What is flare?

Flare is a browser‑based design tool that lets you create vector graphics and interactive 2D animations. It’s built for developers and designers who want to add smooth, lightweight motion to mobile apps, games, websites, and other digital products. Flare files can be exported as code that runs directly in frameworks like Flutter, React, Unity, and more.

Let's break it down

  • Canvas - the main drawing area where you place shapes, images, and text.
  • Layers & Artboards - organize your work; each artboard can hold a separate animation or screen.
  • Shapes & Paths - vector objects you can edit, color, and animate.
  • State Machines - visual logic blocks that define how an animation reacts to inputs (taps, timers, variables).
  • Export Options - generate runtime files (e.g., .riv) and code snippets for various platforms.

Why does it matter?

Flare makes it easy to create high‑quality animations without writing a lot of manual code. The resulting files are tiny, load fast, and run smoothly on low‑end devices. This speeds up development, improves user experience, and lets designers iterate quickly without needing a developer for every tweak.

Where is it used?

  • Mobile apps (Flutter, iOS, Android) for loading spinners, button effects, onboarding flows.
  • Games built with Unity or Godot for character idle animations and UI feedback.
  • Websites and web apps for interactive icons, background effects, and micro‑interactions.
  • Prototyping tools where designers need realistic motion before hand‑off.

Good things about it

  • Intuitive drag‑and‑drop interface, great for beginners.
  • Real‑time preview on multiple devices.
  • One‑click export to code for many popular frameworks.
  • Small runtime library, so animations stay lightweight.
  • Free tier available, with paid plans for team collaboration and advanced features.

Not-so-good things

  • Limited to 2D; no built‑in support for 3D or complex physics.
  • State machines can become confusing for very intricate interactions.
  • Complex scenes may still need performance tuning to stay smooth on older hardware.
  • Requires an internet connection for the web editor (offline version is limited).
  • Export formats are focused on specific runtimes, so integration with some platforms may need extra work.