Brush Ninja
brush.ninja
What it is
Brush Ninja is a 2D animation tool for creating animated work and exporting it in several formats. It runs on the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The free plan includes core animation tools and does not require an account. Exports include GIF, WebM, PNG, JPG, PDF, a ZIP image sequence, and the.brushninja format. Premium adds the ability to upload and animate users’ own images, premium stickers, sound effects, advert removal, and priority email communication. Premium monthly costs $7 a month, and Premium annual costs $48 a year; both listings say cancellation is possible any time. The free plan is free. Brush Ninja is listed as founded in 2013 and headquartered in the United Kingdom. The listed capabilities focus on 2D animation: 3D modeling, character rigging, motion graphics, and cloud collaboration are all absent. This distinction matters for people choosing between a focused animation tool and software that covers those other production needs.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Brush Ninja is a browser-based collection of creative tools centered on making animated GIFs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Supported platforms
- web,Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,AndroidRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Free plan
- YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Integrations
- Subscriptions use Stripe, static hosting uses Firebase, membership accounts use Userbase, delivery and security use Cloudflare, and error tracking uses Sentry.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Privacy
- Brush Ninja says free users do not need to provide data and that user-created artwork is not stored on its servers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Support
- Free users can use the contact form; premium users receive priority support, with stated email targets of three business days generally and one business day for premium users, and no phone support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Headquarters
- The teacher guide describes developer Ben Gillbanks as based in the United Kingdom.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Founded
- Gillbanks says he began building the first version of Brush Ninja in 2013 and released the first public version five years later.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Maker
- Brush Ninja is built and operated by Ben Gillbanks, who says he works on it as a one-person project.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- 2D animation tools
- YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- 3D modeling
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Accessibility
- Listed accessibility features include keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, high-contrast modes, alternative text, an accessibility statement, and a VPAT.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Advertising service
- Brush Ninja says its advertisements are provided by AdMetricsPro.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Animated GIF maker
- The animation editor lets users draw frames, arrange them on a timeline, preview playback, and export GIFs or individual frame images.Read 15 Oct 2026 · teachersfirst.org
- Character rigging
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Classroom limitation
- Brush Ninja does not provide class accounts, student dashboards, assignments, central storage, or bulk-management tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Cloud collaboration
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Code Ninja
- Code Ninja is included as a tool for creating two-dimensional artwork with a simple coding language.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Comic Maker
- Comic Maker places eight images into a printable single-page booklet layout.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Documentation
- The help center contains separate guides for the animation maker, stop-motion tool, Emoji Art, Paint Ninja, Code Ninja, Mini Book, Photo Collage, Pixel Camera, and Comic Maker.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Embedding
- The Paint Ninja drawing app can be embedded in another website with a script from embed.brush.ninja and a custom brush-ninja-drawing element.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Emoji Art
- Emoji Art creates mosaic-style images from emoji characters.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Export formats
- GIF,WebM,PNG,JPG,PDF,ZIP image sequence,.brushninjaRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Export limitation
- Free users cannot export animations with sound; video export with sound is reserved for members.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Feature limitation
- The FAQ says the animation editor does not support layers, although users can reorder vector shapes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Implementation stack
- The maker says Brush Ninja uses JavaScript, FabricJS, ReefJS, gif.js, FFmpeg.wasm, Jekyll, and Gulp 4.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Independent education review
- TeachersFirst recommends Brush Ninja for grades 4–12 and describes frame drawing, timeline reordering, exports, lesson plans, videos, and downloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · teachersfirst.org
- Independent limitation: tutorials
- The EdTech Books reviewer withheld a fifth star because the site lacked a tutorial at the time of review.Read 15 Oct 2026 · edtechbooks.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
- Licence
