The Best Cool JavaScript Animations to Use on Your Website

Ever wondered how some websites have those captivating, dynamic visuals that draw you in and keep you scrolling? It’s all about cool JavaScript animations. Creating a memorable user experience goes beyond static pages; it’s about bringing your web design to life.

From the smooth transitions of CSS animations to the intricate HTML5 canvas animations, mastering these techniques can elevate your site’s interactivity.

Whether you’re delving into GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) or experimenting with Anime.js, there’s a wealth of tools at your disposal to create stunning effects.

Cool Javascript Animations

Text reveal in app website template

From a stunning feature carousel to a captivating screenshot gallery and testimonials slider, this mobile app website template offers an abundance of impressive elements.

Portal Effect Hero Slider

The hero slider module equipped with a captivating portal effect serves as a remarkable landing page or a visually stunning product presentation on any WordPress website.

Coffee Shop Split Screen Slider

With its animated elements and clean layout, this slider becomes an attention-grabber for your coffee shop. The easy customizability of this cafe template makes it ideal for showcasing various types of products.

Furniture Store Isometric Slider

This template offers customizable layouts, designs, and text options, making it effortless to create a distinct and visually appealing slider that will undoubtedly attract visitors’ attention. It allows you to effortlessly craft an engaging slideshow that beautifully captures the essence and style of your furniture store. Within minutes, you can create a breathtaking furniture store slider for your website using this template.

Dump Truck Loading Animation

By Jon Kantner

Do you want a loading/ download animation that entertains your site users while they wait? This animation features dump trucks pouring dirt into a box, representing downloading data.

It’s a simple concept, but it will have an ASMR-like effect on all who see it.

Under construction effect

By Pieter

This HTML, CSS, & JS-built library is useful for page load animations.

Canvas loading animation

By Rachel Smith

Canvas connects dots with lines using the Request Animation Frame.

This demo helps represent loading data. You can also edit the number of variable points inside the JS code should you need to.

Basic Progress Bars – Text

By Envato Tuts+

You can animate a variety of properties in this demo’s progress bars. To learn more, click the link to this introductory ProgressBar.js tutorial.

JavaScript Typing Animation Library Options

Futuristic Resolving/Typing Text Effect feat. GLaDOS

By Kevin

Here is a futuristic JavaScript typing animation library option. Games or movie cut scenes usually use this option to run text on the screen.

Hand written SVG text animation

By Matthew Ellis

The masking of this handwritten text animation is a little rough but it’s still awesome. It was made with HTML, CCS, & anime.js.

TheaterJS

TheaterJS is a typing effect that mimics human behavior. It includes configuration, full documentation on usage, and added features.

Animated SVG Signature

By Silvestar Bistrović

Here is a demo for animating SVG signatures or autographs.

Cool Javascript Animations for Showcasing Products & Projects

Vertical Timeline

By Sava Lazic

This CodePen demo produces an appealing vertical timeline using the ScrollReveal library. This animation library is great for showcasing products or projects on your website.

Animated SVG Frame Slideshow

By Mary Lou

This library features 6 experimental slideshow anime.js demos with high-resolution SVG images. These come into play when transitioning between slides.

You can use different shapes, thus creating a variety of styles.

Muuri: simple kanban (with scrolling containers)

By Niklas Rämö

This snippet will help you to create a Trello-like kanban board. Use it to display various lists, with cards that you can drag and drop between lists.

JavaScript Libraries for Buttons & Mouse Cursor Animations

Custom mouse cursor | follow mouse

By Karlo Videk

If you want to create animations for your mouse cursor, this JavaScript library is a good option.

Follow My Mouse

By GRAY GHOST

This option uses the TweenMax JavaScript library to follow the mouse cursor.

Spotlight Cursor Text Screen

By Caroline Artz

Here is a library that uses CSS screen blend mode and GSAP to make the cursor and text animated effects.

GreenSock Tutorial – Mouse Follow

By Mark Louie Espedido

This option features JS & CSS animations for mouse-follow.

Trash button

By Aaron Iker

As the name suggests, this HTML, CSS, & Vanilla JS build is an animated delete button.

Submit Button

By Mikael Ainalem

This submit button with a progress meter uses JS & CSS to create animations for hover and click.

JavaScript Animation Libraries For Error Pages

#Codepenchallenge Persistence is 🔑

By Gabriele Corti

Here’s an awesome demo for the 403 status error code.

Typed.js 404 Page

By Envato Tuts+

This demo by Conner shows how this animation can make a 404 error page interesting.

404 error page

By Swarup Kumar Kuila

As the name suggests, this is another useful 404 error SVG animation page.

