Eight 2D Animation Apps For Your Phone or Tablet Mobile Device

Mobile productivity apps have become so capable that they can be great alternatives to their PC/MAC equivalents or serve as great tools in their own right when you're away from your desk.

While some apps simply mimic their desktop counterparts, others offer well thought out, touch-friendly interfaces that are easier and more fun to use.

Every so often I check out what's available for 2D animation for Android devices, since that's what I use, that can complement my workflow with Reallusion's Cartoon Animator 5. Some may be available for Apple devices as well.

Below I've listed six free (F) apps (with optional paid (P) upgrades) on the Google Play Store that you might want to explore. Some are just fun apps on their own while others may be useful as part of your workflow on bigger animation projects. Not all are exclusively animation apps and could be used on any production.

JotterPad (F/P)

The name JotterPad makes this sound like a notepad application but it's so much more than that. It can handle a range of text documents including script writing formats such as Fountain and Final Draft.

This means that, not only can you write your scripts with them being automatically formatted to industry standard, you can also export them as full PDF documents, should you wish to distribute scripts to your actors and other production members.

I love it because I can write scripts on my phone any time inspiration hits.

The free version has so many features I've never needed to upgrade but you may want to if you want to access your work across devices, and even online. JotterPad is also available in the Apple Store. Find more information about the paid version on the JotterPad app website.

Krita (F/P)

Krita for Android is essentially the same as its desktop version, making it a great choice for editing .PSD files across devices. Just store your files in the cloud, and you can work on them from either your desktop or mobile.

Interestingly, Krita also includes animation tools for frame-by-frame, hand-drawn animation if that's something you want to try.

However, since it seems like a direct port, the interface can be tricky without a pen stylus, and you'll need a large screen to navigate everything comfortably, even with UI adjustments.

Firoona: Storyboard App

Firoona: Storyboard App is a simple tool, great for storyboarding when you don't need to export or share your storyboard with others, since it can only export your storyboard images or animatic and not your dialogue and action statements. The paid pro version might offer more, but I couldn't access it to verify.

Despite that, it’s sufficient with a well defined user interface for creating a storyboard and animatic. You can even add an audio track for a better preview of your production.

XSheet (F)

XSheet is a simple tool for creating storyboards, timing sheets, and animatics. You can draw directly into frames or import images.

I appreciate its simplicity and find it helpful for storyboarding away from my desk. However, it can be unstable on some devices—it works well on my Samsung devices but crashes when I use the drawing editor on my Lenovo tablet.

If it runs smoothly on your device, it's great for quickly brainstorming your storyboards.

Mooltik (F)

Mooltik is a storyboarding app that also supports hand-drawn animation within scenes and lets you add audio. 

Similar to Firoona, it only exports individual images or animatics as MP4 files, without scene descriptions.

I enjoy using Mooltik to practice hand-drawn animation because the intuitive interface makes flipping frames while drawing a breeze, while it includes drawing tools like onion skinning to see your previous and next frames.

Stick Nodes - Stick Figure Animator (F/P)

If you want to animate stick figures without drawing each frame, Stick Nodes is perfect. Animate by moving node points (joints) on rigged stick figures, which you can customize and save.

A standout feature is the ability to create keyframes and use the tween button to automatically add frames between them.

The free version packs plenty of features, with extras like sound available in the paid version.

Vector Motion (F)

Vector Motion is likely my favorite Android vector graphics and animation tool, with a well-designed touch interface that works even on small screens.

While it exports to SVG, it lacks proper support for grouping objects and folders. However you can still create SVG characters for Cartoon Animator, then use a desktop vector editor to organise your sprites into the correct folder groups and template.

Though I haven’t explored the animation tools much, it’s touted as a Synfig Studio alternative, capable of advanced keyframe and auto-tweening animation. It's not immediately obvious how the animation workflow functions but I found some tutorials by P-Titus Concept who has a helpful play list here.

Draw Cartoons 2 (F/P)

Draw Cartoons 2 has been on my mobile devices for years and is the only mobile app (beyond Stick Nodes) I can find that uses rigged 2D puppet animation.

Create your own characters and other assets or use the packs that come with it.

If I was ever looking to create 2D animation solely on a mobile device this is probably the app I'd not only choose, but consider upgrading to the Pro version (which is not that expensive for lifetime access).

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Hopefully you found something useful in this selection. I deliberately haven't listed any 2D animation apps that focus exclusively on hand drawn animation (or stop motion) because there are so many of these, and they're not really the fastest way to make animation unless you specifically want to learn traditional techniques.

I'm very interested if you know of other Vector based mobile apps along the lines of Draw Cartoons 2 or Vector Motion. Particularly vector drawing apps that support SVG fully with the ability to create groups and folders. Please share any such apps for Android mobile devices in the comments.

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