Create an explainer video: Comparing the best tools

Explainer videos are very popular right now: they are in­no­v­a­tive, fun to watch, and have the potential to reach millions of people on social media. Marketers have long since realized this, and are using the wide appeal of these animated graphics to market their products more ef­fec­tive­ly and to attract even more customers. Do you also have a brilliant idea that you want to share with lots of people but find yourself on a budget? All you need is a creative, enticing explainer video. We will show you the four best tools that will help you create unique, in­no­v­a­tive explainer videos online for free.

An explainer video is a short film that aims to educate viewers about a par­tic­u­lar issue, ap­pli­ca­tion, or product. These videos usually consist of animated graphics, a voice-over, and back­ground music – just like a real movie. Most explainer videos have a relatable main character and try to introduce the audience to a subject in a simple and humorous way. In marketing, for example, an effective explainer video should result in a product lingering in people’s minds. 

As a result of their pop­u­lar­i­ty, many agencies have popped up that spe­cial­ize in creating explainer videos and earn a lot of money from them. However, anyone can create explainer videos them­selves, without needing to spend a penny. We will tell you which tools you can use to create unique videos for free.

A clear advantage is that it is easy to use: Similar to Pow­er­Point, you can create in­di­vid­ual slides or scenes (left column), which are played back one after the other. In the right-hand column, you can choose between different preset scenes that you just drag to the center of your screen. You can also create scenes and in­di­vid­u­al­ly combine and animate text elements, char­ac­ters, and objects. In terms of audio, you can either use the existing material or upload your own audio files.

Use the timeline to set the exact scene duration. Special features include different fade-in and fade-out effects, hand an­i­ma­tions, or chart templates. When you are finished, you can save finished videos, upload them to YouTube, or share them on social networks. You can also export the video in PDF or PPT format.

Dis­ad­van­tages: You can create explainer videos for free with PowToon, but the freeware version has sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduced templates and features compared to the paid packages. For example, while the paid business package allows you to create videos with a maximum length of 60 minutes in HD quality, the free version offers just 5 minutes in basic quality. Another potential downside is that the software is only available in English. Those who speak foreign languages may have dif­fi­cul­ty using it.

mysim­pleshow is a website that lets you create unique explainer videos online, and has an easy step-by-step process. As before, you can choose between paid sub­scrip­tion packages and a freeware version. However, the key concept to this program is: First you create the story, and then the actual video – after all, you want to use your explainer video to explain something. The tool provides extensive as­sis­tance with creating your explainer video, but still leaves plenty of room for in­di­vid­u­al­i­ty. Three steps show how mysim­pleshow works:

The biggest advantage: your written text can be used either as a voiceover, a template for the visual element, or both.

This same video shows you what your video might look like with mysim­pleshow:

Cons: mysim­pleshow allows you to create as many free explainer videos as you like, but the freeware version is very limited: you cannot download or com­mer­cial­ize your video. You will instead receive a public video page where you can present your explainer video with the mysim­pleshow brand logo. The features are also designed with the motto “simple show” in mind. The tool is therefore limited to hand an­i­ma­tions in a simple black-and-white look. Scribble effects are only available in the paid version. The strict, uniform outline can also be re­stric­tive for some users. 

With Animaker you can create unique, explainer videos online for free. Unlike mysim­pleshow, you do not need to stick to a given concept, instead having free reign over what your video will be like. Although the full range of use is again only included in the paid premium version, the freeware version is entirely suf­fi­cient for many users.

One of Animaker’s most in­ter­est­ing features are the many special effects that other tools don’t have. For example, you can assign in­di­vid­ual ex­pres­sions to your char­ac­ters and emotions, and can change them even within the same scene. You can do this on the timeline, defining exactly what features and emotions a par­tic­u­lar character should show at what time. You can also specify when each object should enter a scene, or when the sounds you include should begin and end. Other popular features include camera effect (zoom in and out), animated in­fo­graph­ics, or the special Multimove effect, which allows you to move in­di­vid­ual objects within a scene.

Dis­ad­van­tages: You can only use the full range of Animaker features in the paid business version. The freeware version severely limits your access to in­di­vid­ual design options: You cannot download or use your videos for com­mer­cial use. Similarly, maximum length for your videos is just two minutes with the free version. 

Another negative aspect is the confusing program interface, where you can view all free and paid templates available. In addition, the software is quite complex to use, thanks to its many options. Since you can manually adjust all char­ac­ters, objects, sound effects, and motion graphics down to the last detail, creating an explainer video takes a rel­a­tive­ly long time.

Like the previous programs, you first need to choose your basic style from five different options. Ad­di­tion­al templates will then become available once you have chosen one. After picking a template, you will be taken to the editing tool. All templates are also available here, and you cannot delete, edit, or move in­di­vid­ual char­ac­ters or objects. You can only remove or add in­di­vid­ual scenes, insert text elements and sounds, or change the back­ground color. In the timeline, you also select how long you want in­di­vid­ual scenes to last – and there you have it! You explainer video is ready. You can then share your videos on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.

Dis­ad­van­tages: Although you can quickly and easily create explainer videos online with Biteable, the provided templates do not offer many in­di­vid­ual design options. Users will have to stick to the given templates and can only make minimal changes. This tool makes it hard to give videos a personal touch. Other dis­ad­van­tages are the re­strict­ed selection of templates, the lack of an in­tro­duc­tion tutorial, and lack of a voiceover function.