GSAP vs Framer Motion
Framer Motion was rebranded to Motion in mid-2025, but 'GSAP vs Framer Motion' is still how most React developers phrase the question. This is the honest comparison, from a team that ships in both. For the current-name version see GSAP vs Motion.
Updated June 2, 2026
Where it lands
Pick Framer Motion (now Motion) when you're in a React app and animation supports the UX, its declarative variants, layout animations, and AnimatePresence exits are less code and read like React. Pick GSAP when motion is the product, scroll-driven and pinned sections, multi-element timelines, or the same patterns reused in Vue and vanilla are where ScrollTrigger and gsap.timeline() pull ahead.
By dimension
- React idiom
Winner: Framer Motion
Framer Motion (now Motion) is React-first. The motion.div + variants API reads like React. GSAP's useGSAP works well but always reads as 'GSAP inside React' rather than 'React with motion built in'.
- Scroll-driven, pinned, scrubbed animation
Winner: GSAP
ScrollTrigger has years of production iteration behind pinning, scrub, and complex scroll choreography. Framer Motion's useScroll handles simpler scroll-linked effects well but doesn't approach ScrollTrigger's depth.
- Timeline choreography
Winner: GSAP
gsap.timeline() with the position parameter is the cleanest way to express overlapping, gapped, multi-element sequences. Framer Motion's stagger and sequence APIs handle short sequences; complex choreography favors GSAP.
- Layout + exit animations
Winner: Framer Motion
Framer Motion's layout animations and AnimatePresence for exit transitions are first-class and hard to match. GSAP can do both with Flip and manual unmount handling, but Framer Motion's declarative version is less code in React.
- Bundle size
Winner: Framer Motion
Framer Motion tree-shakes down for basic usage, and its hybrid engine leans on native browser APIs. GSAP core is around 25kb and imports as a whole. For UI-only animation in a perf-sensitive React app, Framer Motion is usually leaner. Reported full sizes vary (roughly 30kb+ for the full feature set as of 2026).
- Cross-framework reuse
Winner: GSAP
GSAP runs in React, Vue, Svelte, and vanilla JS with the same patterns. Framer Motion was React-only historically; the Motion rebrand added Vue and vanilla support, but the deepest ecosystem and docs are still React.
- Licensing
Winner: Tie
Both are free and MIT-friendly for commercial use. GSAP became 100% free including all plugins in 3.13 (mid-2024). Motion is MIT licensed.
How they actually differ
First, the naming: Framer Motion became an independent project and was renamed Motion in mid-2025. The package moved from framer-motion to motion, and the React import is now motion/react. Most of what people call 'Framer Motion' is the same library under the new name.
Framer Motion's strength is declarative React animation: layout animations, exit transitions via AnimatePresence, and gesture handling that feels native to React.
GSAP's strength is scroll, timeline, and cross-framework depth: ScrollTrigger, gsap.timeline(), SplitText, and Flip, with the same patterns reusable outside React.
When to choose Framer Motion
- You're building a React app where animation supports UX (dashboards, SaaS, internal tools)
- You want declarative layout and exit animations with minimal code
- Gesture-driven interactions (drag, hover, tap) are central
- Smallest possible bundle for UI-only animation matters
When to choose GSAP
- Scroll-driven motion (pinning, scrub, parallax) is core to the design
- You need timeline choreography across many elements
- Text effects (SplitText) or shared-element morphs (Flip) are in scope
- You want the same animation patterns to work in React, Vue, and vanilla
Annnimate position
Annnimate is GSAP-only, and ships every component in React, Vue, and HTML/CSS/JS. If you've chosen GSAP, Annnimate gives you production-tuned components without rebuilding them.
If you've chosen Framer Motion / Motion, look at React-native, Motion-based libraries like Aceternity UI, Magic UI, or React Bits, they match that engine. Annnimate's components assume GSAP.
Common questions
- Is Framer Motion the same as Motion now?
- Effectively yes. Framer Motion became an independent project and was renamed Motion in mid-2025. The package is now motion (was framer-motion) and the React import is motion/react. The rebrand also added Vue and vanilla JS support beyond the original React-only library. 'Framer Motion' and 'Motion' refer to the same lineage.
- Which is better for a React project, GSAP or Framer Motion?
- It depends on what animation is for. If motion supports UX in a React app (transitions, layout, gestures), Framer Motion's declarative API is the more natural fit. If motion is central to the product's identity (scroll-driven brand sites, editorial, award-style work), GSAP's ScrollTrigger and timeline depth win. Many teams use Framer Motion for app UI and reach for GSAP when scroll choreography gets serious.
- Can I use both in the same project?
- Yes, and some teams do, Framer Motion for component-level UI animation and GSAP for scroll-driven sections. The cost is two animation libraries in the bundle, so weigh it against just picking one. If your scroll work is light, Framer Motion alone may be enough; if it's heavy, GSAP alone usually is.
- Is GSAP still paid for commercial use?
- No. As of GSAP 3.13 (mid-2024, sponsored by Webflow) GSAP is 100% free for commercial use, including all plugins that used to require a Club GreenSock membership (SplitText, MorphSVG, and the rest). Both GSAP and Framer Motion / Motion are free to use commercially today.
