GSAP + ScrollTrigger vs React Three Fiber
GSAP + ScrollTrigger and React Three Fiber 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 | React Three Fiberr3f.docs.pmnd.rs 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. | Express a 3D scene as JSX instead of imperative Three.js calls, with React state, hooks and Suspense for asset loading. The real draw is the ecosystem: drei (helpers, controls, text), postprocessing, rapier physics, gltfjsx. |
| 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. | Realistic total for a 3D hero: 250–350 kB gz of JS plus model assets. Always lazy-load behind React.lazy so it never touches the initial chunk. |
| 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. | Version-lock trap: @react-three/fiber@9 requires React >=19 <19.3. Lovable scaffolds commonly sit on React 18.3.x — you need @react-three/fiber@8 on React 18, or upgrade React first. |
| How to wire it up | npm install gsap @gsap/react | npm install three @react-three/fiber @react-three/drei |
| Editor's pick | Yes | No |
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