Looking for an animation software solution for you and your project?
With many different options, it can be difficult to sort through which software tool would be best for your particular needs. Here is a breakdown of the best choices available on the market today.
Top 11 Best Animation Software Tools
- Adobe Animate
- Adobe Character Animator
- Moho
- Blender
- Autodesk Maya
- Houdini
- OpenToonz
- Pixologic Zbrush
- Dragonframe
- Stop Motion Studio
- Autodesk MotionBuilder
A Breakdown of Animation Software Options
1. Adobe Animate
Tried and true, Adobe Animate has what you’ll need, having been used on a wide range of projects ranging from television series, websites, games, and commercials. Adobe Animate is not to be confused with Adobe Character Animator, a totally separate animation software option.
Adobe Animate was designed to integrate with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop content.
There are a large number of official tutorials available for this animation software as well as unofficial tutorials that will help you learn how to use this software.
Pricing: $20.99/month as a stand-alone product, $52.99/month with 20+ other Adobe apps as part of their Creative Cloud bundle
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use interface | Perpetual monthly payments to use software as a subscription (versus free options like Blender and and pay once options like Moho) |
| Available as a stand-alone product (in contrast to Adobe Character Animator | |
| Free trial option available |
2. Adobe Character Animator
Adobe Character Animator (not to be confused with Adobe Animate) won an Emmy Prize for Technology and Engineering in recent years. It is an animation software solution designed specifically for motion capture, allowing the user to control layered 2D puppets drawn in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. 2D puppets can be controlled with a camera, touch screen, mouse, or microphone.
Pricing: This software can be purchased as a part of Adobe Creative Cloud for $52.99/month.
| Pros | Cons |
| Specialized for motion capture animation | Does not have the ability to do frame by frame animation (unlike Adobe Animate) |
| Processing times are fast enough for live control of 2D puppet models | Cannot be purchased separately (unlike Adobe Animate) |
3. Moho (offered in Pro and Debut versions)
Created by Lost Marble LLC in Danville, California, Moho is an animation software tool for 2D/3D animation. It has been used by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which received Academy Award nominations for its work (Song of the Sea in 2014, Bread of the Sea in 2017 and other films) done in Moho animation software.
Pricing: Moho Debut (targeted at beginners and hobbyists) is offered at $59.99 and Moho Pro (targeted at professionals and animation studios) is offered at $399.99.
| Pros | Cons |
| Available in a variety of languages (English, Spanish, French, Russian, German, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese) | Not available on Linux |
| Buy once, own the software forever (no monthly subscription like Adobe animation software options) | Not used as much as other software options, some users have reported a lack of quality reference materials and tutorials due to a smaller user base (compared to other options with more tutorials written by the community) |
| Wide range of software features and functionality |
4. Blender
Blender software is an animation software project managed by the Blender Foundation, a nonprofit. It’s hard to go wrong with Blender because it is a totally free software developed as an open-source project. It is also widely used and well-documented, which will aid in learning how to use the program.
Though some well-known animation studios use proprietary in-house animation software or options with a high price tag, this totally well-known, free software has been put to use by the History Channel, the 2018 film Next Gen, the 2016 film Warcraft, and the 2021 Netflix production Maya and the Three. The program is capable of 3D modeling, UV wrapping, texturing, raster graphics editing, sculpting, particle simulation, rendering, compositing, and many more animation techniques. As a totally free and well documented animation software, Blender is definitely worth a look!
| Pros | Cons |
| Capable of both 2D and 3D animation | Large learning curve, some users have noted overwhelming options |
| Available under the GPL open source license | |
| Free | |
| Wide variety of applications (has been used by NASA scientists, music videos, film special effects, video games, and animated feature films) |
5. Autodesk Maya
Also going by the name Maya, Autodesk Maya is animation software developed by the same company (Autodesk) known for developing the well-known computer-aided design AutoCAD software. Maya was originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation in close collaboration with Disney during their 2000 production of Dinosaur. While Maya is now widely used in the animation industry for 3D animation, it runs at a hefty price tag of $1,700 per year or $4,590 for 3 years.
| Pros | Cons |
| Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux | One of the most expensive animation software options on the market |
| Software available in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese |
6. Houdini
Houdini is a well-known 3D animation software option. It has virtually every software feature you could need for 3D animation including modeling, motion capture, lighting, rendering, particles, and many other features. Houdini has been used widely by studios, ranging from Walt Disney Studios to Pixar.
Prices for Houdini range based on project scope. A free version of Houdini called Houdini Apprentice is available for non-commercial projects by students and hobbyists with all the features of the paid, professional versions.
Prices range from $269/year annual non-commercial licenses for indie animators in initial stages to a $3,000 perpetual license for Houdini Core , $4,495 for a perpetual license Houdini FX and $499 annually for Houdini Engine.
| Pros | Cons |
| Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux | Expensive price point for commercial projects |
| Low price point for hobbyist projects seeking to learn the software for non-commercial use | |
| Tested and used thoroughly by many well-known animation studios |
7. OpenToonz
OpenToonz is 2D animation software available for free. OpenToonz is based on the original Toonz program created by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy. It is now developed by the Japanese company Dwango and is available on macOS and Windows as a completely open-source project.
