--- title: "Pencil2D Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Pencil2D Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Vector Graphics products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/210781/Pencil2D/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Pencil2D Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on August 20, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Pencil2D ## What is Pencil2D? Pencil2D is an open-source 2D animation solution. This cross-platform program runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, allowing users to draw and create animations. Users can switch between vector and raster workflows while animating. ## What is Pencil2D used for? [Animation](https://www.capterra.com/animation-software/)[Vector Graphics](https://www.capterra.com/vector-graphics-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 13 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Pencil2D?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/pencil2d/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Pencil2D Overview Updated August 2026 AI summary Pencil2D offers organizations of all sizes a platform for creating and editing 2D vector graphics and animations across Linux, Mac, and Windows. It features 2D drawing, image editing, rendering, and project management, with optional animation tools, image tracing, and configurable workflows. Data import/export and third-party integrations support flexible creative processes in animation and vector graphics projects. ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Pencil2D 4.2 (13) VS. [4.7 (7,346)](https://www.capterra.com/p/48969/Adobe-Creative-Cloud/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $52.99 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.2 (13) Ease Of Use 4.2 (580) Value For Money 4.7 (11) Value For Money 4.2 (557) Customer Service 4.2 (10) Customer Service 4.2 (499) ## Pencil2D alternatives [4.6 (1,243)](https://www.capterra.com/p/174232/adobe-express/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [CreateStudio](https://www.capterra.com/p/203897/Create-Studio/) [4.8 (580)](https://www.capterra.com/p/203897/Create-Studio/reviews/) Starting price $27.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/203897/Create-Studio/) [Adobe After Effects](https://www.capterra.com/p/233259/Adobe-After-Effects/) [4.7 (449)](https://www.capterra.com/p/233259/Adobe-After-Effects/reviews/) Starting price $31.49 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/233259/Adobe-After-Effects/) [Animaker](https://www.capterra.com/p/166064/Animaker/) [4.2 (235)](https://www.capterra.com/p/166064/Animaker/reviews/) Starting price $20.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 85% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/166064/Animaker/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/210781/Pencil2D/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Pencil2D Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Pencil2D? Pencil2D is most used by designers, animators, and creative freelancers who need a simple tool for sketching, frame-by-frame animation, and visual storytelling. Students and trainees benefit from its approachable workflow for learning animation basics, while small business leaders and digital creators use it to prototype concepts and produce lightweight visual content. Answer based on 13 reviews Overview ### What company size and specific industries is Pencil2D built for? Pencil2D is designed for small creative teams, independent graphic designers, and animation professionals in the design and media industries. It suits users who need a free, open-source tool for creating two-dimensional animations with bitmap and vector graphics, rather than organizations seeking enterprise-focused animation software. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Pencil2D? Pencil2D offers 2D drawing and animation tools, including animations and transitions, image editing, image tracing, and text overlay. It also supports media import, data import/export, drag and drop, rendering, and video editing. Additional features include configurable workflow, project management, and third-party integrations. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Pencil2D offer? Pencil2D provides videos as its training format. Videos can support self-paced learning and offer visual guidance for getting started with the software and reviewing core functions. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Pencil2D offer? Pencil2D provides Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, and Phone Support. No reviewer feedback is available to describe response times, helpfulness, or common support frustrations, so the support experience cannot be assessed from user sentiment in the catalog data. ## Features AI summary Based on 1,025 Vector Graphics reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of Vector Graphics software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **2D Drawing** (**48%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Text Editing** (**40%**) - **Data Import/Export** (**42%**) Pencil2D supports **2D Drawing** and **Data Import/Export**, giving teams the tools to create frame-by-frame visuals and move files in and out of the system as needed. However, it does not include **Text Editing**. Instead, it offers other features that reviewers also value, such as **Drag & Drop** (**34%**) and **Image Editing** (**29%**), helping businesses work faster with visual assets and adjust graphics more easily during the design process. 2D Drawing 4.4 (5) 80.00% of 5 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Drawing and modeling designs within 2D flat dimensions Drag & Drop 4.0 (4) 75.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Assemble applications and processes by dragging over and arranging pre-built components Rendering 4.6 (5) 80.00% of 5 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Generation of non-photorealistic images from a 2D or 3D model Animations & Transitions 4.0 (4) 75.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Ability to insert animations/transitions Media Import 4.5 (4) 75.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Import various types of media (e.g., images, presentations, videos, music, etc.) to be used in eLearning courses Text Overlay 4.3 (3) 33.33% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create text to match video content Pencil2D 15 features ### All Features - 2D Drawing: Drawing and modeling designs within 2D flat dimensions - Animation: Ability to insert animations/transitions - Animations & Transitions: Ability to insert animations/transitions - Configurable Workflow: Configure existing workflows to meet your organization's needs - Data Extraction: Automatically retrieve and pull information from documents, websites, images, data sets, and other sources - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Drag & Drop: Assemble applications and processes by dragging over and arranging pre-built components - Image Editing: Edit, touch up, and convert images for publishing - Media Import: Import various types of media (e.g., images, presentations, videos, music, etc.) to be used in eLearning courses - Project Management: Plan and coordinate all the resources, costs and