The best animation software, tested and ranked

Adobe Animate came first of eight with 5 out of 5, scoring 5 on every part except ease of use, where it got 4.5. Our judges rated its output 5.0 out of 5, it passed all 10 export checks and 19 of 20 rigging checks, rendered in 0.5 minutes with a memory peak of 967 MB and played back at 34 frames per second. Our full Animate review has the details.

Animate, once called Flash Professional, makes vector and frame-by-frame animation and publishes to HTML5 Canvas, WebGL and SVG, the strongest web publishing here. The doubts are about its future. It is in maintenance mode, with bug fixes but no new features, and in February 2026 Adobe announced it would stop selling it, then reversed that a day later. Adobe has 1.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 7,571 reviews (checked November 2026), mostly over billing.

Toon Boom Harmony came second with 3 out of 5, scoring 3 on every part. It finished our brief in 343 minutes, the second-fastest, and judges rated its output 3.2 out of 5. It passed 15 of 20 rigging checks and 7 of 10 export checks, rendered in 11.4 minutes and played back at 26 frames per second. A beginner needed 130 minutes for a first piece. Our Harmony review covers the full test.

Harmony is a studio-grade 2D package for cutout rigging, frame-by-frame and hybrid work, sold in three tiers: Essentials, Advanced and Premium. Its standout tools, Node View, deformers and all the effect nodes, sit on Premium at 151 EUR a month. Student plans cost a fraction of that, and Premium has a free trial.

Biteable came third with 3 out of 5. It scored 3 on everything except value for money, at 2.5. Judges rated our animation 3.0 out of 5, it passed 7 of 10 export checks and 14 of 20 rigging checks, and a beginner finished a first piece in 121 minutes, the second-quickest. But the full brief took 402 minutes, much longer than its templates suggest. Read our Biteable review.

Biteable builds business videos in your browser from templates, stock clips and animations, with AI avatar clips, text-to-speech and captions on paid plans. There's a 7-day trial with no card. It has 2.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 1,109 reviews (checked November 2026), driven by charges after trials and denied refunds.

Animaker came fourth with 3 out of 5, scoring 3 for output, ease of use and features, and 2.5 for performance and value. Judges rated our animation 3.0 out of 5, it passed 7 of 10 export checks and 15 of 20 rigging checks, and a beginner finished a first piece in 128 minutes. The brief took 402 minutes and the render 13.2 minutes. More in our Animaker review.

Animaker is a browser-based maker for animated videos and whiteboard explainers, with a large library of characters, props and templates, plus AI video credits and subtitles. The free plan lets you try the editor, but exports carry a watermark, 4K is Enterprise-only and refunds aren't offered. It has 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 658 reviews and 4.7 on G2 from 1,035 (both checked November 2026).

Moho came fifth with 2.5 out of 5. Its output was its best part: judges rated it 3.1 out of 5, ahead of Biteable and Animaker. But it was slow and heavy, taking 426 minutes on the brief and 17.5 minutes to render, with memory peaking at 7,142 MB, the most in the test. It passed 13 of 20 rigging checks and 6 of 10 export checks. Our Moho review explains the results.

Moho, formerly Anime Studio, is vector 2D animation software for Windows and macOS built around bone rigging, with frame-by-frame tools and lip-sync. It is sold as a one-time license, Debut 14 or Pro 14, and has been used on Cartoon Saloon productions and TV series such as Invincible.

Synfig came sixth with 2.5 out of 5, scoring 2.5 on every part. Judges rated its output 2.6 out of 5, it passed 12 of 20 rigging checks and 6 of 10 export checks, and a beginner took 157 minutes for a first piece. The brief took 475 minutes, though its 12.9-minute render was quicker than Moho's. Our Synfig review has the full results.

Synfig Studio is free, open-source 2D animation software for Windows, macOS and Linux, with every feature included. It works by tweening and has a bone system and more than 50 layer types. There's no vendor support, and you should download it only from the official site or GitHub.

Renderforest came seventh with 2 out of 5, scoring 2 on every part except value, at 2.5. It took 496 minutes on our brief, the longest in the test, and judges rated the output 1.9 out of 5, the lowest. It passed 10 of 20 rigging checks and 5 of 10 export checks, and rendered in 17.0 minutes. Read our Renderforest review.

That's not really what most people buy it for. Renderforest makes videos from templates and generative AI models, and also covers logos, websites and mockups. Plans are credit-based, unused credits don't roll over, and prices changed many times in 2026. It has 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 662 reviews (checked November 2026), with complaints about renewals and lost credits.

Cartoon Animator came last of eight with 2 out of 5, scoring 2 on every part. Judges rated its output 2.1 out of 5, it passed 10 of 20 rigging checks and 5 of 10 export checks, and the brief took 479 minutes. A beginner needed 176 minutes for a first piece, the longest in the test. More in our Cartoon Animator review.

Reallusion's Cartoon Animator, once CrazyTalk Animator, animates 2D characters from images, with face tracking, automatic lip-sync and 3D parallax scenes. Since January 2026 it has been sold as a subscription as well as a perpetual license, but we couldn't find prices for either. Reallusion has 1.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 60 reviews (checked November 2026).