If you’re into video editing or motion graphics, you know how great After Effects is. But its true power comes when you upgrade it with additional tools. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of 25 of the best free plugins, scripts, and presets that will not only improve your visual quality but also speed up your workflow.
Whether you’re creating animated text, need a glitch effect, or want to easily create 3D objects — there’s something for you on this list. We’ve included download links and video tutorials with each item, so you can get started right away. So get started and take your After Effects skills to the next level — without spending a dime!
Difference between After Effects plugins, scripts, and presets?
If you use Adobe After Effects, you must have heard of plugins, scripts, and presets. But are they all the same? No! Each one has its own specific function. Some make your work easier, while others add new features. Let’s know the difference in simple terms.
Plugins – Make After Effects more powerful
Plugins are additional tools that add new features to After Effects. They are mostly created by third-party developers, and with their help you can create effects that are not natively present in After Effects.
For example:
If you want realistic fire, water, or 3D effects, then plugins like Trapcode Particular or Element 3D are used. Most plugins have to be installed and are often paid.
Scripts – Automate repetitive tasks
Do you have to do the same things over and over again? Scripts are the solution to this problem! They are designed to speed up your workflow and automate tasks that you would normally do manually.
For example:
If you have to rename 100 layers, it would usually take a lot of time. But using a script you can do this in a few seconds. Scripts do not require installation, just run the file and use it.
Presets – Ready-made animations and effects
Presets are pre-made effects and animations that you can immediately apply to your layers. If you want smooth animation for text, you can use a preset and the job will be done in a few seconds.
Presets work without installation and are best for most beginners. However, they do not provide as much control as plugins and scripts.
Free After Effects plugins, scripts, and presets
Now that you know the difference between plugins, scripts, and presets, let’s take a look at the best free options. If you want to add amazing effects to your projects without having to buy any premium tools, you’ve come to the right place!
Here I’ve rounded up 25 of the best free plugins, scripts, and presets, along with download links and full tutorials. So, without wasting any time, let’s see what these awesome tools are and how you can use them.
1. VHS Preset
The VHS After Effects Preset from RocketStock instantly adds a retro VHS look to your footage.
If you want to make your video look like an old VHS tape, this VHS preset from RocketStock is the perfect choice for you. This preset is super easy to use – just drag and drop and your video will instantly transform into a vintage, 90s style. It adds a little noise, lines, color shift, and a bit of blur to give it that authentic VHS feel.
This preset is especially great for videos where you want to show nostalgia, nostalgia, or a retro style, like music videos, YouTube skits, or social media clips. It doesn’t require any special skills — whether you’re a newbie or an experienced user, this preset makes your job a breeze. With the download link and simple tutorial, you can get great results in just a few minutes.
2. Easy Bounce Free
Easy Bounce Free simplifies bounce animations. Roughly keyframe the motion, and the script handles the physics and timing for you.
Easy Bounce Free is a great script that helps you create bounce animations very easily. If you want a motion where something falls down, bounces or gently comes to a stop somewhere, this script will do the job for you in seconds.
All you have to do is set the usual keyframes for the motion, and then the script will do the rest — like the bounce style, its speed, and natural movement. In other words, that means you won’t need to do any physics or complicated calculations.
This is especially useful for those who want to save time or are new to animation. Easy Bounce Free makes your video look more professional and smoother — and the best part is, it’s completely free.
3. Coco Color Wheel
Coco Color Wheel is an interactive color wheel for After Effects, featuring various color harmony formulas.
This plugin Wheel is a useful and interactive color wheel designed specifically for After Effects users. This tool helps you choose better colors in video or motion graphics, making your work look more attractive and professional.
It includes various color harmony formulas, such as complementary, analogous, triadic, and more. With the help of these formulas, you can easily choose colors that match each other beautifully — without any guesswork or mistakes.
Coco Color Wheel’s interface is very simple and user-friendly, so whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, this tool makes your color work a breeze. If you want to make your visuals more impressive in terms of color perception and style, this plugin is a must-try — and best of all, it’s completely free.
4. ButtCapper
ButtCapper from Battle Axe lets you easily change stroke caps and joins in After Effects with a single click.
