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RoughAnimator

An app that lets you hand-draw animations with a real timeline.

Photo & videoAnimationOne-time priceIndie
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What RoughAnimator does

RoughAnimator is a frame-by-frame animation app for iPhone, iPad and Android, made by a solo developer. It has a timeline with unlimited layers, onion skinning, sound and video import, and exports that open in pro animation software. You pay once.

Timeline with unlimited layers
Adjustable exposure for each drawing
Onion skinning and timeline scrubbing
Audio import for lip sync, video import for tracing
Export to QuickTime, GIF and image sequences
Projects open in Animate, After Effects and Toon Boom

RoughAnimator sits between simple flipbook apps and pro desktop tools. The timeline has unlimited layers, and you can set how long each drawing stays on screen, which is how traditional animators work. Onion skinning, scrubbing and preview playback make timing easy to check.

You can import audio to lip sync characters and import video to trace over. Custom brushes, adjustable frame rate and resolution, blend modes and clipping masks round it out. It supports Apple Pencil and Logitech Crayon on iPad.

Exports include QuickTime video, GIF and image sequences, and projects can go into Adobe Animate, After Effects or Toon Boom Harmony if you want to finish there.

It is a paid app with no free version, and the screens are plainer than FlipaClip, but there are no layer limits to hit.

Alternatives to RoughAnimator

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SketchbookA clean, free sketching app with a cheap one-time upgrade
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Who it's for

Animation students and hobbyists who want a real timeline
Artists who prefer paying once

Skip it if: Kids who just want to doodle a quick cartoon.

Pricing

From $7.99 one-time

RoughAnimator is a one-time $7.99 purchase on the US App Store, with no in-app purchases listed. It is also on Google Play; we did not confirm the price there.

Prices can vary by country. Checked 19 Oct 2026.

What people like

  • One price, no subscription or layer limits
  • Works with pro animation software
  • On iPhone, iPad and Android
  • Made and updated by an independent developer

Watch out for

  • No free version to try
  • Plain, functional design
  • Smaller community than bigger apps

Want an animation tool that works the way you time things? Build your own.

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Try this idea: “an animation app where I draw frames on a simple timeline, hold some frames longer, and add a voice clip to time the mouth”

Questions people ask

Is RoughAnimator free?

No. It is a one-time purchase, $7.99 on the US App Store.

Does RoughAnimator work on Android?

Yes. It is on Google Play as well as the App Store.

Can I add sound in RoughAnimator?

Yes. You can import audio to time your animation and lip sync characters.