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Design · head to head

LottieFiles vs PaintTool SAI

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LottieFiles

Design

Authoring, hosting and delivery platform for Lottie vector animations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

PaintTool SAI

Design

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From
5500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LottieFiles has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: LottieFiles lottie only renders the After Effects features the player libraries implement, so expressions, most effects, layer styles and merge paths behave inconsistently or fail outright, and you must test every animation on web, iOS and Android before shipping.; PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
  • They diverge on capability: LottieFiles covers Lottie Creator, PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LottieFiles and PaintTool SAI actually diverge.

Attributes where LottieFiles and PaintTool SAI differ
AttributeLottieFilesPaintTool SAI
Starting priceFree5500/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Androidwindows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LottieFiles

  • Lottie Creator
  • After Effects plugin
  • Figma plugin
  • dotLottie
  • Hosted delivery
  • Player SDKs

Only in PaintTool SAI

  • Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support
  • Anti-Aliased Brushes
  • 16-bit ARGB Color Channels
  • Lightweight Performance
  • Crash Data Protection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LottieFiles

  • Replacing a heavy GIF or MP4 loading state with a vector animation that costs a few kilobytesnot PaintTool SAI
  • Shipping the identical animated brand asset to a website, an iOS app and an Android app from one source filenot PaintTool SAI
  • Handing motion work from a designer to engineers without exporting frames or writing animation codenot PaintTool SAI
  • Auditing and version-controlling a library of micro-interactions across a design systemnot PaintTool SAI

PaintTool SAI

  • Digital illustration and manga artnot LottieFiles
  • Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot LottieFiles
  • Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot LottieFiles
  • Character and concept art sketchingnot LottieFiles

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LottieFiles

  • Lottie only renders the After Effects features the player libraries implement, so expressions, most effects, layer styles and merge paths behave inconsistently or fail outright, and you must test every animation on web, iOS and Android before shipping.
  • Runtime cost scales with path and keyframe count, so a detailed illustration animated at 60fps can consume more CPU on a low-end Android handset than the video it was meant to replace.
  • The free plan caps private files and collaborators, so once a team standardises on the platform for handoff the seat count grows with reviewers and stakeholders, not just with animators.
  • Using the hosted CDN puts a third-party request in your page or app load path; self-hosting removes that dependency but also removes the versioning and analytics that justified the subscription.
  • The browser editor still does not replace After Effects for character work or complex effects, so most studios keep an Adobe subscription running alongside it and pay for both.

PaintTool SAI

  • Windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
  • Only supports 32-bit operation, lacking modern 64-bit performance benefits.
  • Lacks the advanced brush engine customization and layer effects found in tools like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.
  • No cloud sync or mobile app, unlike many modern illustration tools.

Pricing, plan by plan

LottieFiles

Free
  • Free$undefined/month
    • Public and limited private files
    • Basic editor access
    • Open-source players and SDKs
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Private workspaces
    • Version history
    • Team review and handoff
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • SSO
    • Admin controls
    • Volume seat management

PaintTool SAI

5500/month
  • Standard License$5500/month
    • Perpetual license
    • All 1.x.x minor updates
    • Free upgrade path to version 2

Which should you pick?

Choose LottieFiles if

  • You need lottie creator.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want after effects plugin.
LottieFiles review

Choose PaintTool SAI if

  • You need pressure-sensitive tablet support.
  • You work on windows.
  • You also want anti-aliased brushes.
PaintTool SAI review

Questions people ask

Is LottieFiles or PaintTool SAI better?
Neither clearly leads. LottieFiles starts at Free and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LottieFiles or PaintTool SAI?
LottieFiles has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LottieFiles and 5500/month for PaintTool SAI.
Does LottieFiles or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?
LottieFiles runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.
Can I use LottieFiles for free?
Yes. LottieFiles has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.
What is LottieFiles best used for?
LottieFiles is most often used for replacing a heavy gif or mp4 loading state with a vector animation that costs a few kilobytes, shipping the identical animated brand asset to a website, an ios app and an android app from one source file, handing motion work from a designer to engineers without exporting frames or writing animation code, auditing and version-controlling a library of micro-interactions across a design system. Of those, replacing a heavy gif or mp4 loading state with a vector animation that costs a few kilobytes and shipping the identical animated brand asset to a website, an ios app and an android app from one source file are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.
What can LottieFiles do that PaintTool SAI cannot?
LottieFiles covers Lottie Creator, After Effects plugin, Figma plugin, dotLottie. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LottieFiles: Do I need After Effects to produce Lottie files?

No. Lottie Creator and the Figma plugin both output Lottie directly. Character animation and anything using complex effects still goes through After Effects.

PaintTool SAI: Is there a free trial for PaintTool SAI?

Yes, PaintTool SAI offers a 31-day free trial with full functionality before requiring purchase of a license.

Source
LottieFiles: Is the format proprietary?

No. The Lottie JSON schema and the player libraries are open source under permissive licences and dotLottie is an open container, so files keep working after you stop paying.

PaintTool SAI: What does the license cover?

The one-time 5,500 JPY purchase provides a perpetual license covering all minor updates within version 1.x.x; a major version 2 upgrade is offered for free.

Source
LottieFiles: Why does the same file look different on Android?

Each platform ships its own renderer with its own level of feature support. Test the exact file on every target rather than trusting the After Effects preview.

PaintTool SAI: What operating systems are supported?

PaintTool SAI runs on Windows XP through Windows 11, but only in 32-bit mode, requiring at least a 450MHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM.

Source
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