Which one is the best animation software for you?
1
Decide what’s important for you
2
Look at your wallet (or purse)
3
Make a decision
OUR TOP TWO
RECOMMENDATIONS
CRAZYTALK ANIMATOR 3
For YouTubers or Animators who want to create a YouTube Series and create each episode 3X faster
MOHO 12
For Professional Animators looking for an easy to use software, or self-taught beginners who want to become professionals
COMPARE
SOFTWARE
PRICES
(Click on each column to order list)
| Software | Payment | Budget | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01Moho Pro 12 | 02One-Payment | 07$399.99 | 30-days |
| 02Moho Debut 12 | 02One-Payment | 03$69.99 | 30-days |
| 03CrazyTalk Animator 3 Standard | 02One-Payment | 02$69.00 | 15-days |
| 04CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pro | 02One-Payment | 04$179.00 | 15-days |
| 05CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pipeline | 02One-Payment | 06$299.00 | 15-days |
| 06Toon Boom Essentials | 02One-Payment | 05$265.00 | 21-days |
| 07Toon Boom Advanced | 02One-Payment | 08$685.00 | 21-days |
| 08Toon Boom Premium | 02One-Payment | 09$1,385.00 | 21-days |
| 09TVPaint Standard | 02One-Payment | 09$560.00 | 01Freemium |
| 10TVPaint Pro | 02One-Payment | 09$1,400.00 | 01Freemium |
| 12After Effects | 03Monthly Plan | 12$19.00 p/mo | 077-days |
| 11Adobe Animate | 03Monthly Plan | 13$19.00 p/mo | 077-days |
| 13Toon Boom Essentials | 03Monthly Plan | 11$16.00 p/mo | 21-days |
| 14Toon Boom Advanced | 03Monthly Plan | 15$41.00 p/mo | 21-days |
| 15Toon Boom Premium | 03Monthly Plan | 16$76.00 p/mo | 21-days |
| 16Marionette studio starter | 03Monthly Plan | 10$11.00 p/mo | 15-days |
| 17Marionette studio professional | 03Monthly Plan | 14$34.00 p/mo | 15-days |
| 18OpenToonz | 01FREE | 01FREE | 01FREE |
| 19Synfig | 01FREE | 01FREE | 01FREE |
NOTE: "Freemium" means that you have lifetime access but you have limited capabilities, such as NOT being able to save your files.
GENERAL FEATURES
(Click on each column to order list)
| Software | Drawing Required? | Ease of Use | Quality of Results | Recommended for: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Moho Pro 12 | No | Easy | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 02Moho Debut 12 | No | Easy | Entertaining | 02Enthusiasts |
| 03CrazyTalk Animator 3 Standard | No | Easy | Entertaining | 03YouTubers |
| 04CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pro | No | Easy | Entertaining | 03YouTubers |
| 05CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pipeline | No | Easy | Entertaining | 03YouTubers |
| 06Adobe Animate | Yes | Easy | Entertaining | 01Professionals |
| 07After Effects | No | Fair | Limited | 02Enthusiasts |
| 08Toon Boom Essentials | No | Fair | Entertaining | 02Enthusiasts |
| 09Toon Boom Advanced | No | Hard | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 10Toon Boom Premium | No | Hard | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 11TVPaint Standard | Yes | Hard | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 12TVPaint Pro | Yes | Hard | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 13OpenToonz | No | Hard | Awesome | 01Professionals |
| 14Synfig | Yes | Hard | Limited | 02Enthusiasts |
| 15Marionette studio starter | No | Easy | Entertaining | 03YouTubers |
| 16Marionette studio professional | No | Easy | Entertaining | 03YouTubers |
DETAILED FEATURES
PRICES
(Click on each column to order list)
| Software | Payment | Budget | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01Maya Lite | 02Monthly Plan | 02$30.00 p/mo | 30-days |
| 02Maya | 02Monthly Plan | 03$185.00 p/mo | 30-days |
| 033DS Max | 02Monthly Plan | 04$185.00 p/mo | 30-days |
| 04Cinema 4D Prime | 02One-Payment | 05$999.00 | 42-days |
| 05Cinema 4D Broadcast | 02One-Payment | 07$1,695.00 | 42-days |
| 06Cinema 4D Visualize | 02One-Payment | 08$2,295.00 | 42-days |
| 07Houdini | 02One-Payment | 06$1,495.00 | 30-days |
| 08Blender | 02FREE | 01FREE | FREE |
