Top 58 premium and free animation software [complete list]

Are you searching for the perfect animation software to bring your creative vision to life? We've curated the top 58 animation software options—both premium and free—for marketers, animators, designers, and creators of all levels.

From intuitive 2D tools to 3D animation powerhouses, you'll find the perfect platform for your project.

And we’re also introducing a new player in town that's causing a stir—Linearity Move.

Our new innovative software is tailored for marketing design, offering a high-powered suite of features to make your animations stand out from the competition. Plus, it’s 100% integrated with Linearity Curve.

Looking for the complete package? Let's discover your ideal animation tool.

Bring motion in-house

Animate marketing assets in seconds with Linearity Move.

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Quick comparison table: animation software

There are many features that animators find valuable, but we see two as absolutely essential when it comes to scalability and control over your animated designs:

• The ability to create and manipulate vector designs and animations
• Having a layered timeline view to accurately animate separate elements

Below is a comparison table showing which tools in this comprehensive list offer these two powerful features.

Let’s go through each animation platform’s other key features, use cases, compatibility, and pricing.

Premium animation software: powerful tools for experienced animators

Having access to premium software that provides a powerful set of tools is the start to creating high-quality animations. These tools can help marketing teams, professional animators, and motion graphics designers achieve their creative communication goals.

Let's look at some premium animation software available for professionals needing advanced features to create stunning, engaging animations.

1. Linearity Move

• Target market: Anybody who loves design and animation can use the software, from amateurs to professionals. 
• Used for: High-quality vector animations, explainer videos, and infographic videos
• OS support: macOS, iPadOS, iPhoneOS
• Price range: Free version available, Pro plan starts at $7.99/month. Book a demo to learn more about our Org plan for teams.

Animate in one click. Linearity Move signals a new frontier in marketing design, where a sophisticated toolset meets exceptional user experience.

Linearity Move empowers you to animate vector designs while cutting down on production costs. You can import your designs from Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator), Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Illustrator and start animating immediately.

Besides the bold simplicity of its import-click-animate workflow, Linearity Move offers you more control with object layers, keyframe editing, element positioning with animation curves, and captivating transitions.

Whether you’re a professional graphic designer or beginner marketer, you don’t need any prior animating experience to use Linearity Move.

It promises marketing designers two to three times higher click-through rates (CTRs), up to 30% more conversions, and higher SEO rankings.

Bring motion in-house

Animate marketing assets in seconds with Linearity Move.

Get started

Linearity Move pros and cons

2. Toon Boom Harmony

• Target market: Professional animators and filmmakers
• Used for: High-quality animations, explainer videos, and infographic videos
• OS support: macOS and Windows
• Price range: From $28.50 to $129.50/month

Toon Boom Harmony is a professional industry-standard animation software highly regarded for its extensive 2D animation production capabilities.

It offers three packages catering to different needs—Harmony Essentials, Harmony Advanced, and Harmony Premium.

With a user-friendly interface, Toon Boom Harmony is widely used by professionals in the industry. It provides a range of advanced features such as vector graphics, frame animation, interactive animations, and dynamic structures.

Toon Boom pros and cons

3. Maya

• Target market: Professional animators, visual effects artists, and game developers
• Used for: Creating high-quality 3D animations and visual effects
• OS support: macOS, Windows, and Linux
• Price range: Starts at $1,295/year or $3,885 for 3 years for a single user

With its extensive toolset, Maya enables you to create high-quality animations in 2D and 3D. It is supported on macOS, Windows, and Linux and caters to all user categories across different operating systems.

One of the prime advantages of using Maya is its excellent user interface which makes it incredibly user-friendly.

Along with its comprehensive toolset, it also enables you to model complex objects like clothing, fur, hair, fluids, and particles. Moreover, it features an easy-to-use auto-rig tool that makes possible painless setup of highly sophisticated skinned and weighted rigs.

Maya has various animation automation tools that free you from repetitive tasks like keyframing and allows you to easily create and manage animations. Its array of API libraries extends its capabilities further, making it an all-inclusive solution for beginners and advanced users.

Maya pros and cons

4. Adobe After Effects

• Target market: Motion graphics artists, visual effects professionals, and video editors
• Used for: Motion graphics, visual effects, animation, video editing, and post-production
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Subscription-based pricing starting at $24.14/month, or $275.86/year

Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool for visual effects and post-production editing. It can be integrated with various plugins to add functionalities, making it a highly customizable software.

It offers an extensive library of tools for creating high-quality animations, including 3D and cut-out animations. Its ability to track motion and add special effects makes it essential software for experienced animators.

While Adobe After Effects has a long ramp-up time, it becomes a versatile tool to add to your animation software arsenal once you get used to how it works.

You can use it as standalone software or integrate it with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications, such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

Overall, Adobe After Effects is a powerful and professional software suitable for advanced animators and post-production editors. While it may come at a cost and require training, it boasts many advanced features and tools.

Adobe After Effects pros and cons

5. Adobe Animate

• Target market: Animators, graphic designers, web developers, and interactive media professionals
• Used for: Creating interactive web animations, web design, game development, multimedia content, and vector-based artwork
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Subscription-based pricing starting at $24.14/month, or $275.86/year

Adobe Animate is one of the best 2D animation software available in the market. Its advanced features like vector brushes, virtual camera, and audio syncing make creating natural-looking and interactive animations easy.

Adobe Animate is more user-friendly than After Effects, but beginners may still need a longer time to reach proficiency.

It offers several export options, including SVG and HTML5 Canvas, for users to publish their animation projects across different platforms.

Adobe Animate pros and cons

6. Adobe Character Animator

• Target market: Animators, character designers, and multimedia content creators
• Used for: Creating real-time 2D character animation and puppetry
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at $24.14/month, or $275.86/year

If you're looking for beginner-friendly Adobe software that can capture motion and audio in real-time, then Adobe Character Animator is worth checking out.

One of the standout features of Adobe Character Animator is its mic and camera capture capabilities.

This allows users to capture motion and audio in real-time, making creating lively and engaging character animations easy.

Adobe Character Animator integrates seamlessly with other Adobe programs, making it a great choice for those already using other Adobe software.

One of the pros of Adobe Character Animator is that it's particularly well-suited for tasks that require voice as the main feature, such as explainer videos. But it may require more training when it comes to other tools and features.

Adobe Character Animator pros and cons

7. Cinema 4D

• Target market: 3D artists, motion graphics designers, visual effects professionals, and game developers
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, rendering, motion graphics, visual effects, and simulation
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Several pricing tiers ranging from $1.99/month to $149/month

Cinema 4D is an advanced animation software for creating stunning 3D animations. One of its top features is its keyframing tools allowing precise and robust animations. The timeline window gives greater control over the animation process with virtually no limits.

The platform also boasts impressive tools, including effectors, tags, and expressions, that help users create complex graphics, visual effects, and character animations. Using its presets, you can create advanced animations quickly without spending much time.

