OpenToonz vs Adobe Character Animator

OpenToonz8.9Visit Adobe Character Animator8.7Visit

Higher score OpenToonz #5 in Animation Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit OpenToonz

vs

Adobe Character Animator #7 in Animation Software 8.7/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Adobe

• OpenToonz fits best

  Free, capable 2D animation production

• Adobe Character Animator fits best

  Live puppeteering and streaming characters

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Side by side

Feature	OpenToonz 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Adobe Character Animator 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#5 in Animation Software	#7 in Animation Software
Best for	Free, capable 2D animation production	Live puppeteering and streaming characters
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	7 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OpenToonz 2/5 · Adobe Character Animator 2/5
2D animation tools	✓	✓
3D modeling	—	Not checked yet
Character rigging	✓	✓
Motion graphics	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Cloud collaboration	Not checked yet	—
Specs
Supported platforms	windows, macos, linux	Windows, macOS
Export formats	3GP, AVI, BMP, GIF, JPG, MOV, MP4, PNG, RGB, SGI, Spritesheet, TGA, TIF, TIFF, WebM	H.264 video, PNG sequence, WAV audio, PNG still image
Our review
Pros	Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux Covers drawing, scanning, compositing, rigging, and rendering Supports batch rendering and network render farms	Real-time facial and body tracking with automatic lip sync Custom puppets, rigging, behaviors, gestures, and physics controls Live streaming plus workflows with major Adobe applications
Cons	MP4 and WebM output require FFmpeg MOV support requires 32-bit QuickTime Listed Windows and macOS requirements are older versions	Limited to Windows and macOS Focused on 2D character performance rather than 3D modeling Advanced features require a paid Creative Cloud plan
Our verdict	OpenToonz is open-source 2D animation software published by DWANGO Co., Ltd. It is designed for commercial and non-commercial projects, with tools spanning drawing, frame-by-frame animation, digital painting, scanning, compositing,… Read the review →	Adobe Character Animator is a desktop application for performance-based 2D character animation. It is aimed at aspiring and professional animators, video creators, educators, gamers, graphic designers, and illustrators who want to animate… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenToonz — where it wins

  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Covers drawing, scanning, compositing, rigging, and rendering
  • Supports batch rendering and network render farms

  Where it doesn't

  • MP4 and WebM output require FFmpeg
  • MOV support requires 32-bit QuickTime
  • Listed Windows and macOS requirements are older versions

• Adobe Character Animator — where it wins

  • Real-time facial and body tracking with automatic lip sync
  • Custom puppets, rigging, behaviors, gestures, and physics controls
  • Live streaming plus workflows with major Adobe applications

  Where it doesn't

  • Limited to Windows and macOS
  • Focused on 2D character performance rather than 3D modeling
  • Advanced features require a paid Creative Cloud plan

• OpenToonz8.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, broad 2D animation suite for production workflows across three desktop platforms.

  Visit OpenToonzFull verdict →
• Adobe Character Animator8.7/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

  A focused choice for live 2D puppeteering, lip sync, and character streaming.

  Visit AdobeFull verdict →