All categories › Animation

Indie Animation tools

14 animation products built by independent developers and small teams.

Looking to replace something? After Effects · Adobe Animate · Toon Boom

Animaker

Online animated and live-action video maker

Browser-based video maker for animated explainers, character animations and live-action edits with templates.

Free plan · Web · Website ↗

Cascadeur

Physics-assisted 3D character animation

3D animation software for keyframe character animation with AI-assisted posing and physics tools.

Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Cavalry

Procedural 2D motion design software

2D animation application for procedural, data-driven motion graphics, used by motion designers.

Free plan · Mac, Windows · Website ↗

Jitter

Motion design in the browser

Web-based motion design tool for animating UI, social posts and logos, exporting to video, GIF or Lottie.

Free plan · Web · Website ↗

LottieFiles

Create, edit and share Lottie animations

Platform and tools for creating, editing, testing and hosting lightweight Lottie animations for web and apps.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, API · Website ↗

Manim

Python library for math animations

Community-maintained Python engine for creating precise explanatory animations, especially for math and science videos.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Moho

2D animation software with bone rigging

2D animation software for rigged, cutout and frame-by-frame animation, used by independent and professional animators.

Paid · Mac, Windows · Website ↗

Motion Canvas

Create animated videos with code

Open-source TypeScript library and editor for programmatically creating animations, often used for explainer videos.

Free · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

OpenToonz

Open-source 2D animation production software

Free 2D animation software based on Toonz, used for frame-by-frame and cutout animation production.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Pencil2D

Simple open-source hand-drawn 2D animation

Lightweight open-source application for traditional hand-drawn 2D animation using raster and vector layers.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Powtoon

Animated videos and presentations online

Online platform for creating animated explainer videos and presentations with templates and characters.

Free plan · Web · Website ↗

Rive

Interactive animations for apps, games and websites

Design and animation tool for interactive, state-driven vector animations that run in apps, games and websites via runtimes.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

Synfig Studio

Free open-source 2D animation software

Open-source 2D vector animation application with bones, tweening and layers for cartoons and motion graphics.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Vyond

Animated explainer and training videos

Web-based tool for making animated videos with characters and templates, used for training, explainers and marketing.

Paid · Web · Website ↗

Ask your AI instead

Add Indie Alternatives to ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor and ask “an indie animation tool that's free for small teams” in your own words, with your budget and platform. Set it up