Your layers are the timeline
Open the panel in Illustrator and every layer and group is already a row. Nothing to export, nothing to rebuild.
WHY ILO · ALTERNATIVES
Animate where
the design already is.
Most motion tools start by asking you to leave Illustrator: export the artwork, import it somewhere else, rebuild the layers, then animate. Ilo Animation works on the layers you already have, inside Illustrator or in your browser. Here is how it compares with the tools designers usually reach for, including when they are the better choice.
01 — THE SHORT VERSION
What ilo does differently.
Six things, no fine print.
Magic, then your hands
One click reads the design and gives each element its own move: titles in letter by letter, shapes drop and bounce, lines draw themselves. Press again for another take, then fine-tune on a real timeline with keyframes.
One design, every format
Lottie for websites and apps, animated SVG, GIF, MP4 and WebM. Everything but MP4 can have a transparent background. No extra plugin, no converter.
Online too
No Illustrator at hand? The same engine runs at ilotools.com/app with 23,040 templates, your pictures, Google Fonts and the AI you already use.
Shapes and type included
40,431 shapes, from 3D objects to characters and badges, go onto your artboard as editable vectors, and 6,832 Puffy & Chrome looks turn your type into dimensional lettering.
Try it on real work
5 days free with every feature and no card. If you buy and it is not for you, you get your money back within 72 hours. Refund policy
02 — SIDE BY SIDE
If you use one of these today.
What changes, and when to keep it.
A great drawing tool with no timeline
How it works: Illustrator has no timeline, so motion means frames: release the art to layers, export them, then assemble a GIF or video in another app.
With ilo: the timeline lives in a panel next to your layers, and the export is a real animation file.
Stay with Illustrator alone when the design never needs to move.
The professional standard, and a long road from Illustrator
How it works: you bring the Illustrator file into After Effects, convert the layers to shapes, keyframe every element, then install the Bodymovin plugin to export Lottie. Bodymovin supports only part of what After Effects can draw, so some effects never reach the Lottie file.
With ilo: you stay in Illustrator, Magic does the first pass, and Lottie comes out of the same panel.
Keep After Effects when you need compositing, video footage, 3D cameras or long motion pieces.
A browser animator built around SVG
How it works: you export SVG from Illustrator, import it into SVGator in the browser and animate it there. It exports animated SVG, Lottie, GIF and video, with watermark-free export on its paid plans.
With ilo: the artwork never leaves Illustrator, and one click animates the whole design before you touch a keyframe.
Keep SVGator when you need interactive SVG with code export for developers.
Motion for Figma designers
How it works: you design in Jitter or bring frames in from Figma with its plugin, animate them in the browser, then export video, GIF or Lottie.
With ilo: made for Illustrator artwork, with animated SVG export and a library of 28,864 ready animations and 40,431 shapes.
Keep Jitter when your team designs in Figma and animates product UI.
A web editor for Lottie files
How it works: a browser editor centred on Lottie. You import your art and animate it there, and export Lottie, dotLottie, MP4, WebM, GIF or MOV.
With ilo: you animate the original Illustrator layers, and get animated SVG as well as Lottie and video.
Keep LottieFiles when you manage a large library of Lottie files across a team.
Quick social posts from templates
How it works: pick a template and animate it with presets. Animated designs download as MP4 or GIF.
With ilo: real vector motion with Lottie and animated SVG for websites and apps, keyframes when you want control, and your own Illustrator art. Online, ilo also has 23,040 templates in every social size.
Keep Canva when a non-designer on your team needs to post something in minutes.
A big plugin suite for drawing and editing vectors
How it works: Astute Graphics sells one yearly subscription to its whole collection of Illustrator plugins. Phantasm, part of it, brings Curves, Levels, Hue/Saturation and vector halftones to Illustrator; VectorScribe and the others speed up drawing and editing paths. The suite has no animation tool.
With ilo: you buy only what you use. Ilo Color Tools gives Curves, Levels, Hue/Saturation and Color Balance for vectors, plus Print Match (CMYK that keeps the look), Riso plates and vector grain, from $7 a month. Ilo Animation and Ilo Raw add what the suite does not do: motion, and developing camera photos on the artboard with RAW files and masks.
Keep Astute Graphics when you rely on its path tools or vector halftones every day. ilo runs right next to it.
Based on each product’s public documentation in October 2026. Features change, so check their sites before you decide. All product names are trademarks of their owners; ilo is not affiliated with them.
03 — QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Can I use ilo and After Effects together?
Yes. Many designers make logo reveals, social posts and website animations in ilo, and keep After Effects for heavy compositing. ilo exports Lottie, MP4 and WebM that any other tool can use.
Does ilo work next to Astute Graphics plugins?
Yes. ilo installs as its own panels in Illustrator, so it runs side by side with Astute Graphics or any other plugins. Many designers keep their path tools and add ilo for motion, photos and print colour.
Do I need Illustrator?
No. Ilo Animation runs in your browser with templates, your own SVG or pictures, Magic and every export. Inside Illustrator (2023 or newer, Mac and Windows) it animates your layers directly.
Is the Lottie file ready for my website or app?
Yes. It plays in the standard Lottie players for the web, iOS and Android. Shapes, gradients and drawn lines are exported as vectors, so the file stays small and sharp.
What does it cost?
Every plan is the full product; you only choose how long. Plans renew until you cancel, and you can cancel in one click. See pricing, start with the 5-day free trial, and a purchase is refundable within 72 hours.