After Effects is a powerful video editing and motion graphics software from Adobe. Your imagination is the only limit when creating one-of-a-kind videos in After Effects.

Using third-party After Effects plugins for adding text, transitions, color grading, and animations can help professional video editors take their projects to the next level. In this blog post, we listed the top After Effects plugins that are must-haves for professionals and beginners alike.

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Plugins for After Effects are not just great for beginners— even Hollywood video editors and motion graphics designers use them to create complex visual effects quickly. Having a few must-have After Effects plugins available can help video professionals create stunning, polished final videos with every edit.

You can also check out our GPU Guide for tips to use GPU, along with speed up and acceleration tips for Adobe After Effects.

Once you’ve got your plugins set up, you might also want to explore some ready-to-go After Effects templates to speed up your workflow and create stunning effects with minimal effort. Here are the top tested and proven After Effects plugin suggestions from professional video editors. We have included the essential plugins, and you can find both free and paid ones here.

1. Boris FX Sapphire

Professional video editors swear by Boris FX Sapphire as one of the best plugins for After Effects due to its wide range of effects and speed. Boris FX creates incredibly comprehensive effects packages that deliver Hollywood-quality results.

Boris FX Sapphire offers great value if you're looking for an industry-standard effects plugin with hundreds of versatile presets. With the Boris FX Sapphire plugin, video editors can apply a wide range of effects and functions without making additional downloads.

The Boris FX Sapphire, Mocha Pro, Optics, and Continuum effects packages are some of the best After Effects plugins for professional video editors. Efficiency is key for professionals. Pairing these plugins with keyboard shortcuts in After Effects can further optimize your editing process.

2. Saber Plugin

This free After Effects plugin is a must-have for any video editor who wants to add explosive energy to their projects with realistic light beams. Action, science fiction, and commercial video projects can be enhanced with these high-voltage light beam effects.

The Saber plugin comes with 50 presets including masking and text presets for creating video intros. The glow falloff from the light beams is incredibly realistic, making it one of the best AE plugins for action-packed videos.

3. Animation Composer 3

Animation Composer by Mister Horse is another popular AE plugin for professional video editors.

Animation Composer 3 presets can be used to create custom animations in After Effects for intro titles, transitions, and special effects. There are also sound effects included in the bundle.

There is a free version and a paid professional version of Animation Composer. This is one of the best After Effects plugins for edits and for creating high-quality social media content.

4. Datamosh 2

No list of the best After Effects plugins would be complete without including at least one glitch effect. Datamosh 2 is a collection of mind-blowing glitch presets for After Effects. This plugin distorts the video compression of motion visuals to create unique, customizable glitches.

The precision and functionality of this glitch plugin for After Effects are perfect for creating impressive visual effects for edgy, stylish videos. It’s definitely one of the best VFX plugins for After Effects. To get the most out of your After Effects experience, make sure to check out these must-know tips to level up your editing game.

5. Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite

Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite is an industry-standard After Effects plugin for creating Hollywood-worthy moments in post-production.

Professional video editors rely on Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite for most of their After Effects needs, thanks to its comprehensive array of editing tools. Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite includes 300 presets for cinematic color correction, cosmetic touch-ups, and film grain, making it one of the best plugins for After Effects.

6. Nodes 3

Some video professionals say that Nodes 3 by FXfactory is “the best plugin ever written”. There is a free trial available for video editors to experiment with this Hollywood-standard After Effects plugin before they purchase it.

This After Effects plugin composites images, motion graphics, and text into polished 3D animations. Nodes 3 is one of the best After Effects plugins for creating 3D titles and special effects. If you're considering branching out, there are also several great alternatives to After Effects that can provide similar high-quality video production tools.

7. DUIK BASSEL.2

Duik Bassel.2 by RxLaboratory is one of the best animation rigging plugins for After Effects. Rigging animations in After Effects can be time-consuming for even the most experienced video creators, which is why animation plugins like Duik are used by professionals for streamlining the animating process.

With the Duik plugin, video creators can easily rig complex 2D and 3D animated characters in After Effects. When it comes to character rigging, Duik is one of the best plugins for After Effects that editors can download. The automated functions make rigging polished final animations more efficient.

8. VashiMorphic40

VashiMorphic40 is a free anamorphic After Effects plugin by VashiVisuals. Anamorphic camera lenses are used in filmmaking to create a cinematic, almost 3D effect in the final film. Examples of famous movies filmed with anamorphic lenses are Pulp Fiction and La La Land.

The VashiMorphic40 preset adds a realistic anamorphic look to any video for a cinematic look. It uses a 40mm curve, vignette, and blur preset to create the look of an anamorphic lens. It’s one of the best After Effects plugins for cinematic projects. Running After Effects on a high-performance setup, like a cloud computer, can help you make the most of these plugins and speed up your rendering time.

9. Orb Plugin

Do you want to render otherworldly planets and 3D spheres with incredible realism in After Effects? The Orb plugin is one of the most popular After Effects plugins for intermediate and professional video creators, and it is completely free to download!

It is a 100% free After Effects preset for creating realistic 3D spheres and orbs. With the Orb plugin, you can render detailed environments on the surface of 3D spheres to create one-of-a-kind planets. It has excellent luminance and shadow presets for creating realistic alien worlds, earning its place among the best After Effects plugins.

10. Shadow Studio

Shadow Studio is an affordable After Effects plugin with three realistic shadow presets to play with, including hard shadows, soft shadows, and long shadows. The quality of these shadow presets is comparable to Hollywood raytracing SFX but at a fraction of the cost and rendering time. This makes Shadow Studio one of the best plugins for After Effects when it comes to creating professional-quality projects without breaking the bank.

Seamless Plugin Use, Opportunities of Vagon

Discovering new plugins is a journey. With Vagon’s cloud PCs, navigate through your favorite plugins effortlessly and enjoy quicker renders. If you’re just getting started or want to master the software, our complete guide to After Effects covers everything you need to know from the ground up.

Maximize the potential of these After Effects plugins with Vagon’s high-performance cloud PCs. Whether you're using heavy-duty VFX plugins like Boris FX Sapphire or experimenting with free tools like the Orb plugin, Vagon’s powerful cloud computers ensure smoother performance and faster render times. Access your workspace from anywhere, avoid system crashes, and let your creativity flow without hardware limitations. Try Vagon today and elevate your After Effects projects to new heights.

Thanks for checking out our list of After Effects plugin suggestions for video professionals! After Effects comes equipped with the professional tools needed for creating out-of-the-box video effects, but plugins are an additional resource that editors can use to optimize their workflow to make better videos faster, and without any crashes in After Effects.