How plans affect the plugin

A single matrix of what the LottieFiles plugin for After Effects lets you do on free vs. paid plans.

What works on every plan (including signed-out guests)

Browse Explore (Free tab) — the public LottieFiles library.
Preview animations in Explore at full quality.
Insert free animations into After Effects compositions.
Browse and search your Workspace (if you're signed in).
Download .json and unoptimized .lottie files from the Download section.
Use the Feature checker.
Share an animation by toggling its public link — see Sharing an animation.
Run the Render flow locally; render is not gated.

What needs a paid LottieFiles plan

Feature	Plan requirement	What you see on free
Create a Motion System	Paid workspace	Padlock on Create new; upgrade prompt on click
Push a new version with Update from AE	Paid workspace	Locked button; upgrade prompt
Change file status (No status / In progress / Needs review / Approved / Shipped)	Paid workspace	Status dropdown disabled; upgrade prompt
Download the Optimized `.lottie` variant	Paid workspace	Lock icon on the Optimized row in the Download accordion
Insert a Premium animation from Explore	Paid workspace	Upgrade-to-insert button; preview is free
Create a new project during save	Paid workspace	Upgrade prompt in the destination picker
Create a new folder inside an existing project during save	Paid workspace	Upgrade prompt in the destination picker

Storage and counts (free workspace caps)

Free workspaces have two simultaneous caps:

Storage: 20 MB total.
File count: up to 5 saved (private) files.

Hitting either cap blocks new saves. The plugin shows:

A 90%-utilization warning the first time you cross that threshold each day.
A lock icon on files that would push the workspace over the cap.
The Storage upgrade modal when you try to save anyway.

Paid plans raise both caps significantly; some tiers remove them entirely.

What signed-out guests can do

Preview any free Explore animation.
Insert up to 3 animations total per device, lifetime. After that, the plugin prompts sign-in.
Cannot save to a workspace, share, or use Workspace at all.

What lock icons mean

The plugin uses a single lock icon (🔒) for two different gates:

Capability lock — feature is gated by a paid plan capability. Click opens the standard upgrade modal pointing to the relevant feature on the LottieFiles plans page.
Storage lock — your workspace is at the storage or file-count cap. Click opens the storage upgrade modal.

Both lead to the same destination (your plan settings on lottiefiles.com), but the modal copy differs to tell you which limit you hit.

Suspended workspaces

If a workspace's subscription lapses, paid features (Motion System create, status, version update) lock as if you'd downgraded to free. Animations and existing systems remain accessible; you just can't create or update.

Where to upgrade

For current pricing, plan tier comparison, and which capabilities ship with which tier: LottieFiles plans page.

The plugin doesn't sell or upgrade directly — every upgrade modal it shows ultimately routes you to the plans page in your browser.