This software also provides an innovative real-time viewport that makes it easy to see how animations will look before finishing a project.

Cinema 4D's bodypaint tool simplifies texturing by enabling users to paint directly onto 3D models, offering greater control over the final look and feel. Additionally, its cloth simulation feature is one of the most advanced in the industry, providing realistic animations with ease.

This versatile and diverse toolset makes Cinema 4D ideal for users with animation experience looking to grow their skills.

Cinema 4D pros and cons

8. Moho Pro

• Target market: Professional animators, hobbyists, and individuals creating 2D animations
• Used for: Creating 2D animations, character rigging, and motion graphics
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: One-time purchase ranging from $59.99 to $399.99

Moho Pro is a 2D animation software with advanced features that make it one of the top choices for professional animators.

Upgraded from its beginner-friendly counterpart, Moho Debut, this software supports multiple types of rigging systems, sophisticated vector drawing tools, meshes, and a physics engine. These high-end features ensure you have the utmost control over your animations and can create lively, realistic motions and scenes.

You can also use Moho Pro’s lip-syncing feature to match scripted words with your characters’ mouth movements easily.

Other advanced features include 3D workspaces and extrusions (plus 3D file support), Unity support for game developers, code scripting, and animation editing in Graph mode.

If you're an advanced animator looking for a platform to create captivating stories, then Moho Pro could be the software you’re looking for. It also has an active creator community to get help when needed.

Moho Pro pros and cons

9. Vyond

• Target market: Businesses, organizations, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating animated videos for marketing, training, education, and entertainment
• OS support: Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux through web browsers
• Price range: Subscription-based pricing starting from $25/ month for the single user plan

Vyond is a video creation software designed for creating engaging explainer videos and whiteboard presentations. As a web-based animation software, Vyond offers a variety of features that cater to both businesses and individuals.

With its drag-and-drop interface, you can incorporate customized images, videos, and audio assets into your animations.

Its vast library of pre-made templates empower you to create engaging video content without starting from scratch.

One of Vyond's standout features is its ability to create interactive animations with exit effects and motion tracking, enabling you to make business presentations with pizzazz. Another benefit is its versatility in export formats, so you can easily share your videos with others.

Whether you're a graphic designer wanting to make animated assets or a business professional looking for fresh ways to present information, Vyond has something for everyone. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to dive into animation and create enchanting video content.

Vyond pros and cons

10. Spriter Pro

• Target market: Game developers, 2D animators, and artists
• Used for: Animating 2D characters and assets using a modular approach
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: One-time license costs $59.99

A flexible and powerful animation software, Spriter Pro’s easy-to-use interface and efficient animation process will help you create lively characters quickly and easily.

One of Spriter Pro's standout features is its modular sprite animation process. Each piece of your character or object is an individual sprite you can manipulate independently to create quirky animations.

It also offers a dynamic bone system for more natural and fluid movements of your characters and objects. Spriter Pro is especially well-suited for creating cutout animations, motion graphics, and video game assets.

It’s compatible with many popular engines and frameworks, making integrating into your other projects easy. And with support for various export formats, sharing your creations with others is a breeze.

Spriter Pro pros and cons

11. Dragonframe

• Target market: Stop motion animators and filmmakers
• Used for: Capturing, editing, and refining stop motion animations
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at $295 once-off

Dragonframe is an excellent stop motion animation software with advanced features that enable you to create high-quality animations that give your projects that professional touch.

With its comprehensive camera settings, support for motion-controlled camera movement, and 512-channel light control, Dragonframe can help bring your vision to life smoothly and precisely.

One of the standout features of Dragonframe is its intuitive drawing tools that allow you to outline motion paths easily. Also, the X-sheet feature is a game-changer as it helps keep track of progress for each shot, making it easier to adjust timing and ensure that you never miss a step.

With onion skinning and overlay grids to help balance your shots, Dragonframe makes stop motion animation more easily manageable. Its support for recording and adjusting stereoscopic 3D movies, multi-audio track editing, and the ability to import face sets for animating facial movements is also very impressive. It’s one of the industry's most sought-after stop motion animation software.

Dragonframe is perfect for animation studios and independent filmmakers looking for industry-standard stop motion animation software that will give them complete control over their projects. You can trust it to produce high-quality and professional stop motion animations that meet your needs and exceed your expectations every time.

Dragonframe pros and cons

12. CelAction2D

• Target market: 2D animators and animation studios
• Used for: Traditional hand-drawn and cut-out character animations
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at $70/month

CelAction2D is the premium animation software for professionals in the animation industry. Known for its ease of use, CelAction2D is relied on in the TV and film industries—including the likes of Peppa Pig and the Mr. Bean cartoon series.

Seasoned animators will appreciate the simplicity and speed of the platform.

The software’s frame-accurate editing, automatic lip-syncing, and cut-out animation functionality enable animators to create top-quality animations quickly and efficiently.

Animators can access advanced features such as dynamic camera movement, inverse kinematics, and automatic inking. Its timeline-based workflow, customizable camera settings, and extensive character library make it a go-to option for professional animators.

If you're in the market for premium 2D animation software that’s easy to use and trusted by TV and movie production companies, look no further than CelAction2D. The investment in this software will pay off with top-quality features and streamlined animations.

CelAction2D pros and cons

13. Procreate

• Target market: Digital artists, illustrators, and designers
• Used for: Illustrations and designs
• OS support: Exclusively available for iOS devices
• Price range: One-time purchase of $12.99 on the Apple App Store

Looking for a powerful animation software designed for digital art on iOS devices?

Thanks to its extensive list of advanced controls and impressive drawing tools, Procreate is a popular software for professional and hobbyist artists and animators.

Though it doesn’t offer vector graphics capabilities, you can use Procreate to create traditional hand-drawn animations using its sophisticated drawing tools. With a granular timeline, you can ensure each frame in your animation is perfect.

Procreate pros and cons

14. Cartoon Animator 5

• Target market: Animators, graphic designers, educators, and individuals
• Used for: 2D character animations, facial animations, lip-syncing, and creating animated videos with a variety of visual effects
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at $149 once-off

Looking for an intuitive animation software that can bring your creations to life? Meet Cartoon Animator 5, a tool that combines motion capture with 2D animation to streamline the animation process.

One of the most significant benefits of Cartoon Animator 5 is its ease of use, which makes it a good choice for beginners.

It includes fine-tuning features such as smart 1K motion editing and prop dynamics, allowing you to easily animate your stories and bring your characters to life.

Another standout feature of Cartoon Animator 5 is its compatibility with Adobe Photoshop, which enables seamless integration between the two tools for more efficient image editing. You'll also have access to a wide range of customizable templates to get you started with your animations quickly.

