26 Best Animation Software for Beginners in 2024 [Free & Paid]

Animated visuals are a lot more engaging than plain, static images. In fact, they generate the highest number of shares on social media compared to other forms of visual content.

Some of the best animation software in the market are Visme, Adobe Animate, Adobe Character Animator, Pencil2D, Biteable and Animaker.

In this guide for beginners, we’re going to explore these options and more to help you find the best animation software for your needs.

So, if you’re (seriously) interested in animation, you’ll need this guide.

Let’s get started.

 

26 Best Animation Software for 2024

1. Visme
2. Adobe Animate
3. Adobe Character Animator
4. Blender
5. Autodesk Maya
6. Cinema 4D
7. OpenToonz
8. Moho Animation Software
9. Unity
10. SideFX (Houdini)
11. Crello
12. Adobe Creative Cloud Express
13. PosterMyWall
14. PixTeller
15. Animatron Studio
16. Biteable
17. Animaker
18. Canva
19. Easil
20. Pencil2D
21. Powtoon
22. Procreate
23. Clip Studio Paint
24. CelAction2D
25. Synfig Studio
26. KeyShot

 

Software #1: Visme

Visme is a cloud-based, online design tool that lets anyone create animated social media images, infographics, presentations, ads, banners and other visuals.

It comes packed with animation and interactivity features to help you create eye-catching designs that do much more than just static images.

Visme’s animation software lets you access thousands of premade templates, a library of free stock photos and videos, customizable pre-animated characters, illustrations and gestures, and much more.

Features:

• Friendly and intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
• Thousands of animated templates in various categories.
• Customizable pre-animated assets: Characters, illustrations and gestures.
• Animation timeline feature to customize scenes and sync audio.
• 14+ different types of animated charts, graphs and maps.
• Advanced custom animation that can be applied to any object.
• Interactive links, call-to-action buttons and hover effects.

• Searchable libraries of free stock photos, videos, icons and shapes.
• Wide range of AI-powered tools including AI image generator, AI writer and AI image edit and touchup tools.
• Import your own images, videos and fonts.
• Embed videos and other online content into your designs.
• Team collaboration features: Share your projects.
• Brand kit: Save your brand colors, fonts and logos for later use.
• Insightful analytics: Access graphs and statistics for project views.
• Offline animated download formats: GIF, MP4 video and HTML5.
• Publish and share online: Use a link or generate an embed code.

Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start at $12.25/month per user, billed annually.

Pros: All-in-one design tool packed with animation and interactivity features, great for both non-designers and designers, millions of free graphic assets inside the editor.

Cons: A variety of design and customizability options can lead to a slightly steep learning curve.

Ideal for: Marketers, corporate teams, teachers, trainers, personal use.

 

Software #2: Adobe Animate

Adobe Animate is a new and improved version of Adobe Flash Professional. The software lets you create interactive vector graphics and 2D animations for videos, ads, games, television and more. With Adobe animation software, you can animate characters, avatars, shapes and other assets using timeline controls.

Features:

• Vector brushes with size, smoothness, pressure and velocity settings.
• Intuitive timeline controls with advanced animation settings.
• Virtual camera feature that lets you add pan, zoom and other effects.
• Synchronize audio with your animations and create audio loops.
• Typekit integration gives you access to premium web fonts.
• Export in Flash, HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG and more.

Pricing: Starts from $20.99/month.

Pros: Extensive export and sharing options to publish your animations in virtually any format for any platform.

Cons: Just like any other Adobe software, Animate has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners.

Ideal for: Game designers, YouTubers, cartoon makers.

 

Software #3: Adobe Character Animator

Adobe Character Animator is another one of Adobe’s animation software stack. But unlike Adobe Animate, Character Animator lets you use motion capture to create live animations of your 2D characters. For example, you can create a character in Illustrator or Photoshop, import it into Character Animator, set it up with tags and then animate it using your own facial movements using your webcam.

