# Remotion

Make videos programmatically in React, rendered from a CLI, Node APIs, or Lambda, with Builder-published agent skills.

A React framework where compositions are code and renders are deterministic. The CLI, the SSR and Lambda APIs, and the remotion-dev/skills package give a coding agent the whole loop from scaffold to render. Free for individuals and companies of three or fewer; larger companies buy a Company License.

Alternative to: Creatomate, Shotstack

- Capabilities: adaptable, operable
- Vertical: video-streaming
- Shape: product
- Form factor: library
- Execution model: deterministic
- Provenance: human-written (recorded, never ranked)
- Repo: https://github.com/remotion-dev/remotion (Remotion License (source-available; free for individuals and companies up to 3 people)), 58135 stars, last commit 2026-09-02
- Last activity: 2026-09-02
- Page: apps/remotion-dev--remotion.html
- JSON: apps/remotion-dev--remotion.json

## Use it when

- I want data-driven videos, one per customer or per product, rendered from code in CI
- I want my coding agent to build motion graphics in React with Builder-maintained skills

## Gotchas

- Not an OSI license: for-profit companies with more than three people need a Company License; Automators minimum is $100/mo
- remotion.config.ts is ignored by the SSR APIs; pass options in code there
- Rendering needs headless Chromium; Lambda has its own size and timeout limits

## Editions

- Free License: Free, open source
  - installable: npx create-video@latest
  - source: https://github.com/remotion-dev/remotion
- Remotion for Creators: $25 per month, closed source
  - hosted: https://www.remotion.pro/license
- Remotion for Automators: $100 per month, closed source
  - hosted: https://www.remotion.pro/license
- Enterprise: $500 per month, closed source
  - hosted: https://www.remotion.pro/license

## Adaptable: make it yours

Effort: light-edit (5 things to edit)

remotion.config.ts sets codec, concurrency, output, Chromium options, and entry point; compositions live in src/Root.tsx and props are passed at render time. Adapting a template means editing React components, so expect small code edits rather than pure config. Lambda uses REMOTION_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and REMOTION_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY.

- Env vars: REMOTION_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, REMOTION_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
- Config files: remotion.config.ts, src/Root.tsx, package.json
- Prompt files: none
- Accounts you'll need: remotion.pro (Company License); AWS (Lambda)

## Operable: what an agent can drive

Operability: official. Interface: cli at https://www.remotion.dev/docs/cli (published by the builder, both).

### Reach (partial coverage)

- Scaffold a project and write compositions: reachable. npx create-video; remotion-dev/skills covers project and composition creation
- Render a video: reachable. npx remotion render; renderMedia() Node API
- Render a still: reachable. npx remotion still; skills list still rendering
- Preview in Studio: reachable. npx remotion studio
- Render at scale on Lambda: reachable. npx remotion lambda; @remotion/lambda API
- Captions and subtitles: reachable. @remotion/captions package; skills cover caption implementation
- Embed a player in a web app: reachable. @remotion/player library
- Edit interactively by drag and drop: not reachable. Studio GUI interaction; README 'Make videos interactively'
- Batch render millions of videos: reachable. README Video Automation: batch rendering on your own infrastructure through SSR or Lambda APIs
- Look up API docs: reachable. remotion-dev/skills: API documentation lookup

## Code stack

- Languages: TypeScript
- Frameworks: React, Chromium (headless), ffmpeg
- Package manager: npm
- Database: none
- Hosting target: local, AWS Lambda, Vercel Sandbox, Cloud Run

## Skills

contributor: Large set of repo tooling skills for Remotion maintainers: adding CLI options, filing bugs, docs, releases.
- Paths: .agents/skills/*/SKILL.md

## Evidence and confidence

- formFactor: README: npm packages and npx CLI; React code is the source of truth (confidence 0.9)
- executionModel: no model at runtime; deterministic frame rendering (confidence 0.99)
- operability: CLI and Lambda docs on remotion.dev; skills published at remotion-dev/skills in the monorepo under packages/skills (confidence 0.95)
- effort: remotion.dev/docs/config: remotion.config.ts controls codec, concurrency, output, Chromium, entry point; compositions are React (confidence 0.85)
- editions: remotion.pro/license: free up to 3 people; Creators $25/seat/mo min 3 seats; Automators $0.01/render $100/mo min; Enterprise from $500/mo (confidence 0.9)
- active: GitHub pushedAt 2026-09-02
- reach:  (confidence 0.9)

## Open questions

- REMOTION_AWS_* variable names are from the Lambda setup docs, which were not fetched this pass; confirm
- Whether the Curator treats the Remotion License as 'open' for the free edition; source is public and modifiable but not OSI

## Sources

- https://remotion.dev (sourcing:video-streaming:curated)
- https://www.remotion.dev/docs/cli (sourcing:video-streaming:curated)
- https://www.remotion.dev/docs/ai/skills (analysis)
- https://www.remotion.pro/license (analysis)