Cartoon Animator 5 pros and cons

15. iStopMotion

• Target market: stop motion animators, filmmakers, educators, and hobbyists
• Used for: Capturing and editing stop motion animations
• OS support: macOS and iOS
• Price range: It costs $9.99 to download from the Apple App Store

iStopMotion is a stop motion and time-lapse software that's perfect for budding animators and hobbyists using Apple products. It’s user-friendly software and easy to use, making it an ideal choice for beginner artists, educators, and students.

You can create animated GIFs of up to 200 frames directly from your animations.

iStopMotion also offers onion skinning and chroma keying. These features enable users to place their animations in real-world settings, an especially useful tool for those creating explainer videos or whiteboard animations.

While iStopMotion may lack some advanced features found in other animation software, it still provides a reliable tool for those requiring a streamlined solution. It’s an excellent stop motion and time-lapse software that offers great value for its price.

iStopMotion pros and cons

16. Digicel FlipBook

• Target market: Professional 2D animators, artists, and enthusiasts
• Used for: Traditional frame-by-frame drawing and animation
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Ranges from around $19.99 to $99.99 once off

Digicel FlipBook is another industry-standard 2D animation software. It’s endorsed by famous film director and animator Don Bluth and was used to create blockbuster feature films like Titan A.E. (2000) and Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Designed for students and professionals, this software offers a wide range of features, including drawing, shooting, scanning, and painting tools. Users can import backgrounds, cels, overlays, and movies to create animations.

One of the standout features of Digicel FlipBook is the ability to add soundtracks in various formats such as WAV, MP3, or AIF. This allows your animations to come to life with a professional audio track.

Not only is Digicel FlipBook packed with features, but it also comes at an affordable price point. Overall, Digicel FlipBook is an option for those looking for traditional 2D animation software that’s both sophisticated and user-friendly.

Digicel FlipBook pros and cons

17. Vidtoon

• Target market: Small business owners, marketers, and content creators
• Used for: Explainer videos, animated tutorials, and social media content
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at about $49/month

This video creation software has plenty of features to make online videos for a variety of applications. Vidtoon has an extensive library of templates, sound effects, and exit effects that you can use to create professional-looking videos in just a fraction of the time compared to some other software solutions.

These features allow you to create compelling explainer videos and cut-out animations that convey your message effectively to your audience. You can also access a library of pre-made animated characters, vector images, vector workflows, and basic controls to create animated stories without needing any technical expertise.

Vidtoon is all about simplicity, which can be restricting for more advanced animators or users who want more control over the look and feel of their animations.

Vidtoon pros and cons

18. VistaCreate (formerly Crello)

• Target market: Graphic designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and individuals
• Used for: Animated designs, presentations, and social media posts
• OS support: Web-based on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Premium subscription starts at $10/month

VistaCreate is design software that’s uncannily similar to Canva. With an almost identical offering to Canva, you can expect the same great features: an extensive library of pre-designed templates, including animations, objects, and backgrounds. This makes it easy to create eye-catching ads, logos, and social media banners in just minutes.

It’s suitable for beginners or non-designer marketers who need quick and easy tools to produce fresh content.

With VistaCreate, you can apply various animation effects like zoom-in, fly-in, and fade-in to any element and apply time delays. You can also add and edit your own footage to personalize your animated sequences.

Combining these basic animation tools with pre-designed templates and a handful of vector drawing capabilities, anyone can use VistaCreate to make stunning animations. These features may be too restrictive for designers and animators who want to create bespoke videos and other animated creations.

VistaCreate pros and cons

19. 3ds Max

• Target market: 3D artists, animators, architects, and game developers
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, rendering, character rigging, virtual reality content creation, architectural visualization, and special effects
• OS support: Windows 10, 8.1, and 7
• Price range: Starts at $1,295 for an annual license

3ds Max is a comprehensive 3D animation software suite that’s well-known for its broad feature set. It’s popular in game development, architectural visualization, and visual effects production.

One of the areas where 3ds Max stands out is its particle and light simulation, allowing animators to accurately recreate real-world physics in their visual simulations.

The software's cloth simulation engine is also very impressive and gives animations a realistic feel. The parametric and organic modeling features allow animators to work with ease and precision, creating intricate, multi-layered 3D models with ease.

Its character animation tools, Character Studio and CAT, are excellent for rigging and controlling bipedal and non-humanoid characters, respectively.

3ds Max offers incredibly useful tools like Populate for controlling scenes with large crowds of people or objects and Motion Mixer for complete control over 3D animations.

Overall, if you're looking for 3D animation software that offers powerful particle and light simulations, cutting-edge organic modeling, and an amazing set of character animation tools, 3ds Max is an excellent choice.

3ds Max pros and cons

20. Clip Studio Paint

• Target market: Digital artists, illustrators, comic creators, and animators
• Used for: Digital drawing, painting, comic creation, character design, and 2D animation
• OS support: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
• Price range: One-time purchase starts at $49.99, or you can pay $0.99/month

This powerful 2D animation tool is packed with features that cater to both traditional and digital styles of animation. Clip Studio Paint offers a range of brushes that allow for precise and intricate detailing.

The animation timeline and onion skinning features make it easy to produce smooth and seamless animations.

With the software's vector tools and advanced controls, artists have the freedom to create precise animations with scalable elements. Clip Studio Paint also offers the ability to adjust frames and camera angles.

Clip Studio Paint pros and cons

21. Doodly

• Target market: Marketers, educators, content creators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating whiteboard animations with doodle-style graphics
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Starts at $49/month

With Doodly, users can create doodle-style animations using a library of pre-made doodle elements, making the animation process quicker and more efficient.

You can place scenes, objects, and characters on a whiteboard, blackboard, green board, or clear surface.

Then, choose a hand for a realistic, automatically animated doodle effect. You also have the option not to use a hand, and let the animation appear by itself.

The software provides a handful of other customization options, allowing users to tailor their doodles to suit their specific needs and branding. You can upload your own doodle assets and audio clips if you prefer a more customized look and feel.

Doodly's intuitive interface and straightforward controls make it easy to learn and use, even for animation novices. Its active community and support system provides additional resources and help for users looking to enhance their presentation skills.

Doodly pros and cons

22. Stop Motion Studio

• Target market: Stop motion animators, filmmakers, educators, and hobbyists
• Used for: Creating stop motion animations using frame-by-frame capture
• OS support: Android, iOS, Chromebook, Windows, and macOS
• Price range: Ranges from around $5.99 to $9.99 once off

With its unique features, such as camera controls and looping, Stop Motion Studio proves to be one of the best stop motion animation software out there.

It's easy to use and can be downloaded on various devices, including mobile phones and tablets. This makes it convenient for creatives to craft stop motion animations quickly.

Stop Motion Studio has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it a great platform for beginners to work with while at the same time offering advanced features to experienced animators.

Whether you're a hobbyist or a professional, Stop Motion Studio can help you create high-quality stop motion animations.

