9 Best Animation Software on Computer 2024

Animation may sound complicated, but it isn’t a complicated process. There are numerous softwares which help users design and create moving graphics. The choice of animation software depends on the type and nature of your animation content. Thus, you need to analyze your content before choosing the best software. The user should check and note the software's features and consider if they satisfy your animation.

The animation marketplace has several softwares, so it would be confusing and tricky to choose the best tool. Additionally, you may download software that fails to fit your specifications. Therefore, to avoid all these downsides, you must research and choose the best software for your task. If you are new to animation, this article covers you. We’ll discuss some of the best animation softwares that you can use on your computer.

1. Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a famous animation software that creates stand-out animations and graphics. The software has powerful animation and motion-creating tools, which makes it one of the best animation tools in the market. Unlike other powerful animation software, Adobe After Effects is available in free and premium plans. The free plan runs for seven days, and past that, you’ll have to subscribe to the premium plan to enjoy exclusive features. Additionally, the 7-day free trial software has fewer features and editing tools than the premium software. If you choose the premium plan, you’ll have to pay a given amount monthly.

The software recognizes all its users, experts, and beginners. It has a step-by-step guide showing the user's crucial steps while using the software. Thus, beginners can comfortably use the software with ease. The software comes with Adobe Express on mobile and the web. Adobe Express is a child-like software of Adobe After Effects, which is used in creating simple designs like logos, posters, etc. The software is flexible and accommodates real-time service due to its cloud-based properties.

When can one use Adobe After Effects?

The software is useful when creating motion graphics for video. The software is useful when creating video animations. You can use the software when creating visual effects for film and TV. Finally, you can use this software when creating motion graphics for the web.

Features of Adobe After Effects

They include:

Text Animation: With this software, the animation doesn’t have to be imaged. You can also add the animation effect to the text content.

Collaboration: The software has collaborative tools which allow users to share and save the animations to other platforms.

Other features include cloud-based storage, motion tracking tools, rotoscoping,  text and visual graphics, and motion graphic tools.

2. Unity

If you are a fan of mobile or computers, the word Unity may not be a new term. Unity is software used for animating and scaling 2D and 3D content, which are used in various fields. Game developers are the greatest users of this software due to its exclusive editing and sequencing tools. Besides creating games, the software can be essential in creating 2D and 3D components for animation purposes. Therefore, choose Unity Software when dimensions are the key factor to consider in your animations.

Like most animation software, the software is available on a free-trial and premium plan basis. It has a 30-day free trial, after which you’ll have an annual subscription to enjoy the software's features. The premium plan has more tools and features that can benefit developers.

Advantages of Unity

They include:

Requires no coding and programming skills. It has shader graphs, easing the design of animations. It has a free tutorial. Beginners can take advantage of this tutorial to perfect their skills. It has a view mode, where users can view the game's appearance or animation before deployment. The software is compatible with different devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

3.WPS Office

WPS Office is widely known and used for its powerful editing tools. Did you know you can use the software to create and edit animations? Yes, you can use WPS when creating animation content. WPS Office is one of the cheapest software to create animation, and you do not have to be a premium member to access the animation features. Additionally, the software is compatible with both computers and mobile devices. Thus, you can create your animation from anywhere.

You’ll have to use the presentation features when creating WPS Office animation. The PPT feature of WPS has Animation and Transitions tools that users can use to generate animated videos.

Steps to create animated videos using WPS Office:

Open Empty or existing slides. Add text and objects that will be in your video. Finally, locate the animation tab and choose the animation styles of your video.

Keyboard shortcuts

Many students use keyboard shortcuts to ease creating animations in WPS Office. Here are some keyboard shortcuts one can use in the WPS office while creating presentations.

Shift+ Enter: These keys create a new or blank slide in your document.Ctrl + Delete: These keys are essential in deleting the current slide in your presentation.Drag + Shift: We use these keys when dragging items in your presentation in a horizontal or vertical direction.CTRL + Z: In case of an error, you can undo the actions using these keys.CTRL + Mouse wheel: These keys simplify the zooming in or out in your WPS presentation.

4. Vyond

If you’re a fan of creating animations and content videos on the web, you probably know about Vyond. It is a free and premium tool that allows users to create interactive and eye-catching videos in real-time. The software has exclusive tools for creating whiteboard animations and other lip-syncing animations. Therefore, if you’re looking for a perfect web-based software for creating animation, go for Vyond.

Features of Vyond software:

Some of the features that make Vyond  the best software for creating animations include the following:

Automatic lip- Sync: With Vyond studio, creating character-driven stories is a walk in the park. Audio files can be uploaded directly from your computer storage and then assigned to characters. Also, the software allows users to record audio directly from their computer microphones.

Pre-made Templates: Unlike other software, Vyond has templates that ease your starting point. Animation creation in Vyond is easier, faster, and more intuitive with templates.

