Animation Desk vs Cascadeur
Animation Desk
kdan.com
Cascadeur
cascadeur.comSide by side
| Figure | Animation Desk | Cascadeur |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.49/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 8 |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 9.1 (#10) | 9.4 (#2) |
| Company | KDAN says it was founded in 2009; the About page does not state a headquarters location. | Cascadeur's about page says Eugene Dyabin started it in 2006 as an internal animation tool for Nekki. |
| Company headquarters | KDAN’s LinkedIn profile lists Irvine, California as headquarters, while its About page describes the company as founded in Taiwan and operating from Tainan. | LinkedIn lists Cascadeur headquarters in Limassol, Cyprus. |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists KDAN at 201–500 employees. | LinkedIn lists Cascadeur as privately held with 11-50 employees. |
| Documentation | KDAN provides tutorials for frame control, colors, selection tools, live-action video, layers, onion skin and export, plus a support knowledge base. | Official help includes installation, getting started, interface, tools, animation, rigging, tutorials, videos, FAQ and release notes. |
| Export formats | Supported exports listed by the maker include video, images, GIF, Photoshop PSD, PDF and ad.package. | Paid tiers export CASC, FBX, DAE, USD and GLTF, while Free is limited to CASC export. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Animation Desk is software for creating animations, cartoons, and animatics. | Cascadeur is physics-based 3D animation software for creating character animation without motion capture. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.2 out of 5 from 16K ratings | 4.3 out of 5 from 304 ratings |
| Rating on G2 | 4.6 out of 5 from 11 reviews | 0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 3.2 out of 5 from 16.2K reviews | 3.4 out of 5 from 245 reviews |
| Support | KDAN lists Animation Desk support for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows and gives [email protected] as a contact address. | Support is offered through Discord, email, documentation and plan-specific priority or dedicated chat channels. |
| What it does | Animation Desk is 2D software for frame-by-frame animation, cartoons and animatics. | Cascadeur is software for making character animation without motion capture, using physics-based methods and machine-learning assistance. |
Plans
Animation Desk
- Animation Desk Pro iOS$2.49 a month
- Creativity 365 for Individuals$4.99 a month
- Animation Desk iOS BasicFree
- Animation Desk iOS - Basic PlanFree
- Animation Desk Pro iOS$2.49 a month
- Creativity 365 for Individuals$4.99 a month
Cascadeur
- FreeFree
- Indie$19 a month
- Pro$49 a month
- Teams$49 a month
- Educational$49, paid once
- Indie$96 a year
- Pro$396 a year
- Teams$396 a year
In their own words
Animation Desk
Animation Desk is software for creating animations, cartoons, and animatics on Android, iOS, and Windows. Its tools include paint brushes, layers, onion skinning, sound effects, and frame-rate settings. Work can begin with video clips, photos, or pre-built animation templates, with stock collections, batch frame pasting, and effects for video and images available for editing; some features depend on app version. The product is aimed at beginners, students, learners, and professional animators making rough animation, animatic sketches, or storyboards. Finished work can be exported as video, GIF, PDF, PSD, or image sequences, and editable projects can be exchanged among the Android, iOS, and Windows apps. The iOS listing also describes export to Photoshop for further editing. Animation Desk is free to download, and a free plan is listed. Animation Desk Pro for iOS is $2.49 a month, billed annually at $29.99. Creativity 365 for Individuals is $4.99 a month, billed annually at $59.99. KDAN says the product will remain available under existing paid plans but will not receive proactive new feature development or routine version maintenance updates.
Cascadeur
Cascadeur is physics-based 3D animation software for creating character animation without motion capture. Its Free plan includes animation, rigging, physics-based tools, inbetweening, and animation unbaking, but exports only to CASC. Paid plan comparisons list FBX, DAE, USD, and GLTF/GLB exports. The software is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS, and its documentation covers workflows with Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Daz Studio. Unreal Engine Live Link streams animation from Cascadeur in real time; its plugin requires a separate manual download and installation. Cascadeur 2026.1 introduced an AI-powered Root Motion Tool that transfers motion style using signatures from reference animation. Minimum requirements include 4 GB memory and OpenGL 4.1, plus a 64-bit multi-core Intel or AMD processor on Windows or Linux, or an M-series processor on macOS. Users must sign in after installation with Google or a Cascadeur account. Plans include a free option and paid tiers, with the listed annual starting rate at $8 per month; Pro and Teams include a 14-day trial.