Features:

• Real-time motion capture and automatic facial tracking.
• Download characters from Creative Cloud Market.
• Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Move the character’s limbs with your mouse.
• Timeline panel for recording and editing scenes.

Pricing: Included in the Creative Cloud All-Apps Plan that costs $52.99/month.

Pros: Easy to replicate real-life movements and expressions with facial tracking. Plenty of import and export options.

Cons: This software is available as part of the all apps pack, not as a standalone product. Also, you need to have a webcam and microphone to use the motion capture feature.

Ideal for: Bloggers, marketers, entertainers, educators.

 

Software #4: Blender

Blender is an open-source video editing software that lets you have total control over your animations. The tool offers advanced command line and programming features for rendering, modeling and creating 3D animations. It works across different operating systems, so you can use it on Linux, Windows and Mac.

Features:

• Powerful rendering, modeling and sculpting tools.
• Advanced animation and rigging tools.
• Draw and edit in 3D mode.
• Video editing and VFX, including motion tracking, masking and compositing.
• Powerful and realistic simulation tools.
• Extensive Python API for scripting and customization.
• Customizable user interface, window layout and shortcuts.

Pricing: Free.

Pros: It doesn’t cost anything to use Blender. Also, advanced animation and rendering tools make it fit for both beginners and expert users.

Cons: Blender has a very steep learning curve as it’s packed with so many features. Beginners will be overwhelmed and might need to spend hours on tutorials before getting it right.

Ideal for: Animators, engineers, scientists, artists, students.

 

Software #5: Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Maya is one of the best software for making animations. It’s a robust 3D animation, modeling, rendering and simulation tool for creating expansive and immersive worlds, realistic characters and sensational effects. The graphics animation software shines due to its top-notch and complete 3D production package and models.

Features:

• Ability to create physically accurate simulations in a single visual programming environment
• Construct 3D models based on vertices, edges, faces, geometric primitives and drawn curves
• Accelerate performance with interactive workflows
• Create, view, and edit animation curves using a graphical representation of scene animation.
• Work directly with data using native tools and quickly load and modify large datasets.
• Use Integrated Arnold renderer to view scene changes in real time, including lighting, materials, and cameras.

Pricing. Maya's subscription plan starts at $225 per month. The Flex plan starts at $300 for Minimum, $1500 - Popular and the Custom plan.

Pros. This professional animated tool offers a wide range of tools and features for 3D animation and visual effects. User-friendly interface. Adaptable and scaleable for the most complex worlds, characters and workflows. Ability to iterate faster and accelerate workflows.

Cons. The tool is pricey for smaller startups and creators. It has a steep learning curve for beginners.

Ideal for: Creative designers and artist

Software #6: Cinema 4D

When it comes to animated tools for motion graphics, Cinema 4D is an industry-standard and powerful software for visual creators at all levels. The software is perfect for 3D computer animation, modeling, simulation and rendering.

As a complete program for animation, you’ll find features for motion graphics, design, VFX, AR/MR/VR, game development and all kinds of visualization.

Features:

• Quickly turn a series of images into a 3D model
• Emit smoke, fire and explosion from any Spline or object
• Comprehensive color management for stunning cinematic results
• Supports advanced features like symbols annd gradient filled shapes
• Import vector art from PDF, SVG, Illustrator into your 3D scenes
• Supports polygonal, volume, parametric modelling and character animation
• Abillity to realistic-looking and multi-threaded simulations
• Cinema 4D is available in 12 different languages
• Compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems

Pricing: Cinema 4D costs €103.32 per month.

Pros: Cinema 4D is one of the easiest 3D packages to learn and use. Has a robust knowledgebase and other support options. Equipped with lots of amazing animation and modelling-friendly features.

Cons. The tool is super expensive for starters. The interface can be overwhelming without proper guidance.

Ideal for: Creative designers and artist

 

Software #7: OpenToonz

If you’re looking for a professional animation tool without breaking the bank, OpenToonz is a great fit. Although it’s free and open-source, the software has lots of features for creating multiple animation styles. Whether you’re a beginner or expert, you can bring static objects and characters to life using 2D animation capabilities.

