Best 2D Animation Software Free

Are you looking for the best 2D animation software to create funny cartoons? Do you want to create engaging and informative explainer videos to post online? Do not stress out; 2D animation software is the perfect solution to engage your audience and bring in new leads. With the right video animation software for Android, iPhone and iPad, you would be able to get your message across to your audience in the most exciting manner as well as engage them.

If you are teaching a group of kids, adults, or staff or introducing potential buyers to a product or service, a 2D cartoon animation can help deliver your message correctly in no time. However, if you are looking for a free animation software for beginners or paid animation software, then read this write-up to the end as we review the top 10 free 2D animation software you can lay your hands on. 

Top Free Animation Software for Beginners

The following are the best 2D animation software free you can lay your hands on as a beginner to learn the rope and create 2D cartoon animation or explainer video:

1. Animation Studios

Animation studios is an all-in-one videoediting software for making 2D explainer videos in any language. Name thelanguage or niche, and you have it. It is one of the best software with groovyand cool templates with the trending niche. Make the videos from scratch. Ithas in-built assets, props, and characters. Enjoy the experience of makingamazing videos with a professional experience. It helps you in reaching out toa global audience. It has so many languages that you can translate it quickly. Anaverage mobile user spends 4-6 hours a day watching videos, the videos createdwith animation studios help impact the viewers' minds. With entertaining andcatchy content, you can create your brand, business, and website for free.

WHY CHOOSE ANIMATION STUDIO?

•          Takes minutes to create studio-grade videos.

•          It provides you with an unlimited commercial license.

•          It is hosted on the Microsoft cloud platform.

Pros:

1. This free animation software is super easy to use for beginners as well as for experts.
2. In order to create or edit videos, there is no need for any technical skills.

Cons:

1. This software has a custom story interface that creates videos from scratch.

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2. Animate CC

Animate CC is your go-to animation software for when inspiration strikes. Create animated videos, design interactive and game-based content, or bring your illustrations to life with a broad range of creative tools that make it easy to do what you love.

Animate is undisputably powerful, and is widely considered to be one of the most stable and effective animation tools on the market.

Features:

• You can create new poses for vector images or figure.
• It enables you to arrange your layers in a parent-child hierarchy.
• It automatically matches mouth poses to voice inflections.
• You can export 360 VR animations
  

Pros:

• This software is very powerful due to which you can do anything that you imagine for your video.
• In this software, there is a plugin capability that helps you in enhancing your animation videos.
• It is super affordable due to which anyone can easily buy it.

Cons:

• There are few operations that make this software crash due to which you have to continuously save your work.
• It is very heavy software which makes it hard to start.

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3. Opentoonz

This is another free 2D animation software best suited for beginners. The software is compatible with Windows and OSX devices. Opentoonz comes with pre-loaded plugins that allow creating amazing animation effects automatically without needing more editing. However, the downside of Opentoonz is that the design of its user interface is outdated compared to other 2D animation software in the market. Regardless, users would still have an exhilarating experience.

Opentoonz is easy-to-use, free, and available for download. Meanwhile, users can modify the source code to introduce new features to the software.

Features of Opentoonz

1. Allows changing picture styles

2. In-built GTS scanning too

3. Supports adding light effects and distortion

4. Supports black and white and colored scans

Pros:

• This software offers more customizable brushes that allow you to enhance your animation videos
• It is best for experienced users.

Cons:

• It is difficult to learn and use for beginners.
• Its design is outdated

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4. Maefloresta

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Another free 3D animation software for beginners, you can use is Maefloresta. It is a free app that supports both iPhone and Android devices. This software allows learning and creating animated content on the go. It is easy to use for beginners. Meanwhile, you may not get the installer online except you email the software company. The best thing is the flexibility to use the software on Android and iOS devices. Above all, the software is free of charge – you so not have to pay for some animation software to create fun videos. 

Features of Maefloresta

1. Free downloadable app for both iOS and Android devices

 2. Easy-to-use animation software with tutorial

3. User-friendly interface easy to use for beginners 

Pros:

• It is available on your smartphones and is compatible with iOS as well as android.
• It is free to download and is designed for those who want to create small videos and animations.

Cons:

• In this software, you may not get the installer online except

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5. Pencil 2D

Pencil 2D is a great 2D animation software that is compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux. Pencil 2D is a free software that comes with tutorials in multiple languages – English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The downside of Pencil 2D is that it does not support shapes tools, which makes creating or drawing shapes impossible. Meanwhile, Pencil 2D is an open-source 2D software. It is user-friendly and easy-to-use.

