[HN Gopher] Show HN: SVG Animation Software
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Show HN: SVG Animation Software
Expressive Animator is an SVG vector animation software that helps
users create and export animated icons, logos, and illustrations.
Users can import SVG, PDF, Adobe Illustrator files, and Figma
designs, and animate them using easing controls, motion paths,
masking, and other techniques. Expressive Animator also allow users
to export their animations in other formats as Lottie, GIF, PNG,
and video.
Author : msarca
Score : 159 points
Date : 2025-05-25 11:21 UTC (11 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (expressive.app)
(TXT) w3m dump (expressive.app)
| iddan wrote:
| So awesomeeee I always wanted something like this
| msarca wrote:
| Thanks! I'm glad you like it
| lukan wrote:
| Is it a bit flash like in the sense, that I can script the whole
| thing easily?
| alejoar wrote:
| Looks really cool. I appreciate all the videos on youtube too!
| GlacierFox wrote:
| Is this one of those lifetime purchases where I have to pay again
| in 5 years when the developers realise they regretted offering a
| lifetime licence?
| jdiff wrote:
| Probably. Isn't Expressive also the people that touted being
| Open Source til that didn't live up to their unrealistic
| expectations?
| shreddit wrote:
| Their faq states that the license is valid for the current
| version (v1) and not for any future versions. So all they have
| to do is increase the version number when money is tight.
| tonyhart7 wrote:
| wow, that's a lot of life for "lifetime" license right?
| msarca wrote:
| We have exactly the same business model as Affinity.
| ttd wrote:
| I have no affiliation with this product or company. I'm curious
| about the options here from a business perspective.
|
| A business has continual costs, which at the minimum may just
| be the ability to support a single developer's adult life. This
| app is selling itself once per major version, which judging by
| some comments here is somewhat unappealing. Many people are
| justifiably sick of subscription payments. I am also assuming
| many people would not appreciate e.g. an ad-supported version
| of something like this app.
|
| So, what does that leave in terms of realistic business
| options? Are there any examples out there of a software
| business that succeeds in supporting its own development while
| helping its customers feel like they are getting their money's
| worth?
| mminer237 wrote:
| I think selling by version is arguably the most ethical way
| to do it, maybe with a SaaS license option. I think the main
| thing is just be honest that that is what you are doing.
| devman0 wrote:
| I think JetBrains model is best with thier IDE. You
| purchase, and get one year of updates, if you don't renew
| you get a perpetual license at whatever update level your
| update license ended at, and you can restart at anytime.
|
| This avoids games about what is or is not a "new version"
| or shipping minor updates as versions or any of that
| nonsense, it's just updates generally.
| lemming wrote:
| This isn't true for JetBrains any more, and hasn't been
| for ~10 years. They run on what is essentially a pure
| subscription now, with the caveat that if you stop
| paying, you can continue to use a version of the
| software. However, it's not the version you're using at
| the _end_ of your subscription period, it 's the version
| from 1 year prior to that. So if you stop paying, you
| will probably have to downgrade. See:
| https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-
| gb/articles/207240845-What....
| correa_brian wrote:
| You have to charge for upgrades. It's not reasonable to pay
| once and expect lifetime updates. Subscriptions are annoying,
| but if you want ongoing support of course you have to pay.
| ktallett wrote:
| It can work if the updates are significant enough to
| warrant a new version.
| leptons wrote:
| If Adobe buys them, then all bets are off.
| mulitet4 wrote:
| Hey, didn't know where else to say this, but your logo breaks on
| dark mode. Pretty sick software!
| msarca wrote:
| Thanks for the heads up! I'll fix it
| jdiff wrote:
| You'll also want to remove the GitHub link. It's been a long
| time since 2021.
| msarca wrote:
| Nope, I like that link!
| jdiff wrote:
| I'd be interested to understand why. From my perspective,
| it'll only get peoples hopes up before letting them down,
| which does not associate good emotions with your product.
| lovegrenoble wrote:
| Expressive Animator gives you the right to use the current
| version of the software (v1) in perpetuity and entitles you to
| receive free updates until version 2 becomes available (no
| planned release date currently).
|
| So... is it the real lifetime license? What about the next
| versions?
| robofanatic wrote:
| So apparently it's not your lifetime, it's the lifetime of the
| software version. If you never upgrade then it could be your
| lifetime.
| m-p-3 wrote:
| It's always the lifetime of the version or the lifetime of
| the software, never your lifetime.
| robofanatic wrote:
| By lifetime I mean you can use it as long as you like
| without having to pay again. So it depends on how you get
| the software, if it's web based then yes there may be a
| lifetime of the software but if you install it on your
| machine then you will stop getting bug fixes or security
| updates at some point but software itself won't stop
| working until your hardware dies.
| msarca wrote:
| When version 2 is out, you will have the option to upgrade for
| a fee or to continue to use version 1 for free for as long as
| you like.
