2D Animation Software: 6 Best to Use in 2024 [Free&Paid]

Adobe Animate – Professional-grade tool

Let us introduce you to our top choice for creating stunning 2D animations. It is our most recommended option because of the large number of options available, the constant updates that bring new features, and the Modern Timeline for a hassle-free experience.

Considering there are multiple platforms available today which you can use to reach your audience we are happy to report that Adobe Animate can export your work into modern HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, or SVG.

The final work that you can create using Adobe Animate stands out from others because you can achieve high-quality results through frame-by-frame animation that lets you create more expressive characters.

Animate is one of the best 2D bone animation software. For more realistic effects, it includes bone tool animations so you can add bones to your characters.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

• Excellent vector brushes in all sorts of styles for being able to create a large variety of characters
• Intuitive layout, so that even the common user can easily get used to it
• Make your work visible on desktop, mobile, and even TV by using one or more of the export options available
• Creative Cloud membership allows access to all latest features and fixes as well as other software you might find useful
• If you find using it a bit difficult or the interface is new there are documentation available and tutorials

Adobe Animate

Breathe life into your characters with 2D powered effects by one of the best software available, Adobe Animate.

Free trial Visit website

Animating SVG from scratch is difficult, time-consuming, and not for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for a tool that doesn’t require any coding skills, SVGator is perfect for you.

Packed with all the necessary tools and features, this app is the ultimate SVG  animation creator that you can master using directly in your browser. Its intuitive interface makes it 100% beginner-friendly, with a learning curve that’s significantly less intimidating than that of most other alternative solutions.

You can trigger the animation with a simple click when you scroll on a page and even choose interactive settings for mobile animation exports (for React Native and Flutter). You can also decide what happens on a second click or when the cursor gets away from the animated item. 

This way, everything becomes more engaging for anyone who is interacting with your SVG. 

Moreover, SVGator comes with its own Player API so that you can have full programmatic control over your animations. 

There are simply endless possibilities for motion design using this tool. You can animate icons,  backgrounds, logos, and any other illustrations.

And then, you may also add filters, color animations, path animations, morph effects, etc. There is even the option of creating clipping masks to make your animation visible only inside the shapes you set up. 

SVGator has a built-in completely free SVG creator and editor, which you can use to draw your designs from start to finish. Animators like Stroke Offset and Stroke Dash will then allow you to create cool animated effects, like self-drawing/self-erasing handwriting animations, and much more. 

You can start right now because the online tool comes with a free version that’s meant to give users access to test out features and learn how to use it before committing to a paid plan.

Here are some of its key features:

• Intuitive easy-to-use interface
• Full control over your animation
• Choose CSS or JavaScript as the animation type
• Step-by-step instructions and tutorials
• 1 GB of cloud storage for the free version

SVGator

Use this ultimate animation tool to get everything in motion with no coding skills at all!

Free Visit website

Adobe Character Animator – Great animation toolset

Part of the powerful Adobe Creative Suite, the Character Animator is one piece of software you wouldn’t want to miss if you’re looking to create show-stopping 2D animations.

This unique program uses your expressions and movements to animate characters in real-time.

This means that by using your webcam and microphone, you can pretty much turn anything into an animated character in seconds.

Seamless integration with other Adobe apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects guarantees professional-looking results with little effort.

You can even choose to start your project with built-in character templates to speed up your workflow even more.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

• Animate characters based upon your expressions (from syncing lips to tracking eyes)
• Built-in character templates to kick-start your project
• Scene cameras for dynamic (wide, close-up, and zoom) shots
• Keyframes to adjust timing and motion in your animations
• Sync audio to your animation
• Seamless integration with other Adobe apps

Adobe Character Animator

Create spectacular 2D animations in a heartbeat with real-time Adobe-powered AI rendering!

Free trial Visit website

Autodesk Sketchbook – Ideal for drawing

The Sketchbook is unparalleled when it comes to digital drawing, driving every creative process naturally and effortlessly from idea to fully finished artwork.

But there’s more to this software than drawing tools. It also brings a handful of competitive animation tools to the table such as keyframes and a timeline, helping you to really breathe life into your characters.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

• Turn your webcam into a scanner to instantly move your projects from paper to the digital environment
• Cross-platform compatibility to create art whenever, wherever across all your devices
• Animation toolkit to bring your concepts to life
• Extensive drawing toolkit (customizable brushes, pencils, inks and more)
• 16-sector Radial Symmetry and Predictive Stroke for smooth lines and shapes
• Supports various file formats including JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and PSD

Autodesk Sketchbook

If you can think it, the Sketchbook can make it happen. Draw, edit, animate, and amaze with your creations!

DownloadVisit website

Autocad LT (Autodesk) – Multiple platform usage

Master 2D geometry with AutoCAD LT. Owned by famous Autodesk, this powerful CAD software serves best for creating precise 2D drawings and documentation.

For this purpose, you will enjoy a comprehensive set of design, editing, and annotation tools, all packed in an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface crafted to help you work easier and faster.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

• Smart dimensioning tools to automatically create the desired dimensions of selected objects
• Format content (text, columns, boundaries, blocks, leader lines, and styles)
• Different layouts and layout viewports to display different design elements
• Cloud storage connectivity
• Easy selection and object preview to remove multiple objects simultaneously

⇒ Get Autocad LT

PowToon – Great for cartoons

PowToon is an interesting 2D animation software developed for business use.

Yes, you read that right, if you own a small business or a website and you want to stand out in the crowd, this tool will help you achieve that.

You can create animations directly in your browser, no download is required. Simply select the type of animation that you want to use and follow the onscreen instructions.

The user interface is very intuitive and you’ll quickly learn how to use the tool without even watching dedicated tutorials.

Choose your characters, props, and scene, drag and drop them into the PowToon editor, and select the animation you want to apply. Presto! You have a free animated video for your website.

⇒ Get PowToon

These are five of the best 2D animation software that you can use on your Windows computer.

As you can see, each of these tools focuses on a specific task: some are perfect for business animations, while others have been developed for game animation.

We also recommend checking our gaming animation software list for more interesting ideas.

We hope that you find this list useful. If you already used some of the programs listed above, tell us more about your experience in the comments below.