IMG.LY vs Remotion Alternative

IMG.LY vs. Remotion

Building video-first experiences for your users that is more customizable than Remotion? IMG.LY empowers creation with a fully embeddable video editor designed for user interaction, not just code-based automation. See why CreativeEditor SDK is the go-to choice when flexibility and creative control matter.

What Our Clients Say About Us

IMG.LY’s solution engineers did a deep dive on our business case and helped us implement a custom print kiosk UI.

André Albrecht

Digital Solution Manager

Brother

Our customers create over a million personalized postcards each year choosing from over hundreds of templates with IMG.LY’s SDK. It’s the only solution that allows us to build our own specialized, on-brand UI that integrates seamlessly with our platform.

Jeanine Zaalberg

Product Manager

Swiss Post

Our app has photo-editing at the very core of its experience and the editor has been invaluable in making that vision happen. There are no other tools on the market up to the quality of PE.SDK.

Toby Green

Lead Developer

Elbi

IMG.LY vs. Remotion at a Glance

Primary Use Case

Embedded creative SDK for photo, video, and design editing. Empowers end users to create content directly in-app or automate generation via headless and API workflows. Ideal for social, marketing, and print-on-demand use cases.

Programmatic video generation framework. Videos are created entirely through code without user interaction - ideal for automated, data-driven, or personalized video workflows.

IMG.LY supports both interactive editing and automated generation. Remotion focuses solely on code-based video creation.

Target Audience

Product teams, SaaS platforms, and enterprises embedding creative capabilities. Trusted by Fortune 500s, startups, and government organizations.

React developers and engineering teams building automated video generation systems. Popular for AI video tools, personalization, and marketing automation.

IMG.LY serves both developers and product teams building user-facing creative experiences. Remotion focuses on developer teams building automated video generation systems.

User Interface

Full visual editor with drag-and-drop tools, configurable panels, and real-time editing.

No built-in UI. Developers must build custom interfaces and pass parameters to the rendering engine.

IMG.LY ships with a production-ready UI; Remotion requires custom UI development.

Turnkey Solutions

SDK with prebuilt UI and headless API options. Supports Web, iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter.

React-based video rendering using Node.js, Puppeteer, and FFmpeg. Requires strong React and video encoding expertise.

IMG.LY offers turnkey experiences or API-first approaches. Remotion requires React development expertise.

White-labeling

Fully white-label solution with complete control over branding, theming, and UI. No visible IMG.LY branding.

No UI to brand, branding applies only to generated video content.

IMG.LY allows seamless brand integration. Remotion has no UI to white-label.

Customizability

Deep UI customization via configuration, theming, and custom components. Enable/disable tools, reorder toolbars, add panels, and inject custom UI behavior while keeping a production-ready editor.

No built-in UI to customize. Programmatic control applies to video composition and visuals produced by code, not editor UI.

IMG.LY lets you tailor the editor UI; Remotion offers code-level visual control but no editor UI customization.

Platform Support

Web, mobile (iOS, Android), and server environments. Cross-platform SDKs ensure consistent behavior across all devices and deployments. Compatible with major frameworks including React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, React Native, and Flutter.

Server-side framework that runs in Node.js environments. Supports local development preview via Remotion Studio.

IMG.LY supports web, mobile, and server deployments across popular frameworks; Remotion is server-based and React-only.

Rendering Approach

Real-time rendering on client devices for interactive editing, with optional server-side rendering for automated workflows or batch processing.

Server-side batch rendering using Node.js and FFmpeg. Distributed rendering for scale.

IMG.LY supports both client and server rendering; Remotion renders exclusively on servers.

Templating & Dynamic Editing

Enables reusable templates in the editor UI with smart placeholders, locked elements, constraints, and variable data. Also supports API-driven template manipulation and batch workflows for server-side personalization.

Code-based templates built with React components. Dynamic elements are controlled via props and state, allowing developers to generate infinite variations from data inputs, APIs, or JSON structures. Ideal for data-driven or automated content generation.

IMG.LY supports visual templates and API/server batch workflows; Remotion uses code-driven templates.

Creative Automation

Template-based automation via batch processing and API workflows. Merge data sources to generate thousands of variations.

Fully programmatic automation capable of generating millions of videos at scale.

IMG.LY automates through templates; Remotion automates entirely through code.

AI Capabilities

Built-in AI tools for background removal, text-to-image, style transfer, and text-to-speech. Integrates with fal.ai or custom AI models.

No built-in AI. Developers integrate third-party APIs (OpenAI, Stability AI, etc.) manually.