OpenToonz has applications in different animation projects, including amateur and professional production, commercial use, school education and more.

Features:

• Ability to create cutting-edge animation with multiple effects using the SDK plugins
• Automatic changing picture styles using the deep learning technology
• Produces affected incident light and wavy distortion effects
• Compatible with 4 types of image scanning (black & white, colored, with or without binarization)
• Compatible with Windows and macOS

Pricing. OpenToonz is free.

Pros. The tool is open-source and can be used free of charge for both commercial and non-commercial projects.

Cons. Unaesthetic and antique interface. Steep learning curve with little or no resources for learning.

Ideal for: Creative designers and artist

 

Software #8: Moho Animation Software

Moho Pro is a powerful, professional-grade animation software that can perform almost any task related to 2D vector animation. It’s a perfect work tool for amateur and expert animators, hobbyists and digital artists Unlike other animated tools, Moho blends robust animation technology and state-of-the-art animation tools.

Features:

• Includes language support for six languages (English, Spanish, French, Russian, German and Japanese)
• Comprehensive content library full of characters, props and backgrounds.
• Powerful vector drawing tools
• Complete rigging system to enable users create easy to animate 2D puppets timeline, audio recording and sound effects
• Advanced timeline with graph mode and editable interpolation
• Photoshop’s PSD files integration
• Create personalized meshes to animate vectors and images
• Automate animation using power features like particles, gravity, dynamics and wind
• Compatible with Window and macOs

Pricing: Moho Debut starts at $59.99, while Moho Pro costs $399.99.

Pros: Moho is feature-rich and versatile. There are lots of tutorials, guidance and excellent resources to help users get started. Supports file import and integration with Adobe Photoshop

Cons: Steep learning curve for beginners. Most features available in Pro version.

Ideal for: Creative designers and artist

 

Software #9: Unity

Unity is a 3D animation, CGI and cinematics tool for film, television and gaming. The animated tool comes in handy for collaborative iteration in real-time, rather than hours and days of rendering. Unity enables faster production with features like shared composition, accelerated rendering and multiple options to automate non-creative tasks.

Features:

• Integrate with Digital Content Creation tools of your choice
• High-definition render pipeline to render beautiful visuals and cinematic shots
• Animate and edit your project with familiar toolsets
• Orchestrate timing, angles, movements, and cues in real-time using editing and sequencing tools
• Access lightning-fast recording to speed up projects and shorten review cycles
• Unity is available in nine languages

Pricing: Unity’s student and personal plans are free. The Plus plan is $399 per seat per year, the Pro plan is $2400 per seat per year, and the enterprise plan has a custom pricing.

Pro: The tool is intuitive, easy to use and has a user-friendly interface. Rich library of asset for creating multiple projects

Cons: The free plan has limited features.

Ideal for: Creatives, designers and artists

 

Software #10. SideFX (Houdini)

Houdini is a 3D animation tool for rigging, modeling, VFX, animation, lighting, look development and rendering in gaming, film, TV and advertising. Its intuitive, user-friendly features enable artists and creators to create multiple iterations and easily share workflows with co-creators.

Features:

• Realistic, fire, smoke, fluids, particles and solid simulations that are faster and easier to set up
• Procedural modeling techniques for maintaining a robust construction history and creating complex models like cityscapes, environments and more
• Provides a complete suite of features for rigging and animating characters and creatures
• Offers layout, development and lighting tools that enable creators to make USD-based scene graphs
• Ability to integrate visual effects into live-action shots to produce high-quality results.

Pricing: Houdini has a free plan for the learning edition. The paid plans starts at $269 (1-year rental)

Pros: This animated software offers robust rendering and modeling capabilities The procedural workflow saves time by allowing changes to be made quickly in the pipeline. Offer fluid, solid, particle and other powerful simulation capabiities.

Cons: For a program for animation, SideFX has a steep learning curve and requires a lot of practice for beginners to get the hang of it.