GENERAL FEATURES
(Click on each column to order list)
| Software | Drawing Required? | Ease of Use | Recommended for: | Quality of Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Maya Lite | No | Easy | Awesome | Professionals |
| 02Maya | No | Easy | Awesome | Professionals |
| 033DS Max | No | Fair | Awesome | Professionals |
| 04Cinema 4D Prime | No | Easy | Awesome | Professionals |
| 05Cinema 4D Broadcast | No | Easy | Awesome | Professionals |
| 06Cinema 4D Visualize | No | Easy | Awesome | Professionals |
| 07Houdini | No | Hard | Awesome | Professionals |
| 08Blender | No | Fair | Good | Enthusiasts |
CHECK EACH
SOFTWARE
Click on the software to get more info
CrazyTalk Animator 3
Three versions available:
- Standard
- Pro
- Pipeline
This is considered by many of its users as the easiest 2D Animation Software to use, allowing users to instantly bring any image or character to life by using elastic motion effects, or one of the many motion templates available.
You can do quick animations using simple modern-style characters.
The interesting feature of this software is that it offers a powerful 2D bone rig editor, and with your characters ready for animation you have two ways to move them easily:
- Using Motion Clips (presets for animated movements)
- Manually use the 2D Motion Key Editor and move your character as you normally would on any other software
And for the animation of the facial expressions, you also have two very practical ways to do this:
- Face Puppet Tool: An advanced face system that allows you to record different emotions of your character super fast, that includes face tilts and head turns.
- Face Key Editor: A powerful manual face system that lets you animate the face of your character as you normally would on any other software, but with simplified controls.
This is truly the software recommended for YouTubers, or people who want to get quick results.
An if you are looking for advanced animation like drawing frame by frame, then this software is not recommended, you only want to use CrazyTalk Animator 3 if you are interested in animating 3 times faster (the case for YouTubers who need to create each episode a week).
Standard - $69.00
Pro - $179.00
Pipeline - $299.00
Learn More about CTA3:
OFFICIAL SITE
Buy CrazyTalk Animator 3 and get $97 Course for FREEReallusion - CrazyTalk Animator 3 Official Website
Learn More about CTA3
CrazyTalk Animator 3 TutorialsVideo Gallery
Basic Training
Complete Course - Create an Animated Series for Youtube (You can get it for FREE)POSSIBILITIES
DEMO REEL
CTA3 Trailer
Success Sucks!
Moho 12 (Anime Studio)
Two versions available:
- Moho Debut 12
- Moho Pro 12
This is our favorite software for advanced character animation and for frame-by-frame. It’s recommended for people looking for an easy to use software that is powerful at the same time.
The perfect software for beginners, self-taught animators or professionals looking for an easy to use software.
In the Pro version, you can do awesome traditional animation (frame-by-frame).
The biggest feature is the smart bone enhancements and bone targets; you can achieve very complex character rigs that can really give the illusion of traditional animation.
So, for a fraction of what other professional 2D Animation software costs, you can enjoy a lot of the same features offered by its competitors:
- Different brush styles
- Frame by Frame Animation
- Multiple Layers and Drawings
- Cut Out Animation (Awesome Bones System with IK)
- Particle Systems
Another advantage is that you don’t need a high end computer hardware to be able to run the software, but as always, it all depends on your project requirements.
All in all, Moho is a very powerful software (especially the Pro version), with a lot of tutorials on their website.
But, they don’t cover the essentials for beginners, so that’s why we offer a FREE animation course where you can learn the basics on cut out/puppet animation.
