“Where words fail, GIFs speak” – that’s the new motto of the internet. When you’re online, it’s often difficult to express how you’re feeling, and that’s where GIFs come in handy. Luckily, there are many GIF sites where you can find something for pretty much any emotion, reply, or occasion.
Want to end an awkward conversation on WhatsApp?
Use a GIF.
Don’t have anything clever to comment on your friend’s social media update?
Hit em’ with a GIF!
The point is – you can use GIFs for pretty much anything, and it’s awesome. In fact, GIFs have become so popular that even marketers, including yours truly, have started using them in their content.
If you’re looking for places where you can download, create, or share GIFs, keep reading. In this article, I’ll share 8 awesome GIF sites to try in 2021…without even once talking about whether it’s pronounced JIFF or GIFF.
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
8 Awesome GIF Sites [And What Makes Them Awesome]
Whether you want to create your own GIF or are looking for something on-point, a quick Google search will reveal a lot of options.
However, you’ll never know what you’re going to find unless you open the link, and you might end up wasting time.
To that end, I’ve listed and reviewed some of the best GIF websites, along with short tutorials on how to use them:
1. GIPHY
Let’s You Create GIFs: Yes
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
Let’s kick things off with a big one – GIPHY.
Created by Alex Chung and Jace Cooke as a “GIF and sticker keyboard and maker” (available as an app for both iOS and Android), I can guarantee that you’ll find the perfect GIF for anything that you’re feeling right now on this website.
Simply plug in a keyword (Tip: Just type in what you’re feeling) and click on the search button to get potentially hundreds of GIFs created and uploaded by members of the community.
Can’t think of any specific keyword?
No problem. Simply select one of the categories right above the search bar.
If you like a certain GIF, click on it. This will take you to a new page where you can download it. Once it’s completely loaded up, right click and download it how you’d normally save an image on your browser.
How to Create and Upload a GIF on GIPHY
GIPHY also lets you upload and create GIFs within minutes.
To upload a GI, click on “Upload” at the top right corner and follow the instructions (you’ll need to sign up/log in).
To create a GIF, click on “Create.”
This will take you to the user-friendly GIF maker. Using this tool, you can either create a GIF by uploading a static image/GIF and decorating it with animated text or using an online clip.
You can also create stickers and custom backdrops for video calls, but let’s ignore those options for now.
The most popular way is to convert an online clip into a GIF. To do that, simply copy and paste a YouTube, Vimeo, or GIPHY URL into the field and hit enter. At this point, if you’re not logged in, the website will ask you to do so.
On the next page, you can specify the part of the video that you want to turn into a GIF. Simply move the start time and the duration sliders (or make a manual timestamp and specify the total seconds).
Once done, click on “Continue to Decorate.”
On the next page, add captions, stickers, filters, and more, if you want, and click on “Continue to Upload.”
Finally, click on the “Upload to GIPHY” button, and it’ll hardly take a few seconds before your awesome new GIF is ready to be shared and downloaded.
Here’s the GIF I made to demonstrate the steps above, in all its glory:
Remember – this is just one of the options available to you. You can also turn a static image file into a GIF by embellishing it with animated captions.
2. Tenor
Let’s You Create GIFs: No
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
Didn’t find a favorite GIF on GIPHY?
Don’t worry, we still have a lot of top-rated GIF sites left. And the next one on the list is Tenor.
The interface is pretty straight-forward. Like GIPHY, you can also find stickers on Tenor.
On the homepage, type up a keyword related to your GIF into the search bar and hit enter.
Or if you’re out of ideas, select an option from under where it says “Trending Tenor Searches.” And like GIPHY, there’s no shortage of content on this website.
How to Upload a GIF on Tenor?
Unlike GIPHY, Tenor doesn’t have a GIF maker. However, you can upload GIFs on your account and share them on social media and other platforms.
To get started, click on the “Upload” button at the top right corner.
This will lead you to this page:
As you can see, you can either upload a ready-to-go GIF from your device or borrow it from a third-party website.
On the next page, you can add a tag to your GIF or upload more content. Once done, hit “Upload to Tenor.”
At this point, if you already haven’t, the website will ask you to sign in, which you can through your Google account.
This will lead you to your profile where you can share your GIF.
3. GIFER
Let’s You Create GIFs: No
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
This list would be incomplete without GIFER.
It’s another massive resource where you can find GIFs that are just on-point.
Either type up something to find the perfect GIF or click on any of the emotions listed towards the left (or select a quick option from below the search bar).
A little heads up: When you click on a GIF and try to download it by right-clicking, you get the option of saving your GIF as an MP4 (and not as a GIF).
Don’t worry – instead, what you want to do is click on “Download GIF,” which you can see on the right of the GIF that caught your eye.
In addition, GIFER also lets you instantly share the GIF on a number of platforms, including Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit, and even embed it on your website.
How to Upload a GIF on GIFER?
You can’t create a GIF on GIFER.
However, like the two previous GIF sites, it does let you upload your own.
To do so, click on the “Upload GIF” button at the top right corner.
You can either upload a file or use a third-party URL for a GIF or an MP4. The platform will generate your GIF which you can then share with your friends and followers.
4. Gfycat
Let’s You Create GIFs: Yes
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
Next on the list is Gfycat, which is another go-to website for GIF lovers.