Ideal for: Creatives, designers and artists

 

Software #11: VistaCreate

More than just your basic animation software, VistaCreate features an extensive library of animated templates and thousands of pre-animated objects and characters. The tool lets you create animated ads, square videos and even Facebook covers with no design skills.

You can also combine videos and animated GIFs with your images, such as a moving background, to create short and eye-catching video posts for social media.

Features:

• Thousands of animated templates to use and customize.
• Access to over 50 million stock photos.
• Library of videos and animations to use in designs.
• Upload your own fonts, graphics and animations.
• Download in MP4 video format.
• Share your animated video directly to social media.

Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Pro plan starts from $10/month, billed annually.

Pros: Create animated video artworks in various formats; stories, presentations, social media. Has a mobile app to create designs on the go.

Cons: The free version gives you access to limited storage and creative assets.

Ideal for: Marketers, small business owners, freelancers.

 

Software #12: Adobe Creative Cloud Express

If you’re looking for a very basic animation software to create video posts for social media, Adobe Creative Cloud Express can help you do that right from your phone.

Use the Adobe Creative Cloud Express iOS app to create short videos with animated text and photos by choosing a template, and customizing it using one of the few animation styles available. As of now, you can only access the animation feature on mobile, not on the desktop app.

Features:

• Access customizable templates in various formats.
• Sync your designs across multiple devices.
• Create animated posts on the go with the iOS app.
• Thousands of free images and icons.
• Download as an MP4 video or share online.

Pricing: Adobe Creative Cloud Express has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99/month.

Pros: Create animated social media posts on the go with the iOS mobile app. Simple, easy-to-use interface. Sign in with your Adobe account.

Cons: Lack of advanced animation features. Animations only available in the iOS app, not in Android or Web version.

Ideal for: Freelancers, marketers, bloggers.

 

Software #13: PosterMyWall

This animated software is straightforward and incredibly easy to use. You don’t even need to sign up to start editing a template. PosterMyWall lets you design promotional posters, graphics and videos using a large library of templates and stock videos.

What makes PosterMyWall stand out among other tools is that it lets you download your designs as high-quality videos, including 4K and Full HD. You can also send them off for printing if you’re living in the US.

Features:

• Large collection of animated video templates.
• Thousands of stock videos to use in your designs.
• Bulk printing for your designs on various materials.
• Download your videos in 4K and Full HD quality.
• Save as high-quality MP4 and GIF files.
• Share your designs with a link or embed online.

Pricing: Free plan with free social media downloads. Premium plans start from $9.95/month.

Pros: Create animated videos in high quality; 4K and Full HD. Start editing a template in your browser without signing up.

Cons: Download options are limited in the free plan. Limited animation features.

Ideal for: Individuals, businesses.

 

Software #14: PixTeller

PixTeller’s animation software is great for both business and personal use. It’s a good alternative for a full-featured video editing tool if you’re looking for something more basic.

You can create short animated videos in PixTeller by setting frame-by-frame motions, and then editing the attributes of each frame, such as colors, rotation, opacity and more.

Features:

• Hundreds of pre-animated templates to customize.
• Customize a frame by frame timeline.
• Unique text effects to make your animations pop.
• 100,000+ shapes to add to your animated videos.
• Share the URL of your video to specific people.
• Download in MP4 video and GIF formats.

Pricing: Their basic paid plan doesn't come with animation capabilities. The paid plan with animation features starts from $12/month, billed annually.

Pros: Create animated posts and banners by editing a frame by frame timeline.

Cons: Lack of advanced animation features. Option to download as MP4 or GIF only available in the paid plan.

Ideal for: Marketers, freelancers, bloggers.

 

Software #15: Animatron Studio

This a great option if you’re looking for a feature-rich animation tool. Animatron Studio offers a huge gallery of pre-animated elements and templates to help you create explainer videos, HTML5 banners, ads and more.

The customizability options are near endless—you can even customize the expressions of the characters. If you’re looking for a less robust version, you can also check out Animatron Lite.

