Best 2D Character Animation Software in 2026

In short: Live2D Cubism is ranked #1 of 46 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Animaker and Animaze. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Animaker. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Animaze at $1.67/mo.

Making a 2D character move can involve a range of animation workflows, from rigging and deformation to lip sync. Compared on animation workflow, bone rigging, and mesh deformation, these options give you criteria for thinking through how you want to create motion. Consider lip sync and export formats for the kind of character performance and output you need, along with supported platforms. Live2D Cubism, Animaker, and Animaze are among the named options. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing round out the points to weigh against the animation capabilities.

46 2D character animation software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

46ranked
15free plans on this page
$1.67/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list 2D Character Animation Software 25 channels on this page · 76 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromAnimation workflowBone riggingMesh deformationLip syncSupported platformsExport formats Spec sheet Score
01 Live2D Cubism Free planYesPaid from$13.26/moAnimation workflowpuppetBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncYesSupported platformsWindows, macOSExport formatsPNG, JPEG, GIF, MP4, WebM, MOV, MOC3, model3.json, motion3.json 7/8spec lines stated 7.7
02 Animaker Free planYesPaid from$15/moAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsweb, iOSExport formatsnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 7.6
03 Animaze Free planYesPaid from$1.67/moAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncYesSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 7.2
04 Tahoma2D Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowhybridBone riggingYesMesh deformationYesLip syncYesSupported platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxExport formats3GP, AVI, BMP, GIF, JPG, MOV, MP4, PNG, RGB, SGI, Spritesheet, TGA, TIF, TIFF, WebM 7/8spec lines stated 7.1
05 VTube Studio Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncYesSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.1
06 Animation Desk Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.0
07 SkelForm Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.0
08 Spine Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxExport formatsJSON, binary, GIF, PNG, JPEG, AVI, QuickTime video, texture atlas 3/8spec lines stated 7.0
09 Callipeg Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowhybridBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsiOS, Android, Windows, macOS, LinuxExport formatsPEG, MP4, HEVC, GIF, PNG, TGA, JSON, OCA, XDTS 4/8spec lines stated 6.9
10 OpenToonz Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformswindows, macos, linuxExport formats3GP, AVI, BMP, GIF, JPG, MOV, MP4, PNG, RGB, SGI, Spritesheet, TGA, TIF, TIFF, WebM 3/8spec lines stated 6.9
11 Pencil2D Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxExport formatsMP4, WEBM, AVI, GIF, APNG, PNG image sequence 3/8spec lines stated 6.9
12 veadotube Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncYesSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.9
13 Spriter Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.8
14 Vyond Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsweb, Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidExport formatsMP4, SCORM, WebM, animated GIF, still-image sequence 3/8spec lines stated 6.8
15 Mango Animate Whiteboard Animation Maker Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.7
16 Moho Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, macOSExport formatsAVI, MOV, FBX, glTF, GLB 3/8spec lines stated 6.7
17 Plotagon Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowpuppetBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformswindows, ios, androidExport formatsnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 6.7
18 RoughAnimator Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowframe-by-frameBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncYesSupported platformsiOS, Android, macOS, WindowsExport formatsMP4, GIF, PNG image sequence, QuickTime video 5/8spec lines stated 6.7
19 E-mote Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowhybridBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, WebGLExport formatsnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.6
20 SpineBones Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.6
21 Stick Nodes Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflowhybridBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncnot statedSupported platformsios, androidExport formatsGIF, PNG, MP4 5/8spec lines stated 6.6
22 Creature Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationYesLip syncnot statedSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.5
23 Toon Boom Harmony Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxExport formatsMOV, WMV, BMP, DPX, DTEX, JPG, EXR, PAL, PSD, PDF, PNG, SGI, SVG, TIFF, OPT, SCAN, VAR, TGA, YUV, GIF, SWF, JSX, WAV, XML, JSON, ATOM, USDA, USDZ 3/8spec lines stated 6.4
24 Animation Paper Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncnot statedSupported platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxExport formatsMP4, GIF, ProRes MOV, PNG, OpenEXR, OCA 2/8spec lines stated 6.3
25 PNGTuber Plus Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnimation workflownot statedBone riggingnot statedMesh deformationnot statedLip syncYesSupported platformsnot statedExport formatsnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.3

Is your tool on this list?

Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.

Questions about this list

Which 2D character animation software is ranked first on Specifiction?

Live2D Cubism is ranked #1 of 46 with a score of 7.7. Animaker is second and Animaze third.

How many of these have a free plan?

15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Which is the cheapest paid option?

On this page, Animaze has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.67/mo.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.

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