What It Does
AE Benchmark measured After Effects performance using actual rendering tasks instead of synthetic benchmarks. It generated three separate scores: single-threaded, multi-threaded, and GPU. This helped users understand why expensive workstations sometimes rendered projects only marginally faster than budget builds.
The plugin was discontinued in December 2020 and is no longer available for download or use.
Why It Was Discontinued
The developers and aescripts pulled AE Benchmark offline because it proved unreliable as a benchmarking tool. According to the official statement, it “did not meet both the communities’ and our own standards” for consistency.
Since then, Adobe implemented multi-frame rendering in After Effects, which better utilizes modern multi-core processors. This addressed one of the core performance issues AE Benchmark was designed to expose.
What It Did
Before discontinuation, AE Benchmark ran three separate tests on your system. The single-threaded score measured performance on tasks limited to one CPU core. The multi-threaded score tested how well After Effects could distribute work across multiple cores. The GPU score evaluated graphics card performance on compatible effects.
Results uploaded to a public scoreboard where users could compare hardware configurations. This helped editors make informed decisions about CPU, GPU, and RAM investments based on real After Effects workloads, not marketing claims.
Who It Was For
The tool targeted motion designers and studios trying to optimize hardware spending. It answered specific questions: does a 16-core CPU render faster than an 8-core in After Effects? How much does GPU matter for your typical project?
These questions remain relevant, but Adobe’s multi-frame rendering changes in 2021 altered the performance landscape significantly.
Pricing
AE Benchmark was completely free while available. No subscription, no trial limitations.