Animated videos are the highest-effort-looking content you can make with the lowest actual effort — I've built explainers, product promos and social clips in these tools for years, and nobody ever guesses they took an afternoon. Browser-based animation apps have gotten dramatically better since we first published this guide: templates are sharper, AI now drafts scripts and scenes for you, and every tool below has a free tier you can try today.
One update from the original list: Adobe retired Spark Video (it became part of Adobe Express), so that entry now points at the tool that replaced it. Everything else here is current and working in 2026.
Quick answer: For most people, FlexClip or Renderforest is the fastest route to a polished animated video from a template. Powtoon is best for animated explainers with characters, Lumen5 turns blog posts into videos automatically, and Doodly is the pick for whiteboard-style sketches. All nine below work in your browser, with a free tier to test on.
The 9 tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free tier? | Typical paid pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlexClip | Template promos & slideshows | Yes | From ~$10-20/mo |
| Biteable | Team-friendly animated clips | Yes | ~$19-49/mo |
| Renderforest | All-in-one templates + logo animation | Yes | From ~$10/mo |
| MakeWebVideo | After Effects-grade templates, pay-per-video | Free previews | Per video or monthly |
| Powtoon | Character explainers & animated presentations | Yes | From ~$15-20/mo |
| Animoto | Quick photo/video montages | Yes (watermark) | From ~$9/mo billed yearly |
| Adobe Express | Branded social animations (ex-Spark Video) | Yes | Free; Premium in Creative Cloud plans |
| Lumen5 | Blog post → video, automatically | Yes | From ~$19-29/mo |
| Doodly | Whiteboard animation | Trial | One-time or monthly |
Prices move often — treat them as ballparks and check each site's pricing page before buying.
1. FlexClip
FlexClip is the tool I hand to beginners: pick a template (promos, slideshows, explainers, ads), swap in your own images, clips and music, add animated text and a logo, done. It also has AI script and text-to-video features that take the blank-canvas problem away.
Watch out for: the free plan caps export quality and length, so check the limits before you commit to a project.
2. Biteable
Biteable nails the "team without a video person" use case. It's built around animated scenes and characters you assemble like slides, with a strong stock library and templates for ads, social clips, and internal-comms videos. The output looks professionally art-directed even when your input is a bullet list.
Watch out for: it's template-scene-based rather than frame-by-frame — if you want full animation control, look at Powtoon or Doodly.
3. Renderforest
Renderforest is the broadest all-in-one of the bunch: video templates, logo animation, website mockup videos, and slideshows in one subscription. The template quality is consistently good, which matters when you're producing several videos a month and can't art-direct each one.
Watch out for: export limits on cheaper plans; the per-export credits can run out faster than you expect.
4. MakeWebVideo
The quiet specialist of this list. MakeWebVideo's templates are actual After Effects projects that their cloud renders for you — you edit text, images and music in the browser and download a full-HD MP4 without a watermark. You can preview free and pay per video, which is perfect for a one-off logo intro or event promo, and there's an unlimited monthly plan if volume grows.
Watch out for: it's template-driven, not a free-form animation studio.
5. Powtoon
Powtoon is the animated-explainer standard: cartoon characters, props, transitions and text effects arranged on a slide-style timeline. Teachers and L&D teams live in it, and the "animated presentation" format — half slides, half cartoon — still stands out in corporate settings. You can export or publish straight to YouTube and social platforms.
Watch out for: free exports carry a watermark and length limits; the useful plans start around $15-20/month.
6. Animoto
Animoto turns your photos and clips into a montage quickly — holidays, events, real-estate walkthroughs, quick social videos. Drag media in, pick a style, let it sync to the music. The free plan is genuinely usable (with a watermark), and paid plans from roughly $9/month billed annually lift the limits.
Watch out for: it's a montage tool, not a character-animation studio.
7. Adobe Express (replaces Spark Video)
Adobe retired the old Spark trio in 2021 and folded its capabilities into Express. For animated video, Express covers the social-media sweet spot: animated text, stickers and templates sized for every platform, plus your brand fonts, colors and logo applied automatically. If you're already in the Adobe ecosystem, it's the zero-extra-cost option — a free plan exists, and Premium comes with Creative Cloud.
Watch out for: it animates text and graphics rather than producing cartoon scenes.
8. Lumen5
Lumen5 is the tool for repurposing: paste a blog post URL and it drafts a storyboard — splitting your text into scenes, matching stock visuals, and laying it over music. I use it to turn TechBii articles into short clips; the AI draft is usually 80% there. It's also gained AI voiceover options, so a "talking" video needs almost no recording.
Watch out for: review the auto-picked visuals — occasionally the stock matches keywords, not meaning.
9. Doodly
Doodly makes whiteboard-style videos — the hand-drawing-sketches explainer format — without you drawing anything. Drag characters and props onto the canvas and the software animates a hand drawing them; you can record a voiceover per scene. It still converts for course creators and coaches.
Watch out for: it's a paid product with a trial, not a free tier.
How to choose
Working from intent: explainer with characters → Powtoon. Fast, polished promo from a template → FlexClip or Renderforest. One-off logo animation, pay once → MakeWebVideo. Blog-to-video on autopilot → Lumen5. Whiteboard style → Doodly. Social animations inside your existing Adobe plan → Express. Simple montage of your own footage → Animoto or Biteable. And if animated videos are part of a wider marketing push, my guide to content marketing for e-learning startups covers where video fits in the funnel.
FAQ
What's the best free app for making animated videos?
For a truly free start: Animoto and FlexClip both have usable free plans (watermarked exports), Adobe Express has a generous free tier for social animations, and Lumen5's free plan lets you test blog-to-video with its branding. Start free, and only upgrade when a specific limit — export quality, length, watermark — actually blocks you.
Can I make an animated video without any design skills?
Yes — that's what these tools exist for. Templates handle layout, timing and transitions; you supply text, images and a logo. Lumen5 goes furthest by drafting the whole storyboard from a URL, and Biteable's scene system keeps everything on-style automatically. If you can make a slide deck, you can finish a video in any of these.
Which tool is best for explainer videos with characters?
Powtoon is the strongest dedicated option, with a large cast of animated characters, props and scene templates built for explainers and training. Biteable is a close second if you want a lighter, more modern look with less timeline work. Doodly covers the same niche in whiteboard style.
Are online animation tools good enough compared to desktop software?
For marketing, social and training video — yes, decisively. After Effects still wins for frame-by-frame control and effects, but it costs far more in money and learning time. MakeWebVideo is an interesting middle path: professional After Effects templates rendered in the cloud, so you get the output quality without opening the software.
How long does it take to make an animated video with these tools?
First video: 1-3 hours including account setup and template browsing. After you know the tool, a 60-90 second template-based video takes 30-60 minutes; Lumen5's automated path can produce a draft in about five minutes. Voiceover recording usually adds the most time, followed by finding the right music track.
Can I use these tools for commercial and client work?
Mostly yes, but check two things per tool: the license on stock assets (some free-tier assets are non-commercial), and whether your plan allows commercial use at all — a few entry tiers restrict it. MakeWebVideo even markets itself for reselling videos to clients, and Renderforest and FlexClip have business plans designed for agency use.
Related reading
- The key to content marketing for e-learning startups
- Why use infographics in your digital marketing
- Tips for crafting great speeches and presentations
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I've made promo and explainer videos with most of these tools for client work over the years — if you're stuck choosing, tell me what the video is for in the comments and I'll point you at one.