time needed to execute assignments - Rendering: Generation of non-photorealistic images from a 2D or 3D model - Text Overlay: Create text to match video content - Third-Party Integrations: Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes - Video Content: Supports video files - Video Editing: Create professional looking videos by manipulating video footage with filters, special effects, trimming, filters and transitions --- Features 3.9 (13) 3.9 Based on 13 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.7 (11) Value for money 4.7 (11) 4.7 Based on 11 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.2 (10) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.2 (10) 4.2 Based on 10 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.2 Based on 13 reviews Filter by rating 5(5) 4(6) 3(2) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent YT Yahya T. Graphic design Graphic Design ### "pencil2d analysis" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 5/10 April 28, 2023 Very good, although it has some drawbacks and lacks a motion curve, but it is good at drawing in 2D Pros Very good in terms of use, tools, and video editing to add visual effects to it and ease of use Cons It is bad in terms of its reliance on manual knocking in the tires and its lack of framerate curve, and it cannot be used in motion graphics Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. WA William A. Motion Designer Computer Software ### "Good free frame-by-frame animating Software" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 2.0 2.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 5/10 February 15, 2023 Pros I like how creative i could get with pencil 2d, it helps, when one knows how to draw. Cons I feel that pencil 2d needs more features to stand out, and then better UX for beginners. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CO Christopher O. Student Graphic Design ### "My experience with Pencil2D" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 December 19, 2022 Pros As a digital artist, I usually try several kinds of drawing/painting softwares to see the differences of these softwares. The tools for 2D drawing is great and easy to use, I really haven't tried animation yet but I will do that pretty soon Cons Well I haven't seen anything that I like least about the software based on the capacity which I have been using it Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AR Anthony R. Freelancer Animation ### "Best for traditional 2D animation" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 January 3, 2022 After practicing with this software to make a few 2D animations, I've had a very positive and professional experience with it. I've found it to be quite sophisticated for both my work and personal needs. Pros This is so quick and easy to learn by anyone. It is suitable for just about any hardware as it is so lightweight. It is free of cost to make traditional frame by frame animation. Cons Some of the final results can look a little scratchy. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Architecture and programming student Computer Software ### "Animation and open source" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 November 2, 2021 In general, it seems like a great software for someone who wants to enter the world of animation. Pros I love that it is open source software. It is very easy to use and the interface is very intuitive, it is also a very light program, it is totally free and runs on any operating system. Cons It is a software for beginners in my opinion, the animations are frame by frame, which is tedious after a while, and it does not support 3d animations. Switched from [Adobe Animate](https://www.capterra.com/p/229311/Adobe-Animate/) Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Senior Process Executive Information Technology and Services ### "Decent software to step into the world of animation." 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 September 12, 2021 Pros Simple interface. Easy to move around the key frames Basic yet powerful feature set. Cons Some of the actions are not intuitive like rotating your drawings, no option to multiply layers, changing bitmap layer to lighter, shading layers. May not be suitable for advanced animations. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BK bheki K. general Construction ### "2d convenience Pencil2D" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 12, 2021 pencil is a very good software for starting with in animation and graphic designing Pros pencil is straight forward it is user friendly. its rendering speed even in slow computers. its frame rate works perfect mostly for starters who are starting with 2d animation. Cons pencil UI is not colorfull enough.so its not easy to make realistic blending color Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AS Amy S. Artist/ Designer Arts and Crafts ### "Want something really neat for free? Here you go" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 8, 2021 Awesome at beginner-friendly hand-drawn animations. It's a no-frills-easy-to-navigate-and-learn 2D animation tool that I find works great on any system. I experienced no lags, just a smooth running format that has you creating with ease Pros It's FREE, user interface is delightfully basic which is a blessing for the newbies, supportive of both Vector and Raster graphics, and no pesky stalling when putting an animation together. Cons The frame by frame technique is how it's done here. No fancy tech frills, though for many this isn't a con Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JD Johnny D. CEO Graphic Design ### "PENCIL2D WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR." 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 July 20, 2021 MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE WAS GOOD. COULD BE A BETTER SOFTWARE, BUT THIS ONE IS A GOOD ONE TO USE. Pros THIS PROGRAM WAS EASY TO FIND, EASY TO USE AND IT GOT THE JOB DID FOR ME IN THE NICK OF TIME! I USE IT ON A NORMAL NOW FOR WEEKLY USES! IT'S EASIER FOR ME TO GET THINGS DONE QUICKLY! Cons I LITERALLY UNDERSTOOD IT WAS A 2D SOFTWARE, I WAS LOOKING FOR ANYTHING THAT I COULD TYPE IN BECAUSE MICROSOFT WOUDLN'T PULL UP! I DON'T HAVE A BAD THING TO SAY ABOUT IT. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AH Adnan H. Management Trainee Officer Banking ### "The best tool to make Incredible 2D animations" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 9, 2021 I have a very nice and professional experience with Pencil2D, because I have created and designed a number of 2D animations using this software. I have found it so incredibly professional for my business and individual requirements. Pros Pencil2D is an amazing and professional tool that allows you to design 2D hand-drawn animations. The software is so easy to use so anyone can learn it easily. It's lightweight and runs almost on every operating system. Cons The tools, features and options of Pencil2D are amazing and fabulous. I never faced any issues and cons. According to my point of view, it's best without cons and issues. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/210781/Pencil2D/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Krita vs Pencil2D](https://www.capterra.com/compare/209859-210781/Krita-vs-Pencil2D)