TVPaint Animation vs Cartoon Animator

TATVPaint Animation8.7Visit Cartoon Animator8.4Visit

Higher score TA TVPaint Animation #5 in 2D Character Animation Software 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit TVPaint

vs

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

• TVPaint Animation fits best

  Raster-focused animation professionals

• Cartoon Animator fits best

  Windows-based puppet animation creators

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Side by side

Feature	TATVPaint Animation 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Cartoon Animator 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.4
Ranking	#5 in 2D Character Animation Software	#7 in 2D Character Animation Software
Best for	Raster-focused animation professionals	Windows-based puppet animation creators
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	$149 one-time
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Money-back guarantee	14 days	14 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Support	Phone, Tickets, Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features TVPaint Animation 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	BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, PSD, TGA, TIFF, AVI, MKV, MOV, MP4, WebM, OGG, JSON, CSV, FLI	MOV, WMV, AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, popVideo, JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA, GIF, SWF, ProRes 4444
Our review
Pros	Bitmap brush engine supports traditional frame-by-frame workflows Professional adds rigging, smart colorization, camera, and storyboarding Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with extensive export support	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	Pricing requires contacting sales or requesting a quotation Trial projects cannot be saved or exported No cloud collaboration, AI features, or 3D modeling	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	TVPaint Animation is bitmap-based 2D animation software for independent animators, students, animation schools, and production studios. Its workflow centers on raster brushes, light tables, timeline-based animation, storyboarding,… 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

• TVPaint Animation — where it wins

  • Bitmap brush engine supports traditional frame-by-frame workflows
  • Professional adds rigging, smart colorization, camera, and storyboarding
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with extensive export support

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting sales or requesting a quotation
  • Trial projects cannot be saved or exported
  • No cloud collaboration, AI features, or 3D modeling

• 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

• TATVPaint Animation8.7/10 · Paid

  A raster-first animation suite with traditional tools, rigging, camera controls, and professional exports.

  Visit TVPaintFull 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 →