Adobe Animate vs SkelForm
Adobe Animate
adobe.com
SkelForm
skelform.orgSide by side
| Figure | Adobe Animate | SkelForm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $22.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · 2D Character Animation Software | 8.4 (#8) | 7.8 (#26) |
| Support | Adobe points Animate users to video tutorials, step-by-step guidance, product support, and its user community. | The site invites users to ask questions, suggest improvements, or report bugs in its Discord server or forums without an account. |
Plans
In their own words
Adobe Animate
Adobe Animate has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
SkelForm
SkelForm is a free 2D skeletal animator designed for game animation. It offers a web editor that works without a download, as well as desktop availability for Linux, macOS and Windows. Listed animation features include styles, inverse kinematics and mesh deformation. SkelForm can import Photoshop Document files to build an armature: PSD groups become bones, while layers inside each group are combined into a texture. Exports include sprite sheets and video. A runtime is required to use SkelForm animations in games; the site lists generic and engine runtimes, and its guide covers using animations in pygame. The installation guide describes the downloaded editor as a portable program without an installer, while the v0.8 release lists dedicated Windows and Mac installers. SkelForm and its documentation are works in progress. Mobile development is inactive, with no direct mobile build process; the described option is to use the web version in a WebView wrapper. Its public repository lists a GPL-3.0 license.