Free alternatives
6 free Adobe Animate alternatives
With Animate getting no new features, many animators are looking elsewhere. These free tools cover vector and cut-out animation, studio-grade frame-by-frame work, simple hand-drawn animation and motion design.
Short answer
The best free Adobe Animate alternatives are Synfig, OpenToonz, Pencil2D and 3 more. Adobe Animate has no full free plan, and each pick here is free or has a usable free plan.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
Is Adobe Animate free?
Adobe Animate pricing
Adobe Animate is Adobe's app for 2D vector animation and interactive content, the successor to Flash Professional. It is in maintenance mode.
Animate costs US$22.99 a month on a yearly plan billed monthly. Adobe has put it in maintenance mode: it stays available with security updates and bug fixes, but gets no new features.
Free plan
No. Animate has a free trial but no free version.
Checked on Adobe Animate's official pricing page on . Prices change, so check before you buy.
The 6 best free Adobe Animate alternatives
Every pick is free or has a usable free plan, and is listed in our directory. Free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site before you switch.
Why switch: Free, open-source vector animation with tweening and bones, the closest match to Animate.
Free, open-source 2D animation software for vector and bitmap artwork.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Studio-grade 2D animation based on the Toonz used by Studio Ghibli, free for commercial use.
Free, open-source 2D animation software based on the Toonz used by Studio Ghibli.
Works on Windows, macOS
Why switch: Simple hand-drawn animation with raster and vector layers, great for beginners.
An easy, free and open-source tool for hand-drawn 2D animation.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Free painting program with built-in frame-by-frame animation tools.
A free, open-source painting program made by artists for artists.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Why switch: Free 3D suite that also draws and animates in 2D inside 3D space.
Free, open-source 3D creation suite for modelling, animation, VFX and 2D animation.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Professional real-time 2D motion design, free for individuals with a Canva account.
Professional real-time 2D motion design, free for individuals.
Works on Windows, macOS
Frequently asked questions
- Is Adobe Animate free?
- No. Animate has a free trial but no free version.
- How much does Adobe Animate cost?
- Animate costs US$22.99 a month on a yearly plan billed monthly. Adobe has put it in maintenance mode: it stays available with security updates and bug fixes, but gets no new features. Checked on Adobe Animate's own pricing page in October 2026; prices can change.
- What is the best free alternative to Adobe Animate?
- Synfig is our top pick, followed by OpenToonz and Pencil2D. Each one is free or has a usable free plan.
- Are these Adobe Animate alternatives really free?
- Yes. Every tool on this page is either completely free or has a free plan you can keep using. Paid upgrades exist on some of them, and free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site.
Keep exploring
Free alternatives to other paid tools
- monday.com
- Jira
- Things 3
- Fantastical
- Miro
- Canva
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Submagic
- Lovable
- CleanShot X
- Squarespace
- Airtable
- Mobbin
- Tailwind Plus
- Adobe Fonts
- Grammarly
- Slack
- Zapier
- Typeform
- Mailchimp
- Figma
- Zoom
- Dropbox
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe XD
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- Adobe Express
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe Substance 3D
- Adobe Bridge
- Adobe Fresco
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile
- Adobe Photoshop Express
- Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Adobe Illustrator Draw
- Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Adobe Firefly
- Adobe Stock
- Behance
Weekly newsletter
New tools and visual guides, every Monday.
One short email a week with the best new tools and websites, plus my latest visual guides. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Join the newsletterYou sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.