Toon Boom Harmony vs Autodesk Maya

Toon Boom Harmony9.3Visit Autodesk Maya9.0Visit

Higher score Toon Boom Harmony #1 in Animation Software 9.3/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Toon Boom

vs

Autodesk Maya #4 in Animation Software 9.0/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Autodesk Maya

• Toon Boom Harmony fits best

  Professional hand-drawn and rigged 2D animation

• Autodesk Maya fits best

  Established studios needing full 3D animation tools

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Side by side

Feature	Toon Boom Harmony 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Autodesk Maya 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.0
Ranking	#1 in Animation Software	#4 in Animation Software
Best for	Professional hand-drawn and rigged 2D animation	Established studios needing full 3D animation tools
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$55.50/user/yr	$2,010/user/yr
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	14 days	30 days
Free trial length	14 days	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs, Tickets · 24/7	Docs · 24/7
Integrations	4 integrations	3 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Toon Boom Harmony 2/5 · Autodesk Maya 0/5
2D animation tools	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
3D modeling	—	Not checked yet
Character rigging	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Motion graphics	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Cloud collaboration	—	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Not checked yet
Export formats	MOV, WMV, BMP, DPX, DTEX, JPG, EXR, PAL, PSD, PDF, PNG, SGI, SVG, TIFF, OPT, SCAN, VAR, TGA, YUV, GIF, SWF, JSX, WAV, XML, JSON, ATOM, USDA, USDZ	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports hand-drawn, paperless, and cut-out 2D animation workflows Includes character rigging, compositing, painting, and effects tools Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with multiple export formats	Covers modeling, rigging, animation, simulations, look development, and rendering Supports Arnold, OpenUSD, Unreal Engine, After Effects, and Flow Production Tracking Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with Python 3 scripting and plug-in customization
Cons	No free plan is available The three editions offer different capability levels More specialized than tools aimed at general-purpose animation	Requires a paid subscription beyond the 30-day trial Desktop-only access limits use to supported Windows, macOS, and Linux installations Its broad professional scope is more than lightweight animation projects may need
Our verdict	Toon Boom Harmony is a desktop animation suite for professional studios, freelancers, students, and enthusiasts. Its focus is hand-drawn and paperless 2D animation, with character rigging, cut-out animation, drawing, painting, compositing,… Read the review →	Autodesk Maya is a desktop 3D content-creation application for modeling, rigging, animation, visual effects, look development, and rendering. Autodesk positions it for artists and technical directors working in film, television, games, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Toon Boom Harmony — where it wins

  • Supports hand-drawn, paperless, and cut-out 2D animation workflows
  • Includes character rigging, compositing, painting, and effects tools
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with multiple export formats

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • The three editions offer different capability levels
  • More specialized than tools aimed at general-purpose animation

• Autodesk Maya — where it wins

  • Covers modeling, rigging, animation, simulations, look development, and rendering
  • Supports Arnold, OpenUSD, Unreal Engine, After Effects, and Flow Production Tracking
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with Python 3 scripting and plug-in customization

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a paid subscription beyond the 30-day trial
  • Desktop-only access limits use to supported Windows, macOS, and Linux installations
  • Its broad professional scope is more than lightweight animation projects may need

• Toon Boom Harmony9.3/10 · 14-day trial

  A focused 2D suite for hand-drawn, rigged, composited, and effects-driven animation.

  Visit Toon BoomFull verdict →
• Autodesk Maya9.0/10 · 30-day trial

  A full 3D production suite for studios that need modeling, animation, effects, and rendering.

  Visit Autodesk MayaFull verdict →