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RoughAnimator - animation app

RoughAnimator - animation app

Draw frame-by-frame animation

2.9K ratings
849 reviews
#8 in paid Graphics & Design
🎬 Entertainment
🎨 Graphics & Design
$7.99

Lowest price: $5.99 4 years ago (-33%)

Price history

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • January 21, 2015
  • August 25, 2026

Developer

Jacob KAFKA
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RoughAnimator - animation app screenshot #1 for iPhone
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About

Create traditional hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animations on your iPad. This app offers professional-grade tools like unlimited layers, onion skinning, and audio import, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced animators. Export your work in various formats or import it into professional animation software.

✓Timeline with unlimited layers
✓Onion skinning
✓Audio and video import
✓Custom brushes
✓Apple Pencil support
✓Export to video, GIF, image sequence
✓Import to professional software
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What users say

Summarized from real user reviews of RoughAnimator. Based on 2.9K reviews and a 4.6/5 average, it highlights the 6 positives and 6 negatives reviewers mention most about this Graphics & Design app.

Positive things

  • 👍Easy to use
  • 🚀Smooth animation
  • 💡Useful features like camera and audio
  • 👍Intuitive interface
  • 👍Great for beginners
  • 👍Affordable one-time purchase

Negative things

  • 🐛Crashes when importing video/audio
  • 🐛Laggy performance with larger projects
  • 🐛Pixelated/blurry drawings when playing animation
  • 🐛Onion skin not working
  • 🐛Brush issues like splotchy lines
  • 🐛Inability to delete frames
See all reviews

What's New in RoughAnimator

4.25

August 25, 2026

- Bug fix: crash after using the lasso fill tool repeatedly

Charts

Top Paid

📈 8+5

Graphics & Design

This app rose +5 positions in Graphics & Design chart.

Last updated on October 9, 2026.

User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

Awesome This is the best animation software I’ve been using so far and I love it

This an amazing app it make animation much easier
Mr puzzles.10Mr puzzles.10

Really Great

This is my first real animation app (I used to use ibisPaint) and it’s really good! Pretty simple, though it took me a bit to get the hang of the controls (as to be expected). I have been experiencing some issues with it, though, which are: sometimes the app randomly freezes, and I’m not able to select frames, but I can do everything else? I have to close the app to reset it, which is annoying, and it happens pretty often. Also, when I try to color, it causes this weird glitch, where it forms a reddish-green ring around the stroke. I’m able to get past this by coloring in a large area and using the lasso to erase the parts around the outline, but it’s still kind of annoying. This might just be something wrong with my iPad, though. But for animating, especially lip syncing, this app is amazing! (Especially compared to ibisPaint, I have been animating on that for way too long and this app feels much better for that) Highly recommended!!
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🍁Sage🍁🍁Sage🍁

Amazing animation app

This is AMAZING though is kinda hard at first I made some amazing animations on it and I am LOVING THIS!
agentjibsagentjibs

Good but the brushes sucks

Allow more customizations for brushes :( and pls make it less buggy. When I use my phone, it would crash when I have a lot of frames and its sad because I would like to make longer projects.

OVERALL! everything is pretty good. Just please more customizations for brushes!!
willyWonkaTotallywillyWonkaTotally

Best Beginner Friendly app for Animation

This app is great for people who want to animate but don’t want high level Pixar
 type animations and more for just a little hobby, if you want this Pixar level animation, i recommend getting a much more complicated animation app, also this isn’t necessary but maybe you could have a few more brush types, other than that this app is legendary for hobby animations
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Alf_art100Alf_art100
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User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

4 issues

Crashes when importing audio

Bug

Onion skin not working

Bug

Pixelated drawings when playing animation

Bug

Laggy performance with larger projects

Bug
✨

Requested Features

8 requests

Add transparency support for exports

Feature

Implement a text tool

Feature

Provide more brush options and customization

Feature

Add a ruler/shape tool

Feature

Improve audio handling (record, import, sync)

Feature

Implement a tween/animation feature

Feature

Add layer grouping and organization tools

Feature

Provide a dark mode option

Feature

FAQ

What is RoughAnimator?

RoughAnimator is a fully featured hand-drawn animation application designed for iPad. It provides tools for creating traditional frame-by-frame animations, suitable for both beginners and professional animators. You can draw, animate, and export your creations directly from your device.

What are the key features of RoughAnimator?

Key features include a timeline with unlimited layers, adjustable exposure lengths, onion skinning for smooth transitions, preview playback, and timeline scrubbing. It also supports audio import for lip-syncing, video import for rotoscoping, custom brushes, and Apple Pencil/Logitech Crayon compatibility.

How much does RoughAnimator cost?

Based on the provided information, this application is a paid app. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or subscription models, indicating a one-time purchase for full access.

What animation software can I import RoughAnimator projects into?

RoughAnimator projects can be easily imported into professional animation software such as Adobe Flash/Animate, After Effects, and Toon Boom Harmony. This allows for seamless integration into existing professional workflows.

Can I use RoughAnimator for rotoscoping?

Yes, RoughAnimator supports video import, which is essential for rotoscoping animation. You can import a video and draw over it frame by frame to create animated sequences based on existing footage.