Whiteboard animations are incredibly powerful in capturing viewer’s attention. These videos have an ‘artist’ draw out doodles as a narrator speaks.
Classically though, these types of videos required artistic skills and an overhead camera to capture the time lapsed doodles. This was both time consuming and required some level of creativity.
But, with the help of whiteboard animation software, it is now super easy to create your own whiteboard animation.
Best whiteboard animation software
#1 Recommended
Doodly

Fantastic doodle library and the ability to create custom draw paths!
Best Free Option
Animaker

Create up to 5 short videos a month without paying a penny!
Best for Beginners
VideoScribe

Intuitive interface and great onboarding to get you started!
In the post below, I describe the 9 best whiteboard animation software available. Some of these are paid, while others are free, so there should be something to suit everyone’s needs.
If you think I’ve missed something, be sure to leave me a comment to let me know!
Doodly (#1 Recommended)
Doodly is my number one recommended whiteboard animation software.

Doodly is my favorite software for creating whiteboard animations. It’s super easy to use!
With Doodly you can create whiteboard, greenboard and even glassboard animations.
There are a range of hand types to pick from including male and females, as well as different ethnicities.
A great aspect of Doodly is their custom drawing (Smart Draw) feature. With Smart Draw you can add in your own images and tell the software how you want it to be drawn. This can take some time to do, but the final effect is natural looking and totally worth it.
There are two recurring price options: Standard and Enterprise. Prices start from $20 per month (annual billing).
Standard comes with a basic set of 2,500 pre-made doodle assets, whereas Enterprise comes with more assets (>7,000) and access to the Doodly Club. Members of the Doodly Club get sent new doodle assets each month.
With Doodly, you also get access to the Doodly Design private Facebook group. This active group has over 80,000 members and is full of advice and support on creating your whiteboard animations with Doodly.
- Related: Doodly Review: The Best Whiteboard Animation Software?
- Related: How To Create A Whiteboard Video
Doodly
✔️ >2,500 pre-made doodles
✔️ Custom draw paths
✔️ Record voice over
✔️ Windows and Mac support
$20+
per month
VideoScribe
VideoScribe by SPARKOL offers a 7-day free trial so you can try before you buy.

VideoScribe is another big player in the whiteboard animation field that has been used by companies such as the BBC.
With VideoScribe you can choose to go with their standalone program – Desktop – or their online browser-based version – Browser.
There is an extremely large library of free images to choose from (>11,000 images), that already have animations attached. Custom image imports are also supported, however, the custom draw paths cannot be edited directly in VideoScribe.
There are two pricing options for VideoScribe: Monthly and Annual. Prices are cheapest on their Annual plan, which works out at a reasonable $14 per month.
As mentioned, there is also a 7-day free trial so you can give the software a good test before you buy. There are some limitations with the trial, however, including the presence of a watermark and the lack of high definition video support.
- Related: VideoScribe Review: Is The Whiteboard Software Any Good?
- Related: Doodly vs VideoScribe: Which Software Is Better?
VideoScribe
✔️ 7-day free trial
✔️ >11,000 pre-made doodles
✔️ Record voice over
✔️ Windows, Mac and browser support
$14+
per month
Vyond
Vyond, formerly GoAnimate, is a premium online whiteboard animation software.

Vyond is a fully browser-based software; but, don’t let that put you off. I can assure you Vyond is packed with with all the features you need to create awesome whiteboard videos.
One of the great things about Vyond is the sense of freedom to truly customize the whiteboard animations to the way you want. For example, you can change the facial expression of each doodle character. Want to make them confused? It only takes 2 clicks!
You can even create your own doodle characters from scratch by using their design wizard!
Creating voice overs with Vyond is also super easy. You can either record directly within the software, upload an audio file or use their advanced text-to-speech feature.
Vyond’s pricing starts around $25 per month (annual billing); however, their cheapest plan will include a Vyond logo in the corner of the video.
If you want to see what Vyond can do for you, then you can take advantage of their 14-day completely free trial (no credit card information is required).
Vyond
✔️ 14-day free trial
✔️ Create your own doodles
✔️ Record voice over
✔️ Browser-based software
$25+
per month
Explaindio
Explaindio is an all in one 2D/3D animated video and whiteboard animation software.

