With the advancements in technology, we now have a wide variety of animation and drawing apps available for most, if not all, platforms.
So regardless of whether you are an Android or iOS device user, there’s something to bring your ideas to life. It’s noteworthy how we can now achieve similar results using just our smartphones or iPads without the need for a PC setup with high specs.
In this article, we’re listing some of the best 2D animation apps available for Android and iOS. All of these are highly rated among users, while most offer at the very least a free basic subscription. Some are ideal for beginners who want to learn their way around 2D animation, while others are perfect for those who want to use them in professional endeavors.
Let’s jump into the list!
FlipaClip
FlipaClip is one of the most popular apps for 2D animation. This app allows you to work with a multitude of animation styles such as classical animation, frame-by-frame, cartoon and anime styles, infographics, memes, and much more depending on your taste and skill. The app has an intuitive interface, and while it does involve a slight learning curve. Once you become familiar with the tools, you get a great platform for powering your imagination and drawing them into reality.
It is available for both Android and iOS devices as a free version with in-app purchases. You get a variety of brushes, grids, onion skins, and more, to aid your imagination, and have various advanced options for inserting, copying, and pasting pictures to work with. FlipaClip also has a library of impressive sound effects.
You can either export your animation in MP4, SEQ, Image, or GIF, or easily post directly on social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. While videos are exported with a watermark, there’s an option to remove it…
FlipaClip also offers a paid subscription. FlipaClip Plus distinguishes itself from the free version by offering several valuable features, such as allowing subscribers to add personalized audio to projects, import longer videos, download projects for easy sharing, and remove the FlipaClip watermark, among others. Additionally, users can fine-tune onion settings, work with up to 10 layers, access a library of hundreds of sounds, and enjoy an ad-free experience. There is a 7-day free trial window in which you can experience the additional premium features and judge whether the subscription is for you or not!
Animation Desk
Animation Desk is a great app that’s perfect for both beginners and experienced animators. With this array of options, you can make your animations thrilling and amazing.
It also has features to assist and transform your ideas into mesmerizing animations. You can adjust the frame rates to suit your needs, and should you need guidance, there are in-app tutorials and samples given to make you familiar with the app. You can share your animations in different formats, like MP4, PDF, GIFs, or individual frames, depending on what you create.
It’s available for free for both Android and iOS devices but it has ads, something you can circumvent with a paid subscription, which also provides extra features. Beyond the basic plan, Animation Desk Pro allows you to save your designs as video or GIF without a watermark, as well as to save animations in PDF and Photoshop formats, among more features.
Creativity 365 is a paid subscription that includes Animation Desk Pro and also allows for 1 TB Kdan Cloud storage – something that can be more than justified depending on the work you’re carrying out. And if you’re in education, you can get in touch with the team at Kdan to determine options that meet your requirements.
Animation Creator HD
Animation Creator brings a fusion of drawing and animation to the table. You can use a plethora of fantastic tools and an array of options to assist your imagination. Plus, with retina quality and high frame rate playback, your animations will look sharp and smooth.
With this app, you’ll have infinite frames and animation possibilities at your fingertips, with brush settings including opacity, width, fade in or out, stroke type, and paint load, just to name a few of the many features. You can share your content in video formats or as animated GIFS, and you can even send your project directly via email.
It might be a great app, however some reviewers have reported a few issues they have faced. Crashes have been mentioned while exporting files, odd placement of the erase and undo tools, plus the addition of new types of brushes would be beneficial. Still, the developers state that such feedback is welcome and helps for improvements on future versions of the app.
- Platform: iOS
- Cost: ∼$4
- Rating: 3.9
Animation & Drawing
You can turn your iOS device into a creative powerhouse with Animation & Drawing by Do Ink. Easily craft animations using drag-and-drop motion paths and precise vector tools, freehand drawings, and adjustable options.
The app has many options for frame-by-frame animations with a variety of drawing and geometric tools, and it provides the option to import images. This app has received many positive reviews about its export quality and video files, something reflected in the possibility to export in H.264 on iPad, as PNG, or to save directly to the camera roll to easily share to social media platforms.
Despite the features, there are some limitations. Users have suggested that the tutorial is a bit complicated and lengthy even though the interface itself is very intuitive to navigate, and doesn’t allow advanced FPS control. Some reviewers also mentioned facing issues regarding exporting files, especially for longer videos, making it a perhaps a better choice if you plan on only shorter-length animations.
- Platform: iOS
- Cost: ∼$5
- Rating: 3.7
Stick Fighter
Stick characters are ubiquitously used features in the world of 2D animations. They are easy to draw and animate, and they can also be great for learning how different parts move together. This app will provide you with a good platform for this kind of animation.
Stick Fighter works well with older versions of Android. It works on frame-by-frame animation with a variety of graphics like rectangles, circles, and lines. You can elevate your scenes with props like bows, swords, and arrows, easily adjusting their colors and sizes for customization. Whether you’re a seasoned animator or just starting out, Stick Fighter offers a seamless and enjoyable experience.