CSS/JS Anime 101 – 04 Trim Line

By Kris Cotter

A JavaScript animation library with CSS & anime.js based on the Motion Periodic Table from Kazuki Akamine.

Cool JavaScript Animations for Mobile Devices

Pokemon Go – ZingTouch x Anime.js

By ZingChart

Here is a fun replication of Pokemon Go that uses ZingTouch for touch gestures. It further utilizes Anime.js for the animations.

This option works best on mobile devices.

svg water waves javascript animation

By Yibo Yu

This JavaScript option features IE9. It is mobile-friendly and features cross-browser support.

slideout

This touch slideout menu for mobile web apps features:

• Easy customization
• CSS transforms & transitions
• Native scrolling
• Simple markup
• Dependency-free

MultiPurpose Javascript Animation Libraries

Tearable Cloth

This is an exotic effect with a series of digital lines and squares. It is adapted with simulated physics to mimic tearable cloth materials.

Its creator also managed to animate gravity into the code. You can adjust the parameters to change the cloth’s density, size, pattern, & weight.

PhotoSwipe

Here is a JavaScript image gallery for mobile and desktop. It supports all basic gestures.

FlowupLabels.js

This animated form label behaves like a placeholder.

Stretch Typo

By Ilithya

Stretch Typo is an experimentation with different mix-blend modes in CSS. It includes mobile support and has a masked galaxy photo in the background.

Users activate the animation by dragging the cursor or a finger across the screen.

Snack Animation

By Greg Hovanesyan

---

Camera Flash JavaScript Animation

By Chantal

This animation library with CSS has the design of a camera. Click the button to activate the JavaScript animation.

glow sparks text

By Saeed

Show/Hide Animation

By Juanjo Fernandez

The animation is a CSS3 & JavaScript library with a dynamically created element.

Vanilla JavaScript: Animation with easing

By Bran van der Meer

Animation proper use#3: Grab user attention;

By Karthika Narayanan

This library is built with HTML, CSS, & JS. It features a fade effect that activates when users hover their mouse over the elements.

JavaScript Animation Preloader

By Gennadiy

THREE Text Animation #5

By Szenia Zadvornykh

This example is also built with HTML, CSS, & JS. It is the fifth in a series of experiments with three.js and type.

Animation Skills Progressbar

By Olga

Counting animation

By Matthew Dordal

This counting box example features JS animation code. It employs HTML div code for the start/ stop buttons and has CSS properties.

Push Through

By Aaron Rhoades

Colorful Squares

By Conlin Durbin

Here is a cool HTML, CSS, and Javascript animation for personal websites.

Breaking Bad | Walter White | Animation

By Kevoj

Here is a funny, ‘Breaking Bad’/ ‘Walter White’ anime built with three.js. Click and hold the screen to see bald Walter.

Foggy Mountain

By Satkar

A simple library built with HTML, CSS, & JS to demonstrate a cool foggy effect.

VelocityJS demo

By LegoMushroom

Fireflies

By Ryne Hamman

This option is a calming JavaScript library that features firefly animations.

Motion path scaling

By Michelle Barker

Motion Path uses Resize Observer to scale the element.

Emoji Bank Robbery Animation

By John Polacek

This JavaScript animation library grabs attention by telling the story of a bank robbery. It features emoji graphics using SVG and GSAP.

Solid

By Cyd Stumpel

Solid is another awesome JavaScript library that activates with the hover effect.

Planet Earth around the Sun

By William Abboud

This library is a simple animation of the Earth circling the sun.

Bouncing Ball with Anime JS

If you’re searching for something simple, this demo does the trick.

Primary Colors Isometric Text

By Yoav Kadosh

This example features 3D isometric text built with JavaScript and custom CSS code. The text is both selectable and indexable by modern browsers’ search engines.

Kinetic Letters

By Anna the Scavenger

This option features JS, HTML, & CSS animations. The CSS transitions become activated when the mouse cursor moves.

Grid Worms

By Red

This HTML & JS code animates connected worm-like nodes across a grid.

CSS / Javascript animation

By Manz

This Mario anime option functions well on all major browsers.

Particle Text

By Sean Free

Particle Text is a canvas pixel manipulation that uses typed arrays. The particles react to your cursor’s movements.

Speed Test: GSAP, Motion One, Anime, CSS Transitions (Zepto), WAAPI

By GreenSock

It’s surprising how fast JavaScript objects can animate. Sometimes they’re even faster than CSS animation.

Click the link to put this JS build to the test.

Creativity Now✨ (click anywhere)

By Anna the Scavenger

This demo features 3d art that changes color every time you click the mouse.

