RoughAnimator - animation app

RoughAnimator - animation app

Draw frame-by-frame animation

2.9K ratings
846 reviews
#10 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
RoughAnimator - animation app screenshot #1 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
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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

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What's New in RoughAnimator

4.25

August 25, 2026

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

Charts

Top Paid

This app dropped -2 positions in Graphics & Design chart.

Last updated on September 18, 2026.

User reviews

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!!

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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Great for basic animation.

This app has a lot of great features, more specifically with how you can use the frames. With FlipaClip you have to create a new frame every time, which is annoying if you need an extended frame; but with Rough Animator, you can drag any frame to be as long as you want. It’s also a lot easier to delete frames on Rough Animator vs FlipaClip.
Very easy to create lots of layers, the only limiting factor being your device’s ability to handle the load; which if you have the same devices I do, it doesn’t take very much to crash the app.
I do wish there was more to play around with the selection feature, since it is very basic, but it’s able to get the job done.
It’s worth mentioning that for animation, while not having as many brushes, Rough Animator works better for me than FlipaClip.
Overall, very solid. I will be continuing to use Rough Animator for a while.
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Amazing

4 years I like it

🤯

I bought this app after quitting FlipaClip bc they wanted me to pay a monthly subscription just to see a frame ahead with onion skin, and WOW!
First of all, the amount of things u can do with this app with just 8 dollars is crazy! You can draw perfect straight lines, circles, squares, it has a smoothing setting for your lines, you can import videos, audio, pictures, png images, unlimited layers, a ton of layer settings (that I don’t understand a lot of yet lol), and a ton more!
Second, I saw a ton of reviews saying, “it can’t do this” or, “it can’t do that” when the app literally can they just haven’t watched a YouTube tutorial lol. Also there are reviews that say, “the app keeps crashing” which the app does crash sometimes but that’s only if u have like 8 different layers and a 300 frame video on full resolution😂.
This app is a goldmine for people who want to animate professionally! You just have to know how to use it!
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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.