Technology is constantly evolving, and creating 2D animations, has never been more straightforward than now. There’s no need for complex 2D Animation tools and years of experience in using it. All you need now is a computer that can run a browser.
Yes, you read it right. Just a browser is enough to make stunning 2D animations.
In this article, we will be looking at the Best 2D Animation Software & tools that help you create stunning 2D animations, Animated characters, Animated 2D backgrounds, and more.
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Top 10 2D Animation Softwares
Adobe Animate CC
Adobe Animate CC is a 2D animation tool that helps you create & design 2D animations, Vector Animations and more. This app is widely used to design graphics for the videos, advertisements, online animation, web applications, and more.
Features:
- Create custom vector animation
- Adobe’s suite of apps with flawless integration
- Modern timeline to layer your graphics & other assets
- Functionality to create 360-degree VR animations
Price:
Monthly – $29.99/month
Yearly – $19.99/month.
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AutoDesk SketchBook
Sketchbook is a super simple 2D animation application that has a straightforward UI with tons of features. With over 140 artistic brushes and other cool features, this app lets you create beautiful 2D animations right from your smartphone or computer.
Features:
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- Dedicated apps for smartphones and computers
- Ribest creative tools with a wide array of integration
- Predictive stroke technology
- Free of cost for students
- Single subscription for all platforms
Price:
Free trial available
One time – $19.99
Synfig
Synfig Studio is open-source software and is licensed under the General Public License version 3. This software is designed for creating animations at any scale, from beginner to advanced levels. This software has been designed from the ground up to produce high-quality 2D animation with less workforce and resources.
Features:
- Easily transform an image to a vector shape
- Allows up to 50 layers to create animation
- Create unique animation effects using bitmap images
- Has options to add mathematical expressions to link parameters of layers.
Price:
Free forever.
Animaker
Animaker is a free online 2D animation tool with a wide array of features to create stunning 2D animation online. This app has various characters, properties, backgrounds, and integrations with multiple tools like Giphy, ______, _______ & more.
Features:
- Create custom characters with the custom character builder
- Massive audio library with over 60,000+ music tracks & sound effects
- Easily create human-like AI voiceovers with Animaker Voice
- Fully browser-based application that doesn’t require any downloads
- Massive animated library with over 10,000+ ready-to-edit templates
Price:
Free plan (Includes watermark)
Paid plan starts at $10 per month
Doratoon
Doratoon is a simple browser-based 2D animation application that can be used for multiple purposes like Business, Education, Marketing and more. This app comes with a template library that can be customized easily.
Features:
- Convert voice to text with the inbuilt text recognition feature
- Easily add animation effects to enhance the quality of the video
- Create smart drawings with the intelligent AI feature
- 100M+ Stock Audio and videos.
Price:
Free plan (Includes watermark)
Paid plan starts at $19 per month.
Pencil 2D.
Pencil 2D is free-to-use open-source 2D animation software, which is simple to use and lightweight. The app is beginner-friendly and allows everyone to use the app to create 2D animations effortlessly.
Features:
- Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- It’s free to use even for commercial purposes
- Supports TIFF format
- Supports flipping & rolling technique support for easy frame check
Price:
Free & Open Source
FlipBook
FlipBook is a 2D animation tool that is fast, easy and powerful. This app is straightforward and helps create 2D animations super quickly.
The app is so simple that you can make changes while a scene is looping.
Features:
- Draw easily using the trace feature
- Easily add voiceovers within the app
- Has a simple interface to pan, zoom, rotate, blur and dissolve
- Allows you to paint multiple frames at once.
Price:
Starts from $19.99.
Crazy Talk Animator.
Crazy Talk Animator 4 is a well-known 2D Animation product that comes with exclusive features to create beautiful 2D animations. This app allows you to turn images into characters that can be controlled & animated within the app. This app also lets you lip-sync the audio to your animation with a single click.
Features:
- Allows you to capture facial motion
- Easily convert photoshop layers into 2D characters
- Easily create interactive compound animations
- Provides motion path and timeline level editing
Price:
Starts at $79.
OpenToonz
OpenToonz is undoubtedly one of the best beginner 2D animation software. This app is free and can be used for both commercial & non-commercial projects.
Additionally, this app is open source, and users can freely edit the code to customize it according to their needs.
Features:
- Open source and free to use for both commercial and non-commercial projects
- Add more effects using plugins
- OpenToonz supports both raster and vector images
- Ability to edit & create animations at the original scale of the images
Price:
Free & Open source
Hope this article on the best 2D animation softwares gives you an idea on where to get started. But among the list, the online-based animation softwares like Animaker, Doratoon, etc., are the easiest to use as it doesn’t require any prior knowledge. But the only downside is that these online softwares are limited in features.
In contrast, the other downloadable softwares like Adobe Animate, AutoDesk Sketchbook, etc., are full-fledged 2D animation softwares that give you additional features required to create professional-grade 2D animations.
Which is the best 2D animation softwares according to you? Drop them in the comment below.
