Animation Desk vs Live2D Cubism
Animation Desk
kdan.com
Live2D Cubism
live2d.comSide by side
| Figure | Animation Desk | Live2D Cubism |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.49/mo | $5.65/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 20 |
| Spec score · Cartoon Maker Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · 2D Character Animation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 9.1 (#10) | 9.0 (#11) |
| Company | KDAN says it was founded in 2009; the About page does not state a headquarters location. | Live2D Inc. lists its address in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, and says it was founded on July 31, 2006. |
| Export formats | Supported exports listed by the maker include video, images, GIF, Photoshop PSD, PDF and ad.package. | PNG,JPEG,GIF,MP4,WebM,MOV,MOC3,model3.json,motion3.json |
| Founded | 2009 | 2006 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Tainan City, Taiwan | Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Integrations | GetApp records iMovie as a user-mentioned integration, rated 5.0 from one integration review. | Editor files are supported by nizima LIVE and various third-party applications, and Live2D provides an After Effects plug-in and Photoshop scripts. |
| Purpose | Animation Desk is software for creating animations, cartoons, and animatics. | Cubism Editor models and animates drawn illustrations to create dynamic 2D expressions. |
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
Live2D Cubism
- Cubism PRO for indie — Monthly$13.26 a month
- Cubism PRO for indie — Annual, year one$91.02 a year
- Cubism PRO for indie — Annual, year two$74.96 a year
- Cubism PRO for indie — Annual, year three and later$68.07 a year
- Cubism PRO for indie — 3-year plan$234.05 a month
- Cubism PRO for business — Monthly$61.32 a month
- Cubism PRO for business — Annual, year one$420.68 a year
- Cubism PRO for business — Annual, year two$380.91 a year
- Cubism PRO for business — Annual, year three and later$350.32 a year
- Cubism PRO for indie Monthly Plan$13.21 a month
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.
Live2D Cubism
Live2D Cubism Editor turns drawn illustrations into animated 2D models, with tools for shaping expressions through mesh deformation, physics, and lip sync. Live2D says its technology is used in mobile apps, console games, VTuber streaming, and animation. The editor runs on Windows and macOS, including Apple Silicon and Intel Mac versions, and exports PNG, JPEG, GIF, MP4, WebM, MOV, MOC3, model3.json, and motion3.json files. Editor files are supported by nizima LIVE and other third-party applications; Live2D also provides an After Effects plug-in and Photoshop scripts. The PRO trial lasts 42 days, after which the Editor continues as the FREE version. FREE is limited to one 2048 px texture file, 100 ArtMesh, 30 motion parameters, 50 deformers, and 30 parts; exceeding those limits prevents saving. FREE commercial use is restricted to General Users and Small-Scale Enterprises with annual sales under 10 million yen. Cubism PRO for indie is listed at $13.26 a month.