Best Particle and Simulation Plugins for After Effects

Stardust

paid

Modular 3D particle system with node-based workflow for After Effects

Plexus 3

paid

Build generative 3D particle networks with lines, facets, and effectors

Newton 4

freemium

Apply realistic 2D physics to After Effects layers with gravity and collisions

Splash

paid

Creates procedurally animated liquid trails and blobs on moving layers

Furikake

paid

CPU-optimized particle plugin for large-scale motion graphics and VFX

Handy Particles Pro

freemium

Create particle systems with custom shapes and export to Rive

Bang

freemium

Modular particle system for creating 3D procedural muzzle flashes

Soft Body 2

paid

Create physics-based soft body simulations on text, shapes, and layers

Liquids

paid

Add physics-based liquid simulations to masked areas with one click

Physarum

freemium

Simulates organic growth patterns using expression-driven masks

Vectory

freemium

Transforms images into dynamic particle networks based on brightness

Particle Pro

freemium

Create particles from text, shapes, and masks using Stardust presets

Toy Bricks

paid

Simulates physics and rigid body collisions in 3D space

Mercury

paid

GPU-accelerated liquid deformations for shapes, text, and masks

Aura

paid

Generates animated geometric shapes in 3D space using procedural waves