Limitless Customization: The software has several styles, each with already pre-made templates. The software allows one to mix and match the styles.

5. Animaker

Animaker is a web-based video-making tool that has exclusive tools for making videos. The software is one of the top and best online software that one can use to generate eye-catching and eye-quality videos. The platform is simple to use, favoring experts and beginners.

When using this software to create animations, you must log in to their official website and choose the subscription plan you want. The software has a well-packed library of templates, easing your video-making process. Additionally, you can use soundtracks and sound effects in your music.

Advantages of using Animaker

They include:

The software allows users to create 4K videos and supports infographics. When using Animaker's, you can easily share the created animations to other social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. The software has numerous animation-creating tools. Thus, you can create a video in less than 5 minutes. Besides animations, you can create posters and other designs using Animaker.

Features of Animaker

Here are some of the features of the Animaker software:

2D Drawing: The Software has 2D drawing tools, which users can use to generate animation components.

Transitions features: Transition is a key property in an animation video. The Animaker's transition covers your video.

Pre-made templates:  With Animaker, you do not have to create an animation from scratch.

Other features found in Animaker include Media import, Image Editing, Offline presenting, Privacy Options, Rapid creation, Rendering features, Social sharing, annotations, etc.

6. Renderforest

Like Animaker, Renderforest is a cloud-based software for animations and presentations. You don’t need technical skills to create designs on this platform. The software recognizes both professional and beginner users. Additionally, most animation-creating tools are available for free.

Features of Renderforest

They include:

Pre-made templates:  With Renderforest, you do not have to create an animation from scratch. You can use the already existing templates.

Users Guide: The software provides a tutorial to users before creating any video. However, if you’re used to creating videos in Renderforest, you can skip the tutorial.

2D or 3D objects:You can create 2D and 3D objects using Renderforest software.

Capturing audio tools: You can easily add background music to your videos using the software.

7. Blender

The best animation software list would only be complete with the Blender software. Blender animations have always outshined other animations in the market. Therefore, it is worth choosing for your animation purposes.

It is free and open-source software for Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. Blender’s tools are known to yield high-quality and eye-popping animations with few steps involved. The software’s character animation pose editor and the sound synchronization features ease the animation process on this platform. However, the software has a confusing User Interface. Thus, beginners and new users can find the software confusing and hard to use for the first time.

Advantages of Blender

They include:

The software has several animation tools and solutions. Most of the animation features are free. The software easily integrates with python API, improving customization and scripting of animations. Most of the animation tools are inbuilt. Thus, the users are relieved from importing tools from external sources.

Features of Blender

Here are some of the features of Blender:

Rendering: The software has exclusive rendering tools that allow users to create amazing renders.

Digital Sculpting Tools: The software has powerful sculpting tools essential to creating animation videos.

VFX: Blender has a visual effects library that may be helpful in your animations.

Other features of Blender include simulation tools and libraries, pipeline tools, video editing tools, modeling toolsets, etc.

8. Powtoon

Today, web-based software has become common in the creation of animation. If you don’t have adequate space on your disk, you can go for online animation-creating softwares. Powtoon is one of them. The software has a cloud-based platform where users easily create engaging and eye-popping videos. Since it is a web-based software, users can access the services anytime and share the contents in real-time.

While using this software to create animations, the software provides “scenes”  where you input your content, and then the scenes are joined. Also, while creating the video scenes, the software allows the user to create from scratch or use a pre-made template. After the animations are ready, the software has numerous customization and transiting tools for polishing your animations.

Features of Powtoon

They include:

Pre-made templates:  With Powtoon, you do not have to create an animation from scratch. You can use the already existing templates.

Animated Characters: One of the greatest features that make Powtoon favorable for animation works is its animated characters. These characters help create an engaging video. Additionally, the software has a well-packed library of animated character templates.

VFX: The software has music and visual effects uploading tools. You can choose the in-built music or upload yours using the Drag & Drop tools.

9. Maya

If you are a professional, Maya is the best. Maya is an animation software available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The software has a confusing and complex interface, with most rendering systems and engines not available in other animation software.

Creating 3D animations using the Maya software is a walk in the park due to its exclusive 3D modeling tools and features. Maya also promotes 3D effects. It has a free trial, which has most of the features and tools locked, and a yearly subscription plan.

Features of Maya

They include:

Polygon Modelling feature: The software has polygon-related features and tools that ease the creation of 3D animations.

Bifrost: This feature allows Maya users to create simulations essential in animations.

Graph Editor: The graph editor feature is vital in tracking and creating animation curves.

Arnold Renderer: The software is integrated with the Arnold Renderer, which allows users to view animation scenes easily and in real-time.

Our Verdict

Therefore, any of the above software can quench your animation demands. Depending on the nature and quality of the animation you need, you can choose the software that matches your expectations. Additionally, if you’re a beginner in creating animation videos, you can use an application with a simple interface like the WPS.