Boats Animator vs iMotion
Boats Animator
charlielee.uk
iMotion
imotiongallery.netSide by side
| Figure | Boats Animator | iMotion |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Stop Motion Software | 8.0 (#12) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Export | Users can export animations to video files or conform image files for use in video editing software. | The App Store listing says videos can be exported in 4K UHD, 1080p, or 720p HD and shared as videos, photos, or animated GIFs. |
| Security | The 0.11.0 release notes say web links use HTTPS and the app integrates better with macOS and Windows camera access settings. | The privacy policy says reasonable measures are used to protect collected information but absolute security cannot be guaranteed. |
| Support | The project links to user documentation, a Discord community and a way to contact the author. | The maker’s site provides a Support link and a contact email address. |
Plans
In their own words
Boats Animator
Boats Animator is a free stop motion animation program for Windows, macOS and Linux. It captures high-resolution webcam images, including 1080p and beyond, and provides live frame capture with immediate frame preview. Onion skinning, gridlines and aspect ratio masks help position and compare animation frames. Finished work can be exported as video files or as conforming image files for video-editing software. The program is open source under the GNU General Public License, and contributions are welcomed. A USB webcam is required. Listed hardware requirements are an Intel Pentium 4 or later with SSE2, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB available storage. Documentation lists Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.10 or later, and Ubuntu 20.04 tested for Linux builds. Version 0.13.0 is identified as the last release supporting Windows 7 and 8.1. User documentation, a Discord community and author contact are linked.
iMotion
iMotion is an iOS app for creating time-lapse and stop-motion videos. Capture options include time-lapse, manual frames, microphone-triggered capture, and importing images from the library. Users can adjust focus, exposure, and white balance, with live frame capture and onion skinning available for frame work. Another device can control recording for stable, hands-free shooting. The built-in editor trims, adjusts, and refines footage, with timeline editing. Exports are available in 4K UHD, 1080p, or 720p HD and can be shared as videos, photos, or animated GIFs. The free plan has limited features. Yearly Premium costs $39.99 a year after a 7-day free trial and provides unlimited access; it renews automatically unless disabled at least 24 hours before the period ends. iMotion requires iOS 13.0 or later on iPhone and iPadOS 13.0 or later on iPad. The privacy policy says user data and photos remain on the device, while anonymous aggregated analytics may be collected and the App Store disclosure lists identifiers and usage data used for tracking. Enterprise sales are available for teams, labs, classrooms, institutions, studios, and educational environments.