GSAP
About
Professional-grade JavaScript animation library powering 11M+ websites, known for blazing performance and ScrollTrigger scroll animations — free to use with commercial licensing based on user count
Our Verdict
Highly RecommendedThe animation workhorse behind 11M+ websites — unmatched in performance, compatibility, and ecosystem.
GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform) has ruled JavaScript animation for over 15 years and remains the most trusted frontend animation library in the world. Its core strength is performance — it consistently holds 60fps even on low-end mobile devices, while maintaining compatibility with legacy browsers like IE11. ScrollTrigger makes scroll-driven animations intuitive and is the industry standard for parallax, reveal, and timeline effects. Premium plugins like MorphSVG, MotionPath, and DrawSVG cover the full spectrum of SVG animation. The one soft spot is its commercial licensing threshold: projects crossing certain user-count thresholds must purchase a commercial license, which can be a cost consideration for solo indie developers. But for enterprise-grade projects and cross-browser scenarios, GSAP has no real alternative.
Best for
- •Production-grade website animations requiring stable 60fps
- •Scroll-driven animations with ScrollTrigger and parallax effects
- •SVG motion graphics (MorphSVG, MotionPath)
- •Enterprise projects requiring IE11 or legacy browser support
- •Complex multi-step timeline animation orchestration
Consider alternatives if
- •You only need simple page transitions or entrance animations (→ CSS Transitions, Framer Motion)
- •You prefer declarative animations in the React ecosystem (→ Framer Motion, React Spring)
- •You're on a tight budget with low website traffic (→ anime.js, Motion One)
- •You need only 3D animation (→ Three.js, Spline)
Supported Platforms
Available platforms include Web App and API.
Key Features
Pricing
Use Cases
Pros
Cons
Latest Update
2026-07: GSAP continues as the leading web animation library with active development
Get Started in 5 Steps
Get Started in 5 Steps
Install via npm
Add GSAP to your project using npm or yarn.
npm install gsapImport GSAP
Import GSAP into your JavaScript file.
import { gsap } from "gsap";Create a basic animation
Animate any element with a simple tween.
gsap.to(".box", { x: 200, duration: 1, rotation: 360 });Add ScrollTrigger
Trigger animations based on scroll position.
gsap.to(".section", { scrollTrigger: ".section", y: -100, opacity: 1 });Build a timeline
Sequence multiple animations with a timeline.
const tl = gsap.timeline(); tl.to(".a", { x: 100 }).to(".b", { y: 50 });Related Design & Creative Tools
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