GSAP joins Webflow: what changes for animators
When a long-running independent library lands inside a bigger company, the usual reaction is caution. For GSAP, the mood is closer to anticipation. The GreenSock Animation Platform, used on more than 12 million sites, is teaming up with Webflow, the visual website builder. The move connects GSAP’s animation engine to Webflow’s graphical interface while giving the GSAP team more development resources.
GSAP has been independent software for nearly 15 years, going back to the Flash and ActionScript era. Funding came primarily through Club GSAP memberships, the paid tiers that add extra tools and plugins. That financing model is not going away — GSAP will stay available for the broader web, according to Cassie Evans, GSAP’s Lead Bestower of Animation Superpowers and a CSS-Tricks contributor. She framed the acquisition as a positive shift:
It’s a big change, but we think it’s going to be a good one – more resources for the core library, more people maintaining the GSAP codebase, money for events and merch and community support, a VISUAL GUI in the pipeline.
Webflow users have long asked for direct GSAP integration, so the match answers a frequent wishlist item. Evans sees the communities as compatible:
The webflow community is so lovely and creative and supportive and friendly too. It’s a good fit.
For the GSAP team — Jack, Cassie, and Rodrigo — the acquisition brings stability and room to grow. The immediate upside for everyone is the planned visual interface, which should make the animation library accessible to a much wider audience without sacrificing what made GSAP popular in the first place.
