Comparison
Lottie vs Video
Both ship motion, but they solve different problems. Lottie is vector and tiny; video is the right tool for photographic or filmed content.
| Lottie | Video (MP4/WebM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Vector (JSON) | Raster frames |
| File size | Often KBs | Often MBs |
| Scaling | Crisp at any size | Fixed resolution |
| Transparency | Full alpha | Limited / costly |
| Interactivity | Play, loop, segments, events | Basic controls |
| Mobile autoplay | Reliable, no sound rules | Often restricted |
| Best content | UI, icons, illustration | Footage, photoreal |
Which should you use?
Pick Lottie
Use Lottie for icons, loaders, illustrations, and UI motion that must stay sharp and light.
Pick Video (MP4/WebM)
Use video for filmed footage, photographic content, or anything you can’t express as vector shapes.
Make a Lottie, free
Design it in the studio and export .json or .lottie.
FAQ
- Is Lottie smaller than video?
- Almost always — vector instructions compress far better than raster frames, so Lottie files are typically KBs versus MBs.
- Can I convert a video to Lottie?
- Not directly — Lottie is vector. Recreate or design the motion as vectors (e.g. in Lottie Max) for a true Lottie file.