KUTE.js Fire

By Jon Kantner

A JavaScript animation engine called KUTE.js powers this demo.

JavaScript animation with setInterval

By Mattia A Fritz

Animate Two Elements with Anime JS

By Maria Antonietta Perna

Click the above link to explore this JS option.

JavaScript animation loop – step 4 (all examples combined)

By Stanko

Hover Alpha Effect

By Ilithya

The alpha opacity color of the text changes when you move your mouse or drag your finger across the screen. This option features three colorful text-shadow effects and an editable headline.

Banner Example

By Andy Hullinger

This demo is great for an introductory display banner.

Text Animation – Reveal Effect

By Okawa-h

Activate this demo’s text animation by scrolling.

GreenSock Tutorial – Animating Custom Properties

By Mark Louie Espedido

Click the above link to see this numeric demo in action.

Native JavaScript Animation

By John Wu

simple animated accordion with React.TransitionGroup

By Alex

An example that uses React’s Transition Group hooks for JavaScript animation.

CSS can’t handle variable height or expand and contract animations very well. So this animation uses ‘Request Animation Frame’.

Hulk Smash SVG

By Anthony Calzadilla

Everyone will love this HTML, CSS, and Javascript demo. It features Marvel’s Incredible Hulk.

It demonstrates how to build moving elements by using the GreenSock Animation Platform and Snap.svg animation. This allowed them to combine:

• SVG path morphs animation
• CSS animation
• Traditional frame-by-frame animation

Javascript Animation

By Mike Batruch

Here’s a Javascript animation built using OOP (Object Oriented Programming).

Basic ScrollMagic + GSAP Example

By Jordan Lev

Outlines and overprints

By Jason Pamental

Use this option for a more graphic headline with color, transparency, and overlaps.

Wiggles

By Alex Nelson

The author created the Wiggles animation library with only six lines of code. It also has support from Vivus.

Interactive 3D background

By Kevin Levron

This interactive background uses 3JS and Plane Buffer Geometry animated with Simplex noise.

Breaking News Ticker with CSS3 animation, jQuery and vue.js

By SimpleBase

Fill Backgrounds with Animation

By Chris Smith

This tool lets you iterate through each page element.

TV turn off effect/animation

By Francesco Stella

A simulation of TV static.

Random geometric shapes loading animation

Created by Tony Banik, this library features original artwork by Samuel Medvedowsky.

Sliding Logo

By Rodney Weis

The HTML code applies a logo class across two spans. The animation slides in from the left edge to its final position on the page.

The text opacity and position get their animation by using CSS @keyframes.

IN TOO DEEP

By Alex Trost

This option features fading in typography with beautiful neon reflections.

Animated CSS mask-image gradient

By Chris Neale

Here is a colorful demo with JavaScript effects.

Neumorphism Typo

By Ilithya

Neumorphism experiments with ThreeJS, using the cursor or drag movements to activate its effect.

Layered animations with anime.js

By Julian Garnier

This is the ideal way to create layered animations with anime.js.

svg circle javascript animation

By Mayank

Created with SVG Circle and JavaScript, this demo can use both the hover and click effect.

Animated Easter SVG Icons (via anime.js)

By Natalia Davydova

Simple Hamburger Menu

By Crushoftheyear

A hamburger dropdown menu built with CSS & Javascript animation.

Interactive Variable Text

By JennyBKowalski

This is a variable type with p5.js and a CSS gradient.

Graph

By Sean Baines

Banksy morph – animejs

By Mikael Ainalem

A playful transition of two Banksy street art murals powered by anime.js. It uses shape morphing to transition between the two pictures.

Bounce.JS example

By Steven Monson

The main aim of this demo is to create a “bounce” effect for a site component. This occurs whether a cursor passes over the component or it is clicked and dragged.

When applied to multiple site components, they all receive the same “weight”. This is because Bounce places emphasis on physicality and internal logic.

Bootstrap Dropdown Menu – Extended

By Bram de Haan

You extend this JavaScript library dropdown via the hover effect.

CIRCULAR SVG TEXT ANIMATION

By Mary Lou

This demo explores experimental circular SVG text effects for an intro animation.

Interactive particles text create with three.js

By Ricardo Sanprieto

The playfulness incorporated in this particle text anime will entrance your users.

Night and Day

By Matt Eaton

This GSAP JavaScript animation displays a day or night scene based on the time of day at your location.

RW Portfolio

By Rick Wisneske

Here is a simple portfolio website built with Bootstrap, CSS, and JQuery.

flickity

Flickity creates touch-enabled and physics-based sliders, galleries, & carousels.