Features:

• Thousands of pre-animated objects, characters and more.
• Extensive customizability options.
• Import, place and edit your own graphics.
• Built-in voiceover features to add narration.
• Real-time collaboration and comments.
• Export to HTML5, MP4, SVG and GIF formats.
• Share online with a link or use an embed code.

Pricing: Animatron has a "Lite Mode" with is free with limited features. Paid plans start from $30/month, billed annually.

Pros: Advanced customization options for all pre-animated characters and objects. Download your designs in several popular formats.

Cons: Interface can be glitchy, no free stock videos available inside the software.

Ideal for: Marketers, corporate teams, educators, freelancers.

 

Software #16: Biteable

If you want to create bite-sized, animated videos like promos, ads and social media videos, Biteable is a good option. It lets you share and download animated videos by editing one of their premade templates.

You can also look through thousands of stock footage clips and scenes to put together an entirely customized video. Biteable also lets you share your project with teammates with its collaboration features.

Features:

• Browse hundreds of professional video templates.
• Access thousands of stock footage clips and animations.
• Add audio tracks using a huge library or upload your own.
• Share your video project with other team members.
• Publish your video on Biteable with privacy controls.
• Download your designs in Full HD MP4 video format.
• Share directly to social media, or use a link or embed code.

Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start from $49/month, billed annually.

Pros: Make all kinds of marketing videos, including explainers and demos. Access thousands of stock footage clips to create something unique.

Cons: You can only download in MP4 video format. Free plan exports come with a watermark.

Ideal for: Marketers, trainers, educators.

 

Software #17: Animaker

Animaker is ideal for businesses and educators who want to create interactive presentations and videos. This animation software comes with a large library of templates and pre-animated elements, including illustrations, characters and gestures.

Features:

• Large collection of animated templates and assets.
• Six unique video styles to edit and remix.
• Pro-level animation features like Curve, Camera In and Out.
• 200+ music tracks and sound effects to add to your videos.
• Enterprise and team management features.
• Upload directly to YouTube and Facebook or share URL.
• Download in MP4 video and GIF formats.

Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start from $10/month, billed annually.

Pros: Create animated videos for all kinds of business or personal uses. A variety of video styles, including several for whiteboard videos.

Cons: Only 5 watermarked downloads in the free plan. Only good for creating videos, not animated images.

Ideal for: Marketers, presenters, freelancers.

 

Software #18: Canva

Canva is a popular online design tool that has recently introduced a few basic animation features. It lets you download your graphic designs as a GIF or video by choosing one of the six animation styles available in the app.

Features:

• Thousands of editable templates in various categories.
• Millions of free and paid photos, icons and other assets.
• Six different animation styles to choose from.
• Invite team members and share your brand elements.
• Organize your designs into folders.
• Download your animated designs in GIF and MP4 video formats.

Pricing: Starts from $12.99/month or $119.99/year.

Pros: Pay-per-use graphic assets. Good for adding basic animation to images.

Cons: No custom animation capabilities. Limited animation features in the free plan.

Ideal for: Marketers, bloggers and small business owners.

 

Software #19: Easil

Easil is another web-based design tool that also supports GIF downloads. However, the only way to make an animated GIF in Easil is by duplicating an image frame several times and making edits to each frame.

Features:

• Thousands of editable templates in various categories.
• Brand kit feature to save your brand colors, colors and logos.
• Creative text effects like drop shadow and masks.
• Resize templates and designs for social media or print.
• Create color schemes with the color palette generator.
• Team and sub-team sharing features.
• Download animated GIFs.

Pricing: Starts from $7.50/month per user, billed annually.

Pros: Plenty of features for team sharing and enhancing your visual brand.

Cons: The only way to create an animated GIF is to duplicate an image several times and make changes to each “frame”. No GIF download option available in the free plan.

Ideal for: Brand managers, marketers, bloggers.