Now. For the really advanced and veteran, Moho doesn’t offer a Node Workflow, but if you don’t care about that, are happy working with layers (like I am), and you have a tight budget, consider Moho 12 the best alternative for advanced character animation.
Moho Debut 12 - $69.99
Moho Pro 12 - $399.99
Learn More about Moho 12:
OFFICIAL SITE
Moho Pro Free TrialBasic Training
Moho Video TutorialsCOMPLETE COURSE
2D Animation in Moho from Basic to AdvancedPOSSIBILITIES
Moho 12 Trailer
Anime Studio Trailer
Animated Short
Adobe Animate (Flash)
This one is probably the most popular 2d animation software that is vector based.
It has a 360 rotatable canvas that you can use to improve your angles and strokes, and it’s compatible with Wacom.
Another awesome feature is the powerful and easy 3D Environment. You can control 3D cameras, and set very complex scenes.
Oh, and different to After Effects, you can scale your drawings to any resolution without losing any quality (because it’s vector-based, not pixel-based)
All in all, it’s a very intuitive software for 2D Animation. Recommended for funny sketches.
PRICE $29.99/MO or $239/YR
Learn More about Adobe Animate:
Official Website
Adobe Animate Official WebsiteLearn More
What is Adobe Animate? Basic TutorialsLynda - Flash Professional Tutorials
Adobe Training and Certification
Recommended Course:
Bloop Animation - Flash Animation CoursePOSSIBILITIES
I love dota 2
TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND
Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is a very popular software in the market. Lots of tutorials.
It’s mostly used for motion graphics and visual effects, and not so much in character animation...
But! We wanted to include it in this list because, thanks to a lot of plug ins, you can achieve decent cut out character animation.
Even though you can’t do traditional animation (no frame-by-frame feature, no onion skin) you can use the puppet tool and plug ins (like Duik) to rig characters, and you can also import 3D elements to your animation.
Another awesome feature is the powerful and easy 3D Environment. You can control 3D cameras, and set very complex scenes.
As for the requirements, almost any computer out there can handle after effects.
But remember, it all depends on how much processing your project needs.
And, before we finish with this one, there is another thing to consider: The integration with other adobe products, like Photoshop or Illustrator.
That’s got to be a powerful feature, right?
PRICE $29.99/MO or $239/YR
LEARN MORE ABOUT ADOBE AFTER AFFECTS:
AE OFICIAL PAGE:
After Effects Official PageAE FREE BASIC TRAINING:
Video Copilot Basic TrainingCHARACTER ANIMATION COURSES:
Save Time in Character Animation in After Effects2D Animation With No Drawing Skills in After Effects
Adobe Training Classes & Certifications
POSSIBILITIES
ARCHER
Archer’s characters are created in Adobe Illustrator, and then rigged inside After Effects.
Pipelines
This animation was created with the integration of Adobe Animate (Flash Pro) and After Effects
Toon Boom Harmony
Toom boom harmony is considered the Crème de la Crème of 2D animation software.
Used by major animation studios such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, etc.
It supports the 4 principal animation techniques:
- Traditional frame-by-frame animation
- Puppet or Cut-Out Animation (Rigged characters)
- Rotoscoping
- And Stop-Motion
In the latest version, you can import 3D elements for your projects.
It sounds like the promised land right?
Well, let me tell you, is not that simple. This is for the big budget and those who can learn very quick, because the software can be a bit complicated to use.
You can get the (very) limited Essential Version, for $16 USD a month; but you will be limited to just 1 layer per drawing, so your animation process is more tedious.
The Advanced version for $41 a month doesn’t let you use inverse kinematics, which is essential for Rigged characters.
And the Premium Version, the one recommended for professionals, costs $76 a month.
You need to spend some time to learn how to use it well, and you also need some computer power to run it perfectly.
