Adobe Animate is one of the most popular animation tools. It is a 2D animation software program that allows you to create animations, cartoons, and doodles for television shows, games, and more. Adobe animate alternatives have taken up market space as Adobe animate is not free and the offered brushes and palettes are limited in number.
In addition, you may be frustrated with the lack of brushes, or perhaps you simply don’t like the layout of Adobe Animate. Perhaps you run a professional studio and are looking for software with more features, which will help you gain a competitive advantage in the animation industry.
Find some of the best alternatives to Adobe animate.
OpenToonz
OpenToonz is the best open source platform free Adobe animate alternative. OpenToonz is an open source software based on the Toonz software and customized by Studio Ghibli. If you are looking for a free 2D animation software alternative to Adobe Animate, consider using OpenToonz, which anyone can use free of charge.
Pros:
Changing source code is convenient.
Cons:
Requirements: 4 GB RAM with 64 bit OS.
Krita
As a free Adobe animate alternative, Krita offers an option of 30 dockers & 100 brushes. Krita is a great Adobe Animate alternative. In addition, Krita is free to use, unlike Adobe Animate — Krita is entirely open source.
Pros:
For using it, you don’t need to sign in or subscribe.
Cons:
No support is offered for users.
TVPaint Animation
It is a superb Adobe animate alternative offering Bitmap drawing tool and allows you to create your shortcuts. TVPaint Animation was originally released in 1991. At that time, it only worked on Amiga operating systems — most people reading this probably don’t know or remember what Amiga computers were.
Pros:
You can also create storyboards for storytelling sessions.
Cons:
Not available on Android & costlier than Adobe animate.
Synfig Studio
Synfig is free & offers 2D software to its Mac, Linux & Windows users. Synfig Studio is a great free alternative to Adobe Animate. It is a 2D animation software that can be used on Macs, Windows, and Linux computers.
Pros:
Use 50 layers, vector tweening and bitmap images for animation.
Cons:
The beta version with newer features is bugged.
Animation Desk
An intuitive, user-friendly platform for ultimate sketching experience.
Pros:
Facilitates export of the same image in different formats.
Cons:
Not suited for professionals.
Toon Boom Harmony
Toon Boom provides more than one product for their users. Toon Boom is a 2D animation software. According to the Toon Boom website, Toon Boom is used by companies such as Universal, Boulder Media, Fox, NBC, Cartoon Network, South Park Studios, and many other well known cartoon and media outlets.
Pros:
Offers trainings, consultation services for creators.
Cons:
Highly priced.
Wick Editor
It is a hybrid of an animation tool and a coding environment. The Wick Editor software is a tool for creating simple games and animations. However, unlike Adobe Animate, it is free to use and is open source.
Pros:
Try animation, games & coding for free.
Cons:
It offers a blank canvas which might not be preferred by students.
TupiTube
TupiTube offers great 2D animation tools. TupiTube is a free and open source animation software developed by MaeFloresta, a startup that two Colombians entrepreneurs started in Cali. If you are looking for a 2D alternative to Adobe Animate that children, teens, and complete beginners can use, download TupiTube.
Pros:
It is a great place for beginners.
Cons:
Hand drawn or traditional animation is not its forte.
Pencil 2D
It offers minimum design, raster & vector formats.
Pros:
An open-source, cross-platform device.
Cons:
Absence of complex tools for drawing.
Enve
Use vector, raster, sound or video animations with it. Enve is another open source 2D animation software that is a great alternative to Adobe Animate if you are looking for something free. Animators can use Enve to create both vector and raster animations, as well as video and audio files.
Pros
It supports basic layer blending modes & effects.
Cons
It is available on Linux only.
If you’re looking for a professional 2D platform with numerous facilities, you can choose from these ten Adobe animate alternatives easily.