10 Best Animation Software for Mac (Free and Paid)

Animation has come a long way since the creation of the world’s first animation movie in 1908. Nowadays, it is used for movies, marketing, advertising, gaming, and a myriad of other purposes. Similarly, the market is flooded with numerous animation software for Mac – the preferred device for animation. Each app caters to a different type of animation and a different segment of animators. Choosing the proper animation software can therefore become confusing.

In this article, we have compiled a list of the best and free animation apps to help you in your animation journey.

Table of Contents
Canva for Mac Adobe Animate Pencil 2D Blender Autodesk Maya Daz 3D Studio Toon Boon Harmony Cinema 4D LightWave 3D Synfig FAQ’s On Animation Apps For Mac

Top 10 Animation Software for Mac –

1. Canva for Mac

Compatibility: macOS 10.14 and above | Pricing: Basic version: Free, Pro version: $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year | Difficulty level: Easy

Canva for Mac is extremely simple and among the best free animation apps. Use their extensive collection of templates, stickers, and GIFs to animate, or make your own designs and animate them in a few clicks. The easy drag-and-drop interface simplifies the process. Even newbies can start their journey easily with Canva. This is the best animation software for Mac so far.

2. Adobe Animate

Compatibility: macOS 10.12 (64 bit) or version 10.13 (64 bit) | Pricing: Animate, as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud (CC), is priced at $20. 99/month. | Difficulty level: Intermediate

No creative software list can be complete without Adobe’s product. When it comes to animation software, Adobe has Animate. It lets users create frame-by-frame animation with vector graphics using shapes, patterns, curves, etc. These can be used in games, apps, videos, TV shows, and online. It gives you ample features to help you with different types of animation projects which makes it one of the best animation programs.

3. Pencil 2D

Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or higher | Pricing: Pencil 2D is free and open-source. | Difficulty level: Easy

Pencil 2D is among Mac’s finest free animation software for 2D animation – perfect for those entering this field solely focusing on 2D animation. Switching between workflows on the straightforward interface is easy. You can save your animations as bitmap or vector drawings. The app gets frequent incremental updates and has tremendous community support.

4. Blender

Compatibility: macOS 10.13 all versions and above | Price: Free | Difficulty level: Pro

Like Pencil 2D, Blender is a free animation app for Mac. The open-source software supports 2D and 3D animation creation. It supports the entire animation workflow, from modeling to video editing. Its path-tracer engine offers ultra-realistic rendering. Its strong community base provides sufficient support to new users.

5. Autodesk Maya

Compatibility: Apple macOS 10.13.x and above | Pricing: Free trial | Paid version: $1785 per year | Difficulty level: Pro

Autodesk Maya, a powerful animation software for Mac. It has even been used in movies like Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. Its several features let you create characters, motion graphics, backgrounds, etc. It is among the best apps for rendering, simulation, and animation. As it is designed for experienced users, it is recommended for those well-familiar with animation software.

6. Daz 3D Studio

Compatibility: macOS 10.7 and above. | Pricing: Free | Difficulty level: Medium

Daz 3D Studio is a feature-rich, free animation software for Mac for creating stunning, realistic character production, 3D animation, modeling, and rendering. It provides GPU-accelerated real-time rendering to give natural, photo-realistic results. Its large product library and interactive tutorials make it one of the easiest-to-learn animation apps for Mac.

7. Toon Boom Harmony

Pricing: Price: $25.50 -$117.50 per month | Free trial available | Compatibility: macOS 10.13.6 and higher | Difficulty level: Intermediate

Harmony is a professional 2D animation software for Mac for creating animations easily with several drawing and animation tools. It supports color control, recoloring, HD to 8K rendering, vector drawing, and bitmap support. It offers plenty of control over your designs. Harmony has been used in creating The Simpsons series and several other animated TV shows.

8. Cinema 4D

Pricing: Price: $999/year | Trial: Free for 14 days | Compatibility: macOS 10.14.6 and above. 10.15.7 is the recommended version for smooth operation. | Difficulty level: Easy

Cinema 4D is a long-standing, popular tool among Mac users. It helps create complex 3D animations, motion graphics, and illustrations. Although it is professional software, even students can master it easily thanks to its easy-to-understand user interface. The app developers have also provided numerous tutorials and quick tips to help newbies.

9. LightWave 3D

Pricing : LightWave 3D will cost you $995.00. There is also a 30-day free trial. | Compatibility: macOS 10.12 and above | Difficulty level: Pro

LightWave 3D is a fully-fledged animation software for creating animations, motion graphics, product designs, etc. It has been used in films, TV shows, and video game development. It combines a state-of-the-art renderer with powerful animation and graphics designing tools.

10.  Synfig

Pricing : Synfig is free and open-source. | Compatibility: macOS 10.8 or above | Difficulty level: Pro

Synfig is an advanced 2D animation tool and one of the best animation software for Mac for 2D animation. Its numerous features include the ability to create animations with Bitmap images, multiuser support for group projects, filters, distortion, and transformations.

FAQs on Animation Software for Mac

1. What is the best animation software for Mac?

This choice will vary from person to person, depending upon their needs, familiarity, and preferences. Based on our research, the ones discussed in this article are the top ten animation programs suited for this purpose. Many others may be more suited to your requirements and level of comfort.

Adobe Animate is a good software to begin your animation journey. However, if you are already experienced, you can upskill with Autodesk Maya and create complex 3D animations.

2. Is a Mac good for animation?

Mac is a good choice compared to Windows devices when it comes to animation. The seamless integrity and ecosystem of the hardware and software make Mac a powerful and preferred device for animation.

3. Do Macs have animation software?

Mac does not have an inbuilt animation software per se. But, you can create simple animations with the inbuilt Keynote app.

4. What is the best 2D animation software for Mac?

This choice will vary from person to person. However, we would recommend Pencil 2D and Blender for 2D animation.

Conclusion

Choosing the right animation program seems like a difficult job. But, if you know what you want, the task becomes relatively easy. These are some cutting-edge animation programs compatible with Mac, as per our research.

Canva and Adobe Animate are the leading apps for lightweight animation tasks, in our opinion. If you want to do heavy-duty work, Autodesk Maya and Lightwave 3D are your best bet.

Which app is the best animation software for Mac, according to you? Is there any other app you are using for animating on your Mac? Let us know.