For a complete list of what you can or can’t do with each version of Toon Boom Harmony, (and also to compare prices) check this link: Toon Boom Harmony Pricing
Price: $16/MO, $41/MO, $76/MO
Learn More about Toon Boom:
OFFICIAL SITE
Toon Boom Official WebsiteTraining
Toon Boom CertificationRecommended course
Bloop Animation - Toon Boom Animation CoursePOSSIBILITIES
Sponge Bob
Family Guy
TVPaint
This one has 2 versions:
- Standard
- Pro
This French software is like a very complex and powerful Photoshop in which you can do animation using a wide variety of brushes and painting styles.
This is the one recommended for animators who love traditional, old school animation, the one used in many studios and big companies.
This bitmap based software lets you animate natural renderings like:
- Gouache
- Watercolor
- Oil painting
- Crayon
- Pen
TVPaint doesn’t impose a specific workflow, and artists are free to mix animation on paper with digital animation.
Standard - $560.00
Pro - $1,399.00
Learn More about TVPaint:
Official website
TVPaint WebsiteLearn more
YouTube TutorialRecommended Course
Bloop Animation - TVPaint Animation CoursePOSSIBILITIES
FREAK of the week
OpenToonz
This one is a FREE software.
Yep, you read that right. You need $0 bucks to get it. (Hopefully you won’t be in debt, because you won’t be able to afford $0 dollars)
Don’t let the “price” fool you, this is an excellent tool, it supports a lot of 2d animation features like cut-out animation.
How Excellent? Well, for one, you can rig characters and animate using bones.
OpenToonz is based on the software “Toonz”, developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy, customized by Studio Ghibli to create their work for many years.
It’s compatibility with both raster and vector images makes it a very powerful software.
When your pockets are empty, this is the best choice.
Learn more about OpenToonz:
Official Website
OpenToonz Official WebsiteBasic Tutorials
Tutorial - Opentoonz : Character Rigging : Part 1Tutorial - Opentoonz : Character Rigging : Part 2
POSSIBILITIES
Opentoonz reel
Synfig
This is a FREE animation software with the disadvantage of having limited interface capabilities, like for example, it doesn’t offer Inverse Kinematics, or any other time-saving bones feature.
To use Synfig, you need to at least have some experience working with 2D Animation because it can be a bit complicated to use.
The software is not very intuitive, and there are not many tutorials on the web, but hey! It’s FREE and you can give it a shot.
And all in all, you can get very decent-looking projects, but it will take longer to animate them.
It is an excellent choice if your pockets are empty, but you will have to dive deep into the documentation to get familiar with the software.
Price: $0.00 FREE! (Wohoo!)
Learn More about Synfig:
OFFICIAL SITE
Synfig Official SiteBasic Training
Official YouTube ChannelPOSSIBILITIES
Synfig Animation
Autodesk Maya
This one is a biggie.
Maya is probably the industry’s standard in 3D Modeling and Animation.
If you got the budget, and are into 3D Animation, then Maya is the one to go with.
They offer the lite version at $30 USD/mo, or the pro version at $185 USD/mo
This is a very powerful software where you can do amazing work, from 3D cartoon animations, to real-looking characters. You can create characters for games and a lot of other cool stuff.
Its major feature is probably the wide range of textures and materials, including fluid, cloth, hair and muscle.
The interface is not super intuitive, and you really have to spend some time to learn the basics, but hey, once you manage to master the program, you can be unstoppable.
Luckily, there are a lot of tutorials out there to get you going.
This one is on the V.I.P. category... you need to be able to afford $185 USD a month, and, as most 3D software, you need a High End Computer to handle all the heavy processing.
So, expensive software for an expensive machine. Yep, like I said, reserved for the V.I.P.
However, if you keep the texture to the minimum, you can make it work with limited hardware.
But that would be just like spending your savings to buy a Rolex to impress rich people, when you can’t afford your bills.
So, keep in mind your budget. If you have it, then, this is the choice. If not, keep looking.
Lite - $30 per month
Pro - $185 per month
Learn More about Maya:
OFFICIAL SITE
Maya Lite Version:Maya Pro Version:
Maya Overview
Basic Training
Maya Knowledge Network3D Tutorials from beginners to advanced
Maya Tutorials from CreativeBloq
Maya Tutorials from Digital Tutors
Recommended course
Bloop Animation - Maya Animation CoursePOSSIBILITIES
Witcher 2
Rango
Autodesk 3ds Max
3ds max is almost the same as Maya.
