Comparison
Lottie vs APNG
APNG is a better GIF — true color and alpha — but still raster. Lottie stays vector, so it’s smaller, scalable, and controllable.
| Lottie | APNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Vector | Raster (animated PNG) |
| File size | Small | Large |
| Scaling | Infinite | Fixed resolution |
| Transparency | Full alpha | Full alpha |
| Interactivity | Yes | No |
| Native <img> support | Needs a player | Yes |
Which should you use?
Pick Lottie
Use Lottie for scalable, lightweight, interactive motion — the default for UI and icons.
Pick APNG
Use APNG only for short raster clips where dropping in a plain <img> with no player matters.
Make a Lottie, free
Design it in the studio and export .json or .lottie.
FAQ
- Is APNG smaller than Lottie?
- Rarely — as raster frames, APNG is typically much heavier than an equivalent vector Lottie.
- Why pick APNG at all?
- It plays in a plain <img> tag with zero JavaScript, which can matter in locked-down environments.