The ButtCapper is a small but very useful tool that makes working with lines and strokes in After Effects much easier. It was designed by Battle Axe and is specifically for designers and animators who frequently change the “caps” and “joins” of strokes.
Changing the ends or joins of lines in After Effects usually takes a while, but with the help of ButtCapper you can do this change with just one click. This tool gives you the fastest way to select butt, round or projecting caps and miter, round or bevel joins.
This plugin is especially useful for those who work with shape layers and path animations and want their lines to look perfectly styled and beautiful. With a simple interface and one-click controls, ButtCapper saves you valuable time — and best of all, it’s completely free!
5. Typeflow
Typeflow is a powerful and fully customizable text preset, designed specifically for those who want to animate text in After Effects in a stylish and engaging way.
With this preset, you can easily achieve smooth easing and overshoot animation — meaning that when your text appears or moves on screen, it looks perfectly smooth and natural, just like in professional motion graphics.
The biggest advantage of Typeflow is that you can set everything to your liking: timing, speed, motion style, and more. This preset is perfect for those who want their words to not only appear in the video, but also make an impact with movement.
This preset is not only easy to use but also gives you a new professional touch to your animation — and luckily, it’s completely free!
6. PremiumBeat Presets
PremiumBeat offers popular After Effects presets like Watercolor Painting, 8-Bit Video Game, and Line Boil for easy, stylish animations.
These free presets from PremiumBeat make it quick and easy to give your videos a unique look. For example, they include creative styles like Watercolor Painting, 8-Bit Video Game, and Line Boil, which make animations look more appealing and professional. Therefore, these presets are perfect for those who want to make their videos stand out without a lot of effort.
7. Type Array
Type Array is a simple preset used to create smooth and subtle text animations in After Effects. What’s special about it is that you can control and trigger animations using layer markers, which makes the work fast and organized. Therefore, if you want professional-looking text movement, then this preset is perfect.
8. Crate’s Camera Projection Script
Crate’s Camera Projection Script is a great tool that helps you convert 2D images into 3D. It’s available for free from Production Crate, and is especially useful for those working in VFX or compositing. It lets you easily track clean plates and bring your visual effects closer to reality.
9. Crate’s 3D Look Script
Crate’s 3D Look Script is a useful script that creates a custom rig using the “look at” expression in After Effects. It allows you to force any layer to look at another layer, which is very useful for giving a more realistic and professional look to 3D motion or compositions. It’s especially great for creators who work in 3D space.
10. Crate’s Hologram Script
Crate’s Hologram Script applies hologram effects to footage with one click. Use built-in presets or customize your own look.
Crate’s Hologram Script is a great script that adds a hologram effect to your video in just one click. It includes several built-in presets, but you can also easily create your own unique style if you want. This script is perfect for sci-fi or high-tech videos, and will instantly give your video a modern and eye-catching look.
11. Crate’s Glow
Crate’s Glow is a free script that provides a more realistic and gradient-based glow than the standard glow effect in After Effects. It adds a soft and beautiful lighting effect to your video or graphics, making it more professional and appealing. If you want to further enhance your visuals, this script is a must-try.
12. Crate’s Heat Radiation
Crate’s Heat Radiation is a free After Effects plugin that adds realistic heat effects and temperature colors to fire, explosions, and sparks. It adds a warm, intense effect to your video that makes it look more realistic and stunning. If you work on action or VFX scenes, this plugin is a great choice for you.
13. Responsive Auto Scale
Responsive Auto Scale is a useful script that automatically fits your layers to a specific part of the screen. This is especially useful when you need to dynamically adjust text or other elements to different screen sizes. It saves you from having to set the size repeatedly.
14. VC Reflect
VC Reflect is a free After Effects plugin for creating customizable reflections. Adjust angle, falloff, skew, blur, and more.
VC Reflect is a free After Effects plugin that lets you create realistic and customizable reflections in videos and graphics. With this plugin, you can easily control effects like angle, blur, fade, and skew. As a result, this plugin makes your scenes more interesting and professional.
15. Sure Target 2
Sure Target 2 simplifies After Effects camera animation. Set 3D layers as targets and keyframe smooth transitions between them.
Sure Target 2 is a great free script that makes camera animation in After Effects a breeze. Simply, you set your 3D layers as targets, and it automatically creates smooth transitions between them. Therefore, it’s perfect for those who want to create professional and engaging camera movements without a lot of effort.
