RAMAnimatedTabBarController vs FoldingCell
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A Swift library that adds animations to iOS tab bar items and icons.
Open source · MIT
An iOS UI component: table cells that expand and fold open with a paper-card style animation.
The short answer
Choose RAMAnimatedTabBarController if you need…
- iOS developers who want animated tab bar icons without writing the animation logic from scratch
- Developers building a UI prototype who want a quick visual upgrade to navigation
- Teams already using CocoaPods, Carthage, or manual folder import for iOS libraries
Choose FoldingCell if you need…
- iOS developers building list screens with expandable items
- Developers who want a ready-made folding animation instead of writing their own
- Teams adding a Material-style expanding card pattern to a table view
Side-by-side
| RAMAnimatedTabBarController | FoldingCell | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 11.1k | 10.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Swift | Swift |
| Last code update | 5 years ago | 3 years ago |
What each one is
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
Animated Tab Bar is an iOS library written in Swift that lets developers add motion effects to the buttons in an app's bottom tab bar, such as bounce, rotation, flip, and frame animations. It works by replacing the standard tab bar controller and items with Ramotion's custom classes, then attaching an animation to each item. It is aimed at developers who want a more lively tab bar than the default iOS look.
FoldingCell
FoldingCell is a Swift library for iOS apps that provides a table view cell which unfolds to reveal more content, with an animation inspired by folding paper cards. Developers use it to show a compact summary that opens into a detailed view when tapped. The README describes it as a single file you can drop into a project, or install through a package manager.
Best for
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
- iOS developers who want animated tab bar icons without writing the animation logic from scratch
- Developers building a UI prototype who want a quick visual upgrade to navigation
- Teams already using CocoaPods, Carthage, or manual folder import for iOS libraries
FoldingCell
- iOS developers building list screens with expandable items
- Developers who want a ready-made folding animation instead of writing their own
- Teams adding a Material-style expanding card pattern to a table view
Strengths
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
- Ships with nine ready-made animations that can be attached in Interface Builder or code
- Simple setup: swap in the library's tab bar controller and item classes, then add an animation
- Available through CocoaPods, Carthage, Swift Package Manager, or direct folder import, and released under MIT
FoldingCell
- Simple to add: the README says you can drop in one Swift file or use CocoaPods, Carthage, or Swift Package Manager
- Configurable animation timing per fold through an overridable method
- MIT licensed and widely starred on GitHub
Not ideal for
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
- Developers targeting Android or web, since the library is iOS-only (reason: it is built with UIKit classes)
- Projects that need actively maintained code, since the last push was January 2022 and the latest release is 5.1.0 (reason: the README does not state current support status)
- Teams using SwiftUI's TabView exclusively, since the README describes UITabBarController-based setup (reason: the README does not mention SwiftUI)
FoldingCell
- Developers targeting Android or the web, since this is an iOS-only Swift library
- Projects needing a current, actively documented setup, since the README lists Xcode 10.2 and iOS 8.0+ and the code samples use older Swift syntax
- Anyone wanting a no-code tool, since integration requires writing table view and cell code
Trade-offs
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
- The last push was 2022-01-26 and the README lists Xcode 10.2, so compatibility with current Xcode and iOS versions is unverified
- The README is brief and does not document the full API or how it behaves with complex layouts
- Some included examples are animation-only; there is no documented support for SwiftUI
FoldingCell
- The README's code samples use outdated Swift syntax and APIs, so they will need adapting to current Xcode and Swift versions
- The README lists iOS 8.0+ and Xcode 10.2 as requirements, which may be out of date; no newer compatibility is stated
- The README does not describe testing status beyond a Travis badge, and the last push date is April 2024
Getting started
RAMAnimatedTabBarController
Install with CocoaPods (add to Podfile)
pod 'RAMAnimatedTabBarController'FoldingCell
CocoaPods (Podfile)
pod 'FoldingCell'Swift Package Manager (Package.swift)
dependencies: [ .package(url: "https://github.com/Ramotion/folding-cell.git", from: "5.0.2") ]Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between RAMAnimatedTabBarController and FoldingCell?
RAMAnimatedTabBarController: A Swift library that adds animations to iOS tab bar items and icons. FoldingCell: An iOS UI component: table cells that expand and fold open with a paper-card style animation. RAMAnimatedTabBarController suits ios developers who want animated tab bar icons without writing the animation logic from scratch, while FoldingCell suits ios developers building list screens with expandable items.
Are RAMAnimatedTabBarController and FoldingCell free?
RAMAnimatedTabBarController: Free and open source. FoldingCell: Free and open source.
Is RAMAnimatedTabBarController or FoldingCell more popular?
RAMAnimatedTabBarController has more GitHub stars (11.1k) than FoldingCell (10.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to RAMAnimatedTabBarController and FoldingCell?
Other options people compare them with include Material, Hero, barba.js, React, Dear ImGui.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.