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Last Updated: March 2026
TL;DR
Toonly is a drag-and-drop animated explainer video creator for Mac and Windows. Create professional cartoon-style videos without animation skills using pre-built characters, props, backgrounds, and scenes. Perfect for marketing videos, tutorials, and social content. Plans start at $49/month with annual discounts available.
Toonly Overview
Toonly is an animated explainer video software designed for businesses and creators who need professional cartoon-style videos without the complexity of traditional animation tools. Developed by the same team behind Doodly (whiteboard animation), Toonly focuses specifically on 2D cartoon-style animated videos that are perfect for marketing, training, and social media content.
The platform's core philosophy is simplicity: no animation experience required. Users can create engaging animated videos by simply dragging and dropping pre-built characters, props, and backgrounds onto a canvas. This approach democratizes video creation, allowing marketers, entrepreneurs, and educators to produce professional-looking explainer videos in minutes rather than weeks.
Toonly positions itself as "the simplest drag and drop explainer video creator" and backs this claim with an intuitive interface that anyone can master quickly. The software addresses the modern challenge of short attention spans by enabling the creation of engaging, visually appealing content that captures viewer attention more effectively than static images or plain text. With the average person's attention span shorter than a goldfish, animated content has become essential for effective communication.
The desktop application (available for both Mac and Windows) comes loaded with extensive libraries of characters, animations, props, backgrounds, and music. Toonly Club membership provides monthly updates with new assets, ensuring users always have fresh content to work with. The software also includes access to a suite of complementary tools like Doodly, Talkia, and Voomly, making it a comprehensive video creation ecosystem.
Key Features
🎨 Drag & Drop Interface
Create animated videos by simply dragging characters, props, and backgrounds onto your canvas. No animation skills or technical expertise required.
👤 Character Library
Access dozens of pre-built cartoon characters with various poses and animations. Enterprise plan includes 82+ character images with 30 animation styles.
🎭 Props & Backgrounds
Over 2,000 props and 139 backgrounds (Enterprise) to build any scene. Create office, outdoor, home, and custom environments instantly.
🎬 Premade Scenes
Start with 20 pre-designed scenes (Enterprise) or create your own from scratch. Save time with professionally designed templates.
🎵 Background Music
142+ royalty-free background music tracks included. Drag and drop music to your timeline and adjust volume with a click.
🔄 Toonly Club Access
Get new characters and props monthly through Toonly Club membership. Your asset library grows automatically over time.
Performance & User Experience
Toonly excels in ease of use, which is its primary selling point. Users consistently praise the intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes video creation accessible to complete beginners. The learning curve is minimal compared to professional animation software like Adobe After Effects or even more complex tools like Vyond. Most users can create their first video within minutes of installation.
The desktop application runs smoothly on both Mac and Windows computers. Being a locally installed program rather than a browser-based tool means you're not dependent on internet connectivity during the creation process. The software handles timeline editing, preview playback, and asset manipulation without noticeable lag, even when building complex scenes with multiple animated elements.
Asset libraries load quickly, and the search functionality makes it easy to find specific characters, props, or backgrounds. The scene transitions (21-101 options depending on plan) are smooth and professional-looking, adding polish to final videos. Text animations and background music integration work seamlessly, allowing users to create complete, professional videos without external tools.
While Toonly delivers excellent results for its intended use case, users should understand its scope. The cartoon aesthetic is charming and professional, but it's not designed for photorealistic animation or complex character rigging. For businesses needing simple, engaging explainer videos, this focus is actually an advantage—it keeps production fast and output consistent. The included 7TB cloud storage and unlimited video creation provide excellent value for active content creators.
Who Should Use Toonly?
💼 Small Business Owners
Perfect for entrepreneurs who need marketing videos without hiring agencies. Create product demos, service explanations, and promotional content that captures attention and drives conversions.
📚 Educators & Trainers
Ideal for teachers and corporate trainers creating instructional content. Transform dry concepts into engaging animated lessons that improve knowledge retention and student engagement.
📱 Social Media Marketers
Great for content creators producing videos for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Create scroll-stopping animated content that stands out in crowded social feeds.