16. deLayer
deLayer offsets layer in-points in After Effects based on their distance from a chosen starting point.
deLayer is a useful After Effects script that automatically moves the in-point of layers back and forth based on the distance from their selected starting point. This is especially useful when you need to create sequences or wavy animations, where each layer appears at a slight interval.
17. AE Viewer 2
AE Viewer 2 is a powerful tool that allows you to easily browse and preview videos, images, and presets in After Effects. As a result, it speeds up your workflow and lets you view your files without having to open a composition. This feature is especially useful for users who work with a large number of files, making file management much simpler and faster.
18. Bendy Nulls
Bendy Nulls is a simple script that makes creating bend animations in After Effects a breeze. It applies the global CC Bend It effect to your layer, allowing you to create beautiful, smooth bend animations in a fraction of the time. This tool is especially useful for those who want to easily create complex bend effects.
19. Decompose Text
Decompose Text is a great script that allows you to split text into characters, words, or lines in one click. This makes your text animation easier and faster because you can animate each part separately. This is especially helpful for those who want to create complex text animations.
20. EaseCopy
EaseCopy is a useful script that allows you to copy and paste easing settings without any changes. As a result, you can easily apply easing to multiple properties for the same smooth and professional animation, thereby saving time. Moreover, this tool is very helpful in making animations better and faster.
21. Parental Controls
Parental Controls is a useful script that allows you to parent layers in After Effects with paths, shapes, or text. This makes resizing and scaling much easier because everything stays consistent. This tool is especially helpful for those working in complex compositions.
22. Ugly Box
Ugly Box is a free After Effects plugin that exaggerates skin texture. It uses the inverse algorithm of Beauty Box to make actors appear “ugly” in a biased and unique way. This plugin is especially useful for comedy or creative videos where unique effects are needed.
23. Create3DShapes
Create3DShapes is a simple script that lets you create 3D shapes like boxes, balls, and pyramids with just one click. This tool is especially useful for those who want to quickly add shapes to 3D graphics and compositions.
24. Glass Eyes
Glass Eyes is a comedy plugin created by Video Copilot, which was originally an April Fools’ joke, but it works great for comedy videos. Its realistic eye effects make your videos more interesting and funny. If you make comedy or gag videos, then you should definitely try this plugin.
Key Uses:
- Create creepy videos
- Fix wedding videos
- Improve your favorite movie scenes
- Add personality
Features:
- Custom Pupils
- Pupil Size Control
- Pupil Color
- Googly Speed and amount
- Highligh rotation
25. Extended Coffee Break
Extended Coffee Break is a unique plugin created by Plugin Everything. It was originally an April Fools’ joke, but it intentionally slows down After Effects rendering, so you have more time to relax! If you want to take a break while the render is complete, this plugin is hilarious and useful for you.
Build your post-production library with the best free plugins, scripts, and presets for After Effects! and use them in your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are all these plugins, scripts, and presets really free?
Yes, all the plugins, scripts, and presets on this list are available absolutely free. You can download and use them free of charge.
Do these plugins work with modern versions of After Effects?
Most plugins and scripts are kept updated to work with new versions of After Effects, including 2025. However, it is always best to check the version details on the developer’s website.
Are these plugins and scripts easy to use?
Yes, most plugins are designed specifically with new users in mind and have a simple interface. While some plugins can be a bit complex, they are often accompanied by video tutorials.
Where can I download these plugins?
The download link for each plugin, script, or preset is included in the blog post. You can easily get the original files from there.
Can I use these plugins in commercial projects?
Most plugins and scripts are allowed for both personal and commercial projects, but it’s a good idea to read the licensing terms for each plugin.
Will these plugins slow down my computer?
Some plugins, especially those with complex effects, can put a heavy load on the system, but most plugins are designed with performance in mind. Having a fast computer is beneficial for a better experience.
What should I do if I have trouble installing these plugins?
Most plugins come with installation guides and video tutorials that provide step-by-step help. You can also find help on the official websites and YouTube.
Can I use these plugins on both Mac and Windows?
Most plugins work on both Mac and Windows platforms, but be sure to check their website to find out the platform compatibility for a specific plugin.
For more Plugins, scripts and presets check these out: