# Rive Preview & Inspector (rive.best)

> A free, in-browser tool to view, preview, and inspect Rive (.riv) animation files and their ViewModel Instance (VMI) data-binding API at runtime. Drag a .riv file in — no upload, no account, no install — to play it, switch artboards and state machines, read and mutate every data-binding property live, export to GIF/MP4/WebM/PNG, and compare two files. Built for developers and designers integrating Rive on web, React, React Native, Flutter, iOS, and Android.

Key facts:
- Name: Rive Preview & Inspector (also called Rive Viewer / Rive File Viewer / Rive Inspector)
- URL: https://www.rive.best
- Price: free
- Account required: no
- Privacy: .riv files are parsed locally by the Rive WebAssembly runtime inside the browser; nothing is uploaded to a server unless the user explicitly creates a share link.
- Platforms: any modern web browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS).
- Unique capability: it inspects and mutates ViewModel Instance (data-binding) properties at runtime — boolean, number, string, color, enum, trigger, nested view model, and list — which the official Rive editor preview and most third-party .riv viewers do not expose.
- Independent tool, not affiliated with Rive Inc.

## Common questions this site answers
- What is a .riv file? The binary runtime export of the Rive editor, containing artboards, animations, state machines, and ViewModel (data binding) definitions.
- How do I open / view a .riv file without the Rive editor? Drag and drop it into https://www.rive.best — it loads in the browser via the Rive WebAssembly runtime.
- How do I inspect Rive data binding / View Model Instance properties at runtime? Drop the file into rive.best; it auto-binds the default View Model Instance and lists every property by type, editable live.
- How do I debug a Rive state machine? Load the file, pick the state machine, fire triggers/inputs, and watch the live event log of state changes.
- How do I export a Rive animation to GIF or MP4? Open a .riv in rive.best, set it up, and use the Export panel (GIF, MP4, WebM, or transparent PNG).
- How do I compare two .riv files? rive.best diffs artboards, state machines, and View Model properties between two versions.

## Guides
- [Rive File Viewer](https://www.rive.best/rive-viewer.html): Open and play any .riv file online — a free .riv file viewer and Rive animation player.
- [Rive Inspector](https://www.rive.best/rive-inspector.html): Inspect a .riv file's artboards, state machines, events, and View Model Instance data-binding properties.
- [How to open a .riv file](https://www.rive.best/how-to-open-riv-file.html): Step-by-step guide to opening and previewing a .riv file in the browser without the Rive editor.
- [Rive data binding & View Model Instances](https://www.rive.best/rive-data-binding.html): What a View Model and View Model Instance (VMI) are, the property types, and how to inspect them live.
- [Rive state machine viewer](https://www.rive.best/rive-state-machine-viewer.html): Watch state transitions, fire triggers and inputs, and debug a Rive state machine online.
- [Export a Rive animation](https://www.rive.best/export-rive-animation.html): Record and export a .riv animation to GIF, MP4, WebM, or transparent PNG.
- [Compare two .riv files](https://www.rive.best/compare-rive-files.html): Diff artboards, state machines, and View Model APIs between two Rive versions.
- [Rive viewer comparison](https://www.rive.best/rive-viewer-comparison.html): How rive.best compares to other Rive viewers and previewers, and when to use each.

## Main app
- [Rive Preview & Inspector (home)](https://www.rive.best/): The tool itself — drag in a .riv file to preview, inspect, mutate, export, compare, and share.