It has a little more intuitive interface but remains in the hard category.
This software is mainly used for architecture projects, and not so much when you want to do character animation.
If your goal is to do character animation, then stick with Maya.
If you want to model cars, design engineering tools, architectural models, then stick with 3ds Max.
Anyway, the truth is that: you can achieve almost the same results in either one. It’s a matter of taste. Just consider your needs.
Price: $185/MO
Learn More About 3DS Max:
Official site
Subscribe to 3DS Max3Ds Max Overview
Training and tutorials
3Ds Max Tutorials3Ds Max Training
3Ds Max Ultimate Collection of Tutorials
POSSIBILITIES
3ds Max is more commonly used in Movies, here is a small list of movies that used 3ds max
- Alice in Wonderland
- Avatar
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Speed
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Cinema 4d
This is probably the 3D solution to motion graphics by excellence.
Its integration with After Effects has given this software a lot of popularity.
What about Character animation? Can you get awesome stuff done with it? You can bet your bottom dollar on it.
Cinema 4D is one of the more intuitive 3D modeling and animation software out there, and you can find lot of tutorials.
The cons come when you have to rely on third party software, plug ins and scripts to improve your animation quality.
Another thing to consider is that It doesn’t come with a very powerful render engine, so you have to work with plugins to reach the results you are looking for.
And guess what... yep, this one is also for the V.I.P.
The licenses for Cinema 4D are:
- Prime - $999 USD
- Broadcast - $1,695 USD
- Visualize - $2,295 USD
All in all, it’s a very powerful software that needs a powerful computer.
Cinema 4D is a very intuitive software and it’s easier to learn than most of its competitors.
Price: $185/MO
Learn More about Cinema 4D:
OFFICIAL SITE
Cinema 4D OverviewBasic Training
Cinema 4D Tutorials from Digital Tutors5 Training Sites for Cinema 4D
Plug ins and Training for Cinema 4D
Learn Cinema 4D in one day tutorial
POSSIBILITIES
The Polar Express
Houdini
This one is an excellent 3D animation software, however, its limitations come when we talk about its features. The environment is somewhat limited.
On the good side, it has a powerful render engine called Mantra, which can deliver high quality images.
The Nodes system makes it very powerful, but it can be quite difficult to understand at first glance.
So you will need to spend some time learning the basics. And even some more if you want to get to the advanced stuff.
There are not many tutorials out there, so you have to start with the software documentation. Yeah, I know... boring.
PRICE: $1,495 USD
Learn More about Houdini:
Official Website
OverviewTraining
Master ClassesLearning Materials
Houdini Fundamentals Course
Introduction To FX Using Houdini
POSSIBILITIES
Big Hero 6
Blender
This one is the good news for the No-Budget people interested in 3d. It’s FREE. Wahoo!
Not only is it FREE, but it is also very powerful.
You can create animated movies, video games, 3D Printing models, and all the content that you create is totally yours (That means you can create a model and sell it!)
It has an outstanding performance in 3D Design, modeling and animation.
Ok... sounds like heaven. Where is the catch?
Well, it can be pretty daunting for someone who has never worked with a 3D software before.
So unless you have some experience in 3D modeling or animation, you will have to do some groundwork to get familiar with the software.
There are quite a few courses and tutorials on the web, so you don’t have to worry about that.
As for the requirements, well, they are pretty much the same as any other 3D Software.
The real advantage is that it’s powerful and it’s FREE.
PRICE: $0.00 (FREE! WOHOO!)
Learn More about Blender:
Official Site
Blender Oficial WebsiteTraining
Blender 3D Design CourseBlender Training and Tutorials
Blender Basics Course
Blender Course
Recommended course
Bloop Animation - Blender Animation CoursePOSSIBILITIES
Sintel
R'ha