- AlternativeTo lists Brush Ninja as a proprietary free product rather than open source.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Limit: beginner focus
- An AlternativeTo reviewer said the product is good mainly for less advanced users, indicating limited depth for advanced workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Mini Book
- A Mini Book creator was added in September 2026 as a new app.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Motion graphics
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
- Notable news: accessibility
- On 6 November 2025, the maker announced work to improve accessibility and publish an accessibility page.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Notable news: stop motion
- On 14 May 2026, Brush Ninja announced its free browser-based Stop Motion Animation Maker.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Paint Ninja
- The drawing app provides pen, paint brush, spray can, quill, stamp, paint bucket, eraser, zoom, pan, colour controls, PNG export, and image annotation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Photo Collage
- Photo Collage combines multiple photos into one exported image and offers additional layouts to members.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Pixel Camera
- Pixel Camera is a browser-based retro camera that can record short videos and save them as GIFs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Praise: creative freedom
- An AlternativeTo reviewer praised the ability to draw anything, while TeachersFirst highlights classroom experimentation and creative expression.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Praise: simplicity
- AlternativeTo reviewers repeatedly describe Brush Ninja as very simple, immediately usable, and easy to animate with.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Premium image features
- Members can upload their own images, use premium stickers, download editable animation files, and access exclusive fonts, palettes, sound effects, and image archives.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Rating on AlternativeTo
- 5 out of 5 from 1 counted review; additional displayed reviews are marked as not counted because of low account activity.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Rating on EdTech Books
- 4 out of 5 from 1 reviewer; the reviewer found it easy after practice but noted that less technical students may need instruction.Read 15 Oct 2026 · edtechbooks.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
- School compliance
- The maker states that the platform is designed to support GDPR, COPPA, FERPA, and EdLaw 2-d requirements, while requiring no student personal information for core use.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Scope limitation
- The maker describes Brush Ninja as suitable for getting started with animation rather than a full-fledged animation suite.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Security limitation
- The school information page says Brush Ninja does not provide signed data-processing agreements or legal certifications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Self-hosting
- The maker describes Brush Ninja as code downloaded to and run by the browser, with no installation package or self-hosting instructions published.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- Stop motion
- A free stop-motion tool captures camera frames one at a time, previews them, and exports the animation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
- System requirements
- The service requires a JavaScript-capable web browser and an internet connection and is described as working on PCs, Macs, Linux, Chromebooks, Android devices, and iOS devices.Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
Plans and prices
Free Free Core animation tools · No account required Read 22 Sep 2026 · brush.ninja
Premium monthly $7 a month monthly premium features · removes adverts · priority support · cancel anytime Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
Premium annual $48 a year annually premium features · removes adverts · priority support · cancel anytime Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
Free Free core tools · no account required · advertisements Read 15 Oct 2026 · brush.ninja
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free plan needs no account.
- Available on web, desktop, and mobile platforms.
- Exports include GIF, WebM, PNG, JPG, and PDF.
- Premium adds image uploads and sound effects.
Limits
- No 3D modeling.
- No character rigging.
- No motion graphics or cloud collaboration.
Who it suits
Brush Ninja suits people who want to make 2D animations across desktop and mobile platforms, including users who prefer not to create an account. Premium may suit users who want to animate their own images or use stickers and sound effects.
Brush Ninja in depth
Read the full write-up
Brush Ninja is a 2D animation tool for people making animated drawings, GIFs, or short image-based projects. Its no-account free plan makes it a sensible place to start; its narrow focus makes it a poor fit for broader production work.
Overview
Brush Ninja is made by a UK-based maker founded in 2013. The product centers on 2D animation and keeps the entry point simple: core tools are free, and the free plan requires no account. That suits casual creators and people exploring animation without committing to a paid tool. It is not built for 3D modeling, character rigging, motion graphics, or cloud collaboration.
For more options in these categories, see Animation Software and GIF Maker Software.