If you’re looking to go beyond whiteboard animations, then Explaindio may be for you.
As well as having the ability to create whiteboard animations, you can also use the software to create a range of animated videos – this is ideal for the all round internet marketers.
In terms of assets available for whiteboard animations, with Explaindio you get access to 800 doodle images (black and color). There is also the option to import your own images or browse the integrated Pixabay library.
Imported bitmap images have a draw path automatically attached to them, therefore making them animate without having to do anything.
Explaindio costs $5.58 per monthv ($67 per year), when billed annually.
There is no free trial for Explaindio, but they do have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Explaindio
✔️ Record voice over
✔️ >800 pre-made doodles
✔️ Windows and Mac support
$67+
per year
Renderforest
Renderforest is a freemium software that has a whiteboard animation feature.

Renderforest is the Swiss Army Knife of online video creation. Its versatile capabilities include an animation, cartoon and whiteboard creator. Best of all, there is a free plan available!
Despite labelled as a software, Renderforest is completely browser-based, so there is no need to download and install anything.
There are over 1,000 whiteboard animation scenes that are ready to use and customize. Unlike other whiteboard animation software, the editing capabilities of the scenes are rather restricted, so you can only edit certain areas on the canvas.
With the Free plan, you can create videos up to 3 minutes in length with the use of a limited number of assets. Video exports are restricted to 720p quality and they also contain a watermark.
If you later decide to get away from these restrictions, there are also a number of premium plans to suit your needs.
Renderforest
✔️ 300 MB free storage
✔️ >1,000 whiteboard scenes
✔️ Add color to images
$0+
per month
Animaker
Animaker is an intuitive video explainer creator that can be used for whiteboard animations.

Built using the powerful HTML5 engine, Animaker let’s you create professional looking videos in as little as 10 minutes.
As well as the standard whiteboard background, with Animaker there is also the option to create blackboard, notepad, glassboard and even stitchboard videos!
With Animaker you can record your own voice over, or if you cringe at the sound of your own voice, you can use their state of the art text-to-speech feature to create a human-like voice over directly from text.
The free Animaker plan enables you to create standard definition quality videos of up to 2 minutes in length. You can export up to 5 videos to YouTube each month, each will contain an Animaker watermark.
Upgrading to a premium plan is also fairly cheap – with costs starting at just $10 per month (annual billing).
Animaker
✔️ 5 video exports per month
✔️ Upload to YouTube
✔️ Record voice over
✔️ Import images
$0+
per month
Raw Shorts
Raw Shorts is another web-based video creator that can generate whiteboard animations.

Raw Shorts, like Renderforest, works completely through a web browser.
You start by selecting from dozens of professionally designed templates. Then, customize your animation by adding your own media, text, transitions, effects and audio. Finally, you can promote your video directly through popular social media networks.
The free plan allows you to create 5 short videos (2 minutes long) per month that can be uploaded to YouTube. These videos will also have a watermark and will be in 480p resolution.
If you upgrade to their premium plans, starting at $20 per month (annual billing), then these restrictions start to reduce.
Raw Shorts
✔️ 100 MB free storage
✔️ Upload to YouTube
✔️ 6 media libraries
$0+
per month
Animiz
Animiz’s free plan is one of the best around for creating whiteboard animation videos.

Animiz, unlike the other free software in this list, is an actual software.
Without paying a penny, you get a massive 10 GB of cloud storage. There are also no limitations on the length of recordings and number of videos that can be created using Animiz.
Despite this, videos are exported in standard definition (576p) only and have a watermark attached.
The watermark can be removed by upgrading to their premium plans, which start at $29 per month.
Animiz
✔️ 10 GB free storage
✔️ >500 image assets
✔️ No video length limitation
✔️ Windows support
$0+
per month
Powtoon
Powtoon is a freemium, browser-based, short video creator that can design whiteboard videos.

