Adobe Character Animator is a groundbreaking 2D character animation software product, based on real-time motion capture through a microphone and webcam, to control layered 2D puppets drawn in Photoshop or Illustrator. Powerful as it is, Adobe Character Animator is less known compared to its other household products like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effect. In fact, users can’t even subscribe to it individually, but need to purchase Adobe’s Creative Cloud first, currently priced at $79.49/mo, so they can be granted access to Adobe Character Animator as part of the plan.
Not only does its pricey subscription fee keep people away, but it requires courses if one hasn’t got their hand on any Adobe product before. Fortunately, there have been emerging many cost-effective but still powerful free alternatives to Adobe Character Animator.
Mango Animate Character Maker is developed under the logic of skeletal animation. To put it simply, it can build a character from a PNG image or PSD layers, by giving it a full set of bone structures and then manipulating the bones to make the character do motions. It dwarfs other character animation software with its infinite customization options. Users can choose any of the many built-in character templates it provides and customize every part of the character, including skin colors, facial features, accessories, clothing to name a few. It’s now widely acknowledged as the best free alternative to Adobe Character Animator.
Aimed to find out the best Adobe Character Animator alternative, we compare Adobe Character Animator with Mango Animate Character Maker in general to see their pros and cons.
| Features | Adobe Character Animator | Mango Animate Character Maker |
| Free Trial | 7 days | Always Free |
| Pricing | $599.88/yr (only available as part of Adobe’s App plan) | $139/Lifetime |
| Picture to Character | ✔ | ✔ |
| Skeletal Animation | ❌ | ✔ |
| Live Motion Capture | ✔ | ❌ |
| Character Rigging | ✔ | ✔ |
| Custom Facial Features & Expressions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Built-in Outfits & Accessories Library | ❌ | ✔ |
| Free Character Templates | ✔ | ✔ |
| Huge Motion Templates | ❌ | ✔ |
| Supported Import File Formats | .AI/.AIFF/.JPEG/.JPG/.PNG/.PSD/.PUPPET/Video/Audio | PNG/PSD/GIF Video/Audio |
| Auto Motion Keyframe | ❌ | ✔ |
| Built-in Image Capturer | ❌ | ✔ |
| Output Formats | PNG/WAV/MP4 | PNG/GIF/MP4/MOV |
| Custom Resolution | ❌ | ✔ |
| Custom BG Color | ✔ | ✔ |
| Transparent BG | ❌ | ✔ |
| Loop | ✔ | ✔ |
| Frame Looping Selection | ❌ | ✔ |
| Drag & Drop | ✔ | ✔ |
| Multi-track Timeline | ❌ | ✔ |
| Social Sharing | ✔ | ✔ |
| Privacy Settings | ✔ | ✔ |
| 24/7 Technical Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Adobe Character Animator adopts the advanced live motion capture; while Mango Animate Character Maker uses the skeletal animation technology. The former is absolutely awesome because it syncs with human actions in real-time. But on the premier that one has designed a mature character first if they don’t want to use the built-in puppet templates. They also need to command either Photoshop or Illustrator if they want to adjust the character.
Considering user-friendliness, Mango Animate Character Maker is a great Adobe Character Animator alternative. Mango Animate Character Maker in this respect is more user-friendly and accommodates users of all levels. It allows users to edit the character right in the software with provided assets or their uploads. Although not that convenient as the live motion capture, the preset bone and motion templates will help users (especially beginners) to save time and make satisfying character animations in no time. Above all, the user only needs to pay once to get a Pro lifetime license, no recurring subscription fee ever. It’s now widely considered as the most desired Adobe Character Animator alternative.
Why You Should Choose Mango Animate Character Maker As Free Alternative to Adobe Character Animator
Photo to Character
Turn your static artwork into lifelike 2D characters. Import PNG/PSD files to Mango Animate Character Maker, add bones and nodes to it and edit character poses, actions and even expressions as wanted.
Easy Rigging
Rig any 2D character with the easiest bone tool, or use premade bone templates to work faster. Mango Animate Character Maker empowers everyone to create pro-level character rigging in a blink.
Pre-set Bone & Motion Templates
Bone templates help you rig the character in a split second; motion templates enable you to animate the characters to fully act out your script. Both are handy tools in making character animations easy and quick.
Built-in Cartoon Characters
Access to a huge library of character templates. You can utilize all kinds of human and animal templates with pre-made bone structures to shorten the creation process.
Infinite Customization
Build a unique and distinctive character with your personal touch. Pick a role and you will be able to customize its appearance using our huge library of animation assets or your own uploads.
Multiple Output Options
Quickly publish your animated character in various formats, including MP4, MOV, PNG, and animated GIF. Share your masterpiece and reach viewers on any platform.
Free animation maker to make explainer videos, promo videos, training videos, whiteboard videos, character videos, and text videos.