The software was used for producing well-known TV shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Futurama. It was also used for the widely acclaimed 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film Spirited Away.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free and open-source | Some users have noted a steeper learning curve for beginner animators |
| Has been used on a many commercial animated films |
8. Pixologic Zbrush
Digital sculpting is a process in which software gives the user the ability to push, pinch, and pull digital objects to manipulate or modify the object similar to as if it were a real life clay sculpture. The digital sculpting technique allows for specific details that would be otherwise incredibly difficult or impossible to accomplish from other animation techniques. Pixologic Zbrush is a specialized software that focuses on this digital sculpting software animation technique, providing higher resolution digital models than would be possible from other animation techniques.
Released in 1999, Pixologic Zbrush has been used in various projects by Electronic Arts and Epic games. It has also been used in films such as Avatar, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers.
Pricing: The software is available at 39.95/month.
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers wide range of features like Polypaint, Transpose, projection of 3D models onto the background to create 2.5D models (which can then in turn serve as the beginning of a new 3D scene) | No permanent license available |
| Integration with Autodesk Maya, Blender, and a wide range of other animation software |
9. Dragonframe
Dragonframe is a well-known stop motion animation software that has been used in Disney’s Frankenweenie and other high-grossing animated films. The software works by controlling a digital camera that records the digital scene.
A wide variety of new features has become available in the new edition of Dragonframe 5. These features include multiple camera support, iOS and android capture support, DMX Graph Mode, camera auto-detection, and more.
Pricing: The software is available for a permanent license at the rate of $295.
| Pros | Cons |
| Available cross-platform on Windows, macOS, and Linux | Not available on mobile devices |
| Free trial available |
10. Stop Motion Studio
Similar to DragonFrame as an option for stop motion animation but available at a cheaper price range, Stop Motion Studio is available on a wide range of operating systems and devices.
Pricing: The price for iPhone/iPad/iPod as well as Android devices is $4.99. The app is available for macOS and Windows for $9.99.
| Pros | Cons |
| Available in a free and premium tier | |
| Extremely affordable pricing | |
| Highly rated on Android app store | |
| Tutorial Availability |
11. Autodesk MotionBuilder
An alternate 3D animation software coming from Autodesk, Autodesk MotionBuilder is focused on realistic character motion in a streamlined manner. It also works with motion-capture control of detailed movements of the 3D model.
Pricing: The annual cost is $1,950 for a subscription and a 3 year subscription is available for $5,265. It is available on Windows and Linux.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free trial available | Not available on macOS |
| Expensive compared to other software animation tools |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which software animation tool is best for a beginner?
Software used professionally in the industry can carry a price tag of over $1,000. For example, Autodesk Maya, while used by professional studios, costs $1,700 per year to use. A better option may be to try out similar software (like the free, open-source Blender) that is capable of as much as or more than what expensive animation software can do while you experiment and gain skill in the animation process. Once you have reached a certain level of comfort, familiarity and skill, that could be a better time to try more expensive software. Alternatively, you may find the free or less expensive versions will work for even the most ambitious commercial projects!
What are the different kinds of animation?
The different kinds of animation are: Traditional/2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion animation, rotoscope animation, claymation and motion capture.
Is animation a good career?
With a single animation film possibly requiring several hundred animators, there is a demand for animation professionals. However, some members of the animation industry have noted the industry is weighted towards contract work opposed to long-term salaried positions. That being said, for the artistically inclined person, animation can be a great and fulfilling career. The annual salaries for animators range widely, falling between $40,000 to upwards of $90,000.
Is it possible to learn animation on your own?
Anyone with drawing skills can learn animation on their own. WIth many free animation software options available, there is no downside to getting started learning. In fact, there are even examples of successful solo-produced animations,
What is skeletal animation?
Skeletal animation is a computer animation method in which a character/actor/object. Motion capture (recording the movements and actions of a human actor to inform 2D and 3D) digital character models can be used to speed up the process of skeletal animation.
What software animation tool is best to learn for a career in animation?
It will be necessary to learn whatever software animation tool is used by the hiring company, which varies across the industry. A lot of animators find they are in a constant state of learning to keep an up to date skill set that is in demand by the animation industry.
What is a keyframe?
In computer animation, a keyframe is a shot that marks the start or end of any smooth transition. The shots in between two keyframes are known as ‘inbetweens’.
What is a wire-frame model?
Animation software uses wire-frame models, which are 3D visual models of an object. They are formed by defining the edges of each object or by connecting vertices through curves or lines.
What is rendering?
Rendering is the final step of the graphics pipeline. Once a scene file has defined the geometry, texture, lighting, shading, viewpoint, and any other necessary information, the final rendering step in the pipeline gives the animation its final appearance.