, giving it a 7-year head start in building out integrations and refining the product.

The core product is entirely free. Since it's open-source, you can self-host for free with no user limits. It's aimed at individual users, so it's fast to set up but may lack team-management features if you scale.

Strengths

  • Open source and transparent
  • Includes React Animations as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
  • Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
  • The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

  • May lack some advanced features
  • Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
  • Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
  • Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far

Quick info

Category
Design
Starting price
Free
Free tier
Fully free
Open source
Yes
Best for
Individuals
Founded
2019

Last updated 2026-04-12

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