- Choose the right 2D animation software early—Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate, and free OpenToonz are top picks.
- AI tools like Moonbeam and Meshy.ai significantly accelerate animation creation.
- Master core techniques such as frame-by-frame animation, rigging, and tweening for optimal results.
- Start with free tools before investing in paid courses or software.
- For professional projects, Swift Animations delivers expert, high-quality 2D animation services.
The animation business is flourishing. As the animation market is expected to skyrocket to $587 billion by 2030, makers worldwide are keen to bring the characters and stories to life. However, when there are hundreds of tools, software, and AI platforms flooding the market, it may be difficult to select the appropriate ones.
The guide is about the top 2d animation tools and techniques of 2025, which will enable both amateurs and professionals to develop beautiful animations creatively and conveniently.
The Importance of Selecting the Correct 2D Animation Software
Using the wrong software to start your animation career may make you frustrated, waste your time, or drop the idea completely. Industry surveys reveal that 67% of animation beginners quit due to using tools that are inappropriate to their objectives or learning patterns.
The appropriate software must correspond to:
- Your form of animation (hand-drawn frame by frame as opposed to rig-based animation)
- What you require in your project (cartoons, explainer videos, games)
- Your level of skill and your budget
- The promotion of developing AI-assisted animation methods
Best Old School 2D Animation Programs
Such tools have stood the test of time and are still the bread and butter of the animation industry.
- Toon Boom Harmony
Toon Boom Harmony is the software of choice when it comes to quality TV and film animation, with clients such as Netflix, Cartoon Network, and Studio Ghibli. It integrates the old art of hand-drawn with the new technology of digital tools, which means that it is suited to the complex production that requires high levels of professionalism.
Its main features are strong frame-by-frame animation, advanced rigging tools, cut-out animation facilities, and built-in compositing. It contains a vector and a bitmap workflow, which allows flexibility of various animation styles.
2. Adobe Animate
Adobe Animate has gained popularity among web animators, teachers, and marketers in the creation of interactive and web-friendly animations. It has an easy-to-use interface and integrates with the Creative Cloud, which makes it particularly applicable to the creation of social media content, educational videos, and web banners.
It has vector-based drawing, frame-by-frame and tween, and direct export to HTML5 Canvas, which makes it ideal to use in web environments.
3. OpenToonz
OpenToonz is an open-source animation program that is free and used by Studio Ghibli and a lot of indie creators. It is a combination of the traditional and digital workflows and is the best option to use in case of a low-budget animator looking to get the professional features at a low cost.
It has built-in effects plug-ins, hand-drawn artwork support, and scanning and cleanup tools. OpenToonz is an amazing solution both to novices and to experienced animators who require open-source versatility.
4. TVPaint Animation
TVPaint is a proficient software that is aimed at an animator who prefers a more natural and hand-drawn appearance. It is commonly used by traditional animation artists and is more adept at generating frame-by-frame animation that has a more painterly look to it.
It provides professional drawing and painting tools, brush customization, and raster-based workflows. It is perfect in the case of animators who demand complete ownership without subscription.
Advanced AI-Powered and Hybrid 2D Animation Tools
With AI, the animation world is quickly changing to enable creators to work faster and create more complex animations that require less manual intervention.
- Moonbeam
Moonbeam is an artificial intelligence (AI) assisted animation software that produces animation based on basic text instructions or hand drawings. It comes in handy when you want to do rapid prototyping, storyboarding, or even make ideas into animated sequences quickly.
Its main characteristics are automatic character rigging and motion creation, which saves plenty of time spent on manual animation. Moonbeam is the perfect fit when a creator is interested in trying out AI without a complicated system.
2. Meshy.ai
Meshy.ai focuses on AI-based 2D character animation, making still images move and interact in animated scenes. It assists in accelerating the process of creation by creators who require rapid animations that do not require time-consuming rigging.
Meshy.ai has such features as pose interpolation, automatic lip-syncing, and fast transitions, which make it ideal when creating character-based animations in less time with little manual work.
3. Canva Animator
Canva Animator is an entry-level app that is perfect for use by marketers, small business owners, and social media creators. It makes the process of animation easy by drag and drop and templates.