Simple JavaScript Animation

By Yogini Bende

This Vanilla Javascript library uses QuerySelector and Click EventListener.

JavaScript Animation

By Ikuo Degawa

underlineJS

This JavaScript library draws and animates the ideal text underline. You can even make music thanks to its fun accompanying sounds.

Mark text effect on scroll w/ IO

By Mattia Astorino

The best JavaScript animation libraries often feature one or two simple animations. This simple example animates ‘mark’ style on scrolling, using Intersection Observer.

Resizable Logo! | @keyframers 3.11

By @keyframers

This demo features sliding layers and ruler markers with gradients.

CSS & Javascript animation

By Matth

Here is a minimal CSS animation library with an image that zooms in when the mouse hovers over it. You can also add text to the image.

animejs – social morph

By Mikael Ainalem

This Javascript animation library uses SVG morphing to transition between the Facebook and Twitter icons.

Channel Surfing by Markus Magnusson (in svg)

By Envato Tuts+

This demo by kittons shows how easy it is to render your animation’s after-effects inside a browser. It only takes a few lines of code to load the required JSON file and initialize the animation.

FAQs about JavaScript animations

What are the best JavaScript animation libraries?

For seamless animations, I swear by GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) and Anime.js. They offer robust features and performance optimization, making complex tasks simple. With libraries like these, you can create stunning HTML5 canvas animations, smooth CSS transitions, and interactive effects that elevate your web design.

How do I create smooth transitions in JavaScript?

Smooth transitions come down to mastering CSS animations and leveraging JavaScript animation libraries like Velocity.js. By using proper easing functions and understanding DOM manipulation, you can achieve fluid and responsive animations that enhance the user experience without compromising performance.

What is the difference between CSS animations and JavaScript animations?

CSS animations are ideal for simple transitions and keyframe-based effects. JavaScript animations, using tools like Web Animations API, offer greater control and complexity, allowing for dynamic, interactive animations. Each has its strengths, so choose based on the animation’s complexity and performance needs.

How can I optimize animation performance?

Optimizing animations involves minimizing reflows and repaints, leveraging requestAnimationFrame, and using efficient JavaScript animation frameworks. Tools like GSAP ensure performance is a priority. Always test animations on various devices to ensure smooth performance across different platforms.

What are some common uses for JavaScript animations?

JavaScript animations enhance user interfaces through interactive animations, parallax scrolling effects, and dynamic SVG animations. They make websites more engaging by adding visual feedback, animating elements on scroll, and creating interactive visualizations with tools like D3.js.

Can I use JavaScript animations on mobile devices?

Absolutely. With careful performance optimization and mobile-friendly design, JavaScript animations can run smoothly on mobile devices. Libraries like Three.js and Anime.js provide mobile-compatible solutions, ensuring that your animations look great on any screen size.

How do I learn JavaScript animation?

Start with online tutorials and courses focused on JavaScript animation effects and frameworks like GSAP and Anime.js. Practice by building small projects on CodePen. Explore resources and documentation provided by animation libraries to deepen your understanding and skills.

What are the best practices for JavaScript animations?

Focus on performance, use hardware acceleration, and optimize for different devices. Avoid excessive animations that can overwhelm users. Utilize semantic keywords and JavaScript animation tools to ensure your animations are not only impressive but also efficient and user-friendly.

How can I make animations responsive?

Use media queries and responsive design principles to adapt animations to different screen sizes. CSS transitions combined with JavaScript libraries like GSAP allow for flexible, responsive animations that adjust seamlessly to varying device dimensions.

What are some advanced techniques for JavaScript animations?

Delve into 3D animations with JavaScript using Three.js, experiment with motion design principles, and explore the Web Animations API. Advanced techniques include animating SVG paths, creating complex interactive animations, and using JavaScript frameworks like React.js and Vue.js for state-driven animations.

Conclusion

Cool JavaScript animations can transform a static webpage into an engaging, dynamic experience. By leveraging tools like GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) and Anime.js, you can create interactive animations that captivate users and enhance your site’s visual appeal. From HTML5 canvas animations to SVG animations, the possibilities are endless.

Embrace the power of JavaScript animation libraries to add depth and movement to your designs. Remember, performance is key. Optimize with techniques like using requestAnimationFrame and ensuring mobile compatibility.

Whether you’re animating with CSS transitions or diving into the Web Animations API, your goal should be smooth, responsive animations that elevate the user experience.

If you liked this article about cool JavaScript animations, you should check out this article about website ideas.

There are also similar articles discussing Lottie animation examples, hero image website, websites with video background, and pink websites.

And let’s not forget about articles on websites that tell a story, black websites, animations on scroll, and cursor animations.