Rive

Use it when

You are building an icon, illustration, or interface moment that has to react to input and run inside an app, site, or game. Use it when the animation and the logic that drives it should be the same file developers ship.

What it does well

• Design and animate in one editor, then export a .riv file that runs in the product instead of handing off a mockup
• Wire interaction with a state machine so one file can hold many states
• Load that file with open-source runtimes for web, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, and game engines
• Start in the editor or from the CLI agent; the free plan includes the agent with limits

Skip it when

• You only need a rendered video, GIF, or Lottie from a static design
• You need desktop video compositing in the style of After Effects
• A Rive splash screen on the shipped file is unacceptable — removing it, plus unlimited files, starts on Cadet (up to 3 seats)
• You need shared libraries or collaboration past a small team — that is Voyager (up to 25 seats)
• You want a UI mockup or a clickable prototype to discuss, not a graphic that runs in production

Fits your workflow

Build the graphic and its state machine in the editor, publish a .riv, and load it with the runtime for your platform. The same file is meant to run on web, mobile, and game engines. Free exports include a splash screen and cover 3 collaborative files. Cadet removes the splash and unlocks unlimited files. Students can request a discounted plan for personal educational work, not commercial team use.