Cascadeur vs OpenToonz
Cascadeur
cascadeur.comOpenToonz
opentoonz.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Cascadeur | OpenToonz |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.3 (#29) |
| Character rigging | Yes | Yes |
| Export formats | Paid tiers export CASC, FBX, DAE, USD and GLTF, while Free is limited to CASC export. | 3GP,AVI,BMP,GIF,JPG,MOV,MP4,PNG,RGB,SGI,Spritesheet,TGA,TIF,TIFF,WebM |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | The download page lists Windows, Mac, and Linux installers; system requirements specify Windows 10 version 1809 or later or Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04–22.04.1, and macOS 13.3 or later. | The official FAQ lists requirements for Windows and macOS; the site says GTS is Windows only. |
| Purpose | Cascadeur is physics-based 3D animation software for creating character animation without motion capture. | OpenToonz is software for producing 2D animation. |
| Support | Support is offered through Discord, email, documentation and plan-specific priority or dedicated chat channels. | The official site directs users to a Google Group for troubleshooting, improvement requests, and bug reports, and to a GitHub forum for development topics. |
Plans
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
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.
OpenToonz
OpenToonz is 2D animation software for professional and amateur production, as well as school education. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and exports formats including AVI, GIF, MP4, PNG, Spritesheet, and WebM. Its tools cover scanning, digital painting, and compositing: the GTS scanner supports four scanning types and saves settings, while painting supports anti-aliased lines and keeps painting data separate from palette data. Compositing offers xsheet and timeline interfaces and combines effects through a node tree. The software supports raster and vector images, and can convert between colored binarized TGA sequence images and OpenToonz format. An effects SDK allows image-processing plug-ins. GTS is TWAIN-compatible but available only on Windows. OpenToonz is based on Toonz, which Studio Ghibli customized and used for many years. Its source code is available under the New BSD License. OpenToonz is free for commercial and non-commercial projects, with no free trial listed.