Features of Pencil 2D

1. Supports switching between vector and raster workflow

2. Minimalist design for easy animation creation

3. Cross-platform compatibility. 

Pros:

• It has a minimalistic interface with nothing unnecessary, which makes your animation creation easy.
• This software is free due to which everyone can easily use it.

Cons:

• This best free 2d animation software is lightweight as there are not many tools present in it.
• It does not support shapes tools due to which it becomes impossible to create or draw shapes

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6. Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony is one of the best paid animation software. It comes with 21 days trial period, after which you would be required to pay $109 per month before you can use the software again. The software is compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux.

With Toon Boom Harmony, creating 2D and 3D animations is hassle-free. However, it takes some time to learn to make 2D animation for newbies.

Toon Boom Harmony is best suited for narrating a story through 2D images, creating an art piece, or creating a message for your audience. 

It is professional software that contains vector and bitmap tools to create art, 3D imported models, and best suited for creating multiplane scenes with z-depth. It may take some time to master the learning curve of this software; it is worth it. 

Features of Toon Boom Harmony

1. Built-in vector and bitmap drawing tool 

2. Advanced color pallettes and painting options

3. Supports 2D and 3D integration to create impressive animation

4. Cut-out animation tools

5. Conventional paperless animation

Pros:

• There are a load of features that everyone requires.
• It contains vector and bitmap tools to create art, 3D imported models and a lot more.

Cons:

• This software demands resources
• It might be expensive for beginners.

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7. CelAction2D

This is another free 2D animation software. It has a paid version, the studio Edition that costs $1,300 for a single license. CelAction2D is compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux. The software is light and does not encumber the system's processor due to its low system requirements.

CelAction2D is the best 2D animation software to create unique and complex animation videos. The software has everything you need. It is best suited for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users.

Features of CelAction2D

1. Handles complex projects easily

2. Easy to use for professional

3. Has ergonomic control

4. Compatible with all Windows and Mac

5. More controls through the multiplane camera function

Pros:

• This software can operate thousands of layers which can be beneficial for experts.
• There is no need for numerous resources.

Cons:

• It is very hard to animate movement by using this software.
• The cost of a lifetime license is high in front of other software.

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8. Moho (Anime Studio) Pro 

Moho Pro is one of the best paid animation software. It costs only $399.99 to have its full package. The software is compatible with OSX with Windows. The software gets updated and upgraded regularly to introduce new features and tools. The downside of Moho Pro is that it is not user-friendly for beginners. 

Meanwhile, if you intend to become a professional 2D animator, Anime Studio Pro is the right animation software you should lay your hands on. It is affordable and best suited for flash-style animations.

Features of Moho Pro

1. Allows the animation of several layers concurrently

2. Feature freehand drawing tools for flexibility and complete control

3. Realistic motion blur

4. Freedom to design videos as you wish

5. Smart warp for easy creation of custom meshes for bending and twisting animations

Pros:

1. This software supports drawing tablets that enhance your animations.
2. With this software, you will get a strong user community.

Cons:

• There are lots of features present in this software among which some are hard to master.
• The major drawback of this software is that it is not very precise in synchronizing character lips with their speech.

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9. Stop Motion Studio

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Stop Motion Studio is the top paid animation software that is compatible with OSX, Windows, iOS, and Android. The software costs $59.99 to own a license. The software comes with built-in sound to create a unique animation. It also supports recording or importing voice over to use on the video. The only limitation that Stop Motion Studio has is that it can only create 2D stop motion animations.

If you are looking for the best way to create fun animation or 2D animated presentation, Stop Motion Studio comes handy. You can use a high-end camera with the software as it has DSLR support.

Features of Stop Motion Studio

1. Comes with Chroma key, audio recording option, and voice effects 

2. Supports viewing previous frames through a transparent overlay

3. Supports DSLR camera for 1080 HD recordings

4. Supports sharing videos to Facebook and YouTube

Pros:

• In this 2d animation software, there is a sharing option present due to which you can share your video on any platform.
• In this software there are good tutorials present, thus anyone can use it easily.

Cons:

• The major drawback of this software is that the full version of this software is not free.
• In this software, there are no templates available.

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10. FlipBook

FlipBook is a top-of-the-line 2D animation software. It costs from $19.99 to $199.99 for different grades. It is compatible with OSX and Windows. With this software, you can draw your images. You can also scan images and add sound to your project. You can create an incredible video with FlipBook. However, the software does not come with bone rigging, which makes making subtle changing impossible.

FlipBook is suitable for both beginners and pros. It makes 2D animation creation hassles-free and exciting. If you are a lover of 2D cartoon animation, this is the best animation software for you. 

