Toon Boom Harmony vs Cartoon Animator

Toon Boom Harmony9.4Visit Cartoon Animator8.4Visit

Higher score Toon Boom Harmony #1 in 2D Character Animation Software 9.4/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Toon Boom

vs

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

• Toon Boom Harmony fits best

  Professional 2D animation teams

• Cartoon Animator fits best

  Windows-based puppet animation creators

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Side by side

Feature	Toon Boom Harmony 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Cartoon Animator 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.4
Ranking	#1 in 2D Character Animation Software	#7 in 2D Character Animation Software
Best for	Professional 2D animation teams	Windows-based puppet animation creators
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$55.50/user/yr	$149 one-time
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	14 days	30 days
Free trial length	14 days	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Support	Community, Docs, Tickets · 24/7	Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations	4 integrations	13 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Toon Boom Harmony 0/3 · Cartoon Animator 0/3
Bone rigging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mesh deformation	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Lip sync	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Animation workflow	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	windows
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	MOV, WMV, AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, popVideo, JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA, GIF, SWF, ProRes 4444
Our review
Pros	Supports hand-drawn, rigged, composited, and effects-based 2D work Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux Exports movies and images in formats including MOV, PSD, PNG, and TIFF	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	No free plan; access is paid, with a 14-day free trial Edition capabilities vary, so selecting the right tier requires care Its broad scope may exceed the needs of simple 2D projects	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	Toon Boom Harmony is a desktop 2D animation suite for professional studios, freelancers, students, and enthusiasts. It brings hand-drawn and paperless animation, character rigging, cut-out workflows, drawing, painting, compositing, and… 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

• Toon Boom Harmony — where it wins

  • Supports hand-drawn, rigged, composited, and effects-based 2D work
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Exports movies and images in formats including MOV, PSD, PNG, and TIFF

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; access is paid, with a 14-day free trial
  • Edition capabilities vary, so selecting the right tier requires care
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of simple 2D projects

• 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

• Toon Boom Harmony9.4/10 · 14-day trial

  A broad desktop suite for teams that need both drawn and rigged 2D production.

  Visit Toon BoomFull 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 →