Like all GIF sites we’ve discussed so far, Gfycat allows you to search for content by either typing in specific keywords or simply clicking on one of the options in the left panel.
However, downloading a GIF can be a bit tricky.
To download, open up any GIF that you like. This is what it will look like:
Scroll down and look towards the right under the tags. Click on the “More Share Options” icon (the one highlighted below):
Scroll back up to the video player and click on “GIFs.”
This will load up two URLs. Copy any one of them and open it up on your browser.
This will load up the GIF, which you can then download/save normally to your device.
How to Create and Upload GIFs on Gfycat?
To upload a GIF, click on the “Upload” button at the top bar of the website.
On the page that loads up, you can either turn an online video into a GIF and upload that or upload your own file.
Pretty simple.
To create a GIF, the steps are very similar Click on “Create” button to load up the native video-to-GIF convertor.
Similar to the GIF uploader, you can either use a URL or upload your own video.
Once done, follow the easy steps to create, upload, and download/share your new GIF.
5. Imgflip
Let’s You Create GIFs: Yes
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
If you’re a meme-lord and have a taste for hilarious GIFs, Imgflip is a great option.
Compared to the other GIF sites we’ve explored so far, this one has a simpler layout. Click on the search icon at the top to load up the search bar and type up any keyword followed by “GIF” (since the website doesn’t have any filters).
To download any GIF, right click and click on “Download .gif” button.
How to Create and Upload GIFs on Imgflip?
Imgflip doesn’t have a separate option to upload a ready-to-go GIF, however, it does let you create new GIFs from scratch which are uploaded to the website.
To get started, hover your cursor over/tap on “Create” and click on “Make a GIF.”
This will lead you to the GIF creator.
As always, either copy and paste the URL of a YouTube video in the field to the left or upload an existing video from your device.
In the example below, I went with the first option (this is what the GIF maker looks like):
First, set a starting point and an ending point for your GIF (represented by green and red arrows to the left). You may also specify this through timestamps.
To the right, you have the option of setting custom dimensions for your GIF, adding text, specifying frames, and much more.
Once done, click on “Generate GIF.” This will open up a dialogue box with a preview of your GIF. Click on “Download .gif” to get your file or save it as a template.
In case you want a cool GIF of a jet, here you go:
Give it a shot yourself.
6. Reaction GIFs
Let’s You Create GIFs: No
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes (but the process is slow)
Looking for another website that lets you search for GIFs based on how you’re feeling?
Reaction GIFs has got you covered.
To search for on-point GIFs, select a “feeling” from the right, type up a keyword, and hit search.
How to Upload a GIF on Reaction GIFs?
You can upload your content on Reaction GIFs, but the process may take some time.
The website doesn’t have a streamlined option that lets you instantly upload your GIFs.
Instead, for requests/entries (even FAQs), you need to contact the owner directly through email at gettingstoked@gmail.com.
7. Imgur
Let’s You Create GIFs: Yes
Let’s You Upload GIFs: Yes
Imgur is primarily known for free random static images and hilarious memes.
However, it’s also one of the best GIF sites.
Simply head over to the r/gifs subreddit to explore hundreds of GIFs.
The only drawback is that there’s really no way to search for a specific, theme-based GIF. Your only option is to sort the results by “newest first” or “most viewed.”
To download a GIF, click on the three dots in the bottom right corner and click on “Download Post.”
In addition, you can also embed the GIF on your website.
How to Create and Upload a GIF on Imgur?
The platform also has an online GIF maker called “Video to GIF” that creates GIF files from online clips.
Paste the URL of any video into the field and hit “Submit.”
On the next page, specify a starting and an ending point (as highlighted in the screenshot below):
You can also add text to your GIF.
Once done, hit “Create GIF” to generate and download your file.
8. AnimatedImages.org
Let’s You Create GIFs: No
Let’s You Upload GIFs: No
Let’s wrap up the list with a simple one – AnimatedImages.org.
As the name suggests, this website offers thousands of animated GIFs for different occasions, themes, and purposes.
On the homepage, you can either directly search for a GIF by plugging in a term or choose from hundreds of categories.
That’s all there is to it. There isn’t any option to create or upload your own content.
Want to Design Awesome Static Images to Turn into GIFs? Try Pixelied.
If you want to design a static JPG or PNG and convert it into an animated GIF, you should give Pixelied a shot.
It’s a free powerful online graphic design tool that’s giving Canva (and other sites like Canva) a run for its money.
With the help of simple drag and drop functions, you can create high-level graphics within minutes.
To get started, load up our free online editor.
Set custom dimensions for your now-static and soon-to-be-GIF image by clicking the “Resize” button at the top.
From there, you can start designing awesome graphics by adding text, loading up an image, incorporating icons, elements, and so much more.
Once you’re done designing your masterpiece, click on the “Download” button at the top-right corner of the screen.
You can download it as a JPG, PNG, or PNG transparent.
You can then use any of the GIF sites that let you turn a static image into a GIF (the only good option is GIPHY in my opinion).
Enjoy Those GIFs
GIFs have existed for a while, but we’ve only recently realized their true potential when it comes to online communication.
Whether you’re a professional marketer writing up a blog post on WordPress or casually looking for ways to entertain your followers or friends, you’ll definitely find something perfect on one of the GIF sites reviewed in this article.
Have fun!