IMG.LY includes ready-to-use AI; Remotion requires custom integration.

Storage & Data Ownership

Flexible architecture supporting both client-side and server-side processing. Client-side editing ensures privacy with local data handling, while self-hosted or cloud deployments allow full control over server workflows and storage.

Fully self-hosted rendering on your own infrastructure. Complete data control and no vendor lock-in.

Both prioritize ownership - IMG.LY supports client and server deployments; Remotion runs server-side only.

File Format Support

Import: PSD, INDD, AI, SVG, PNG, JPEG, video, fonts. Export: PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF, MP4, TGA. Compatible with pro design workflows.

Output: MP4, WebM, GIF, PNG sequence, ProRes, audio (MP3, AAC, WAV). No import layer; assets loaded via code.

IMG.LY supports video & design formats; Remotion focuses on video output.

Asset Libraries

Built-in asset management with integrations (Getty, Unsplash, Airtable) and API support for custom sources.

Load assets programmatically via URLs, APIs, or local files - no visual browser.

IMG.LY provides managed libraries; Remotion loads assets via code.

Integration Ease

Easy to integrate, frontend developers can start with basic JavaScript. Clear docs and examples.

Requires strong React, Node.js, and video encoding knowledge. Steep learning curve.

IMG.LY is accessible to frontend teams; Remotion is for advanced React developers.

Advanced Video Editing Features

Full-featured visual timeline editor with trimming, transitions, filters, effects, audio, and more.

Code-based video composition using React components and frame calculations. No visual timeline.

IMG.LY offers an intuitive video editor; Remotion builds videos in code.

Scalability

Designed for large-scale deployments across web, mobile, and server environments. Client-side rendering minimizes backend load, while optional server-side processing supports automation and enterprise workflows.

Scales vertically through distributed cloud rendering. Can process thousands of videos in parallel using AWS Lambda or custom infrastructure.

IMG.LY scales across platforms with minimal backend load; Remotion scales through distributed rendering.

Offline Capabilities

Full offline editing and export once SDK is loaded. Ideal for mobile and unstable networks.

Requires server compute - no offline rendering. Local preview only in dev mode.

IMG.LY works fully offline; Remotion depends on online servers.

Pricing Model

Custom enterprise licensing based on scale, usage, and platform.

Free for small teams; paid licenses from $100/month for larger teams plus rendering costs.

IMG.LY uses custom pricing per scale and usage; Remotion offers transparent per-seat pricing.

Extensibility

Plugin architecture for adding custom tools, panels, and integrations without modifying core SDK.

Unlimited extensibility through React and npm ecosystem.

IMG.LY extends via plugins; Remotion extends via open React code.

Real-time Preview

Instant, zero-latency editing with immediate feedback across devices.

Live preview in Remotion Studio; production renders take processing time.

IMG.LY provides instant preview; Remotion previews are dev-focused.

Community & Ecosystem

Powers over 500 million creations each month across leading consumer and enterprise applications. Backed by dedicated solution engineers, professional services, and enterprise SLAs.

Active open-source community with 20,000+ GitHub stars, a public Discord, and community-contributed templates. Popular among indie developers and startups.

IMG.LY focuses on enterprise-grade reliability and scale; Remotion thrives on open-source community engagement.

Customizability

Fully modular, white-label solution with plugin support for tailored workflows.

Limited customization; primarily integrates Canva's existing features into external platforms.

Notes

IMG.LY allows deep customization; Canva Connect API offers limited UI customization options.

White-labeling

Completely white-label, allowing seamless integration with your branding.

Canva branding is mandatory, limiting white-labeling.

Templating & Dynamic Editing

Versatile API to modify templates programmatically, allowing dynamic text, image replacement, resizing.

No programmatic template modification, templates are static.

Custom Workflows

Fully customizable workflows; integrate with any CMS, DAM, PIM, e-commerce platforms.

Fixed workflows tied to Canva’s ecosystem; no ability to modify the editing process or integrate deeply with external systems.

Creative Automation

Supports dynamic content insertion, batch processing, and generative AI for automation.

Limited support via Autofill API which populates templates with form data.

Extensibility

Fully extendable via a plugin system to add unique features.

Limited / no support for custom plugin outside of Canva’s platform.

Platform Support

Cross-platform support for Web, iOS, Android, and server-side; includes offline capabilities.

Web-based, online-only, no offline support.

Privacy

Client side processing and offline support ensures data control and privacy compliance.

Requires hosting data on Canva’s servers, no on-premise option.

