Rive vs Cartoon Animator

Rive9.0Visit Cartoon Animator8.2Visit

Higher score Rive #3 in Game Animation Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Rive

vs

Cartoon Animator #8 in Game Animation Software 8.2/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 3 features Try Cartoon Animator

• Rive fits best

  Cross-platform interactive 2D animation teams

• Cartoon Animator fits best

  Feature-rich 2D character and facial animation

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Side by side

Feature	Rive 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Cartoon Animator 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.2
Ranking	#3 in Game Animation Software	#8 in Game Animation Software
Best for	Cross-platform interactive 2D animation teams	Feature-rich 2D character and facial animation
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$9/seat/mo	$149 one-time
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Windows
Support	Community, Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	13 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Rive 0/3 · Cartoon Animator 0/3
Rigging tools	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Sprite-sheet export	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Game engine integration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Animation type	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Export formats	RIV, REV, MP4, GIF, PNG sequence, WebM	MOV, WMV, AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, popVideo, JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA, GIF, SWF, ProRes 4444
Supported platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	State machines, skeletal animation, layouts, and data binding Open-source runtimes across web, desktop, mobile, and game engines Collaboration, component libraries, and cloud rendering in one platform	Combines rigging, facial animation, lip-sync, puppeteering, and mocap Converts 3D motion for 2D characters and supports 360 heads Supports PSD, SVG, Photoshop, After Effects, and multiple export formats
Cons	Free is limited to 3 collaborative files Cadet supports a maximum of 3 seats Enterprise costs $120 per seat per month on annual billing	Windows-only application No free plan; the perpetual license costs $149 one-time Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple animation projects
Our verdict	Rive is an interactive design and animation platform for designers, animators, and developers creating graphics for apps, games, and websites. Its editor brings together vector design, a timeline, visual state machines, responsive layouts,… 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

• Rive — where it wins

  • State machines, skeletal animation, layouts, and data binding
  • Open-source runtimes across web, desktop, mobile, and game engines
  • Collaboration, component libraries, and cloud rendering in one platform

  Where it doesn't

  • Free is limited to 3 collaborative files
  • Cadet supports a maximum of 3 seats
  • Enterprise costs $120 per seat per month on annual billing

• Cartoon Animator — where it wins

  • Combines rigging, facial animation, lip-sync, puppeteering, and mocap
  • Converts 3D motion for 2D characters and supports 360 heads
  • Supports PSD, SVG, Photoshop, After Effects, and multiple export formats

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows-only application
  • No free plan; the perpetual license costs $149 one-time
  • Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple animation projects

• Rive9.0/10 · Free plan

  A cross-platform toolkit for interactive 2D animation, state machines, and runtime delivery.

  Visit RiveFull verdict →
• Cartoon Animator8.2/10 · 30-day trial

  A deep 2D character animation tool for Windows users who need rigging and puppeteering.

  Try Cartoon AnimatorFull verdict →