Features of FlipBook

1. Supports scanning images to be added to a project

2. Provides ten layers for effective editing and adding final touches

3. Allows speed painting by pressing the shift key

4. Allows real-time editing

Pros:

• This software is compatible with drawing tablets which help you in making your animation more creative.
• The biggest pro of this software is that you can work with imported images like scans and a lot more.

Cons:

• In this software, there is no template present.
• With this software, you can only do manual drawing.

11. Vidtoon

Vidtoon is fairly new in the field of video animation. It has proved to be one of the fastest and easy to use animation software out there. With this tool you get an extensive library of pre-made motion graphics, animated characters, audio, text and many more elements. 

You don’t need to be a professional designer or have a lot of technical knowledge to be able to use Vidtoon. It’s drag and drop interface makes it very easy to create attractive animations in a short amount of time. 

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The animations created using Vidtoon are bound to grab the attention of viewers because of their high quality. This is very essential for business owners who want to generate audience engagement for their products or services. 

With Vidtoon you can create various kinds of videos like product or service demo videos, explainer videos, video for advertisements, tutorials, etc. All this at an affordable price of $49.

Features of Vidtoon :

• Vidtoon with its drag and drop interface is one of the fastest video animation software. You can add elements, effects, and transitions, modify the backgrounds and export your videos in a matter of seconds. 
• Vidtoon has a library full of royalty free images. Further, there are graphics, HD backgrounds, audios, texts and many more such elements to help you create impressive animated videos. You get all these elements with your paid subscription.
• As it has a simple drag and drop interface, you don’t need to be a pro at animation to use it. Its learning curve is almost negligible.
• You don’t need to pay any extra cost for rendering your videos. After creating your videos on Vidtoon you can simply download them to export or share according to your needs. 
• Vidtoons lets you place the various elements in your videos exactly where you want them to be. This is possible with its Free Roam Canvas Feature. 
• You can convert text into real human speech with Microsoft or Google Text To Speech in Vidtoon.

Pros:

• Export videos in HD quality.
• Camera focus can be changed by zooming in or out.
• Latest user interface.
• Built-in library with royalty free images.
• Additional transitions and animations.
• Dedicated training is available.

Cons:

• You may find the funnel to be quite deep but your problems will be solved by an efficient front end.

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12. Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator

This is topnotch paid animation software for professionals. It costs $99 to $199, and it is compatible with OSX and Windows. Whether you are a beginner or professional, Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator has something for everyone. It allows the characters’ control without any hassles. Meanwhile, the downside of the problem is that it requires Photoshop to import and export videos.

You can control your characters through your facial expression and lip-syncing. Most marketers, educators, and YouTubers use Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator for their animation videos.

Features of Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator

1. Supports real-time control through facial expression

2. Bundled with tools to turn an image into a moving cartoon

3. Supports making 2D visual effects

Pros:

• It allows you to make 3D animated cartoons.
• This best 2d animation software uses voice and text to vividly animate facial images.

Cons:

• This software requires Photoshop to import and export videos.

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Conclusion

With the right software, it is fun creating 2D videos. You only have to get your script and storyboard ready; you can lay your hands on the amazing 2D animation software discussed above. You can always find the right software that suits your level, whether you are a beginner or professional.

FAQS

What 2d animation software does Disney use?

Disney uses Toon Boom software, which is the most creative and advanced 2D animation software used in the industry.

What is the best 2d animation software?

There are lots of best 2D animation software available in the market which is enlisted below:

1. Pencil 2D
2. Opentoonz
3. Toon boom harmony

What software does Disney use for 2d animation?

Toon Boom software is the software that Disney uses for 2d animation videos. This software is the premier name in 2D animation software that provides a lot of features to create an amazing video.

What is a good 2d animation software?

There is a wide range of best 2D animation software available. The list of software is enlisted below:

1. Synfig
2. Animaker
3. GoAnimate
4. Pencil2D

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How to use pencil 2d animation software?

In order to use this best free 2D animation software, you are required to follow few steps which are mentioned below:

• First of all, get to know the brush tool and keep this thing in your mind that you should press E to access the eraser when you need it.
• Then use the bucket tool to fill color and eyedropper tool to remember what colors you created or edited
• Press N to access the pencil tool.
• Now you must ensure that you're on the first frame with Bitmap ON.
• After this, draw what you'd like for your first frame, for the starting animation, maybe try a stick figure. When you're done, look near the bottom left of your screen.
• Keep repeating this process until you've got a really nice animation.
• If you want to create your own custom colors then click on the small color box above your color list on the far right of your screen. Then choose any color you like, and then press ok.
• If you have made any mistakes, then click on undo.
• After this look out for issues with your view on the top-left of your screen and click on "Reset Zoom/Rotate.
• By this, your animation will be saved, and you can safely keep working on it once more.

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