Stop Motion Studio pros and cons

Best freemium animation software

Freemium animation software fuses free accessibility and a selection of premium features to open doors to a plethora of animation possibilities. When looking for accessible tools to bring your ideas to life, you can consider freemium software to suit your budget.

Let’s learn more about the most promising freemium animation software options available.

This software market bracket caters to budget-conscious professionals and creatives seeking to explore advanced functionalities without breaking the bank.

23. Rive

• Target market: Game designers, web designers, UI/UX designers, character designers, and multimedia content creators
• Used for: Creating animated UI components and game elements
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: The limited free version allows one user access to three files with a limited storage and revision history. Premium pricing starts at $24/month

Rive is a vector-based animation tool that’s made for creating interactive animations. The platform enables designers to create dynamic structures and manipulate animations with powerful controls.

This tool also boasts a small file size and high speeds, relying on a runtime environment to increase efficiency.

With built-in support for exporting to various formats, it’s ideal for users working with multiple platforms who want to take their skills to the next level.

Rive pros and cons

24. Visme

• Target market: Marketers, business professionals, and educators
• Used for: Documents, presentations, infographics, explainer videos, and social media
• OS support: Web browsers on Windows and Mac
• Price range: A Basic free account allows limited access to design assets and templates, plus 100MB storage. Premium pricing starts at $12.25/ month for individuals

Visme is one of the top animation software solutions available, offering a full range of advanced features for creating high-quality animations. Whether you're an experienced animator or just starting out, Visme has everything you need to produce stunning animations with ease.

One of the key benefits of Visme is its extensive library of templates and vector workflows. These powerful tools enable users to create professional-level animations and cinematic effects, making it one of the most versatile animation software programs on the market today.

It can be used for interactive animations, explainer videos, and infographic presentations for online marketing. For experienced animators, Visme offers advanced control and customizability.

Visme pros and cons

25. SVGator

• Target market: Designers, animators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating animated SVG files without the need for coding
• OS support: Web-based platform that can be used on various browsers on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Free version limits timeline length and number of exports per month. Premium plans range from around $12 to $20/month

SVGator is a browser-based software that enables beginners to create stunning SVG animations without any coding skills. With its easy-to-use interface and keyframe-based editing, you can create professional-looking animations.

One of the strengths of SVGator is its intuitive, no-code app. With just a few clicks, you can add triggers for user interactivity, which can enhance the user experience of your website or application.

While it may not have the same level of advanced features as Adobe After Effects, SVGator is still a powerful tool for those new to animation and want to create user-friendly 2D SVG animations.

SVGator offers a range of pricing options to suit your needs, including a free plan with basic features. And if you're using Webflow, you're in luck—SVGator integrates seamlessly with the popular web design platform.

SVGator pros and cons

26. Powtoon

• Target market: Businesses, educators, marketers, and individuals
• Used for: Animated videos, presentations, explainer videos, promotional materials, and educational content
• OS support: Web-based platform and can be accessed on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Offers both free and premium subscription options. The premium plans unlock additional features and range from around $50 to $125/ month

Powtoon is a software that's perfect for beginners who are new to the world of animation. With Powtoon, you can easily create professional animations, dynamic video presentations, and engaging explainer videos.

Its extensive library of templates, videos, and music enables beginners to easily create stunning videos without needing any prior design or animation experience. The app is a popular tool in classrooms and businesses for creating effective presentations and educational tutorials.

While the free version of Powtoon has some limitations, such as the inability to import video files and other paywalled features, it doesn't prevent users from exporting their completed videos to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, PDF, and PowerPoint.

Overall, Powtoon is a beginner-friendly animation software that will work well for teachers and business professionals.

Powtoon pros and cons

27. Terragen

• Target market: 3D artists, digital matte painters, and visual effects professionals
• Used for: Generating photorealistic 3D landscapes, terrains, and environments
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions
• Price range: Terragen offers both free and paid versions. The free version (Terragen Creative) provides basic features, while the paid version (Terragen Professional) offers additional features and content. The pricing for Terragen Professional ranges from around $10/month to $56/month

Terragen is a free animation software for creating professional-quality 3D animations. While it comes with a moderate ramp-up time, it could be worth the time and effort if the free version offers the tools you need for your project.

One of the key features of Terragen is the ray-traced preview, which allows you to see incredible details of your animation as you work on it. This feature makes it possible to create eye-catching animations that will impress your audience.

With its advanced controls and extensive list of features, Terragen is an excellent choice for experienced and advanced animators looking to take their projects to the next level.

Terragen pros and cons

28. Animatron Studio

• Target market: Animators, marketers, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Animated videos, presentations, banners, and interactive content
• OS support: Web-based platform and can be accessed through web browsers on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Animatron offers both free and premium subscription options. The premium plans (Pro and Business) unlock additional features, higher video resolution, and access to premium content. The pricing for premium plans ranges from around $15 to $30/month

Animatron Studio is a versatile HTML5-based animation tool. It can be an ideal choice for creating explainer videos, animated web banners, and online adverts. Animatron Studio comes with pre-animated assets, empowering users to get started quickly and find inspiration from ready-made animations.

This animation software offers a convenient drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for people with little-to-no animation experience to use it.

Animatron Studio can work well for small businesses, marketing agencies, students, and teachers.

It doesn't offer an extensive pre-designed templates library, and upload times can be slow. Despite these drawbacks, Animatron Studio is a great option for anyone looking to make basic animations, explainer videos, and animated web banners.

Animatron pros and cons

29. Clarisketch

• Target market: Professionals, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Visual presentations, tutorials, and explanations that involve drawing, annotating over images, and recording voice narration
• OS support: Android and iOS
• Price range: Free with optional in-app purchases or premium features at additional costs

Clarisketch is a free animation software that's perfect for educators, as well as anyone looking for basic image and video annotation features. This open-source software comes with a variety of tools, including sketching, taking photos, adding text to images, and creating voiceovers.

One of Clarisketch's strongest points is its excellent voiceover tool that enables you to add voice notes and instructions to your animations. This feature is especially useful for educators who want to create visual tutorials or presentations for their students.

It’s a basic animation tool compared to other software on the market, meaning you won't have as much creative control. And it has limited sharing capabilities which you should be aware of if you plan to upload your content to a public space.

One major benefit of Clarisketch is that you can easily install it as an app on your Chromebook via the Chrome web store.

If you're a teacher looking for an easy-to-use animation tool that's free and has a great voiceover tool, Clarisketch is a solid option. Just remember to keep its limitations in mind.

Clarisketch pros and cons

30. Sumopixel

• Target market: Children, artists, and individuals
• Used for: Animated pixel art
• OS support: Android and iOS
• Price range: Freemium with premium features available at a cost. Sumo Creative Suite starts at $4/month or $89 once-off

As part of the Sumo apps family, Sumopixel is a nifty tool for creating animated pixel art. To create an animation, you can click the + beneath the pixel grid and add more frames.

