# RoughAnimator - animation app — Draw frame-by-frame animation

> Professional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation app for iPad. (iPhone/iPad app by Jacob KAFKA.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jacob KAFKA](https://appshunter.io/developer/954718243)
- Category: Graphics & Design, Entertainment
- Price: $7.99
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 2,936 App Store ratings · 838 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13 · 31 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-01-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244/reviews.md

## What is RoughAnimator?

A fully featured hand drawn animation application for iPad. Made by an animator, for animators. Powerful enough for professionals, simple enough for beginners. Everything you need to create traditional hand drawn frame-by-frame animation, anywhere you go!

Features:
- Timeline with unlimited layers and easily adjustable exposure length of individual drawings, for pose-to-pose or straight-ahead animating
- Onion skinning
- Preview playback
- Scrub along timeline
- Import audio for lip syncing
- Import video for rotoscoping animation
- Custom brushes
- Supports Apple Pencil, Logitech Crayon
- Control framerate and resolution
- Export animation to Quicktime video, GIF, or image sequence
- RoughAnimator projects can be imported to Adobe Flash/Animate, After Effects, and Toon Boom Harmony
- Also available on desktop

See a short film animated with RoughAnimator:
https://youtu.be/vaHuJNNPoMM

## Key features

- 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

## Chart rankings

- #6 in Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

## What do users think of RoughAnimator?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

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

**Cons**

- 🐛 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

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when importing audio
- Onion skin not working
- Pixelated drawings when playing animation
- Laggy performance with larger projects

**Most requested features**

- Add transparency support for exports
- Implement a text tool
- Provide more brush options and customization
- Add a ruler/shape tool
- Improve audio handling (record, import, sync)
- Implement a tween/animation feature
- Add layer grouping and organization tools
- Provide a dark mode option

## Recent user reviews (10 of 838)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Awesome

*2026-08-24*

Awesome sauce

### 3/5 — Plz help

*2026-08-16*

Omg it’s really good but whenever I try to tilt something I moved with this tool (idk what it’s called) it disappears and it’s SUPER ANNOYING. ROUGHANIMATOR PLEASE FIX THIS

### 5/5 — add a tweening feature

*2026-08-15, version 4.23*

this app is great I love using it but it would honestly better if you added tweening

### 5/5 — One problem

*2026-08-05, version 4.23*

When I was using it, everything was fine but now it’s not letting me draw every single time I try to draw right now nothing appears it’s just a blank canvas ( paper,screen? Oh well) can you please fix this? Thank you.

### 5/5 — Simple and effective

*2026-07-22, version 4.23*

Simple, no ads, has layers soooo goooood purely because I hate flip-a-clip.

### 5/5 — Awesome

*2026-07-15, version 4.23*

I love this program. It makes it super easy for a beginner like me to pick up and start animating. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other programs, but it’s great for practicing the fundamentals.

### 5/5 — Helped me alot!

*2026-07-06, version 4.23*

Super good, highly recommended may be tricky at first (especially if you came from flipaclip), but after a few animations you're get the hang of it. 5 stars

### 5/5 — The downfall of flipaclip

*2026-07-06*

I LOVE ROUGH ANIMATOR PRAY FOR THE DOWNFALL OF FLIPACLIP

### 5/5 — Life changing (for an animator)

*2026-07-04, version 4.23*

Its cheap, its efficient, it feels great and it works great! Been using it for nearly a year now and safe to say, ill be sticking with this for probably the rest of my life (probably)

### 5/5 — Amazing app

*2026-07-03, version 4.23*

Amazing and fun to work with super amazing

## Frequently asked questions about RoughAnimator

### 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.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.25 — 2026-08-25

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

### 4.23 — 2026-03-14

- Optional linear interpolation for camera movement

### 4.22 — 2026-01-19

- Bug fixes

### 4.21 — 2025-12-03

- Bug fixes

### 4.20 — 2025-09-15

- iPadOS 26 compatibility fixes

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*