Openness & File Compatibility

Can import Photoshop (PSD), InDesign (INDD), and Illustrator (AI) files, and export scene files for saving work-in-progress.

No ability to import external design files (e.g., PSD, AI, INDD). Only exports finished designs as PDFs, PNGs, etc.

Storage & Data Ownership

Full control over design storage, can be hosted on your servers or infrastructure, ensuring data privacy and ownership.

User designs are stored on Canva’s servers; users must have a Canva account to create or edit designs.

Web2Print Designer

Elevate your Web2Print application with best-in-class Design Editor.

Learn More Open Showcase

Creative Automation

Automate & scale content creation with ease.

Learn More Open Showcase

Variable Data Printing

Enable mass-personalization in your design & print workflows.

Learn More Open Showcase

Photo Prints

Provide seamless design experience and inspire users with easily personalized templates.

Learn More Open Showcase

Print Personalization

Streamline personalization for your print products.

Learn More Open Showcase

Apparel Designer

Whether t-shirts, hoodies or caps, build for any use case, deploy on any platform.

Learn More Open Showcase

FAQs

What is the best Canva Connect alternative?

IMG.LY is a great alternative to Canva Connect API, offering a highly customizable design and editing experience that can be embedded into apps. It supports features like flexible template management, and seamless integration with existing workflows, making it a strong choice for businesses looking to offer design tools within their platforms.

How is IMG.LY different from Canva Connect API?

IMG.LY offers a comprehensive SDK that enables businesses to integrate design and video editing capabilities directly into their platforms, providing full customization and control over the user experience. In contrast, Canva is a standalone design tool with a fixed set of features and limited customization options.

Can IMG.LY be used to build a Canva-like experience?

Yes, IMG.LY’s SDK allows developers to create a Canva-like experience within their own application, offering complete UI customization, template support, and multi-user collaboration features.

Does IMG.LY offer a plugin system for extending functionality like Canva?

Yes, IMG.LY is fully extensible via a plugin system, allowing businesses to add unique features tailored to their specific use cases. This level of extensibility is not available in Canva, which offers a fixed set of features.

Can IMG.LY integrate with third-party asset libraries like Canva?

Yes, IMG.LY allows integration with external asset providers like Unsplash and Getty Images.

Does IMG.LY offer pre-made templates like Canva?

Yes, IMG.LY offers pre-made templates but businesses can create and manage their own template libraries.

Which solution is better for enterprises looking for a white-label editor?

IMG.LY is the better choice for enterprises looking for a white-label editor because it allows full branding and UI customization, whereas Canva does not offer a fully white-label solution.

What are the customization options in IMG.LY vs Canva?

IMG.LY offers deep customization, including UI modifications, feature toggles, and branding. Canva has limited customization, mainly around design elements but not its core interface.

Can IMG.LY handle print-ready designs as Canva does?

Yes, IMG.LY supports high-resolution exports, including CMYK color profiles and print-ready PDFs, making it suitable for print applications.

IMG.LY vs. Remotion

What makes IMG.LY the best Remotion alternative?

Advanced Multi-Track Video Editing

Pre-built UI with Full Customization

Real-Time, In-Browser Video Editing

Creative Automation & AI-Powered Workflows

What Our Clients Say About Us

IMG.LY vs. Remotion at a Glance

Features

IMG.LY

Remotion

Notes

Primary Use Case

Target Audience

User Interface

Turnkey Solutions

White-labeling

Customizability

Platform Support

Rendering Approach

Templating & Dynamic Editing

Creative Automation

AI Capabilities

Storage & Data Ownership

File Format Support

Asset Libraries

Integration Ease

Advanced Video Editing Features

Scalability

Offline Capabilities

Pricing Model

Extensibility

Real-time Preview

Community & Ecosystem

IMG.LY

Canva

Customizability

Notes

White-labeling

Templating & Dynamic Editing

Custom Workflows

Creative Automation

Extensibility

Platform Support

Privacy

Openness & File Compatibility

Storage & Data Ownership

Everything you need

Key Capabilities

Editing

Transform

Filters

Adjustments

Effect & Blur

Element Snapping

Blend Modes & Grouping

Undo & Redo

Printing

Cutout Lines

CMYK/ Spot color support

Templating

Design Templates

Text Variables

Placeholders & Lockable Designs

Configurable Presets

Customizability

Build Custom UIs

Theming

Media Libraries

Toolbar Customization

Internationalization

Export Options

Check Out Other Use Cases

Web2Print Designer

Creative Automation

Variable Data Printing

Photo Prints

Print Personalization

Apparel Designer

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