Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Animation Desk® Draw & Animate vs FlipaClip

Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 4.2★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner FlipaClip
FlipaClip 4.6★ · Free + IAP 70

FlipaClip is the better choice for animation due to its generally more stable performance and easier learning curve, despite its recent increase in ads and paywalls.

Full reviews: Animation Desk® Draw & Animate · FlipaClip

FlipaClip generally offers a more stable and user-friendly animation experience, particularly for beginners, though recent updates have introduced more ads and paywalls. Animation Desk, while praised by some for its free access, is plagued by severe glitches, data loss, and extensive paywalls that hinder its usability.

Head to head

Features & Tools tieR2R3R4R16
Animation Desk® Draw & Animate Animation Desk offers some useful features, but many essential tools like different brush types, colored onion skinning, and the ability to move selections are locked behind paywalls or subscriptions R2R3R4R16. Users also report issues with importing audio, limiting it to iTunes music R32.
FlipaClip FlipaClip is praised for its ease of use and being good for animation, even on phones R72. However, many helpful features such as adding custom sound, more layers (beyond 3), and various brushes are locked behind paywalls or require watching ads R63R64R81.
Ease of Use edge: FlipaClipR32R42R46R53
Animation Desk® Draw & Animate Some users find Animation Desk easy to use and simple for basic animations R32R53. However, others find it hard to use, especially with its user interface R42. New users have also reported difficulty getting started or making animations R46.
FlipaClip FlipaClip is widely considered beginner-friendly and easy to use, even for young animators . However, some recent updates have made the layout harder to understand for some users, particularly regarding audio import and FPS settings .
Reliability & Performance edge: FlipaClipR1R6R8R9
Animation Desk® Draw & Animate Animation Desk suffers from severe and frequent glitches, including videos not importing, random app exits, deleted frames, lost work after crashes, inverted or duplicated drawings, and freezing screens R1R6R8R9. These issues often lead to significant loss of work and frustration.
FlipaClip FlipaClip generally performs well, but some users experience lag, especially with internet connection . Recent updates have introduced bugs where importing photos or videos doesn't work, and the app can crash frequently for some users R67. There are also reports of the app deleting projects or layers .
Price & Value tieR4R5R13R16
Animation Desk® Draw & Animate Animation Desk is free with in-app purchases, but many users feel that too many basic features are locked behind paywalls or subscriptions, making it feel like you have to pay for 'everything' R4R5R16. Ads are also present and can be disruptive R13.
FlipaClip FlipaClip is also free with in-app purchases, but users increasingly complain about an excessive number of ads and features being locked behind paywalls or subscriptions R61R63R64R65. Some long-time users who paid a one-time fee for no ads now see ads again R61.
Pick Animation Desk® Draw & Animate if

You are willing to contend with significant bugs and paywalls for a potentially simple animation experience, or if you are looking for a completely free option for very basic, non-critical animations R2.

Pick FlipaClip if

You are a beginner animator looking for an app that is generally easy to learn and use, and you are willing to either tolerate ads or pay for a subscription to unlock full features and remove ads .

Evidence note: Animation Desk's reviews are heavily skewed towards negative experiences, particularly regarding severe glitches and data loss, making it difficult to find positive feedback on its core functionality beyond initial impressions. FlipaClip, despite its recent negative reviews concerning ads and paywalls, still has a strong base of users who find it effective for animation.