| Hard_Space wrote:
| I think that this is a disingenuous use of the (legacy) term
| 'Lifetime license'. No-one who hasn't recently been screwed
| over by a software house like 4K Video Downloader [1] would
| think that 'lifetime' only covered the current lead version
| number.
|
| A new term such as 'All version [n] updates included' (or
| something less clunky) needs to be found. At least one could
| Google it and understand the proposition, if its meaning was
| not clear - but 'lifetime license' is massively deceptive.
|
| [1] https://reddit.com/r/4kdownloadapps/comments/1hbmdpn/real
| ly_...
| msarca wrote:
| It is not, because you do get a lifetime license. Of course
| you don't get free "lifetime updates", but you can keep
| using the version you have paid for as long as you want.
| ThePinion wrote:
| The fact that every single person that brings this up is
| met with a form of "we don't see a problem, you're just
| reading it wrong" is a bad sign for the future of this
| project.
| msarca wrote:
| The product's value is not given by its pricing model,
| and the future is bright.
| vunderba wrote:
| That's a fine business model (similar to Jetbrains) but your
| ad copy is a bit misleading:
|
| From the pricing page:
|
| _" Enjoy the benefits of our lifetime license and get access
| to all features and upcoming updates with a one-off payment"_
| ktallett wrote:
| It's not misleading, it's simply not factually correct or
| their intention.
| storus wrote:
| Cool! How does it differ from Animatron that had SVG animations
| for ~10 years already?
| astro1138 wrote:
| There's a Github link but there are no repos. How do I package
| this for my favourite Linux distro?
| msarca wrote:
| You can't, we don't support Linux, but someone here suggested
| Synfig as an alternative.
| eliaspro wrote:
| Alternatively, you might want to give KDE's Glaxnimate a try:
| https://glaxnimate.org/
| mortsnort wrote:
| This looks like a great product filling a gap in the marketplace.
| You mention a Affinity a lot in these comments, but not in your
| marketing. If people who like the Affinity model is your target
| consumer, maybe you should mention compatibility on the site.
| Affinity also offers a free trial, and perhaps you should too
| since you don't have a reputation. This product is also about the
| same price as an Affinity product, which feels too expensive.
| msarca wrote:
| Thanks for your suggestion! We provide a free trial
| https://expressive.app/expressive-animator/download/
| mortsnort wrote:
| Missed the free trial. Definitely make it clear there is free
| trial on the pricing page.
| msarca wrote:
| Will do, thanks!
| schnebbau wrote:
| Lots of bitter nerds in the comments here for some reason. Who
| hurt you?
| gervwyk wrote:
| I like it! Will give this a try, any free trail?
| msarca wrote:
| Sure thing https://expressive.app/expressive-animator/download/
| dceddia wrote:
| So many comments in here interpreting "lifetime license" as
| "lifetime updates". Ugh. As a person with a one-time purchase
| product I feel the pain of trying to succinctly explain the idea
| of "one time purchase, comes with updates for 1 year / 1 major
| version".
|
| msarca - it might be worth looking at the wording on CleanShot's
| pricing page. I notice they avoid the word "lifetime" entirely. I
| wonder how much confusion they still get.
| msarca wrote:
| TBH, I'm a bit surprised by this interpretation, as we don't
| have this problem with customers. Maybe it's an HN thing. I
| think we were only asked once or twice about how updates work.
| I'll take a look at CleanShot though. Thanks!
| dceddia wrote:
| Have you hit the point where they have to pay again, yet?
|
| My product was originally offered as "one time purchase, one
| year of updates", and the customer confusion/anger didn't
| show up until I offered a discounted early renewal over Black
| Friday a few years back.
| msarca wrote:
| No, not yet, but I'm confident our customers will not be
| confused. We'll see.
| gman83 wrote:
| It's confusing because the pricing page literally states "Enjoy
| the benefits of our lifetime license and get access to all
| features and upcoming updates with a one-off payment."
| msarca wrote:
| What is confusing? Since the launch, we have released 10
| updates, and we'll continue to release new updates until v1
| reaches its EOL. Then, the updates will stop, but you will
| still be able to use the software. It seems pretty
| straightforward to me.
| lemming wrote:
| I sell software with a similar licence. I'd say that _get
| access to all features and upcoming updates_ is
| incompatible with _Then, the updates will stop_. At a very
| minimum it 's confusing, but it sounds fairly deceptive to
| me. I think being really clear about what users will
| receive is paramount, even if it ends up making the
| messaging confusing.
| brandensilva wrote:
| Does this support animating with line offset dashes?
| msarca wrote:
| Yes, it does
| connecteev wrote:
| Great work, but I have to ask. How is this different from Rive?
| msarca wrote:
| Thanks! We primarily focus on SVG animations, while Rive has
| its proprietary format and player. SVG animations run natively
| in the browser and don't require a player. By having their own
| format and player, they are not limited by standards and can,
| naturally, provide more features. Of course, this comes with
| disadvantages too, as users get vendor-locked. Also, they have
| a subscription-based model, while we offer perpetual licenses
| for a one-off payment.
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(page generated 2025-05-25 23:01 UTC)