Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

p5.js VS Anime.js

Compare p5.js VS Anime.js and see what are their differences

p5.js logo p5.js

JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences

Anime.js logo Anime.js

Lightweight JavaScript animation library
  • p5.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22
  • Anime.js Homepage
    Homepage //
    2024-07-18

p5.js features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    p5.js simplifies the process of learning and creating interactive graphics with its intuitive syntax, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Web-Based
    As a JavaScript library, p5.js runs directly in the web browser, enabling easy sharing and embedding of interactive sketches online without the need for additional plugins.
  • Creative Coding Community
    p5.js is supported by a vibrant community that shares a plethora of examples, tutorials, and resources, facilitating learning and troubleshooting.
  • Extensibility
    Its modular architecture allows for easy integration with other libraries like p5.sound, p5.dom, and even external JavaScript libraries, enhancing its functionality.
  • Accessibility
    p5.js emphasizes inclusivity, offering features that make it easier to create accessible web content, such as screen reader support.

Possible disadvantages of p5.js

  • Performance
    p5.js may not be as performant as other lower-level graphics libraries or frameworks, which can be a limitation for highly intensive graphical applications.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While beginner-friendly, mastering complex features and fine-tuning performance in p5.js can require significant effort and understanding of JavaScript.
  • Not Ideal for Large Projects
    Due to its simplicity and focus on learning and prototyping, p5.js might not be suitable for large-scale, production-grade applications.
  • Limited 3D Support
    Although p5.js offers 3D rendering capabilities, these are less developed and performant compared to dedicated 3D libraries like Three.js.
  • Dependency on JavaScript
    Since p5.js is built on JavaScript, it inherits the language's limitations and quirks, which might be a hindrance for developers accustomed to other programming languages.

Anime.js features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Anime.js has a clear and concise API which makes it easy to use for both beginners and experienced developers.
  • Lightweight
    With a small file size, Anime.js doesn't add much overhead to your project, helping to maintain fast load times.
  • Versatility
    Anime.js provides a wide range of animation options including CSS properties, DOM attributes, SVG, and more, making it versatile for various types of projects.
  • Performance
    Anime.js is optimized for high performance, ensuring smooth animations even with complex sequences.
  • Modular Design
    Its modular nature allows developers to import only what they need, improving efficiency and reducing bloat.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    The official documentation is extensive and includes examples, which helps developers quickly understand and implement animations.
  • Community Support
    There is a growing community around Anime.js, providing forums, tutorials, and resources for additional support.

Possible disadvantages of Anime.js

  • Limited Built-in Easing Functions
    While Anime.js does support custom easing functions, the range of built-in easing functions is limited compared to some other animation libraries.
  • No Official Plugin System
    Anime.js does not have an official plugin system, which could limit extensibility and integration with other tools.
  • Learning Curve for Complex Animations
    For very complex animations or sequences, the learning curve can be steep, and the code may become hard to manage.
  • Lack of Native Support for 3D Animations
    Anime.js does not natively support 3D animations, which might require integrating other libraries for such requirements.
  • Dependency Management
    For projects already using other animation libraries, integrating Anime.js can add complexity to dependency management.

p5.js videos

Processing or p5.js? My opinions

More videos:

  • Review - Q&A #1: Side-Scroller in p5.js
  • Tutorial - 17.11: Sound Visualization: Frequency Analysis with FFT - p5.js Sound Tutorial

Anime.js videos

Intro to Anime.js - The JavaScript Animation Engine

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to p5.js and Anime.js)
Javascript UI Libraries
60 60%
40% 40
Charting Libraries
58 58%
42% 42
3D
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare p5.js and Anime.js

p5.js Reviews

20+ JavaScript libraries to draw your own diagrams (2022 edition)
A JS client-side library for creating graphics and interactive experiences, based on the core principles of Processing to make coding accessible to artists, designers and educators. Beyond drawing, this project provides offers web audio functionality, collision detection and even generation of graphical user interfaces from p5.js sketches.
8 Best Free and Open-Source Drawing Libraries in JavaScript
The p5.js library is a great option for people who are looking for a library that doesn't have a steep learning curve, but which can create very complicated systems if necessary. The get started with P5.js page on the official website has a functional example that draws circles wherever you move your mouse in only a few lines of code.

