The best 2D animation software

The best 2D animation software will make your work stand out and help bring your creations to life. With the wide array of applications and animation types out there, it can be hard to choose one fitting your requirements. My handy guide will help you find the best software for you, whether you’re a new or experienced animator, creating movies, shorts or YouTube content. 

When selecting the best animation software it’s important to consider the multitude of tools, exporting types and compatibility with other programmes if you create across multiple apps. Each application has a different interface and tool suite, so it’s important to do your research before downloading to make sure you will be comfortable learning it. My expert guide details elements like platform compatibility, price and who we think each piece of software is suitable for.

Overall, I’ve chosen Moho as the best 2D animation software, and coming in two versions means both newcomers and professionals are catered for. I’d also recommend Procreate Dreams for anyone who has an iPad; it’s easy to use, tailored to Apple‘s tablet and affordable.

The animation software below is fantastic, but is useless without the best laptops for animation, or, if you want to go keyboard-less, the best drawing tablets for animation (and in Procreate Dreams’ case, read our iPad generations guide). Our lists are well worth a look, and cover tablets and laptops for all budgets. 

The best 2D animation software: quick list

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The best 2D animation software in full

Best 2D animation software overall

Moho Pro is award-winning animation software for Mac and Windows that has everything you need to create professional-quality 2D animations. Its powerful rigging system will have your creations jumping off the screen, while the Smart Bones feature will enhance your character’s facial expressions and body turns.

Moho has been used by Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon on their Oscar nominated films The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, Secret of the Kells and Wolfwalkers, and is widely considered to be an industry standard for professional 2D animation.

Moho Pro is known for its excellent vector tools, intuitive rigging system and 2D VFX workflow, as well as the brilliant bitmap capabilities that enable you to draw freehand. While the Pro edition is aimed at those already working in animation, there is also the easy to use and cheaper Moho Debut aimed at beginners, which retains the excellent vector drawing and rigging tools but offers a simpler approach.

Best 2D animation for professionals

Toon Boom Harmony is used by animators and studios to create some of the most successful animated movies, TV shows and web toons right now, including The Simpsons, Rick and Morty and Futurama. Because of this expect to open a comprehensive box of tools if you sign up to Toon Boom Harmony, but also be aware this is a professional software and has a steep learning curve.

The suite of tools features bitmap drawing, vector drawing and painting tools as well as advanced rigging and deformer tools. It now offers a 3D stage for setting up complex multi-plane environments as well as bespoke compositing tools, which means you needn’t export files to add VFX.

Toon Boom Harmony is a feature-rich package that is used daily in the animation industry, so you are going to pay for the tools. The Essentials version is a good way to get started, and costs either $230.50 for annual license or $28.50 per month. As this does have a complex workflow, I’d recommend downloading the free trial version before committing.

Best animation software for iPad

Procreate Dreams shook things when it released at the end of 2023; this was the same simple-to-use UI and process of Procreate but applied to 2D animation, and it proved a huge hit.

While standard Procreate has a basic animation mode, Procreate Dreams’ standalone tools and features enables far greater complexity. Designed for use on iPad the app performs best with a mix of gesture and Apple Pencil controls, for example it’s possible to record motion effects directly my manipulating your art live on the iPad screen.

Coupled with traditional onion skinning techniques, layers and an easily editable timeline that can be pinched, zoomed and adjusted using an Apple Pencil. In our Procreate Dreams review we found the app to be comprehensive and adaptable for both hobbyists and professional animators.

If you want a similar 2D animation app for iPad but at no cost, I’d also recommend the excellent Callipeg that has similar tools and ease of use but is much more expensive (the App Stores lists it as free but there’s a monthly or perpetual subscription. Read our Callipeg review for more details on this Procreate Dreams alt.

Best 2D animation software for content creators

Cartoon Animator 5 is the latest release from the team at Reallusion, and it’s jam-packed with useful features for creatives but importantly content creators and YouTubers can really make good use of these tools. While it may not be considered an industry standard, Cartoon Animator is perfectly capable of creating professional-quality animations, which again makes it ideal for content creators looking to give their videos and socials a professional look.

From smart IK motion editing to full-body motion capture, Cartoon Animator has the tools to do it all. For example, with its sprite-based facial system, you can quickly transform a 2D face into a 3D talking head. Vector and bitmap graphics are supported, including Photoshop layers.

There’s also a helpful rigging and bone tool that allows you to create believable multi-angled 2D characters. The motion path tool is handy for creating simple animations quickly and easily, while for pro-end creators it has a suite of post production tools as well.

It’s not the easiest software to learn your way around, but if you have the time and patience to get to grips with it, Cartoon Animator is a fantastic animation software for all kinds of content creator. Unfortunately, the latest version is Windows-only.

Best 2D animation software for beginners

Adobe Character Animator gives you all of the tools you need to quickly and efficiently animate your 2D characters, from lip-syncing to motion capture technology. With its seamless Photoshop and Illustrator file integration, you can create your characters using your favourite tools and then bring them to life in Character Animator. You can even live-stream your characters!

While Character Animator is still a useful app for hobbyists and professionals, this is a particularly great software if you’re new to animation and want to wrap your head around the basics.

A great new feature is the ability to create animation from your own webcam and microphone, while another great feature is the option to pre-animate facial expressions to add to a shortcuts board, simply tap an image to activate the animation in time to your audio.

