Animation & Character Tools

Explore animation, character and garment tools by authoring method, rigging, simulation and production handover.

SoftwareRadarUpdated: 23 October 2026
Filter and sort 17 products
17 productsCompare features and plan options

Toon Boom Harmony creates 2D animated productions through connected drawing and animation tools. Learn more about Toon Boom Harmony

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Toon Boom Harmony for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d animation and character rigging. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D animation
  • Character rigging
  • Animation compositing
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Toon Boom Storyboard Pro creates production storyboards and animatics. Learn more about Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Toon Boom Storyboard Pro for animation & character tools workflows, particularly storyboarding and animatic creation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Storyboarding
  • Animatic creation
  • Production planning
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Moho

Updated 2026-10-23

Moho creates 2D character animation through drawing and rigging tools. Learn more about Moho

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Moho for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d animation and character rigging. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D animation
  • Character rigging
  • Vector drawing
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Cartoon Animator

Updated 2026-10-23

Cartoon Animator creates 2D character animations and animated scenes. Learn more about Cartoon Animator

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Cartoon Animator for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d character animation and character rigging. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D character animation
  • Character rigging
  • Scene animation
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

iClone

Updated 2026-10-23

iClone creates real-time 3D character animation and scenes. Learn more about iClone

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating iClone for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 3d character animation and scene creation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 3D character animation
  • Scene creation
  • Motion editing
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Character Creator creates and customises 3D characters for production workflows. Learn more about Character Creator

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Character Creator for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 3d character creation and character customisation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 3D character creation
  • Character customisation
  • Character export
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

OpenToonz

Updated 2026-10-23

OpenToonz creates 2D animation through an open-source production application. Learn more about OpenToonz

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating OpenToonz for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d animation and drawing tools. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D animation
  • Drawing tools
  • Animation compositing
Open-source softwareAn open-source software edition is available. Check the exact licence and distribution; hosting, operation, support and separately licensed extensions may still cost money.

Synfig Studio

Updated 2026-10-23

Synfig Studio creates vector-based 2D animation through a desktop application. Learn more about Synfig Studio

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Synfig Studio for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d vector animation and animation interpolation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D vector animation
  • Animation interpolation
  • Layer composition
Open-source softwareAn open-source software edition is available. Check the exact licence and distribution; hosting, operation, support and separately licensed extensions may still cost money.

Pencil2D

Updated 2026-10-23

Pencil2D creates hand-drawn 2D animations with bitmap and vector drawing tools. Learn more about Pencil2D

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Pencil2D for animation & character tools workflows, particularly hand-drawn animation and bitmap drawing. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Hand-drawn animation
  • Bitmap drawing
  • Vector drawing
Open-source softwareAn open-source software edition is available. Check the exact licence and distribution; hosting, operation, support and separately licensed extensions may still cost money.

TVPaint Animation creates bitmap-based 2D animation and animated productions. Learn more about TVPaint Animation

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating TVPaint Animation for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 2d animation and bitmap drawing. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 2D animation
  • Bitmap drawing
  • Animation timelines
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Dragonframe

Updated 2026-10-23

Dragonframe controls stop-motion image capture and animation production. Learn more about Dragonframe

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Dragonframe for animation & character tools workflows, particularly stop-motion capture and camera controls. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Stop-motion capture
  • Camera controls
  • Animation timelines
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Stop Motion Studio creates stop-motion animations through image capture and editing tools. Learn more about Stop Motion Studio

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Stop Motion Studio for animation & character tools workflows, particularly stop-motion capture and frame editing. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Stop-motion capture
  • Frame editing
  • Animation export
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Cascadeur

Updated 2026-10-23

Cascadeur creates and edits 3D character animation with assisted posing tools. Learn more about Cascadeur

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Cascadeur for animation & character tools workflows, particularly character animation and pose editing. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Character animation
  • Pose editing
  • Motion adjustment
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Daz Studio

Updated 2026-10-23

Daz Studio creates 3D character scenes and rendered images. Learn more about Daz Studio

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Daz Studio for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 3d characters and scene composition. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 3D characters
  • Scene composition
  • Rendering
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Poser

Updated 2026-10-23

Poser creates posed 3D character scenes and animation. Learn more about Poser

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Poser for animation & character tools workflows, particularly character posing and scene composition. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Character posing
  • Scene composition
  • Character animation
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

Marvelous Designer creates simulated digital garments for 3D production workflows. Learn more about Marvelous Designer

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating Marvelous Designer for animation & character tools workflows, particularly digital garment design and cloth simulation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • Digital garment design
  • Cloth simulation
  • Garment export
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

CLO

Updated 2026-10-23

CLO creates and simulates digital garments for apparel development. Learn more about CLO

Who should take a closer look?

Teams evaluating CLO for animation & character tools workflows, particularly 3d garment design and cloth simulation. Check the edition and intended deployment before selecting a package.

Capabilities to explore

  • 3D garment design
  • Cloth simulation
  • Apparel visualisation
Check current plansConfirm current free, trial and paid access for the exact product and deployment. A demonstration or limited trial does not establish ongoing free production use.

How to choose animation & character tools

Start with the job and the people responsible for the result. Is the task 2D animation, 3D characters, stop motion, digital clothing or another production workflow? Confirm the exact edition, licence, connected services and handover requirements before comparing proposals.

Questions to ask before you buy

Put your shortlist to the test

Use an owned sample asset to test a short sequence or design change and the intended export. Check compatibility and asset rights with the team that owns the downstream production workflow.

A useful next step

Use the software buying checklist →

Choose the same workflow, team size and required features when comparing your shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

Is there one best animation & character tools tool?

Fit depends on your workflow, required capabilities, team size and budget. Compare the appropriate plan and test it with your own requirements.

How current is this research?

This category was last updated on 23 October 2026. Confirm current plan details before buying.