Frequently asked

Does Animation Desk have many glitches?
Yes, Animation Desk is reported to have major glitches, including projects deleting frames, animations flipping upside down, freezing, crashing, and not importing videos R1R6R8R9.
Can I add custom audio to my animations in FlipaClip?
Adding custom audio to animations in FlipaClip typically requires a premium pass or subscription, as this feature is often locked behind a paywall R63R72R81R91.
Are there many ads in FlipaClip?
Yes, FlipaClip users report a significant increase in ads, appearing when opening the app, playing animations, or trying to access features R61R64R65R67.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 5/5 · US Absolutely FANTASTIC: It’s so fun and there are almost NO adds im NOT exaggerating. Only thing I DONT like is that you have to pay for the different brush types that’s the only thing so if the developers could update that it’ll be like a million stars
  2. [R3] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 3/5 · US Decent enough: I feel like it’s so hard for a single animation app to actually include all the things that I feel like should come with it. Colored onion skinning and being able to move around things in a selection should be a basic essential and not behind a gamble or nonexistent!
  3. [R4] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 2/5 · US It could be better: I would have liked it if I didn’t have to pay for everything. I could only use one brush ( and the brush sucked) also it was kinda glitchy. So if you are planning on getting this app I would not recommend it. Developers please make this app more free!! It would be sooooo much better!
  4. [R16] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 1/5 · US ABSOLUTELY GARBAGE: HORRIBLE. YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR EVERY FREAKING THING SEPARATELY YOU HAVE TO PAY TO START PLAYING. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE A PENCIL AND YOU HAVE TO PAY TO SAVE IT. HONESTLY VERY STUPID. DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
  5. [R32] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 4/5 · US Pretty cool: It was super cool to use, simple, but effective, and I really love the fact that when you’re animating, it looks like you’re doing it with an actual animation desk. Though, if you’re making a story time animation, it only lets you import music from iTunes. Still pretty good.
  6. [R42] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 3/5 · US Ugh really hard: This was really hard
  7. [R46] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 1/5 · US SOS: So, I got this app, and I can’t make an animation. I’ve tried everything. Please help. I’d love to be able to use this app. Thanks! -CozyFox26
  8. [R53] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 5/5 · US Easy: Easy to use app and it’s very appropriate to use her children and adults
  9. [R1] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 2/5 · US Wasn’t very satisfied: This app seems good, but I waited half an hour for a video to import, and it didn’t even show at all. Do I just need to wait for it to load, or is it not working? It made me really sad, by the fact that it wasted my time. Please fix :(
  10. [R6] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 3/5 · US Doesn’t Save???: This app was good but while I was in the middle of animating it randomly exits me out and deletes some frames of my work. Idk what’s happening, but maybe fix it?
  11. [R8] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 4/5 · US It’s good but it’s not all that: Hey y’all so the app is good but there are some bugs it’s minor but annoying. First when I zoom in and when I try to get back out I can’t I have to exit the app and go back in. Next is like a toca boca glitch if you work on it for a while you get kicked out it happened to me and when I went back in my animation I was working on was gone. So yeah if you can fix that
  12. [R9] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 3/5 · US 2 Hours of work, GONE!: I was working hard on an animation that I really wanted to be one of my best. I had been drawing for 2 hours straight. 120 frames or so. I really loved it so far. And then, the screen froze. The app force closed and when I re-entered all of my work had erased. I was devastated. This app has done this 3 times now, and my i-Pad is never slow. Be prepared to lose your artwork.
  13. [R5] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 4/5 · US I love it but…: I love this I have made comics and stuff but you do have to pay for certain stuff # a lot. But I still really love it.
  14. [R13] Animation Desk® Draw & Animate 1/5 · US Why?: I wanted to start my own YouTube channel and do storytime animations, but for some stupid reason, it kept making an inverted copy of my drawing upside down and inverted colors. I was going to ignore it and crop it out using my editing program, but it kept doing it over and over and it eventually messed with the original design on the bottom, and that's whenever I quit. Worst app ever, not to
  15. [R63] FlipaClip 3/5 · US Not fair: Why do you make all the helpful and nice things cost money? I’m 9 going on 10 and i cant even add the sound i want without the app trying to force me to pay for premium and also the adds arev very disruptive. I am disappointed that i thought it would be diffrent
  16. [R72] FlipaClip 3/5 · US Pretty Good, just a couple of things that make it annoying: Flipaclip is amazing. Super easy to use, even on my phone.I can understand why this is a thing but it stills frustrates me, the fact that I can’t use my own music in my animation without the pass. I get it of course, but it still makes it tedious for me to use other editing software so I don’t have to spend any money doing a hobby I enjoy
  17. [R81] FlipaClip 3/5 · US Read this please!!!: Honestly its asking for to much whenever I do something, I go to add more onion that suddenly costs money, I do more than six seconds cost money, I cant even do anything without paying so thats 3 stars and flipaclip used to be better than this, you guys are acting money hungry and asking for to much!! Also your app is awesome but I don’t know if you can help me out because I c
  18. [R91] FlipaClip 1/5 · US Money hungry.: I used to be in love with this app as a child, i downloaded it again to attempt and animate like i used too but now the app is completely money hungry. I cant import audio with an AD anymore this is ridiculous
  19. [R61] FlipaClip 1/5 · US What’s happened..: It was 2019. I was happily animating with this app for the first time. It felt so free. I could use anything any time. After a while, I got tired of ads. I purchased a one time fee promising me that I would never have to watch ads again. It was a simple price- $8.00. I kept on animating a ton. It went on for years. Then 2023 came. I got on the app after installing one update- an
  20. [R64] FlipaClip 2/5 · US Ads, greedy.: If you want a simple animation it does the job but it’s exetremely annoying because you have to pay money just to add sound. You could buy the whatever it is and you’ll just get what you’d expect to be free. They really don’t need that much money, they’re just greedy asf and want more. And the every time I want to play my animation it shoves an ad that I’ll never buy a product from i
  21. [R65] FlipaClip 4/5 · US To many adds: 4/5 to many adds
  22. [R67] FlipaClip 1/5 · US Ads, bugs, GREED.: This app was beautiful, wonderful even, until the “New FlipaClip” update… there are ads everywhere, when I try importing audio and videos into the studio it tells me to wait for an ad, WHICH DOESN’T EVEN LOAD???? Like yeah, I understand the greed. Hustlers gotta hustle. But come on… the fact that you heartlessly give us users an ad that doesn’t even work shows that you don’t eve

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store