18 Best Free Animation Software in 2023

Choose one of these free animation software, if you want to create a cartoon, video, infographic or 2D animation even without much experience. This list contains free animation programs for beginners and professionals, as well as top-notch 3D animation software that can be installed on Windows and Mac.

Top 18 Free Animation Software

  1. Adobe Animate - Our choice
  2. Blender - Open source program
  3. Maya - For 3D applications
  4. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro - A complex tool
  5. Animation Desk - 46+brushes
  6. Saola Animate - Keyframe-based animating functionality
  7. K-3D - Polygonal modeling tool
  8. Daz Studio - For 3D lovers
  9. Animaker - Drag-and-drop builder
  10. KeyShot - Rendering software
  11. Renderforest - An all-in-one software
  12. Toontastic 3D - Google’s flexible tool
  13. Powtoon - Presentation maker
  14. Pencil2D Animation - Easy to use
  15. Synfig Studio - For all platforms
  16. TupiTube - For kids and beginners
  17. OpenToonz - For 2D animation
  18. Plastic Animation Paper - For simple drawing

Here are 17 free programs for creating animated videos in 2D or 3D format, which will be useful to designers, photographers, marketers and brands that want to boost recognition.

1. Adobe Animate

Our choice
  • Straightforward, Adobe-style UI
  • Many tutorials to master the program
  • Works with all sorts of vector and bitmap photos
  • Amazing export capabilities
  • May be difficult for newbies
  • Limited trial period

Verdict: Adobe Animate is free animation software included in the Creative Cloud. The program is so feature-rich that you may need to spend several weeks to learn them all. For example, there is an interesting function allowing you to draw new frames on top of previous ones.

The program has an integration option with your Adobe cloud library. You can use Adobe Animate to create Flash games, movie animations, kinetic typography, cartoons, animated GIFs and more. Similar features are available in Character Animator, which is a serious ground for Adobe Animate vs Character Animator rivalry.

Adobe Animate is the best photo animation software for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as those, who are already actively using Adobe products.

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  • アドビ アニメイト アニメーション

    2. Blender

    Open source program
    • An impressive number of features and add-ons
    • Powerful modeling tools
    • Simple importing of outside objects
    • Pre-defined keyboards shortcuts
    • Image-based animation may cause problems
    • Not beginner-oriented

    Verdict: Blender is one of the best free animation programs with open source and a high-quality motion graphics software. It is used for creating 3D animations, games, motion tracking, and more. The software allows artists to turn photos into 3D animations. In addition, Blender has a Rigging Tool for converting 3D models into animated characters.

    Users get access to basic, e.g. video cropping, and advanced functions such as color gradation and video masking.

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    • خلاط واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية

      3. Maya

      For 3D applications
      • Performs complex animation tasks in a simple way
      • Profound color management
      • Suitable for creating realistic effects
      • Wonderful rendering technology
      • Once the free trial finishes, the price is $1,545/year
      • Steep learning curve

      Verdict: Maya from Autodesk is a 3D computer graphics and animation software that is especially useful for creating interactive 3D applications, movies, video games, TV shows, and more. By the way, this program was used when working on “The Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars”, so it is definitely one of the best free animation software.

      Together with Maya, you can create animated pictures, video games and add 3D effects to moving images. Besides, you can use Maya as efficient storyboard software.

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      • マイア ワジャハト ブラナマジー アラーソム アリゾナ

        4. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

        A complex tool
        • Fast processing and switching
        • Cooperation feature
        • Many options for import and export
        • Tools for video editing
        • Impossible to record and edit audio
        • Not for beginners
        toon boom storyboard pro logo
        Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

        Verdict: Here is an award-winning software, winner of Primetime Emmy. This is a comprehensive storyboard tool that boasts functions for drawing, creating scripts and animations, and controlling the camera and sound.

        Using this best free animation software, you can create frame-by-frame animation and edit frames. You get a pressure-sensitive pencil, texture brushes, and the Bone Deform function. Thanks to onion skinning, you can control the movement and time of each animation, which makes Toon Boom Storyboard Pro a great alternative to the best motion tracking software.

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        • トゥーン ブーム ストーリーボード プロ

          5. Animation Desk

          46+brushes
          • Multiple options for data export
          • Intuitive interface
          • Broad range of tools
          • Supports layers
          • Occasional crashes
          animation desk free animation software logo
          Animation Desk

          Verdict: Animation Desk is a creative app for originating frame-to-frame animations and storyboards. It is catching in a wonderful way and is very quick at unleashing the user’s creative potential. It is valid that the app does feature multiple tools that turn it into a full solution for both the newbie and ambitious animators alike.