 

Software #20: Pencil2D

Pencil2D is an open-source animated software that lets you create 2D animated characters using vector drawing tools and traditional animation workflows. It works on all the popular platforms, including Windows, MacOS and Linux.

Features:

• Simplified user interface that’s easy to use for beginners.
• Customizable toolbar to fit your own creative process.
• Layers panel for bitmap, sound, camera and vector layers.
• Timeline and keyframes to add, subtract and duplicate frames.
• Versatile drawing tools to help you create vector drawings.
• Various export formats; GIF, MP4, AVI, WEBM and more.

Pricing: Free.

Pros: It’s free to use and cross-platform, so it can work on any operating system. Simple and minimalistic editor to help you create traditional, hand-drawn animations.

Cons: Pencil2D is great for simple drawings, but lacks advanced animation and character building tools. It’s not ideal for complex or modern-style animations.

Ideal for: Digital artists, cartoon makers, game designers, basic animators.

 

Software #21: Powtoon

Powtoon is an online animation software that lets you create fun, interactive videos with animated characters and premade graphic assets. It’s a great tool for making video presentations, explainer videos and whiteboard animations.

Features:

• Dozens of premade templates spread across five categories.
• Thousands of built-in graphics, animated characters and more.
• Advanced animation controls and character customization.
• Choose from built-in audio, record audio or upload audio files.
• Screen and webcam recording to create tutorials and video presentations.
• Import and edit Photoshop and PowerPoint files.
• Download in various formats or share directly to social media.

Pricing: Paid plans start from $20/month, billed annually.

Pros: Easy to use tool for beginners. Plenty of built-in graphic assets. Advanced character customization.

Cons: Limited options for built-in music. Advanced features and removing the watermark are locked for free users. Working on heavy projects can slow down Powtoon’s editor.

Ideal for: Marketers, presenters, educators, trainers.

 

Software #22: Procreate

Procreate is one of the most powerful and intuitive animated tools that uses frame-by-frame animation techniques. It gives users all the benefits of working digitally while recreating the familiar experience of pencils, pens and paint on paper. Thus, making it an excellent tool for beginners. 

If you already have an iPad and an Apple pencil, download the app from Apple Store and start creating animations. 

Features:

• Get the perfect shape every time with the QuickShape feature.
• ColorDrop feature to quickly pick any color you want. 
• Extra special FX to add gorgeous finishing touches to your work. 
• Gaussian, motion and perspective blur. 
• Complete font control to add gorgeous typography to your design. 
• Paint with filters to add perfect finishing touches to your artwork. 

Pricing: Procreate comes with one-time pricing of $12.99 exclusively from the Apple Store. No subscription.

Pros: Simple and easy-to-use interface. Wide range of brushes and an option to import Photoshop (.abr) brushes into your app. 120hz performance to take full advantage of Apple’s ProMotion technology. 

Cons: Only works with iPad and Apple pencil. It works in pixels, so you can’t create vectors. Difficult adjustment layers. 

Ideal for: Beginners, freelancers and hobbyists.

 

Software #23: Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint is an all-in-one animation solution that lets you create comics, general illustration and 2D animation. The software is compatible with macOS, Windows, iOS, iPad, Android and Chrome OS. 

Thus, if you can manage to use its slightly confusing user interface, then Clip Studio Paint can be one of the best animation tools for you. 

Features:

• Adjustable pen pressure to recreate the natural, high-quality lines of pen and paper. 
• Automatically taper the beginning and end of brush strokes and reduce shaky and wavering lines. 
• Use 3D references for accurate compositions. 
• Light table function for free reference specific keyframes while inbetweening. 
• Drawing frames between keyframes

Pricing: Free trial up to 6 months. Clip Studio Paint Pro starts at $49.99 while Clip Studio Paint EX plans start from $219/year.

Pros: Multiple export options and advanced vector toolkit. AI technology, 3D Capability, Bundles of brush options, drawing flexibility. 

Cons: Stifling Pro or Ex prices. Lack of audio support. Slightly confusing UI. No rigging tools. 