Anime.js Reviews

Top 20 Javascript Libraries
One of the best animation libraries that makes staggering follow-through animations so simple, Anime.js is light-weight and comes with a clean yet powerful API. With Anime, timing plays an important role, and you can set various properties of CSS at different timings on the same element, and the element moves smoothly as per the transforms. Anime works with SVG, CSS, HTML,...
Source: hackr.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, p5.js should be more popular than Anime.js. It has been mentiond 146 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

p5.js mentions (146)

  • Ask HN: Who Are Your Favorite Photography and Generative Coding Artists?
    p5.js is a JavaScript library that I've enjoyed messing with. It's related to Processing. https://p5js.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Art Blocks and the Future of Open Source with Blockchain
    Art Blocks, founded by Erick Calderon in 2020, is a platform that enables artists to create generative art using blockchain technology. It operates on the Ethereum blockchain, leveraging smart contracts to mint unique art pieces as NFTs. The process begins with artists submitting scripts that define the artwork's parameters. Once approved, these scripts generate unique pieces upon purchase, offering collectors a... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Rant: state of generative AI in code generation.
    In my experience with AI code generation, in visual projects like UI development or JavaScript based animation (using three.js or p5.js) etc. AI tools work pretty well. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Procedural Generation and Noise
    For this most recent assignment we were tasked with contributing a larger feature to an open source project. During my time with the previous assignment I worked on a game engine called Litecanvas, inspired engine by libraries like raylib and p5.js/Processing. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Antirez/load81: SDL based Lua programming environment for kids similar to Codea
    Let’s not forget P5js which has a long and esteemed history of helping to teach kids and more to program. It’s browser based so it’s compatible with every OS and requires no install. FOSS with an active community of users and contributors. I personally taught some middle schoolers with zero programming experience how to make interactive monsters in 1 hour. It was awesome! https://p5js.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
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Anime.js mentions (49)

  • ✨"Day 1 with Anime.js — Breathing Life into a Static Webpage"
    Hey Devs! 👋 Today marks Day 1 of my journey into learning Anime.js, a lightweight JavaScript animation library that makes adding animations to your web projects ridiculously fun and powerful. In this article, I’ll walk you through how I animated a simple landing page using Anime.js — from setup to final smooth transitions. - Source: dev.to / 13 days ago
  • Anime JS , a JavaScript animation library
    Documentation Link - https://animejs.com/ Package Install by using - npm I animejs Anime.js V4 works by importing ES modules like so:. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • AnimeJs v4 Is Here
    You can leave your email in the footer of the landing page > https://animejs.com/#site-footer. - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Celebrate 50 years of Microsoft with the company's original source code
    Funny cause just today this made it to the front page of HN https://animejs.com/ It has way fancier animations and scrolls like butter. - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Enhance Your Web Projects with Sphere Animations Using EldoraUI 🚀
    Animations have become an essential part of modern web design, adding life and interactivity to static interfaces. In this post, I’ll walk you through creating a Sphere Animation component using the lightweight and versatile Anime.js library. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide will help you integrate visually captivating animations into your projects. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing p5.js and Anime.js, you can also consider the following products

Pixi.js - Fast lightweight 2D library that works across all devices

Processing - C++ and Java programming at the speed of thought.

GSAP - GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform) is a suite of JavaScript tools for high-performance animations that work in all major browsers.

Three.js - A JavaScript 3D library which makes WebGL simpler.

Paper.js - Open source vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas.

Substance - A JavaScript library for web-based content editing