          No animation skill can be required on your behalf. Each scene has to be drawn frame-by-frame and put together by the app thereafter. You can export animations as Photoshop layers, a PDF sheet, or big size GIF. Users are allowed to edit animation sequences further, across different devices such as Android, iOS, and Windows 10.

          animation desk free animation software interface

          6. Saola Animate

          Keyframe-based animating functionality
          • Intuitive UI
          • Suitable for producing 3D transformations
          • Broad selection of newbie-friendly animation features
          • Compatible with a wide range of image, audio, and video formats
          • Isn't as advanced and feature-packed as some alternatives
          • Incapable of producing high-end VFX
          saola animate free animation software logo
          Saola Animate

          Verdict: Saola Animate is a great solution for producing HTML 5 animations and interactive web assets. Supplied with a user-friendly editor and a convenient UI, Saola Animate can be used even by people with zero coding experience.

          This tool employs an advanced keyframe-based animation system. As such, keyframes are used for determining the start and end parameters of animation elements, allowing you to easily produce smooth transformations. Additionally, the software comes with Preset Effects and Auto-Keyframes that automatically create keyframes when producing the animations.

          Such functionality allows you to significantly reduce the amount of time you spend creating animations. It should also be noted that Saola Animate is among the rare 2D apps that allow producing 3D animations. You can use this software for creating interactive banners, e-cards, web-based games, and engaging presentations among a broad range of other types of animated content.

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          • saola animate free animation software interface

            7. K-3D

            Polygonal modeling tool
            • Simple undo/redo functions
            • A node-based visualization pipeline
            • Straightforward interface
            • Handles procedural and parametric tasks with ease
            • No tutorials
            • May be confusing for novice users
            k-3d logo
            K-3D

            Verdict: K-3D is free 3D animation software aimed at polygon modeling. According to this approach to digital graphics, the surface of objects is represented with the help of polygons. The program contains a complete set of tools and plug-ins for such a task.

            In addition to powerful polygon modeling functionality, K-3D has handy undo/redo features, which all together make it one of the best free animation software.

            واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية k-3d

            8. Daz Studio

            For 3D lovers
            • Tools for 3D animation, rendering and modeling
            • GPU-accelerated real-time rendering
            • Realistic characters
            • Motion features
            • Resource demanding
            • For pro users
            daz studio logo
            Daz Studio

            Verdict: Daz Studio is a free tool for creating 3D animations and short videos. The main emphasis in this good free animation software is on 3D effects. Make models, visualize them and create animations at the level of skin texture.

            Other advantages of this program include fast real-time rendering and interactive tutorials to help you become the best 3D artist.

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            • エクスカリバー

              9. Animaker

              Drag-and-drop builder
              • Drag-and-drop mechanism
              • Large library of animated templates
              • 6 different animation video styles
              • Supported on multiple devices
              • Previewing causes lagging
              • Limited number of animated characters in the library
              animaker logo
              Animaker

              Verdict: Animaker is a free online program for creating animations of various types: 2D, infographics, handcraft, whiteboard, 2.5D, typography. You can also work with audio: convert text into audio, add background music, sound effects, and voice.

              I liked the drag-and-drop function, which helps create animations on the go.

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              • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية animacinis kūrėjas

                10. KeyShot

                Rendering software
                • Understandable interface
                • Quickly switching between different model sets
                • You can view changes in real time
                • May be legally used on several computers
                • Rendering could be faster
                • Occasional crashes
                keyshot logo
                KeyShot

                Verdict: KeyShot is a handy free animation software for beginners with 3D rendering capabilities. Developers have added the physically correct render engine to the program to accurately copy materials from the real world and create photorealistic visualizations.

                I liked the rendering quality and a simple interface. As for the minuses - the process takes a little longer, when compared with other programs.

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                • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية Keyhot

                  11. Renderforest

                  An all-in-one software
                  • Intuitive user interface
                  • Create animation in a few clicks
                  • Top-quality graphics and logos
                  • Advanced AI technologies
                  • 3-min free video limit
                  • Watermarks added on all outputs
                  renderforest logo
                  Renderforest

                  Verdict: Renderforest is a universal online video, animation, logo, and website maker. To create an easy animation, you have more than 50,000 unique graphic files to choose from and more than 100 ready-made templates for mobile devices.

                  Here you have hundreds of animated video templates at your disposal to suit your needs, including slide shows, splash screens, explanatory videos, logo displays, corporate presentations, and animated infographics.

