Live2D Cubism vs Cartoon Animator

Live2D Cubism8.6Visit Cartoon Animator8.4Visit

Higher score Live2D Cubism #6 in 2D Character Animation Software 8.6/10 Free plan · 42-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Live2D Cubism

vs

Cartoon Animator #7 in 2D Character Animation Software 8.4/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 3 features Try Cartoon Animator

• Live2D Cubism fits best

  2D puppet and avatar creators

• Cartoon Animator fits best

  Windows-based puppet animation creators

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Side by side

Feature	Live2D Cubism 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Cartoon Animator 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.4
Ranking	#6 in 2D Character Animation Software	#7 in 2D Character Animation Software
Best for	2D puppet and avatar creators	Windows-based puppet animation creators
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$68.07/yr	$149 one-time
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	42 days	30 days
Free trial length	42 days	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows
Support	Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations	6 integrations	13 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Live2D Cubism 2/3 · Cartoon Animator 0/3
Bone rigging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mesh deformation	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Lip sync	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Animation workflow	Puppet	Not checked yet
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS	windows
Export formats	PNG, JPEG, GIF, MP4, WebM, MOV, MOC3, model3.json, motion3.json	MOV, WMV, AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, popVideo, JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA, GIF, SWF, ProRes 4444
Our review
Pros	Mesh-based modeling with ArtMeshes, parameters, and deformers Built-in physics, automatic lip-sync, and timeline editing Exports for images, video, applications, games, and major engines	Rigging, 360 heads, facial animation, and audio lip-sync Facial and body motion capture with 3D-motion-to-2D conversion Perpetual license includes commercial use and After Effects export
Cons	Desktop support is limited to Windows and macOS Puppet-style workflows depend on prepared artwork Business pricing is substantially higher than indie plans	Windows-only coverage limits platform flexibility No free plan; the full edition costs $149 one-time Its broad feature set may exceed simple animation needs
Our verdict	Live2D Cubism is a desktop application for turning original illustrations into animated 2D models. It is aimed at illustrators, animators, VTuber creators, game developers, and teams building mobile, console, or other interactive content.… Read the review →	Cartoon Animator is Reallusion’s Windows software for creating 2D character animations and animated graphics. It is aimed at animators, video makers, educators, marketers, and creators producing cartoons, explainers, presentations, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Live2D Cubism — where it wins

  • Mesh-based modeling with ArtMeshes, parameters, and deformers
  • Built-in physics, automatic lip-sync, and timeline editing
  • Exports for images, video, applications, games, and major engines

  Where it doesn't

  • Desktop support is limited to Windows and macOS
  • Puppet-style workflows depend on prepared artwork
  • Business pricing is substantially higher than indie plans

• Cartoon Animator — where it wins

  • Rigging, 360 heads, facial animation, and audio lip-sync
  • Facial and body motion capture with 3D-motion-to-2D conversion
  • Perpetual license includes commercial use and After Effects export

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows-only coverage limits platform flexibility
  • No free plan; the full edition costs $149 one-time
  • Its broad feature set may exceed simple animation needs

• Live2D Cubism8.6/10 · Free plan · 42-day trial

  A focused puppet-animation tool for expressive avatars, games, and interactive content.

  Visit Live2D CubismFull verdict →
• Cartoon Animator8.4/10 · 30-day trial

  A capable Windows-only toolkit for rigged 2D characters, puppeteering, and motion capture.

  Try Cartoon AnimatorFull verdict →