Top 5 Best animation apps for iPhone and iPad

Animaker
7 Dec 202306:41

TLDRCaptain Max introduces the top 5 animation apps for iPhone and iPad that are beginner-friendly. Ranked based on simplicity, ease of use, and pricing, he reviews each app's pros and cons. The list includes: Twincraft for comic-style animations, Animation Desk for traditional animators, Flipaclip for frame-by-frame editing, Plotagon for easy 3D animations, and Animaker as the top pick for its wide range of features. Each app is discussed in terms of functionality, offering insights to help users choose the right tool for their animation journey.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 Are you a beginner looking to start your animation journey? Captain Max has explored the App Store to bring you the top 5 animation apps for iPhone and iPad!
  • 📱 At number 5, Twincraft offers comic-style animation with a simple workflow, but it's limited in traditional animation features and comes with many paid elements.
  • 🖌️ Animation Desk ranks 4th, offering a traditional animation style and smooth performance. However, its free plan lacks text-adding capabilities and includes ads.
  • 🎨 Flipaclip, in the 3rd position, is well-known for its frame-by-frame animation and easy-to-use interface. Its downside: long unskippable ads and the slow pace of frame animation.
  • 🎥 Plotagon, the only app on the list for creating 3D animations, is in 2nd place. It has impressive camera movements and a simple workflow, though the library is limited, and it displays ads.
  • đź‘‘ Animaker takes the 1st spot, great for beginners who want to create animations quickly. It features custom character creation, pre-built animations, and access to a vast media library, but it lacks a lip-sync feature.
  • 🎭 Twincraft allows users to animate characters by moving individual body parts, which can be tricky with smaller elements.
  • 🔊 Flipaclip and Animation Desk both have detailed audio timelines, though Animation Desk lacks a built-in music library in its free version.
  • đź“š Animaker provides over 30,000 audio tracks, numerous free images, videos, and GIFs, making it an excellent choice for quick animations.
  • ⏳ While Plotagon's 3D animation is unique, its long loading times and limited character options can be frustrating for users.

Q & A

  • Who is the intended audience for this video?

    -The video is aimed at beginners who are looking to start their animation journey and are seeking beginner-friendly animation apps for iPhone and iPad.

  • How did Captain Max rank the animation apps?

    -Captain Max ranked the animation apps based on factors such as simplicity of the interface, ease of creating animations, and pricing.

  • What are some pros and cons of Twincraft?

    -Pros: Good for comic-style animation, simple workflow, easy voiceover adding. Cons: Limited actions and expressions, no separate audio timeline, many library items are not free.

  • What is a standout feature of Animation Desk?

    -Animation Desk is ideal for those interested in traditional animation, with a smooth workflow, separate timeline for audio, and tools for frame-by-frame animation.

  • Why might Flipaclip not be suitable for quick animations?

    -Flipaclip uses frame-by-frame animation, which can be time-consuming and not ideal for those looking to create quick animations.

  • What sets Plotagon apart from the other apps in the list?

    -Plotagon is the only app in the list that offers 3D animation, allowing users to create conversations and actions between 3D characters.

  • What are the main advantages of using Animaker?

    -Animaker has a large library of pre-built animations, over 30,000 audio tracks, and the ability to create both live-action and animated videos, making it suitable for beginners creating short videos.

  • What are the limitations of Animaker?

    -Animaker is not suitable for frame-by-frame animation and lacks a lip-sync feature, which might be a drawback for more detailed animation work.

  • Which app on the list includes a timeline for editing audio tracks?

    -Both Animation Desk and Flipaclip offer a detailed timeline for editing audio tracks.

  • What is a major drawback of using Plotagon?

    -A major drawback of Plotagon is the limited selection of characters and backgrounds, along with long loading times and frequent ads.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to Animation Apps for Beginners

This paragraph introduces the video, appealing to beginners who are unsure where to start with animation. Captain Max, the host, promises a journey through the top five animation apps for iPhone and iPad users. These apps are ranked based on user-friendliness, interface simplicity, ease of animation creation, pricing, and other features. The paragraph teases that both pros and cons of each app will be discussed, setting up the viewer for an exciting exploration of animation tools.

05:01

🎨 Twincraft – Comic Style Animation with Challenges

Twincraft, ranked at number five, is an app available for both iPhone and iPad users. The app requires users to move individual body parts to animate characters, which can be tedious due to the small size of elements. It offers unique expressions and fixed voices for each character, with a simple voiceover feature. The pros include its suitability for comic-style animation and a quick workflow, but it lacks traditional animation features, has limited pre-built actions, and charges for many library items. The biggest downside is that most backgrounds and characters are not free.

🖌️ Animation Desk – Traditional Animation Style

Animation Desk is ranked fourth and caters to users who want to explore traditional animation techniques. It offers standard drawing tools like brushes, erasers, and layers, along with a timeline for frame-by-frame animation. The app works smoothly, has a similar workflow to advanced animation apps, and includes an audio timeline. However, the free version lacks text addition features and an audio/music library. Another major downside is the presence of ads.

