vsgsap.
GSAP is a timeline engine. Svelte Motion is a component library. Different problems.
at a glance.
GSAP is the heavyweight timeline engine for the web — imperative, plugin-rich, and mature. @humanspeak/svelte-motion is a declarative component library for Svelte 5 — gestures, layout, presence, variants, drag. There is overlap (both can tween a property), but each is shaped around a different model of how UI animation works.
side-by-side.
Every surface that matters, compared without spin.
| feature | @humanspeak/svelte-motion | GSAP |
|---|---|---|
| Tween any CSS property | yes | yes |
| Spring physics | type: "spring" | No native spring ease — Physics2D / CustomBounce approximations |
| Curved motion paths | arc() on transition.path | MotionPathPlugin (any SVG path) |
| Timelines with scrub / labels / nesting | no | Best-in-class |
| Declarative motion.<tag> components | ~170 tags | no |
| AnimatePresence exit animations | yes | no |
| whileHover / whileTap / whileFocus / whileInView GSAP requires manual pointer / IntersectionObserver wiring. | yes | no |
| Drag with constraints / momentum / elastic | Built in (drag prop) | Draggable + InertiaPlugin |
| FLIP layout animation | layout / layout="position" | Flip plugin (imperative) |
| Shared layout (layoutId) | yes | no |
| Variants with parent → child propagation | yes | no |
| ScrollTrigger (pin / scrub / snap) | Partial (useScroll + useTransform) | Best-in-class |
| MorphSVG path morphing | motion.path + flubber | MorphSVGPlugin (free since 3.13) |
| Reactive motion values | yes | no |
| License | MIT (open source) | Free for commercial use, but proprietary (GreenSock Standard License) |
| Framework integration | Native Svelte 5 | Framework-agnostic |
where each shines.
- +Svelte 5 runes-native — built for runes, not retrofitted
- +Framer Motion-compatible API for component code (props, semantics, AnimatePresence, variants)
- +~170 motion.<tag> proxy components covering every HTML and SVG element
- +Full gesture set: whileHover, whileTap, whileFocus, whileInView
- +Drag gesture with constraints, momentum, elastic, snap-to-origin, axis lock
- +FLIP layout animation and shared layoutId out of the box
- +Spring physics, scroll-linked motion values, and reactive useMotionValue / useTransform
- +SSR-safe by default — initial state renders server-side, hydrates without flicker
- +Tree-shakeable Motion<Tag> named exports for bundle-size-critical apps
- +TypeScript-first with full type safety across motion props, drag, variants, and hooks
- +MIT licensed — open source, fork it or vendor it, no commercial tier
- +Declarative props for hover / tap / focus / in-view — no listener plumbing
- +AnimatePresence handles exit animations without manual unmount delay
- +FLIP layout and shared layoutId animate component-level box changes automatically
- +Truly open source (MIT) — GSAP is free to use but Webflow-owned and not OSS
- +Timeline orchestration is genuinely best-in-class — scrubbing, labels, nesting, reverse
- +Deep plugin ecosystem — ScrollTrigger, Flip, MorphSVG, Draggable, SplitText, Observer — and every plugin is free since 3.13 (May 2025)
- +Decade-plus of production hardening across thousands of sites
- +Ad-tech and creative-coding industry standard
- +Detailed control over every easing curve and motion path
where each falls short.
- −Requires Svelte 5 + runes (no Svelte 4 / legacy stores support)
- −Newer project — smaller community than the React Framer Motion ecosystem
- −transition.staggerChildren orchestrator not yet wired — drive cascades with per-child delay
- −Timeline orchestration is shallower than GSAP — no scrub / label / nested timeline equivalents
- −Imperative API — you own DOM refs, lifecycle, and gesture state machines
- −No declarative gesture props (whileHover / whileTap / whileFocus / whileInView)
- −No AnimatePresence equivalent — manual unmount delay required
- −No shared-layout (layoutId) animation pattern
- −Free but not open source — Webflow owns the IP; the Standard License bars reverse engineering and use in competing no-code animation builders
- −Larger bundle once you add ScrollTrigger / Flip / Draggable
the honest call.
Choose GSAP when you need its timeline depth, ScrollTrigger pinning, MorphSVG, or already have a GSAP-comfortable team. Choose @humanspeak/svelte-motion for declarative component-level animation in Svelte 5 — gestures, presence, layout, drag. The two can coexist in the same app: Svelte Motion for UI animation, GSAP when you need its timeline engine.
read more.
Every head-to-head, with the same matrix + pros / cons + verdict format.
Framer Motion is React-only. Svelte Motion is its Svelte 5 counterpart.
read comparison ↗Motion One is the imperative engine. Svelte Motion is the declarative layer on top.
read comparison ↗The full /compare index — every head-to-head in one place.
browse all ↗svelte motion → install in 30 seconds