The interface is simple and easy to use, with limited tools and pixel colors available.

If you’re looking for a user-friendly platform to create abstracted pixel animations that remind you of 8-bit games, then Sumopixel is the best online tool for you. It’s free to use, but you can pay for a SumoPro license to unlock more advanced features.

Sumopixel pros and cons

31. Canva

• Target market: Designers, marketers, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating various types of visual content, including graphics, posters, social media posts, presentations, and animated designs
• OS support: Web-based platform accessible through web browsers on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Canva also offers a mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
• Price range: Free and premium subscription options. The free version provides basic features and access to some design elements. The premium plans unlock additional features, premium content, and team collaboration tools. Pricing starts at $14.99/month

Canva is a popular software known for its simplified approach to graphic design. It boasts a large and expanding library of design and video templates, making it an easy option for beginners who want to create eye-catching designs quickly.

One of Canva's biggest advantages is its simple and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible to a variety of skill levels. It provides a set of animations that can be applied to your designs to create rich content, such as social media posts, explainer videos, or presentations.

But Canva's creative control over designs and animations is limited due to the platform’s focus on simplicity and template-based design elements.

While Canva may be perfect for those seeking a simpler solution to their animation needs, integration with other software in the suite is limited and can be a drawback for those looking for more powerful features.

Canva pros and cons

32. Animaker

• Target market: Businesses, marketers, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Animated videos, explainer videos, presentations, infographics, and other visual content
• OS support: Web-based platform accessible through web browsers on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It also offers a mobile app for Android and iOS
• Price range: Free version provides limited features and watermarked videos. The pricing for premium plans ranges from around $12.50 to $39/month, and custom Enterprise pricing is available

With over 10 million users and 20 million videos created, Animaker is a popular platform for creating animated videos.

One of Animaker's best features is its extensive library of over 100 million assets, including properties, texts, backgrounds, and music tracks to choose from for every project. You'll never run out of assets to spruce up your videos.

But Animaker's free plan has strict limitations, such as only allowing two customized characters per month and up to five high-definition downloads with an Animaker watermark.

If you choose one of Animaker's premium plans, you'll get more control over your projects and have access to additional features. This includes more customization options, longer videos, and unlimited high-definition downloads.

Animaker pros and cons

33. Picmaker

• Target market: Designers, marketers, social media managers, and individuals
• Used for: Social media posts, marketing materials, YouTube thumbnails, and infographics
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Free version provides basic features and access to some templates and design elements. The premium plans range from around $9 to $18/month, with custom pricing available for teams

What sets Picmaker apart is its advanced, AI-powered social media management tool that can help transform your social media strategy. With Picmaker, you can create beautiful 3D animations using feature-rich tools and workflows that make animating a breeze.

If you’ve never worked with animation software before, you can create stunning animations with ease. Picmaker has something to offer experienced animators and beginners.

With Picmaker, you can take 2D images and bring them to life using brushes and different effects. This makes it a great choice for creating explainer videos or even whiteboard videos.

Picmaker pros and cons

Picmaker also offers other video creation tools, namely Vmaker and Steve.ai. Vmaker helps you record, edit, and enhance videos. Steve.ai provides a platform for generating video content based on text prompts. Let’s take a quick look at these two tools.

Vmaker

With Vmaker, you can record your screen, webcam, or both with audio to create engaging video content to help you communicate better with your target audience.

One of the best things about Vmaker is that it can be integrated seamlessly with other animation software, such as Vyond, to create professional-grade animated videos that engage and educate employees and customers. Vmaker makes it easy to create videos that are both informative and entertaining.

Steve.ai

This innovative software by Picmaker uses an AI platform to create videos using text, allowing you to quickly produce high-quality marketing videos or explainer videos. With Steve.ai, you can create text-based videos that are both informative and entertaining.

34. Clara.io

• Target market: 3D artists, animators, designers, and individuals
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, and rendering
• OS support: Web-based platform accessible through web browsers on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Clara.io offers both free and premium subscription options. The free version provides basic features and limited storage for projects. The premium plans unlock additional features, more storage, and priority support. Pro pricing ranges from around $10 to $100/month, with custom enterprise pricing available

This animation software lets creative professionals create, animate, and render 3D content in their browser.

One of Clara.io's standout features is its streamlined interface, packed with powerful tools like sub-object editing, VRay cloud rendering, and responsive workflows. And with its REST API integration, you can easily collaborate with team members by sharing and embedding animations.

Clara.io supports over 30 common 3D file formats, enabling you to import and export your projects with ease. If you need inspiration, there's a large 3D model library available for you to explore.

All your work is saved and easily accessible, as Clara.io automatically stores your progress in the cloud. So whether you're an experienced 3D animator or just starting out, Clara.io is a powerful platform that has something for every level.

Clara.io pros and cons

35. Animation Desk

• Target market: Animators, artists, and students
• Used for: Creating hand-drawn animations and frame-by-frame animations
• OS support: Android, iOS, and Windows mobile devices
• Price range: Animation Desk offers both free and premium versions. The free version provides basic features and limited access to tools and resources. The premium version unlocks additional features, higher-resolution exports, and access to premium content. Pricing ranges from $2.49 to $9.99/month

Animation Desk by Kdan Mobile is a top-of-the-line free 2D animation software. With a wide range of features, including drawing tools, frame management, and onion skinning, this app offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating high-quality animations.

Animation Desk is able to import and export projects in various file formats, such as GIF, MP4, and MOV. This feature allows for seamless integration with other digital media so users can share their creations with others easily.

Animation Desk also boasts a large collection of brushes and pencils that can be customized to fit any artistic style. Whether you want to create a hand-drawn animation or a digital display, this mobile app has all the tools you need.

Its intuitive interface is user-friendly and versatile, making it accessible to beginners and advanced users.

Animation Desk pros and cons

36. SketchBook

• Target market: Artists, designers, illustrators, and individuals
• Used for: Digital drawing, sketching, and illustration
• OS support: Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
• Price range: SketchBook offers both free and premium subscription options. The free version provides basic drawing tools and features. The premium plan offers additional tools, customization options, and access to exclusive content. Premium pricing varies and must be purchased in-app

SketchBook is an animation software previously developed by Autodesk.

It offers digital painting and drawing tools, and you can also create engaging animations with its frame-by-frame editor.

The customizable brushes and onion skinning features enable accurate hand-drawn movements to bring your sketches to life.

SketchBook also makes it easy to import and export videos in a variety of formats, including vector artwork.

