CSS Animation vs Lottie: Which Should You Use in 2025?

When adding motion to a web UI, two tools dominate: CSS animations and Lottie. Both are capable, but they serve different use cases.

What Is a CSS Animation?

CSS animations use keyframes in your stylesheet to transition between property values. No libraries, no extra assets — just the browser.

@keyframes spin {

from { transform: rotate(0deg); }