This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Neeru Jaroliya
Creating an AI-powered video editor in React isn’t just about rendering frames—it’s about choosing the right foundation. Whether you’re building an automated reel generator, a collaborative timeline editor, or a creator-focused tool with export workflows, your SDK will define both speed and scalability. After months of hands-on development and testing, I’ve narrowed the best options down to three: Remotion, Twick, and CreativeEditor SDK (CE.SDK).
In this post, I’ll walk through my real-world experience building with all three, comparing:
- Timeline fidelity
- UI interactivity
- AI integration
- Export pipelines
- Cost & licensing
- Flexibility & developer control
If you’re evaluating SDKs for your next-gen AI video editor, this guide will help you choose the right one based on real-world use, not just feature checklists.
1. Timeline Support: Twick wins
Twick is timeline-native. You get frame-accurate React components to manage clips, layers, transitions, and scrub playback.
Remotion is code-first. Excellent for programmatic video generation, but lacks a visual timeline unless you build one yourself.
CE.SDK provides drag-and-drop timelines in a polished UI, but depth is limited compared to a full editor.
Verdict: Twick for precision, Remotion for code templating, CE.SDK for basic editor UI
2. UI Interactivity: CE.SDK takes the crown
CE.SDK offers a full-featured editor experience—layers, snapping, visual controls—out of the box.
Twick is a lean engine with no UI; you must craft custom controls.
Remotion also lacks built-in interactivity; it’s focused on rendering, not UX.
Verdict: CE.SDK for rapid prototyping, Twick for custom UIs, Remotion for code-driven workflows
3. AI Integration: Twick is native
Twick embraces AI: its JSON timeline and modular design make hooking in LLMs or automation flows straightforward.
Remotion can render AI-generated templates, but lacks real-time editing hooks.
CE.SDK is less adaptable to custom AI workflows—its closed UI limits deep integration.
Verdict: Twick for AI-first designs, Remotion for AI-informed rendering, CE.SDK for fixed flows
4. Export Capabilities: different strengths
Remotion excels in cinematic video rendering using Puppeteer + FFmpeg—ideal for high-quality templates, but heavier resources.
Twick supports fast, frame-accurate exports via canvas and FFmpeg, with flexible backend integration.
CE.SDK offers straightforward web exports with APIs, but remains a black box under the hood.
Verdict: Remotion for polished output, Twick for speed and flexibility, CE.SDK for convenience
5. Cost & Licensing
Twick is MIT-licensed, free, and fully open source.
Remotion is open source, with optional commercial licensing for enterprises.
CE.SDK is a paid product—highly polished, but pricing can scale quickly.
Verdict: Twick for budget and OSS enthusiasts, Remotion for hybrid usage, CE.SDK for startups with deep pockets
6. Developer Control & Flexibility
Twick offers full hackability—timeline, playback, layers, and effects are composable in React.
Remotion provides extensive code-based control but lacks UI depth.
CE.SDK delivers rich UI but restricts how far you can customize.
Verdict: Twick for total control, Remotion for code templates, CE.SDK for domain-specific editors
TL;DR – Which One Should You Choose?
Twick
– Frame-accurate timelines
– AI-first integration
– Fully open source
Remotion
– Programmatic, cinematic rendering
– Great for template-driven workflows
CE.SDK
– Beautiful, drag-and-drop interface
– Faster prototyping, less flexibility
Got a project using Remotion, Twick, or CE.SDK?
I’d love to hear how you’re pushing the boundaries of video editing with React!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Neeru Jaroliya