Ideal for: Beginners, hobbyists and professionals. 

 

Software #24: CelAction2D

CelAction 2D is another powerful animation tool that gives you all the quality of hand-crafted animation. With four editions available — Studio, Professional, Animator and Educational — the animation software has something for everyone. The tool interoperates well with other software, helping you to choose the best tools for your production pipeline. 

Furthermore, you can import 3D CGI models in CelAction2D and position them anywhere in a fully 3dimensional space. 

Features:

• The software features a dockable tool panel that allows you to work on multiple monitors and increase productivity. 
• More than 60 special effects to make your animation visually rich with minimal effort and time. Moreover, you can create special effects and save them in the library for reuse. 
• Advanced Inverse Kinematic Tool that helps you pose your character and model. 
• You can import drawing assets from other software such as Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and others. 
• The 2D animation can be rendered in NTSC, PAL and HDTV format and at any resolution. 

Pricing: The monthly rental cost for this tool starts at $75/ month paid annually.

Pros: Supports large teams. Import your scanned sketches, photos or even 3D CGI and animate them quickly.

Cons: No cross-platform support; works only with Windows. No drawing tools. 

Ideal for: Digital artists, cartoon makers, animators. 

 

Software #25: Synfig Studio

Synfig Studio is a more robust tool than the other open-source and free animation software in the market. It gives you advanced controls that help you create high-quality animation exceptionally quickly. It’s a tweeness animation system designed to speed up the animation process by using sprites and digital tweening. 

If you want to experiment with newer features, Synfig Studio is best for you. Also, it’s a great alternative to Adobe Animate. 

Features:

• Transform any vector shape into another with the Vector tweening feature. Thus, eliminating the need for manual tweening. 
• 50+ layers and filters to create complex animation. 
• Additional Skeleton Distortion layer to apply complex deformations to bitmap artwork. 
• Vector animation with Lottie export. 
• Built-in feature to upgrade the animation output using automatic friction effects. 
• Supported on Mac, Windows and Linux. 
• Provides advanced controls like link parameters for various layers.

Pricing: Free and open to use by anyone. 

Pros: Free and open-source. Yet, you will get advanced animation tools that are fit for both beginners and experienced animation enthusiasts. Free video tutorials for an in-depth understanding of the software. 

Cons: Software sometimes crashes. Steep learning curve. The user interface is not very intuitive. 

Ideal for: Beginners, solo artists and experts. 

 

Software #26: KeyShot

KeyShot is an easy-to-use, advanced, simplified animation software that helps users create photorealistic, scientifically accurate animations. The tool is well-known for its high-quality 2D and 3D animations without an additional graphics card. 

Additionally, it supports 30+ types for rendering 3D animation and comes with interactive labeling, texture mapping, physical lighting, and more. 

Features:

• 750+ templates to help you differently style your animation.
• Real-time 3D image rendering workflow. 
• More than 30 3D file formats.
• Adjust and light your scene as per your requirement with its HDRI lighting. 
• Create interactive, touch-enabled visuals for mobile and web. 
• Still image animations, interactive web content and mobile content. 

Pricing: Plans start from $99/month billed annually. 

Pros: Works with both Mac and Windows. Import and export a wide range of model formats. Detailing, accuracy and realism in visualization are unmatched.

Cons: Not a friendly user interface for beginners. Framing, sizing and resizing the window sometimes get complicated. 3D animation is difficult to grasp for a novice. 

 

Animation Software FAQs

Q. Which software is best for animation?

Visme stands out as an all-in-one visual content creation platform that empowers users to create stunning and engaging animations, animated presentations, infographics, documents and more. With Visme’s intuitive interface and robust features, anyone—beginner or professional—can make captivating animations in a matter of minutes.

Visme has a rich library of assets, templates, graphics, images, icons and animations. You can animate each of these design elements to provide an immersive experience for your audience.

Access a wide range of animation options, including entrance, emphasis, exit, and motion path animations, animated icons, illustrations and special effects. Enhance audience engagement with interactive elements such as clickable buttons, links, hotspots, pop-ups, and hover effects.