SketchBook pros and cons

37. D5 Render

• Target market: Architects, interior designers, 3D visualization artists, and individuals
• Used for: Architectural designs, interior spaces, and landscapes
• OS support: Windows
• Price range: The free version provides basic features and limited resolution for rendering. Premium plans unlock additional features, higher rendering resolution, and access to premium content. The premium pricing starts at $30/month

Are you an architect or 3D designer looking for a reliable rendering solution that makes your designs come to life? D5 Render provides you with the tools you need to create stunning, photorealistic renderings of your designs.

D5 Render is compatible with popular design software SketchUp, Rhino, 3ds Max, and others. This means you can easily import your models for immediate rendering. And with D5 Render's real-time rendering feature, you can see your designs come to life before your eyes while processing.

The platform is user-friendly, making it accessible to beginners. With its intuitive interface, you can learn animation basics and start creating high-quality renderings with ease.

It also offers a built-in asset library with a wide range of elements to use in your designs. Plus, the user-friendly texturing system makes adding the perfect finishing touches to your renderings easy.

If you're looking for a 3D rendering solution that's powerful, easy to use, and provides breathtaking results, D5 Render can be a good choice for you.

D5 Render pros and cons

38. Unity

• Target market: Game developers, interactive content creators, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) developers, and individuals
• Used for: Game development, interactive 3D applications, simulations, VR/AR experiences, and more
• OS support: Windows, macOS, Linux, and various mobile platforms
• Price range: Unity offers both free and paid subscription options. The paid plans unlock additional features and priority support. They're suitable for larger businesses and professional game developers. Premium pricing starts at $2,040/year/seat

A popular tool for gamers dabbling in video game design, Unity is a powerful animation software for prototyping and scaling your games. It offers a range of features and benefits designed specifically to help game developers take their creations to new heights.

Creating 2D and 3D animations is a breeze, thanks to its highly scriptable design. With just a few clicks, you can turn your game ideas into a reality. It offers real-time rendering and a built-in editor, so you can see how your game will look to players.

Unity is also cross-platform, which means your game can run on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux devices. This makes it an excellent choice for developers who want to reach desktop and mobile gamers.

Unity's compatibility and scalability means you can use it to design games of any size, from small mobile titles to massively multiplayer online experiences.

Overall, if you're a game creator looking for a powerful and flexible animation software, explore Unity’s features for your needs.

Unity pros and cons

39. LottieFiles

• Target market: Designers, developers, animators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating and sharing animations in the Lottie format
• OS support: Web-based using Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android
• Price range: Free version provides basic features and access to an animation library. The premium plan unlocks additional features, unlimited downloads, and advanced collaboration tools. Premium pricing starts at $19.99

The Lottie format is a lightweight and scalable format for animations that can be easily integrated into various platforms and applications. LottieFiles is particularly useful for web designers, offering animations that are much smaller in size than GIFs and are easily scalable.

Reducing file size and complexity will make your website run much smoother and improve the user experience significantly.

One of the best things about LottieFiles is its integration with Webflow, which makes it possible to access over 50,000 free animations directly in the Webflow Designer. With this integration, you can also set up animation triggers like click, scroll, or hover to activate the designs.

The mobile apps enable you to create animations across devices. You don’t need any coding skills to create Lotties.

There are some cons to keep in mind as well. The free plan only offers limited shareable links, customization features, projects, and version history.

LottieFiles pros and cons

40. Unreal Engine

• Target market: Game developers, virtual production professionals, content creators, and individuals
• Used for: Game development, real-time 3D visualization, virtual production, and interactive experiences
• OS support: Windows, macOS, Linux, and various gaming consoles
• Price range: Unreal Engine offers both free and royalty-based options. Royalty is required for any commercial product that exceeds a certain revenue threshold. Unreal Engine also offers custom licensing options for larger projects and enterprises

Unreal Engine is a game development engine created by Epic Games. Developers, designers, and artists can use this platform to create high-quality games and cinematic video content. It offers robust software with advanced animation capabilities.

One of the most significant benefits of using Unreal Engine is its support for several animation types, including skeletal, morph target, and procedural animation, along with motion capture capabilities.

With these features, you have access to an extensive range of animation tools that will help you achieve the desired result.

The latest generation, Unreal Engine 5, boasts cutting-edge features like the virtualized geometry system Nanite, global illumination and reflections tool Lumen, and Virtual Shadow Maps, among others.

These features make it possible to create stunning animations and visuals with ease, allowing you to bring your vision to life.

Unreal Engine pros and cons

Popular free animation software

Looking to get started with animation but not ready to commit your wallet to it? There are many free options available. But free software doesn’t always offer the quality and support that premium and freemium platforms do.

Even experienced animators use some of the popular free animation software programs in our list below.

From simple hand-drawn animations to dynamic 3D graphics, there’s a free software tool for you. Let's explore some of the best free animation software options out there.

41. Blender

• Target market: 3D artists, animators, visual effects professionals, and game developers
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, rendering, sculpting, video editing, compositing, and creating visual effects
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions
• Price range: Free

Blender is a free and open-source software that provides extensive features for both 2D and 3D content creation. Blender's focus on offering the best 3D computer-generated (CG) technology to artists as free, open-source software sets it apart from other software options.

It has a robust rendering engine enabling high-quality image and video processing with adjustable parameters for rendering speed and quality.

Blender provides flexible modeling tools with support for parametric modeling, digital sculpting tools, and animation and rigging tools for creating and animating art.

You can use a range of visual effects (VFX) options, including compositing, motion graphics, and particle simulations. Blender's simulation capabilities for fog, smoke, rain, fire, and liquid add to its versatility and capability.

Blender pros and cons

42. OpenToonz

• Target market: Animators, artists, animation studios, and anyone interested in traditional 2D animation
• Used for: Creating 2D animations using traditional frame-by-frame techniques, vector-based drawing tools, and digital animation features
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Free

OpenToonz is a free, open-source 2D animation software well-known for its versatility and professional functionality.

It’s even been used by the legendary animation studio Studio Ghibli for many years, including some cuts in the iconic film Princess Mononoke (1997). The software is fully customizable, so you can modify it to your needs.

One of the great features of OpenToonz is that it’s been improved based on feedback from production staff and creatives who’ve used it. This means the software is continually evolving, and you can expect new features and improvements down the line.

One of the standout features of OpenToonz is the scanning tool known as GTS. With this tool, you can easily scan your traditional hand-drawn animations directly into the software for tracing and coloring. GTS makes it possible to work entirely in the digital realm while retaining the unique feel of hand-drawn art.

OpenToonz pros and cons

Get this template

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43. FlipaClip

• Target market: Aspiring animators, artists, and individuals
• Used for: 2D animations, cartoons, and drawings using frame-by-frame animation techniques
• OS support: Android and iOS
• Price range: Free version with in-app purchases

This app provides all the essential tools you need to create hand-drawn animations from scratch. It's beginner-friendly, so you don't need prior experience to use it.

One of its standout features is rotoscoping onto existing footage to create dynamic hand-drawn animations.

