Video Animation has come a long way from the days of Walt Disney in the Laugh-O-Gram Studio. Current technology now allows anyone to create a video animation without any need for actual technical skills or a huge production budget. Video animations are being used more and more frequently in the world of digital marketing to boost SEO, increase conversion and click-through rates.
They are increasingly being used to support offline pitches and are useful in networking and meetings. So how exactly can you make your own video animation to promote your business, ace that university presentation or become a YouTube sensation? We’ve analysed the range of video animation tools available online and come up with a list of what we think are 5 of the best ones.
The Top 5 Online Video Animation Tools
1. GoAnimate
Pros: GoAnimate is one of our favourite tools to create superior quality video animations. With GoAnimate, you don’t need to have any animation skills or video production knowledge to create professional looking cartoons in Full HD. It allows you to choose from 3 themes: “Business Friendly”, “Whiteboard Animation” or “Video Infographics”, and then customize your characters, props, background, text, audio, speed and duration. Videos can be downloaded and exported once you’re done. GoAnimate is easy to use and ideal for product promotion in small to medium sized businesses, freelancers and YouTubers.
Cons: GoAnimate restricts usage on the 14 day free trial and upgrading to a plan is expensive. Videos are unable to be downloaded on the free plan, but a link to the video can be copied and shared. Alternatively you can record the finished video using Camtasia however the video will contain a watermark.
2. Powtoon
Pros: Powtoon is great for creating how-to videos, slideshows and business presentations. It is suitable for students and educators and comes with 11 pre-loaded templates. Users can easily customise the text, characters, transitions and effects to create a cartoon. The free version allows you to upload your video to YouTube or Wistia.
Cons: Downloading you video is only available on the premium plan. The design quality is basic and would probably benefit students and teachers over businesses. Videos made on the free plain will contain a Powtoon watermark, and downloading in HD is only available for paid subscribers.
3. Wideo
Pros: Wideo offers a huge range of free templates best suited for creating highly professional business presentations, video ecards, promotional videos and showcases. It allows users to customize their video to suite their company by incorporating logos and company colours. Videos can be saved to users accounts and finished videos can be embedded into websites using the ready embed code.
Cons: Videos are capped at 45 seconds long, and users will need to upgrade to a paid plan to create longer videos. Videos cannot be downloaded on the free plan and users will either need to pay to download or pay a monthly subscription fee. HD is only available for paid subscribers as is watermark removal.
4. Moovly
Pros: Moovly offers a range of libraries full of free assets that can be easily dragged and dropped to make a unique video. Users are rewarded in additional sounds or objects when completing simple tasks like filling out their profile. An unlimited number of 10 minute videos can be created with the free account in 480p quality.
Cons: Download is only available in SD with the free plan, and videos will contain a Moovly watermark. While the tool is easy to use, the design quality is average. It’s less professional style is more suited to educators and entrepreneurs more so than businesses.
5. Animaker
Pros: A free subscription to Animaker gives users access to basic features and 9 preloaded free templates. The professional design is suited for small and medium sized businesses and product marketers. This tool allows users to add text to slides and Animaker will automatically create the plot for you.
Cons: Videos are limited to 2 minutes and are only available in SD in the free plan. Users will need to upgrade to the personal plan to be able to download their videos however videos can be uploaded directly to YouTube on the free plan.
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In summary, there are a multitude of free online video animation tools out there that can provide great promotional material for your company. If you’re lacking in animation expertise, on a tight budget, or have limited time constraints, free online animation tools can provide a great, cheap alternative to outsourcing animations to a professional video studio. However, if you're after something a little more polished, another great option is to find a freelance animator to produce animated video content for you as and when you need it.
About Clipchamp
We’ve built a number of video tools that work in the browser without your videos getting uploaded to a server before they can get processed. Our range includes a free video converter, video editor, video recorder, video compressor and a JavaScript Camera API to use our tech on your own website.
