GSAP + ScrollTrigger vs Three.js
GSAP + ScrollTrigger and Three.js 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 | Three.jsthreejs.org 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. | The de-facto web 3D engine: scene graph over WebGL and now WebGPU, with cameras, lights, PBR materials and glTF/DRACO/KTX2 loaders. Current release r185. Measured at ~182 kB gz full, ~110–150 kB gz tree-shaken. |
| 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. | Only if your project genuinely needs a 3D object — a rotating camera body, an interactive gear explainer. On a photo-led publication, 150 kB+ of engine competes directly with your actual images for LCP. |
| 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. | Still pre-1.0 (0.185.x) and minor bumps carry breaking changes — pin the version. Do not use it for decorative 2D motion; a CSS gradient gets 90% of the effect for 0 kB. |
| How to wire it up | npm install gsap @gsap/react | npm install three @types/three |
| Editor's pick | Yes | No |
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