FlipaClip also offers excellent customer support and a devoted online community, making it easy to get answers to any questions you may have. It’s available on Android and iOS devices, so you can create animations no matter your mobile device (but there’s no desktop version).

However, FlipaClip has some downsides. Bugs can sometimes be a problem, and the free version contains in-app ads.

FlipaClip pros and cons

44. Synfig Studio

• Target market: 2D animators, artists, and enthusiasts
• Used for: 2D animations, including character animations, motion graphics, and special effects
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions
• Price range: Free and open-source

If you're looking for powerful and accessible 2D animation software, Synfig Studio is worth checking out.

It's completely free and open-source, making it accessible to everyone no matter what platform they’re using—Windows, Mac, or Linux.

It’s packed with features to help artists and animation enthusiasts create stunning animations. It uses vector graphics for smooth and scalable designs, and offers a bone system for you to control the movements of your characters and objects. If you prefer cutout animation, you can also use bitmap images in your animation projects.

Synfig Studio offers a few advanced features that more experienced animators will appreciate, such as linking parameters for layers and a distortion layer for more creative designs. Beginners can make use of their extensive online tutorials.

Synfig Studio pros and cons

45. TupiTube

• Target market: Animators, children, and hobbyists
• Used for: Creating hand-drawn 2D animations
• OS support: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
• Price range: Free

With its accessible interface and basic 2D animation solutions, it's a good starting point for children, hobbyists, and amateurs who are dipping their toes into the world of animation.

TupiTube offers all the basic tools you need, including drawing tools, image importing, scaling, and rotation. Plus, it supports various rendering formats, including SWF, MPEG, and AVI.

It also offers tutorials and a social network community where you can connect with fellow animators to get quick tips and feedback on your work. TupiTube’s basic features will work for you if you're a beginner or an experienced animator looking for a simple, budget-friendly option.

TupiTube pros and cons

46. ClapMotion

• Target market: Children, students, and hobbyists
• Used for: Stop motion animations
• OS support: Windows, Android, and iOS
• Price range: Free

ClapMotion is a unique animation software that allows users to create stop motion animations simply by using gesture controls. You must set up your animation objects and clap your hands to capture the frames. The software takes care of the rest, completing the animation for you.

One of the biggest pros of ClapMotion is its simplified user interface, making it easy to use for beginners. The gesture controls add another level of simplicity, making it a fun and intuitive experience for users.

However, like any software, ClapMotion has its cons. One is the inability to add audio to your animations, making it difficult for those who want to add sound effects or music. ClapMotion isn’t suitable for advanced animation, lacking features like frame-by-frame editing or advanced controls.

But if you're just starting out in animation or looking for a fun and unique way to create stop motion animations, ClapMotion is worth checking out. It makes the animation process more accessible for everyone.

ClapMotion pros and cons

47. Wick Editor

• Target market: Artists, animators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating animations, interactive stories, and simple games
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Open-source software and available for free

One of the best things about Wick Editor is the intuitive user interface that makes it easy to use, even for beginners. You can add layers and use keyframe animation to create simple animations quickly and efficiently.

Wick Editor also supports sound effects, which means you can add audio to your animations with ease.

It’s best suited for creating simple animations. It lacks a library of templates and presets, which means you'll need to create your own art or use existing images to get started. Despite these limitations, Wick Editor is a powerful tool for animators who need free and open-source software that's easy to use.

Wick Editor pros and cons

48. Flipanim

• Target market: Animators, artists, and individuals
• Used for: Frame-by-frame animations, flipbook-style animations, and simple animated sketches
• OS support: Android and iOS
• Price range: Free to download and use, with optional in-app purchases

Flipanim is a mobile app that allows users to create frame-by-frame and flipbook-style animations directly on their mobile devices. It’s designed to provide a simple and intuitive platform for animators, artists, and enthusiasts to create animations on the go.

What sets it apart from other software is its social media aspect. Users can post their animations, connect with others who share similar interests, and obtain feedback on their work.

It's a fantastic way to share your work, build your skills, and become part of a community.

The software is easy to navigate and comes with basic tools that allow you to create your animations with ease. It's a great option for beginners who are exploring animation possibilities.

One drawback of Flipanim is the limited capabilities of its basic tools. If you're looking for more advanced options to create and edit your animations, you might want to consider other software. The exporting options of Flipanim are quite limited as well.

Flipanim pros and cons

49. Toontastic

• Target market: Children, educators, and individuals
• Used for: Animated stories, presentations, and cartoons
• OS support: Selected Chromebooks, Android, and iOS
• Price range: Free to download and use

A free animation software that’s perfect for those exploring the world of animation, Toontastic is a mobile app compatible with Android and iOS devices. It also works with ChromeOS, making it an excellent option for Chromebook users looking for simple, free animation software.

One of the best features of Toontastic is its user-friendly interface, which means it’s easy for beginners to navigate the software.

It also has 3D enhancements that allow users to create high-quality animations that look professional.

While Toontastic has many advantages, it does have some drawbacks. One downside is its lack of variety in terms of templates and presets. This can be remedied by creating your own unique animations and customizing them to your liking.

Toontastic pros and cons

50. Animation Paper (previously Plastic Animation Paper)

• Target market: Animators, artists, and enthusiasts
• Used for: Creating hand-drawn 2D animations, including traditional frame-by-frame animations and pencil tests
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Free to download

This free software provides some advanced features for hand-drawn frame animation, a customizable toolset, and onion skinning. These animation tools allow animators to create engaging and high-quality animations easily.

Fun fact: Animation Paper was created by Niels Krogh Mortensen, a skilled animator with over 30 years of experience in the field.

Unfortunately it seems this comprehensive 2D animation software hasn’t been updated in recent years, and the look and feel of the interface is clunky and outdated.

Animation Paper pros and cons

51. Cloud Stop Motion

• Target market: Educators, students, animators, and individuals
• Used for: Creating stop motion animations
• OS support: Web-based platform accessible on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Free

Cloud Stop Motion is an online service that allows its users to create smooth and professional-looking animations using still images of objects. It's a popular favorite among Chromebook users thanks to its lightweight build that has little impact on system resource usage.

One of its standout features is the scrollable and zoomable timeline and workspace, making creating animations a breeze.

Additionally, Cloud Stop Motion boasts an exhaustive library of animation assets like music, artwork, and sound effects that users can utilize in their projects.

There are a few limitations to Cloud Stop Motion. Some advanced features are behind a paywall, and there’s a lack of preset and template libraries that can aid productivity.

Cloud Stop Motion pros and cons

52. Google Photos

• Target market: Individuals
• Used for: Creating animations, collages, and slideshows using stored media content
• OS support: Web-based access via Windows, macOS, and Linux, Android, and iOS
• Price range: Free with storage limits

Google Photos is a user-friendly media storage app that offers a few features to manage your snapshots and create basic animations. With Google Photos, individuals can easily create simple animations on their desktops and mobile devices.

