GSAP + ScrollTrigger vs Lenis
GSAP + ScrollTrigger and Lenis solve the same job (Animation & motion), so this is a pick-one decision. GSAP + ScrollTrigger is our default here: This is the scrolled-feature-article tool. Pinned photo sequences, a headline that assembles as you scroll, a timeline piece that scrubs — that is ScrollTrigger, and nothing else comes close. Webflow acquired GreenSock and made every formerly-paid plugin free in 2025. Core + ScrollTrigger + SplitText is ~49 kB gz. Watch out: Free but not OSI open source — a custom Webflow-owned licence that bars using GSAP inside competing no-code animation builders. Building scroll-driven features with it is squarely permitted. Release cadence has slowed to 2–3/year under Webflow.
- Editor's pick: GSAP + ScrollTrigger.
| Field | GSAP + ScrollTriggergsap.com Not yet swept | Lenislenis.dev Not yet swept |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Framework-agnostic animation engine whose differentiator is the timeline model: sequence, offset, nest, reverse and scrub complex choreography with precise control. ScrollTrigger handles scroll-driven and pinned animation; SplitText does per-character reveals. | From Darkroom Engineering. Intercepts wheel and touch input and lerps scroll position for the weighted, inertial feel of award sites — something CSS scroll-behavior cannot do. 5.3 kB gz core, 1.6 kB for the React binding. |
| Category | Animation & motion | Animation & motion |
| Cost tier | free | free |
| Pricing | Free — all plugins, since 2025 | Free · MIT |
| Why builders pick it | This is the scrolled-feature-article tool. Pinned photo sequences, a headline that assembles as you scroll, a timeline piece that scrubs — that is ScrollTrigger, and nothing else comes close. Webflow acquired GreenSock and made every formerly-paid plugin free in 2025. Core + ScrollTrigger + SplitText is ~49 kB gz. | My one 'do not use this' on your project. Hijacked scroll fights readers on long text, breaks trackpad muscle memory and scroll-anchoring, and is a real accessibility problem. Long-form reading is your entire product. If you ship it anyway, gate it behind prefers-reduced-motion. |
| Watch out for | Free but not OSI open source — a custom Webflow-owned licence that bars using GSAP inside competing no-code animation builders. Building scroll-driven features with it is squarely permitted. Release cadence has slowed to 2–3/year under Webflow. | Adds a frame of latency and can interfere with browser lazy-loading heuristics. Wiring it to GSAP requires driving Lenis from GSAP's ticker or pinned sections jitter. |
| How to wire it up | npm install gsap @gsap/react | npm install lenis |
| Editor's pick | Yes | No |
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