You can save your animation in MP4, frame by frame, in PNG format, or share it with your friends who have this app as well.
- Platform: Android
- Cost: Free
- Rating: 4.4
PicsArt Animator
PicsArt Animator is designed to be user-friendly and has robust features to satisfy your creative needs. This app also allows you to craft frame-by-frame animations effortlessly, armed with advanced tools for sketching and drawing with amazing shapes. You can dive into further complexity with multiple layers, allowing you to weave great animations.
PicsArt Animator enables you to create advanced animations on a simple and easy interface. You don’t need advanced design skills to use it, so it’s easy to learn for both new and skilled creators. Whether you’re drawing something from scratch and then animating it, or you’re importing an image and then bringing it to life, there are plenty of things you can work on and skills you can develop.
When it comes to sharing your creations, the sky’s the limit as all the standard export options are available. You can export your files in MP4, PNG, or GIF formats.
For those seeking even more, there are optional in-app purchases starting at just $9.99 per item that unlock new features like new tools and control of the animation length and speed.
Draw Cartoons 2
Do you want to create amazing cartoon videos? If yes, then you can use this app to animate your toons. The app experience is intuitive and user-friendly. This app allows you to build smooth animations, and it has a library of characters and tools that can help you in your creation. You can also design your own characters from scratch.
To take the animation experience a step further, the Pro version unlocks more creative possibilities. This subscription will grant access to a rich library of objects and characters ready to come to life under your creative touch.
You can export your animations in MP4 or GIF formats and share them with your friends without any restrictions.
However, this app does have some limitations. Usually, users can import audio and animations, but they have reported that the import process is limited to short files; you’ll need the Pro version to import larger files. Also, its auto-save functionality doesn’t appear to work reliably in the free version, so be sure to save your changes regularly to prevent losing any unfinished content.
- Platform: Android
- Cost: Free; Pro version ∼$2/month, ∼$5/lifetime
- Rating: 4.5
Animatic
Animatic is a 2D animation app that allows you to create hand-drawn animations using frame-by-frame inputs. Loaded with varied features like adjustable frame rates and advanced onion skinning, it’s a playground for your creativity. You can catch a sneak peek of its capabilities on YouTube.
Perfect for both seasoned sketch artists and newcomers to the drawing scene, this app flaunts a user-friendly interface that’s as easy to grasp as grabbing a pencil and a piece of paper. Plus, the fun doesn’t stop once your masterpiece is complete – you can export it in MP4, PSD, or GIF formats and share it with the world.
That said, some comments at the Play Store mention that a bit more variety of colors would be beneficial, so be on the lookout for future versions of the app.
Pixel Studio
Pixel Studio is one of the best apps available for creating pixel-style animated videos, something that’s reflected in the high rating. With simplicity and speed at its core, this app brings your pixel art dreams to life effortlessly. Available for both Android and iOS, it offers a blend of traditional frame-by-frame animation and a multi-layered approach, ensuring your creativity knows no bounds.
Navigating the app is a breeze thanks to its user-friendly interface and nifty backup features. So whether you’re a casual creator or a seasoned pro, the app is equally easy to use. It interfaces well with external tools like the Samsung S Pen and the Apple Pencil for iPad, enhancing your creative process.
While there’s a free version available for Android, there’s also a Pro option that includes, among other features, the possibility to save animations to Google Drive, opting for a dark theme, and unlimited export to MP4 format. That said, even with the free version you can export in GIF and MP4 format.
As with every great tool, there are some limitations to it as well. Some users mentioned that the app does not allow unmerging merged layers and also does not frequently prompt you to save changes. These limitations may also be dependent on your device and how well the app works with your hardware. Some of these issues have since been resolved by the developers and we hope that the rest will be addressed in future updates.
Rough Animator
Rough Animator is a great animation app pick for Android. The app experience is akin to having your very own animation studio on your phone or tablet! It is a great tool to create captivating hand-drawn animations.
The app offers an array of tools, like unlimited layers and adjustable timing for each drawing, allowing you to bring your ideas to life seamlessly. Thanks to onion skinning, your animations will be incredibly fluid, and you can preview and fine-tune your work with ease.
It’s worth noting that, while the app does support editing multiple frames at once, multiple frames can’t be copied simultaneously and frames need to be selected individually. The app also doesn’t have a ruler and the option to quickly snap back to a frame after zooming in. And some of its really effective tools could prove to be challenging for beginners. But if you’re well versed in this domain, you could really enjoy this app.
Adding voices to your characters? Import audio for perfect lip-syncing. Need to trace over videos? Rough Animator lets you do just that, capturing lifelike movements. It supports specialized pens like the Samsung S Pen for precision, and grants extensive control of the animation quality. And when you’re done, you can share your creation as a video, GIF, or image.
License: The text of "The Best 2D Animation Apps of 2023 (Android & iPad)" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.