Key features
Animation and exports
The tool supports 2D animation and exports to GIF and WebM, alongside PNG, JPG, PDF, ZIP image sequences, and its native.brushninja format. That breadth is useful when a project needs to move between animated output, individual frames, and still-image or document formats. It does not extend Brush Ninja into a general-purpose animation suite: users who need rigging or motion graphics should look elsewhere.
Premium additions
Both paid plans add uploading and animating your own images, premium stickers, sound effects, advert removal, and priority email communication. The free plan keeps core animation tools but does not include those paid additions. That division leaves the free tier suitable for basic creation, while creators who want to bring in their own imagery or use the premium assets need a subscription.
Pricing
Brush Ninja has a free plan and two Premium options. The free plan costs nothing and includes core animation tools with no account required. It is the best fit for trying the basic workflow or making projects that do not need the Premium additions.
Premium monthly: $7 a month. It includes image upload and animation, premium stickers, sound effects, advert removal, and priority email communication. It can be cancelled any time, making it the more flexible choice for short-term needs.
Premium annual: $48 a year. It includes the same features and can also be cancelled any time. It suits ongoing use; the annual price is lower than paying the monthly rate for twelve months.
The free plan gives up the paid image, sticker, sound, and advert-removal features. No seat or usage quotas are stated for these plans, so the practical distinction is the feature set and billing term rather than a published cap.
Platforms
Brush Ninja runs on the web and supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. That spread makes it an option across desktop and mobile devices, though the product remains focused on 2D animation wherever it runs.
Who it's for
Brush Ninja fits people who want to make 2D animations and value a free, no-account starting point, especially when export flexibility matters. Premium is aimed at creators who want to animate their own images or use stickers and sound effects. Those building projects around 3D models, rigged characters, motion graphics, or cloud collaboration should choose a tool with those capabilities instead.
Pros and cons
Pros
No-account free starting point: core animation tools cost nothing, so a user can begin without taking on a subscription or creating an account.
Broad export selection: GIF, WebM, common still-image formats, PDF, ZIP image sequence, and native project format cover several output needs.
Multiple platforms: web, desktop operating systems, and mobile platforms give users several ways to access the tool.
Two paid billing terms: Premium has monthly and annual options, and either can be cancelled any time.
Cons
Limited production scope: no 3D modeling, rigging, motion graphics, or cloud collaboration rules it out for users who need those workflows.
Premium gates useful additions: uploading personal images, premium stickers, and sound effects require a paid plan.
Alternatives
Choose FlexClip if video projects matter more than Brush Ninja’s 2D animation focus; its free plan allows 12 online projects and limits each video to 10 minutes, with one stock video and one stock audio per project.
GIPHY Create is another free option for readers comparing GIF creation tools.
SSuite Gif Animator is a free alternative for Windows users seeking freeware, including 32-bit and 64-bit support.
MakeAGIF offers a free account capped at 10 seconds of video time, with a Premium Membership that raises that to 20 seconds.
Terminalizer is a free, open-source alternative for Linux, macOS, and Windows users.
LICEcap is a free option for macOS and Windows users.
Piskel is a free alternative available on Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web.
GIF Editor is a free option for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Verdict
Choose Brush Ninja for straightforward 2D animation with a no-account free plan and a useful range of export formats. Premium makes sense when you need to animate your own images or want its stickers and sound effects. Look elsewhere when the work depends on 3D, rigging, motion graphics, or collaboration.
Verdict
Brush Ninja offers 2D animation with a no-account free plan and a broad export list. It does not cover 3D modeling, rigging, motion graphics, or cloud collaboration, so those requirements fall outside its listed scope.
Where Specifiction places it
- GIF Maker Software#1 of 339.4
- GIF makers#5 of 549.1
- Animation Software#20 of 1068.8
Alternatives to Brush NinjaAll alternatives →
Easy GIF Animator 8.1 Visit 
GGIFF Free plan 8.1 Visit 
Gifox From $14.99/mo · Free plan 8.1 Visit 
GIPHY Create Free plan 8.0 Visit