Q. Do you need coding for animation?

No, you do not necessarily need coding skills to create animations, especially with the advent of user-friendly animation software and tools available today. Many animation platforms, like Visme, Adobe Animate, Toon Boom Harmony, and others, offer intuitive interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality that allow users to create animations without writing a single line of code.

These platforms provide pre-built assets, templates, and animation effects that users can customize and combine to create engaging animations. The process typically involves arranging visual elements on a timeline, adjusting their properties, and specifying how they move and interact with each other.

Q. Is animation software free?

Yes, there are several animation software options available for free. These software for creating animation provide basic features and are excellent for beginners, students, or individuals looking to explore animation without investing in expensive software.

Animation companies like Visme, Blender, OpenToonz, and Synfig Studio provide free access to animation tools. However, you need to purchase or upgrade to a paid version of the software to access advanced features and additional assets.

Q. What animation software should beginners use?

When searching for animation tools for beginners, it's crucial to start with user-friendly software that offers a gentle learning curve. Visme stands out as an excellent choice for beginners due to beginner-friendly features like

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Beginners can easily navigate the platform, add elements, and create animations without getting overwhelmed by complex menus or tools.
• Vast selection of pre-designed templates suitable for various animation purposes. These templates serve as a starting point, allowing beginners to customize and personalize their animations without starting from scratch.
• Visme supports various formats, including animated presentations, videos, GIFs, and social media posts. This versatility enables beginners to explore different types of animations and choose the format that best suits their projects.
• A diverse library of graphics, icons, characters, and animations: This extensive library simplifies the process of finding the right visuals for their projects.
• Animation Presets. Visme includes animation presets and effects that beginners can apply to their elements with a single click
• Interactive Tutorials and Support. Visme offers interactive tutorials and guides that help beginners learn the basics of animation. Additionally, the platform provides excellent customer support, ensuring beginners can seek assistance whenever they encounter challenges.

Visme’s shallow learning curve allows aspiring animators to dive into the world of animation without feeling overwhelmed. The tool makes the creative process enjoyable and rewarding for beginners.

Q. How to make an animation with Visme

Creating interactive content doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Whether you're creating presentations, marketing materials, or educational content, Visme empowers users to bring their ideas to life with captivating and professional animations. Follow these steps to create animations with Visme:

1. Find a template you love or start with a blank canvas. Fully customize the template or canvas to include your branding and messaging using the design features in Visme

2. Incorporate animations and interactive elements. 

• Create a clickable menu, table of contents or navigation bar to easily navigate between pages.
• Link slides, pages or content blocks to objects to make them actionable and create an interactive experience.
• Make your content come alive with interactive hover effects and pop-ups that offer your audience a deeper and more engaging experience.
• Incorporate animated enter and exit effects into your design elements to turn your content into a dynamic masterpiece that grabs the attention of your audience from start to finish.
• Create personalized interactive content by embedding YouTube videos, Loom recordings, surveys, polls, quizzes and more.
• Animate your design elements so they pop off the page and create a more dynamic look and feel for your content.
• Connect with third-party integrations like GIPHY, Typeform, Loom, Google Maps and more to create more dynamic and personalized content.

3. Download and share your animation: Share your interactive content with your audience by sharing an online link, downloading it as a GIF, MP4 or HTML5 file, or embedding it on a web page.

 

What is the Best Animation Software?

Choosing the best animation software can be confusing, especially if you’re a beginner and you’re looking for an easy, affordable option that scales with your needs.

For beginners who want to create animated content for marketing and internal communication purposes, we recommend Visme.

With Visme, you can create animated GIFs, marketing videos, explainers, animated charts and graphs, interactive documents with live data and more.

The best part? You don’t need to be a designer or animation expert to use Visme — the drag-and-drop editor works in your browser and makes animation a breeze!

If you’re ready to create animated and interactive content of your own, sign up for a free Visme account and test it out for yourself.