🚀 Startups & SaaS Companies
Essential for explaining complex products or services simply. Create explainer videos for landing pages, crowdfunding campaigns, email marketing, and investor pitches.
Pricing Plans
Toonly offers monthly and annual billing options with significant savings for annual commitments. Both plans include unlimited video creation, multi-computer use, and access to the Toonly Facebook community.
⭐ Standard
$49/month
or $490/year (save $98)
- 30 character images
- 17 character animations
- 1,058 prop images
- 71 backgrounds
- 10 premade scenes
- 21 scene transitions
- 20 background audios
- 7TB cloud storage
⭐ Enterprise
$79/month
MOST POPULAR
- 82 character images
- 30 character animations
- 2,024 prop images
- 139 backgrounds
- 20 premade scenes
- 101 scene transitions
- 142 background audios
- 5 text animations
⭐ Bundle Bonus
Included
FREE with any plan
- Doodly (whiteboard)
- Talkia (text-to-speech)
- People Builder
- Pyks (photo editing)
- Voomly (video hosting)
- Unlimited video creation
- Toonly Club access
- Premium support
Pricing as of March 2026. Monthly and annual billing available. Annual plans offer approximately 2 months free compared to monthly billing. All plans include desktop applications for Mac and Windows.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Extremely easy to use—no animation skills required
- Extensive library of characters, props, and backgrounds
- Monthly new assets through Toonly Club
- Includes free access to complementary tools (Doodly, Talkia)
- Desktop app works offline on Mac and Windows
- Unlimited video creation on all plans
- 7TB cloud storage included
❌ Cons
- Limited to cartoon 2D animation style only
- No character creator (must use pre-built characters)
- Higher price point compared to some alternatives
- No lip-sync functionality for characters
- Standard plan has limited asset library
- No browser-based version available
Final Verdict
Excellent Drag-and-Drop Animation Tool for Beginners
Toonly delivers on its promise of making animated video creation accessible to everyone. The drag-and-drop interface is genuinely intuitive, allowing users with zero animation experience to create professional-looking cartoon videos in minutes. This ease of use is Toonly's greatest strength and sets it apart from more complex tools like Vyond.
The value proposition extends beyond just the animation software. The inclusion of Doodly, Talkia, People Builder, Pyks, and Voomly creates a comprehensive content creation suite that would cost significantly more if purchased separately. The Toonly Club membership ensures your asset library continues to grow, and the 7TB cloud storage accommodates serious content production workflows.
For small businesses, marketers, and educators who need engaging explainer videos without hiring animation professionals, Toonly offers an excellent solution. While it lacks advanced features like custom character creation or lip-sync found in premium tools, these limitations are reasonable given its target audience. The Enterprise plan at $79/month provides the best value with significantly more assets and features. For those committed to regular video content creation, Toonly is a worthwhile investment that pays for itself quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need animation experience to use Toonly?
No, Toonly is specifically designed for users with no animation experience. The drag-and-drop interface lets you create videos by simply selecting characters, props, and backgrounds from the library and placing them on your canvas. The software handles all animation automatically—you just decide what goes where.
What platforms does Toonly support?
Toonly is a desktop application available for both Mac and Windows computers. You can choose between 32-bit or 64-bit versions for Windows during download. The software runs locally on your computer, so you can work offline. There is no browser-based version available.
What's the difference between Toonly and Doodly?
Both tools are made by the same company, but they serve different purposes. Toonly creates cartoon-style 2D animations with colorful characters and backgrounds. Doodly creates whiteboard-style doodle animations where a hand draws on the screen. Both are included free with your Toonly subscription.
Can I use Toonly on multiple computers?
Yes, all Toonly plans allow you to use the software on multiple computers. This is useful if you work from different locations or have both a desktop and laptop computer. Your projects can be synced through the cloud storage included with your subscription.
What is Toonly Club?
Toonly Club is a membership benefit that provides new characters and props every month. This ensures your asset library continues to grow over time, giving you more creative options for your videos. Toonly Club access is included with both Standard and Enterprise plans.
Is there a free trial available?
Toonly typically offers a 30-day money-back guarantee rather than a traditional free trial. This allows you to purchase the software, use all features, and request a full refund if you're not satisfied within the guarantee period. Check the official website for current trial and refund policies.