It comes in particularly useful when creating compelling marketing videos, social media, and presentations that will take you a short amount of time to create, with AI-powered effects and simple customization, even without any previous animation experience.
4. Runway ML
Runway ML is an artistic AI tool that allows creating animations and video effects without much effort. It is ideal for artists who aim to create AI-based animation without having to be too technical.
Runway ML offers text-to-animation, video editing, and motion effects tools to create unusual, experimental content quickly, filling the gap between AI-generated creativity and easy-to-learn animation.
Major Animation Techniques with the Help of Modern Tools
Regardless of the software you choose, the techniques mentioned below will help you improve the quality of your animation:
- Frame-by-Frame Animation
The manual drawing of each frame produces a fluid organic motion. Applications such as Toon Boom and TVPaint are good in this area.
2. Rigging & Cut-Out Animation
Creating a skeleton rig enables you to do animation through part movement rather than redrawing every frame. Harmony and Adobe Animate are powerful rigging systems.
3. Tweening (Interpolation)
Tweening is used to fill in frames between key poses to accelerate the animation process. OpenToonz and Adobe Animate have a strong tweening capability.
4. Facial animation and Lip Syncing
Automated tools such as Meshy.ai and Toon Boom will automatically do the lip-syncing using audio, saving hours of manual syncing.
5. Vector-Raster Workflows
Web and mobile animations are done in vector graphics (lightweight and scalable) (Adobe Animate). Raster (pixel-based) is appropriate for hand drawing (TVPaint).
Free and cheap software to start now
These free and inexpensive tools are an ideal choice for beginners and those creators who are on a budget:
- OpenToonz — Powerful and free with professional-grade features.
- Krita — Free digital painting software with animation timeline capabilities.
- Pencil2D — Open-source, simple tool for traditional hand-drawn animation.
- Blender Grease Pencil — While 3D-focused, Blender’s Grease Pencil tool lets you create 2D animations within a 3D space, free and open source.
- Canva Animator — Free tier available for basic animations.
- Synfig Studio — Open-source vector tweening software for 2D animation.
Pro Tips on Getting the Most Out Of Your Animation Software
- Master Keyboard Shortcuts: You can greatly increase your efficiency in performing tasks by learning keyboard shortcuts for your software.
- Smart Layering: Plan your animations according to layers and make editing and adding effects simpler.
- Mix Audio Early: Match audio with lips early in the production so that there is no re-work.
- Use Community Plugins: A lot of software packages will have an associated community providing time-saving plugins and templates.
- Back Up Files Regularly: Animation projects may be huge and intricate; back up versions regularly to ensure you do not lose data.
Top Free and Paid Animation Courses to Support Your Software Expertise
Although this guide focuses on tools, combining software mastery and systematic learning will help you grow faster.
Free Courses
- Pixar Animation Course- Khan Academy: This course will get you up-to-date on the basics of animation and the history of animation- excellent theory.
- Donut Tutorial by Blender Guru: Adding 2D to Blender 3D for beginners.
- YouTube Channels: Alan Becker- 2D, CG Geek- 3D basics.
Paid Courses
- Animation Mentor: Character animation with an industry focus, ideal for those who want to work in a studio.
- School of Motion: After Effects and motion graphics training that teaches freelancers and marketers.
- Domestika Motion Graphics: Freelance and marketing animation practical projects.
- Moonbeam AI Animation Course: How to incorporate AI in your pipeline.
Conclusion
The combination of software and technique is a matter of your style, objectives, and budget:
- Toon Boom Harmony or OpenToonz are the way to go, in case you are interested in traditional frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation.
- In the case of web and interactive animations, the best option is Adobe Animate.
- Moonbeam, Meshy.ai, or Runway ML are some solutions to experiment with AI-assisted animation.
Bear in mind that the most effective animation tool is the one that you will be comfortable with using regularly. Devote some time to its mastery instead of switching to the next bright app.
No matter what level you are at or what level you want to take your projects, hiring the services of professionals such as Swift Animations can be the difference. They are experts in producing beautiful 2D animation, i.e., character movement, logo, and marketing videos, with the most up-to-date tools and techniques they can. Together with your talents and their professional services, your animations will not be lost in the current competitive market.