Cartoon Animator vs Pencil2D
Cartoon Animator
reallusion.com
Pencil2D
pencil2d.orgSide by side
| Figure | Cartoon Animator | Pencil2D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $149/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 2 |
| Spec score · 2D Character Animation Software | 8.4 (#9) | 8.4 (#10) |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 8.4 (#26) | 8.8 (#16) |
| Spec score · Cartoon Maker Software | 8.4 (#11) | 8.4 (#12) |
| Export | It supports transparent MOV video and PNG image-sequence export, including export of selected items for compositing. | The FAQ gives instructions for exporting animated GIFs. |
| Export formats | MOV,WMV,AVI,MP4,MPG,MPEG,popVideo,JPG,PNG,BMP,TGA,GIF,SWF,ProRes 4444 | MP4,WEBM,AVI,GIF,APNG,PNG image sequence |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Supported platforms | windows | Windows,macOS,Linux |
| Purpose | Cartoon Animator creates animatable 2D characters from images, photos, paintings, layered Photoshop PSD files, and vector graphics. | Pencil2D is an intuitive tool for making 2D hand-drawn animations. |
| 2D animation tools | Yes | Yes |
Plans
Cartoon Animator
- TrialPrice not published
- Full$149 a month
- Cartoon Animator 5 Full$149, paid once
In their own words
Cartoon Animator
Cartoon Animator has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Pencil2D
Pencil2D is free, open-source software for creating hand-drawn 2D animations. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and, according to the homepage, FreeBSD. The project provides stable builds for Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.14 or later on Intel, and both 32-bit and 64-bit Linux. Artists can switch between raster and vector workflows for sketching, inking and painting. A timeline manages keyframes, while dockable tool and color windows accompany an unlimited canvas with a camera field. Onion skin displays drawings before and after the current keyframe, with controls for drawing count and transparency. Sound can be imported through a sound layer, although waveform display is still pending. Exports include MP4, WEBM, AVI, GIF, APNG and PNG image sequences. Video importing, text tools and shape tools are not implemented. Pencil2D is free for commercial use. Help is available through its forum, Discord, tutorials, FAQ and user manual.