Their limited Free plan is aimed at those who are casual video creators. You can create HD videos up to 3 minutes long, but it will contain the Powtoon branding when exported.
To remove that pesky branding, their Pro plan lets you export 5 videos that are up to 10 minutes long in full HD every month. It even includes commercial use rights so you can use the videos for commercial and marketing purposes.
Prices for a paid Powtoon plan start at $20 per month (annual billing).
Powtoon
✔️ 100 MB free storage
✔️ Export to YouTube
✔️ 15 whiteboard templates
$0+
per month
What to look for in whiteboard animation software?
When thinking about getting a whiteboard animation software, be sure to consider the following:
- Price
- Voice over support
- Custom drawing
- Free trial
Price
One of the main aspects you need to decide upon is whether you are after a premium or free whiteboard animation software.
The price you pay usually determines what features you will get. The premium ones undoubtedly enable you to create flawless animations, whereas you will be heavily restricted when using free software.
If you are strapped for cash and need a free software, be sure to consider the limitations. These include watermarks, recording time restrictions and low-quality export options.
Voice over support
Most whiteboard animations have a voice over with a narration that complements the drawings.
Some software have voice over recording support, whereas others only allow audio files to be imported. If you’re going to use a voice over, be sure to look for those that have this feature to make you life a little bit easier.
Custom drawing
Most whiteboard animation software come with a library of doodle assets that are ready to use. This means that the doodles will be drawn in a natural fashion since they have a draw path attached.
Some of these libraries can be rather limited, and so you may want to add your own images. Only certain software support custom image imports with custom drawing paths.
With custom draw paths, you can decide how the images are drawn. This way, the doodle animation looks more natural compared with a general hand movement to reveal the image.
Free trial
When you are after a paid whiteboard animation software, then ideally you will want to try before you buy. Look out for those that offer a free trial, or a free plan, to get an idea of the functionality and doodle library on offer.
If there is no free trial, then your next best thing is to look out for a money-back guarantee.
Wrapping up
Whiteboard animations are great videos to grab the viewer’s attention. The great news is that anyone can now create their own animation with the help of the best whiteboard animation software.
If you want all the bells and whistles, then go for a paid software. I use Doodly and absolutely love it.
Got no money to commit? Well start off by using a free alternative. Animaker and RenderForest have strong sets of features without having to pay a penny.
Do you create whiteboard animations? If so, let me know in the comments below the software you use – I’d love to hear them!
Also, if you’re interested in learning about some of the best animation software, then I recommend this list from Pixpa.
Further reading on SideHustleTeach.com
If you want to learn more as to why I believe Doodly is the best whiteboard animation software, then check out my detailed Doodly review. I’ve also got a step-by-step guide on how to create a whiteboard animation too.
hi thanks for so informative article. Could you suggest a software desktop preferably) free or paid which can convert a power point presentation to whiteboard video / doodle?
Hi Roshan,
Many thanks for the feedback 🙂
So, I do not know of a software that has such a feature. Especially if the presentation has a voiceover narration over it, this will be hard to match up the animations automatically with software.
An alternative way would be to recreate the PowerPoint presentation within a whiteboard software, such as Doodly. You could export any voiceover from the presentation and import it into the whiteboard software and use this for your timings.
I hope that makes sense? Do let me know if you find a method, as I am interested myself.
Steven
Hi Steven,
I think the software Powtoon allows you to convert PowerPoints into animation.
Many thanks for sharing Musab. I’ll check Powtoon out
Can Doodle doodle over an existing running video or is that option onl available on Easy Scetch Pro?
Hi Carina,
Unfortunately, you cannot import a video into Doodly. It is on their Feature Request list, so we may see this in the future.
I hope that helps.
Steven
can we export a video from doodle to our laptop
Hi Imran,
Yes you can 🙂
Thanks,
Steven
Bonjour,
Que pensez vous de VideoRobot ?
Merci
Hello,
Many thanks for the suggestion. I have never used VideoRobot before. But, I will have a look and see.
Thanks
Bonjour,
Merci beaucoup pour la suggestion. Je n’ai jamais utilisé VideoRobot auparavant. Mais, je vais jeter un œil et voir.
Merci
thanks
Very welcome Kartikane!
Hi Steven,
Great blog post! Can any of these be used with a Mac?
Thanks Kim!
So, Doodly and VideoScribe are both available for Mac, both of which are great options! A lot of the free software are mainly browser-based 🙂
I’ll also update the post so it is clearer which systems are supported for each software.
Thanks,
Steven
Great information. Thanks.
Thanks Pratima
Very informative
Thanks a lot👏
Thanks Pritam
does both doodly and videoscribe work with M1 mac?
Hi Paul,
Yes, Doodly and VideoScribe both work on Mac 🙂
All the best,
Steven