Google Photos offers an easy-to-use interface that requires no design or coding skills.

This means you can quickly create animated image sequences without any hassle. The app also offers a range of basic animation tools and effects, allowing you to easily customize your animated collages.

Google Photos pros and cons

53. K-3D

• Target market: Advanced 3D artists, animators, designers, and hobbyists
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, and rendering
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Open-source and available for free

K-3D is an exceptional free 3D animation tool that any creative should consider for their toolbox. Specializing in polygonal modeling, this software comes equipped with a visualization pipeline architecture that adapts to the look and feel of integrated tools.

With its undo and redo functionality and a node-based visualization pipeline, K-3D is designed to make 3D animation easier. It supports procedural and parametric workflows, which enable you to see real-time adjustments.

K-3D is sophisticated software for true creatives. It offers a wealth of 3D modeling and rendering capabilities, making it an advanced tool if you’re looking to push your animation skills to the next level.

K-3D pros and cons

54. Pencil2D

• Target market: Animators, artists, and enthusiasts
• Used for: Frame-by-frame animation and simple digital sketches
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Open-source and available for free

Pencil2D has been around since 2005 and is known for its simple design, making it a great pick for beginners and amateurs who want to try their hand at animation.

If you're new to animation software, Pencil2D is accommodating and offers tutorials and manuals to help you utilize the software.

The platform lets you insert different image layers into a drawing, incorporate sound, and use other cartoon features. You can switch between raster and vector drawing, which means you can sketch, paint, or create reusable assets to animate.

Pencil2D pros and cons

55. Stykz

• Target market: Animators, artists, and enthusiasts
• Used for: Creating simple 2D stick figure animations, including frame-by-frame animation and basic character movements
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Open-source and available for free

Stykz is a top pick for beginners and students who want to create stick-figure animations without paying for a premium plan. This free multi-platform software is packed with features that make it easy to bring your stick figures to life.

Frame-by-frame animation is made simple with Stykz, and the onion skinning tool allows you to view past and future frames as you animate.

This makes it easier to keep track of motion and create smooth motions. Plus, the line smoothing tool ensures that your animations look polished and professional.

Drawing stick figures is a breeze with Stykz's range of drawing tools. The user-friendly interface and intuitive controls make it user-friendly, regardless of your experience level.

Stykz pros and cons

56. Houdini Apprentice

• Target market: Students, hobbyists, and individuals
• Used for: 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and procedural content creation for non-commercial use
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Available for free

Houdini Apprentice, the free version of Houdini FX by SideFX, is an advanced animation software for non-professional animators looking to create virtual reality experiences and motion graphics. This powerful tool offers a node-based workflow, making it easy to construct complex animations.

One of the standout features of Houdini Apprentice is its built-in renderer, which produces high-quality output with incredible detail. The software offers advanced texturing tools, allowing users to create dynamic and engaging visuals.

Houdini Apprentice is a highly restricted version of Houdini FX and isn’t compatible with other Houdini software, except for Houdini Education. Because it targets students, there are plenty of tutorials available to help you get started.

Houdini Apprentice pros and cons

57. Krita

• Target market: Digital artists, illustrators, concept artists, and individuals
• Used for: Digital painting, illustration, and concept art
• OS support: Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Price range: Open-source and available for free

Krita is one of the best free 2D animation software tools available for digital artists. It stands out from other software in its focus on painting and many user-friendly features for texture and matte painters, concept art, custom illustrations, and comics.

One of the advantages of Krita is its availability on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD.

It supports raster and vector graphics, allowing users to create high-quality art easily. You can also use Python scripting to create your own Krita widgets.

Because Krita’s free and open-source, it’s a popular choice among animation hobbyists and beginners. It also offers a full range of advanced controls for more experienced animators and a library of templates.

If you're a digital artist looking for animation software focusing on painting, Krita could be a good choice.

Krita pros and cons

58. Daz Studio

• Target market: 3D artists, designers, animators, and individuals
• Used for: 3D modeling, character creation, scene composition, and animation
• OS support: Windows and macOS
• Price range: Free, and it also offers optional premium content, such as advanced models and assets, which may have additional costs

A powerful 3D animation software, Daz Studio offers a wide range of features for both beginners and professionals. It's primarily designed for creating detailed 3D models with ease and offers shortcuts that make the process quick and straightforward.

One of the standout features of Daz Studio is its extensive library of props, characters, and environments, which enables you to create complex scenes quickly. Additionally, the software's motion capture tool and the puppeteer tool provide a seamless method for recording and animating realistic movement.

Recent updates to Daz Studio have introduced a unique feature: you can recreate yourself in the software with a single photograph, allowing you to create personalized and lifelike animations.

Daz Studio is a free software that comes with access to the Daz marketplace, where users can buy and sell 3D models, poses, and props. This marketplace provides users with many options for creating and customizing their animations, regardless of their experience level.

Daz Studio pros and cons

Choosing the right animation software for your team

The realm of creative possibilities in the animation industry has expanded like never before. Not only are there more options in animation software available, but these platforms have become more accessible to business professionals, students, and enthusiasts alike.

Whether you're a marketer seeking to captivate your audience, an animator delving into frame-by-frame magic, or a 3D enthusiast shaping virtual worlds, there's software tailored to your needs.

Let's summarize our top choices in 5 categories:

Marketing design: Linearity Move

Crafting visually engaging content is paramount. With its focus on marketing design, Linearity Move offers a specialized toolkit to make your brand stand out from the digital crowd.

Frame-by-frame animation: Dragonframe

When it comes to frame-by-frame or hand-drawn animation, Dragonframe takes the spotlight. Its meticulous attention to detail empowers animators to weave captivating narratives through precise control over each frame.

2D animation: Toon Boom Harmony

In the world of 2D animation, Toon Boom Harmony emerges as the champion. Its extensive features and flexible workflows cater to both budding artists and seasoned animators, enabling them to bring characters to life with finesse.

Stop motion: Cloud Stop Motion

Unveiling the enchanting world of stop motion, Cloud Stop Motion emerges as a top choice.

With its online platform, educators, students, and animation enthusiasts can create delightful stop motion animations without the need for intricate setups.

3D animation: Cinema 4D

When you’re ready to delve into 3D animation, Cinema 4D could be your platform of choice. This software's versatility and powerful features empower artists to sculpt breathtaking 3D worlds and characters that leave a lasting impact.

Choosing the right animation software can transform your visions into awe-inspiring realities. Whether you're crafting marketing campaigns, animating characters, or crafting stunning visual effects, the tools at your disposal are more varied and accessible than ever before.

As technology evolves, so do the possibilities for your creative endeavors. So, go forth and animate your imagination to new heights.

Ready to try a new and innovative animation design tool? Sign up below to try Linearity Move for free.

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