🎬 Flipaclip – Frame by Frame Simplicity

Ranked third, Flipaclip is a popular app for frame-by-frame animation. It has a user-friendly interface with drawing and editing tools similar to Animation Desk, and features a detailed audio timeline. Most features are available in the free version, making it accessible for beginners. However, its frame-by-frame style can be time-consuming for quick animations, and the app contains unskippable ads that can be annoying.

🎥 Plotagon – Easy 3D Animation Creation

Plotagon secures second place as the only app in the list capable of generating 3D animations. Available on both iPhone and iPad, users can select locations, characters, and actions, and create conversations by typing dialogue. Though the interface may seem confusing at first, it becomes easier with practice. The app’s pros include its simplicity in creating 3D animations, impressive camera movements, and a wide variety of actions. On the downside, it has limited character and background options, slow loading times, and frequent ads.

🏆 Animaker – Best for Quick Animation Videos

Animaker tops the list as the best app for beginners looking to create animation videos quickly. With a simple interface, the app allows users to add backgrounds and characters and use over 100 pre-built actions. It also offers text animation for free and provides access to a vast library of free images, videos, GIFs, and audio tracks. Additionally, users can create both live-action and animated videos. However, the app is not suited for frame-by-frame animation and lacks a lip sync feature.

Mindmap

Keywords

đź’ˇTwincraft

Twincraft is an animation app for iPhone and iPad users. It allows users to move characters' body parts individually to animate them. The app is best suited for comic-style animation but has limited features for those seeking to learn traditional animation.

đź’ˇAnimation Desk

Animation Desk is a tool designed for creating traditional-style animations. It has a standard interface with basic drawing tools and layers, making it a great option for users looking to create frame-by-frame animations.

đź’ˇFlipaclip

Flipaclip is a popular animation app with a simple interface. It supports frame-by-frame animation and provides an audio timeline for adding and editing tracks. However, its unskippable ads can be a drawback for users.

đź’ˇPlotagon

Plotagon is a 3D animation tool available for iPhone and iPad. It allows users to select characters, actions, and dialogue to create animations. While it’s easy to use, its library of characters and backgrounds is limited.

đź’ˇAnimaker

Animaker is a beginner-friendly animation app for creating both live-action and animated videos. It has an extensive library of audio tracks and pre-built animations. However, it lacks features for frame-by-frame animation and lip-sync.

đź’ˇComic-style animation

Comic-style animation refers to animations that resemble comic books, typically involving still images with minimal motion. Twincraft is an example of an app that focuses on this type of animation.

đź’ˇFrame-by-frame animation

Frame-by-frame animation is a technique where each frame is drawn individually to create motion. Apps like Flipaclip and Animation Desk support this style of animation, making them suitable for users wanting detailed control over their animations.

đź’ˇAudio timeline

An audio timeline allows users to add, edit, and sync audio tracks to their animations. This feature is available in apps like Flipaclip and Animation Desk, but some apps like Twincraft lack this functionality.

đź’ˇPre-built animations

Pre-built animations are pre-designed character actions and movements that users can insert into their projects. Animaker offers more than 100 such animations, making it ideal for quick video creation.

đź’ˇ3D animation

3D animation involves creating moving images in a three-dimensional space. Plotagon is the only app in the list that supports 3D animation, allowing for more dynamic and realistic visuals compared to 2D animations.

Highlights

Introduction to finding top 5 animation apps for iPhone and iPad users, focused on beginners.

Captain Max has explored the App Store and ranked apps based on simplicity, ease of use, and pricing.

At number five: Twincraft, which uses Comic style animation and simple workflow.

Twincraft requires moving individual character body parts, which can be tedious due to small sizes.

Pros of Twincraft: Easy voiceover adding and quick workflow for Comic style animations.

Cons of Twincraft: Not ideal for traditional animation and lacks pre-built actions.

Twincraft’s backgrounds and characters are not free, a major drawback.

At number four: Animation Desk, a tool for traditional-style animation with a standard interface.

Animation Desk offers smooth operation, audio track editing, but lacks text and audio libraries in the free plan.

At number three: FlipaClip, popular with a simple interface and detailed audio timeline.

FlipaClip’s pros include a free plan with most features, but it has intrusive ads and is slow for quick animations.

At number two: Plotagon, the only app on the list with 3D animation, though it has a unique interface.

Plotagon’s pros: Easy to use for 3D animation, great camera movements, but has limited characters and backgrounds.

At number one: Animaker, the best tool for beginners to create animation videos quickly with a large asset library.

Animaker’s pros: Over 100 pre-built animations, free text animations, and access to an audio library with 30,000 tracks.

Animaker’s cons: Not suitable for frame-by-frame animation and lacks lip sync features.