While the main edition isn’t the most expensive 2D animation software on my list, there is also a free version to download and try. This still features the core tools, including accessing predesigned puppets, real-time face tracking and saved pre-made gestures.

Best cross-platform 2D animation software

While some 2D animation software on my list is for Windows and PC, or iPad, Clip Studio Paint EX is a software available for, well… everything, including Android phones and tablets.

Clip Studio Paint EX is a powerhouse when it comes to an all-in-one drawing and animation solution. While it may not offer a powerful rigging system like some of the professional apps on my list, Clip Studio Paint EX does enable you combine frame-by-frame animation with camera effects so that you can create stunning full-length animations.

In addition, with Clip Studio Paint EX’s simple timeline interface, you’ll be able to easily tweak the speed of your animation and even rearrange the animation cels. Best of all, as mentioned, Clip Studio Paint EX runs on nearly every major platform and one license can be used on two devices at once, meaning you can start on your PC and carry on working on an Android tablet with no extra cost.

If you can find your way around its slightly confusing user interface then Clip Studio Paint EX can be a great addition to the digital toolkit of beginner, hobbyist and professional animators.

Best free 2D animation software

No list of the best 3D animation software would be complete without Blender, and you may be surprised to discover the same is true when talking about 2D animation. Even though Blender has a full 3D toolset, many 2D animators use this software package too, benefitting from 2D drawing and an animation stage that supports both 2D and 3D work.

Onion skinning with layers, colours, stroke and fill controls using the famous Grease Pencil tool take Blender to the professional level for 2D animation. Blender supports different approaches to how you create your animations and, best of all, it’s free.

You can read more about this software in our Blender explainer, but when it comes to 2D animation tools Blender offers a unique experience. You can use Draw mode to sketch using Grease Pencil, which enables you to draw in a 3D space. There are timeline editing tools and path guides enable great control over the animation. Read our Blender review for more on this software, as well as our list of the best Blender tutorials for how to use it.

Best 2D animation tool for anime artists

OpenToonz is a free open-source software, like Blender, but aimed squarely at 2D artists, and in particular it has a workflow that will appeal to traditional artists who still love to draw and paint on paper (but Pencil2D Animation below does this in more depth) but also to those who love the anime style of animation.

To animate from a drawing, you simply scan it into the app (it supports a number of scan types, including black & white and coloured images). A new plug-in effects SDK makes use of new AI to automatically change picture styles as well as adding affected incident light (those unique shards of light anime features love to use).

This free and open-source program, customised by Studio Ghibli and based on the software Toonz (developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy), is a powerhouse, despite being free to use. You can use it to create simple animations or professional productions. It’s also an excellent choice for the classroom as it’s powerful (not to mention free of charge) and easy to learn.

While other 2D animation apps on my list can be used to create anime style shorts, such as Clip Studio Paint EX and Procreate Dreams, OpenToonz has been optimised by the leading anime studio, so there’s really no better place to start if this is the style you love.

Best 2D animation software for trad artists

If you’re looking for a lightweight animation solution that’s not only open-source and free but also easy to learn, then Pencil2D Animation is an excellent place to start. With its minimal UI design, you can focus on what’s really important – your animations.

This cross-platform tool is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD. With support for raster and vector graphics, this beginner-friendly software is an excellent choice for hobbyists and beginners.

Featuring a simple traditional cel animation approach, Pencil2D is a good way for traditional artists to try animation. I would say Procreate Dreams also has a good traditional approach to animation, but Pencil2D is free.

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How we test 2D animation software

As in other creative software categories, 2D animation software is tested and evaluated by experts who have years of experience creating animation projects in studio contexts – whether that be in gaming, online, television or film production. Well versed in boning, inverse kinematics, facial animation, vector and bitmap graphics, animation workflows and post production, our reviewers are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of 2D animation packages and give you the best advice on which to choose.

How to choose 2D animation software

Your animation ability and the scale of your projects are the most important criteria when choosing 2D animation software. If your goal is to learn the basics of 2D animation and improve your skills, then some of the free or inexpensive applications in this buying guide are a good place to start. You can acclimatise yourself to concepts such as onion skinning and tweening, setting up skeletons and so forth, without having to learn a complex interface. However, if you are already familiar with the basics then the tools and workflow will be your focus. Higher-end paid-for applications will help you achieve professional results. Perhaps try one or two of the demos before buying.

FAQ

What do I need to become a 2D animator?

In the beginning, the best thing to do is to develop your drawing skills using a pad and pencil, iPad with stylus or a graphics tablet. Hand drawn characters have always been the basis for 2D animation. When you’re able to draw convincing characters that you’re happy with, then animating them on a Mac, PC or tablet – using software like that listed above – is a logical next step. If your aim is to make 2D animation your career, consider taking courses to learn 2D animation software or even enrol in an animation programme at an art college or university.

Which software should I learn for 2D animation?

There’s no right or wrong 2D animation software package. Most operate using the same principles, based around a timeline and a set of tools for transitioning the shape and position of the forms in your drawings. When you’ve learned the basics in one package, move on to something more complex in the the professional range. It’s not the software that will determine your talent – that’s down to your creativity, ability to learn and the application of skills.

What are the basic principles of 2D animation?

In addition to being able to draw expressively, good 2D animation relies on timing, creating a sense of anticipation, an understanding of physics, frame composition and the ability to depict relatable poses. You can learn a great deal about these things through observation – by watching the work of leading animators and, once you’ve started animating, by shooting reference video of the scenes you want to create.