Animation apps

There are two ways to animate on a phone. You draw frame by frame, as in FlipaClip or Animation Desk, or you photograph objects and move them a little between shots, as in Stop Motion Studio, which has no ads.

How we chose: animation apps sold by their own developer or by a seller listed as a trader on the App Store, with features taken from each app’s store description. No prices, download counts or ratings.

FlipaClip: drawn 2D animation

FlipaClip lets you draw animation frame by frame with brushes, fill, lasso, ruler and text, on custom canvas sizes with Apple Pencil support. Its new timeline shows drawings, frames, images, video and sound together, you can stretch a frame to hold it longer and loop a group of frames. Three layers are free, with more in FlipaClip Plus, and guided tutorials are built in.

Stop Motion Studio: animate LEGO, clay and objects

Stop Motion Studio captures frame by frame, with onion skinning to line up each move. It has manual camera controls, timelapse capture and a remote camera from an Apple Watch or another device, rotoscoping over video, voiceover recording, music, transitions and green screen. It has no ads, no tracking and no subscriptions, with extra features in a Pro version.

Animation Desk: a digital flipbook

Animation Desk works like a digital flipbook: draw frame by frame, trace the previous frame with onion skinning and set the speed in frames per second. You can import video and photos and add animation effects to them. Export as video, GIF, a PDF sheet or into Photoshop. The app is free, the basic version has ads and three sketch layers, and more is in the subscription.

Where to start

If you love drawing, start with FlipaClip or Animation Desk. If a child wants a LEGO or clay cartoon, pick Stop Motion Studio. For drawing without animation, see drawing apps, and to cut finished clips into a video, video editing apps.

Compared from each developer’s own store description.
App	Best for	Highlights	Ukrainian UI
FlipaClipApp Store Google Play	drawn 2D animation	frame by frame drawing, layers, timeline with sound, tutorials	no
Stop Motion StudioApp Store Google Play	stop motion with objects	frame capture, onion skinning, voiceover, green screen	yes
Animation DeskApp Store Google Play	a digital flipbook	frame by frame drawing, import video and photos, export to video, GIF and PDF	no

Frequently asked questions

Which app makes animation on a phone?

For drawn animation, FlipaClip or Animation Desk. For stop motion with objects, Stop Motion Studio. All three are on iPhone and Android.

Is there an animation app in Ukrainian?

Stop Motion Studio has a Ukrainian interface. FlipaClip and Animation Desk do not.

How do I make a LEGO or clay cartoon?

In Stop Motion Studio, keep the phone still, take a frame, move the figure slightly and take the next one. Onion skinning shows the previous frame, and you can add voiceover and music in the same app.