RoughAnimator - animation app icon
iOS

RoughAnimator - animation app

Draw frame-by-frame animation

by Jacob KAFKA

4.6(3.0K)
Downloads
<3k

Last 30 days

Revenue
$8K

Last 30 days

Rev/Download
$8

Avg per download

Rating
4.6

3.0K reviews

Performance Insights

Category rankings

PaidGraphics & Design#2010

Competition level

Low competition

Under 100K on both downloads and revenue — the kind of niche a small team can still take.

On the store

11 years

Released January 2015 · 106 releases since

App Summary

RoughAnimator - animation app is an iOS app ($7.99) by Jacob KAFKA in the graphics & design category, holding #20 in the paid graphics & design charts. It draws an estimated 1K downloads a month and holds a 4.6-star rating.

  • A paid app priced at $7.99.
  • Ships new versions about one a month.
  • Latest version is 4.25, released August 25, 2026.
  • 78% of ratings are five-star.
  • Available in 1 language.
  • Strongest in US, CN, GB.
  • Downloads at 30.6 MB and requires iOS 13+.
  • Rated 4+.

App details

Version
4.25
Release status
Worldwide
Age rating
4+
Requires
iOS 13+
Size
30.6 MB
Languages
English
Price
$7.99
First seen
January 2015
Top markets
US, CN, GB
Publisher country
US

Release history

106 versions tracked

  1. Version 4.25Latest
  2. Version 4.23
  3. Version 4.22
  4. Version 4.21
  5. Version 4.20
  6. Version 4.19

Ships about one a month.

What users say

5
78%
4
14%
3
3%
2
1%
1
3%
  • 5.0

    Really awesome app!!!

    Hey! I’m an avid animator and have been using this app as my main software for animation when not on my laptop! Despite it being a “rough animation” program (pun intended! 😋) it’s been a huge help for making quick simple test animatics, or even more complex videos, albeit more time consuming! I noticed in an un-sent review I mentioned something about the video import messing with the drawing function, but considering I don’t recall getting irritated with anything in the past months or year, I think it’s most likely fixed now! So thanks so much!!! I really love that you’re occasionally adding new features to help with production, and I absolutely love the keyframe camera! If I could make a suggestion, would it be possible to maybe add keyframes to the other layers, like if you move a layer, or something on the layer, you can choose to use the keyframes to auto-tween the movement of the drawing, or the layer that drawing is on? It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be just like the camera keyframes, but for the rest of the layers! That’s the only thing I can think of right now. Thanks so much for making this app! I’m sure I’ll be using it for as long as I have an iPad or iPhone! Thanks again!!!❤️💖👍

    Reviewed on version 2.01

  • 5.0

    The only animation software for iPad

    This tool is the perfect tool for making clips of animations for a finalized product. Note that this program alone will likely not be enough to finish an entire project in, but the one thing it is very good at is making animations. This is a raster animator, which means there is no key framing and motion tweens, so be aware of that, but if you are looking for a cel animation program, look no further than rough animator! The timeline is simple, but well displayed, makes sense and is easy to use. The brushes that come default feel similar to most Japanese animation and drawing tools (paint tool sai and CSP are my my reference points) and respond greatly to he Apple Pencil. The settings are quite deep as well so you can customize the app to work however you want. Out of every animation app I've tried to use, this is the only one that really does the job and the only one that is worth the cost. Just be aware that this program is light and fast. You should be using this to get basic animation drafts out or even lines and base colors for professional products. The audio control is lacking, and there is no easy way to make a "camera shift" like in flash. But if you're a seasoned animator, you should know that scenes should get compiled into SV or Premier and finalized there. If you are interested in a professional grade animation software, you can't find anything better than this. If you're looking to get a start in cel animation, this is a great place to start with its streamlined GUI. And my note to the developer: keep up the good work. This is the most fun program to animate in on any device. I just pick up the iPad and start drawing. It's so fast, easy, and fun to use! Great job!!!

    Reviewed on version 1.7.5

  • 4.0

    Fantastic app with one distracting problem

    First of all, I absolutely love this app to death- it's extremely user friendly and to my knowledge it's the only one that actually allows audio scrubbing on the ipad. That being said, there's a bit of a problem with the audio settings, which can be intrusive at best and downright startling/painful at worst, if you have very sensitive hearing (as I do). For some reason, if you select a frame or chunk of frames in your animation while you have audio enabled, it will play a preview of the audio wherever you are on the timeline. While I understand that this feature is there to remind the user where in the audio they are, as someone with audio processing issues I find it very startling and distracting to work with, and this feature cannot be turned off without muting the audio entirely. It really discourages me from using the app more than i already do, and I don't... entirely understand its purpose when simply scrubbing can provide the user with the same ability to remember what part of the audio they are working with. Overall I recommend the app, but I would be incredibly grateful if the creator would consider a way to disable this feature so I and others with hearing issues can work more efficiently.

    Reviewed on version 1.8.4

About RoughAnimator - animation app

949 characters

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

Screenshots

1 iPhone screenshot
RoughAnimator - animation app iPhone screenshot 1
Frequently Asked Questions

RoughAnimator - animation app iOS app generates an estimated monthly revenue of $8K.

RoughAnimator - animation app iOS app download estimates are updated daily. The app maintains a 4.6-star rating based on 3.0K user reviews, indicating strong user satisfaction in the mobile app market.

RoughAnimator - animation app iOS app competes actively in the mobile app category. The app's performance metrics suggest significant growth potential in a low-competition segment.

You can download RoughAnimator - animation app iOS app from the App Store for iOS devices, requiring iOS 13 or later. The app provides its core features without requiring in-app purchases.

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