Rive Animation: Interactive UI that responds to your users
Rive is the modern standard for interactive animation. Lightweight files, built-in state machines, and real-time interactivity-all without writing animation code.
From subtle micro-interactions to complex animated interfaces, Rive brings your UI to life while keeping performance fast and file sizes small.
What is Rive?
Rive is a real-time interactive design and animation tool that creates lightweight, vector-based animations with built-in interactivity. Unlike traditional animation tools that export static files, Rive animations can respond to user input, application data, and state changes in real-time.
Think of it as the bridge between design and development: designers create animations with visual state machines, and developers integrate them with a few lines of code. The result is interactive UI that feels native to your product.
State Machines
Built-in logic that responds to user input, data changes, and application state-no code required for the animation side.
Tiny File Sizes
Rive files are typically 10-100KB, compared to MB for video. Perfect for web performance and mobile data constraints.
Cross-Platform
One animation file works everywhere: React, Vue, Flutter, iOS, Android, and vanilla JavaScript with official runtimes.
Resolution Independent
Vector-based animations scale perfectly on any screen size-from mobile to 4K displays-without losing quality.
Why Rive for your product
Rive renders at 60fps with minimal CPU/GPU usage. Files are 50-90% smaller than Lottie, load instantly, and never block your main thread.
State machines let animations react to hover, click, scroll, data values, and application state. No animation code needed-just connect inputs.
Designers build the animation and interactivity visually. Developers integrate with 5-10 lines of code. No back-and-forth on timing or easing.
What you can build with Rive
Rive handles everything from subtle micro-interactions to complex animated systems. Each animation is self-contained with its own state machine, making integration straightforward.
Micro-interactions
Button states, toggle switches, checkboxes, and form feedback. Small details that make interfaces feel polished and responsive.
Loading & Progress
Custom loading indicators, progress bars, skeleton screens, and status animations that keep users engaged during wait times.
Onboarding Flows
Animated tutorials, feature highlights, and walkthrough sequences that guide users through your product.
Animated Icons
Icons that respond to state changes: navigation menus, notification indicators, and status icons that communicate meaning through motion.
Data Visualization
Interactive charts, gauges, and infographics that animate based on real data values from your application.
Gamification Elements
Achievement unlocks, streak counters, level-up animations, and reward reveals that make products more engaging.
Rive powers our gamification systems
We use Rive extensively in our gamification design services to create engaging achievement reveals, streak counters, and reward animations. The state machine approach makes it easy to connect these animations to your product logic. See our gamification services to learn how animated feedback drives retention.
Rive vs other animation approaches
Each animation approach has its place. Rive excels when you need interactivity, performance, and a streamlined design-to-dev workflow.
| Feature | Rive | Lottie | CSS Animation | GIF/Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactivity | Built-in state machines | Requires external code | Limited to CSS states | None |
| File size (typical) | 10-100KB | 50-500KB | Code-dependent | 500KB-2MB |
| Resolution | Vector (infinite) | Vector (infinite) | Vector (infinite) | Fixed pixels |
| Real-time data binding | Native support | Complex workarounds | CSS variables | Not possible |
| Design tool | Purpose-built editor | After Effects + plugin | Code-based | Any image editor |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Steep (AE required) | Moderate | Easy |
Use Rive when you need
- Interactive animations that respond to user input
- Animations driven by real-time data
- Complex multi-state UI components
- Small file sizes with high fidelity
- One animation that works across web and mobile
Consider alternatives when
- You only need simple hover transitions (CSS is fine)
- Your team already has After Effects expertise (Lottie works)
- Animation doesn't need interactivity (video might suffice)
- Budget is extremely limited (CSS animations are free)
Want a deeper comparison? Read our detailed Rive vs Lottie analysis with benchmarks and real-world examples.
How we deliver Rive animations
We handle the full animation workflow: from identifying the right opportunities to delivering production-ready .riv files with clear integration documentation.
Discovery & Planning
We identify where animation adds value to your product. Not every screen needs animation-we focus on moments that improve UX or drive business metrics.
Design & State Mapping
We design the animation and map out the state machine: what triggers each state, what inputs it needs, and how it connects to your application logic.
Build in Rive
Animations are built directly in Rive with full state machines. We optimize for file size and runtime performance from the start.
Integration Support
We provide the .riv file with documentation on inputs/outputs. For React projects, we can handle the full integration including component wrappers.
What you receive
.riv file
Production-ready animation
State machine docs
Input/output reference
React component
Optional wrapper code
Demo implementation
Working example
Our Rive capabilities
We work with the full range of Rive features, from simple state toggles to complex data-driven animations with nested state machines.
Animation Types
- Vector shape morphing
- Skeletal/bone animations
- Path animations
- Procedural animations
- Physics-based motion
State Machine Features
- Boolean triggers
- Number inputs (for data binding)
- Blend states
- Nested state machines
- Event listeners
Platform Support
- React / Next.js
- Vue / Nuxt
- Flutter
- iOS (Swift)
- Android (Kotlin)
- Vanilla JavaScript
Optimization
- WebGL rendering
- Canvas fallback
- Lazy loading
- Render on demand
- Clipping & culling
Technical excellence
Performance-first approach
Every animation is optimized for runtime performance. We minimize keyframes, use efficient shapes, and leverage Rive's rendering optimizations to ensure smooth 60fps playback.
Clean state machine design
State machines are designed to be understandable and maintainable. Clear naming conventions, documented inputs/outputs, and logical state organization make integration straightforward.
Framework-ready code
For React projects, we provide typed component wrappers with proper hooks for state machine control. For other frameworks, we provide clear integration examples using the official runtimes.
Ready to build a product
people actually use?
From design to code to automation - we build the whole thing.