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                  • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة في Renderforest

                    12. Toontastic 3D

                    Google’s flexible tool
                    • Compatible with several platforms
                    • Easily exportable
                    • Ads-free
                    • Works online
                    • Limited settings and characters
                    • Available only on mobile devices
                    toontastic 3d logo
                    Toontastic 3D

                    Verdict: Toontastic 3D is a free mobile application from Google, originally created for children, but the functionality is also enough to generate corporate animated 3D-videos. A nice bonus – this free animation software for beginners also works offline, so you can create videos on the go or when Wi-Fi is off.

                    According to Google developers, you can create a one-minute video with six scenes in just a minute, excluding the time spent on creating characters.

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                    • واجهة برنامج رسوم متحركة مجانية ثلاثية الأبعاد Toontastic

                      13. Powtoon

                      Presentation maker
                      • Variety of styles and designs
                      • Flexible customization of text layers
                      • Lots of ready-made templates
                      • There is a function to share the presentation
                      • A 3-minute video limit
                      • Presentations with a watermark
                      powtoon logo
                      Powtoon

                      Verdict: Powtoon online application is mainly used for creating short videos and dynamic video presentations. There are some limitations in the free plan: you can create HD videos lasting up to 3 minutes, and the storage capacity is limited to 100 MB.

                      In Powtoon, you can choose your own style, change the proportions and sizes of the animation, export videos to YouTube, Facebook, Wistia, and Vimeo. There are also handy Powtoon tutorials, which makes mastering the app even quicker.

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                      • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية powtoon

                        14. Pencil2D Animation

                        Easy to use
                        • Simple restarting
                        • Cross-platform program
                        • Smooth switching between raster and vector files
                        • Step-by-step instructions
                        • Setting preferences aren’t saved between sessions
                        • The program doesn’t support video export
                        pencil2d animation logo
                        Pencil2D Animation

                        Verdict: Pencil2D Animation software free is used for creating 2D animated videos. It allows users to create more traditional, hand-drawn scenes.

                        Animator artists will like a clean, non-cluttered timeline, where it’s quite simple to add new frames on different layers, duplicate them, change the frame rate and quickly create animations with minimal effort.

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                        • Pencil2d واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية

                          15. Synfig Studio

                          For all platforms
                          • Timeline-style interface
                          • Bone system for complex editing of bitmap images
                          • Lots of top-level technical features
                          • Layering support
                          • Easy to learn
                          • Lacks some standard functions
                          synfig studio logo
                          Synfig Studio

                          Verdict: Synfig Studio is another free online 2D drawing animation software. Here you use vector graphics to create timeline animations.

                          To make the movements of the drawn characters more natural, the developers integrated a bone system. Thanks to the parameters of the layers, you can create dynamic characters.

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                          • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية لاستوديو synfig

                            16. TupiTube

                            For kids and beginners
                            • Clear UI
                            • Free open source program
                            • Supports vector illustrations
                            • Compatible with many file formats
                            • Only for 2D animation
                            • Limited functionality
                            tupitube logo
                            TupiTube

                            Verdict: TupuTube is a free 2D animation program. You can use a mobile application or a desktop version.

                            The program supports vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons and other shapes. You can also import bitmap images and export finished pictures to different file formats.

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                            • واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية tupitube

                              17. OpenToonz

                              For 2D animation
                              • Open source animation software
                              • GTS scanning tool
                              • Unique Xsheets & Timelines functions
                              • Audio/Soundtrack Implementer
                              • Limited plug-ins effects
                              • Learning the program requires some time
                              opentoonz logo
                              OpenToonz

                              Verdict: OpenToonz is open source 2D animation software. Users can enjoy vector and raster drawing tools, quick painting and color changing, blurs, lighting, keys, masks, warps, and more than 100 other effects. You can also combine animation with video, create frame-by-frame animation, motion tweening and bones character animation.

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                              • opentoonz واجهة برنامج الرسوم المتحركة المجانية

                                18. Plastic Animation Paper

                                For simple drawing
                                • User-friendly interface
                                • Quick drawing and flipping
                                • Simple video and frame stacks import
                                • Full-frame reference on the 2nd monitor
                                • Only for 2D animation
                                • Limited functionality of a free version
                                plastic animation paper logo
                                Plastic Animation Paper

                                Verdict: Plastic Animation Paper is one of the best 2D animation software, where you can create drawings in black and white, and make them color.

                                You can quickly switch from one screen to another and check the drawing that you’ve created. The advantage of PAP is that the program works well with frames of any size.

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                                • ورق الرسوم المتحركة البلاستيكية واجهة برا٭جةكاا؆ملا٪وم
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