Boats Animator review

Boats Animator does one job well: it turns a webcam and a computer into a stop motion capture station at no cost. You pick the camera, shoot frames at full webcam resolution, check alignment with onion skinning, gridlines and aspect ratio masks, and play back instantly without waiting for a render. When the shoot is done, it exports a video or conforms the numbered image files so you can finish the film in a video editor. That workflow suits LEGO brickfilmers, and several user quotes on the project page come from that community. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, which makes it useful for school computer labs where buying licenses is hard. The limits are clear. There are no sound, drawing or compositing tools, no DSLR control is documented, and the current 0.13.0 release dates from March 2023 while the developer rewrites the app.

Who it is for

Brickfilmers on a computer with a webcam and no budget

Price

Free and open source (GPL); no paid plan.

Boats Animator is a free stop motion animation program, that rocks! It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Captures high resolution images from webcams, including 1080p and beyond
• Instant playback of captured frames without waiting for processing
• Onion skinning, gridlines and aspect ratio masks
• Exports a video file or conforms image files for use in a video editor
• Installers for Windows (.exe), macOS (.dmg) and Linux (.deb)

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free and open source under the GNU General Public License
• Strength: Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, so it fits older school computers
• Strength: Minimal interface keeps the focus on capturing frames
• Weakness: Webcam capture only in the documented features, with no DSLR control
• Weakness: The latest release, 0.13.0, dates from March 2023 while a rewrite is in progress
• Weakness: No sound, drawing or green screen tools

Key facts

• Price: Free, open source (GPLv3)
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Current version: 0.13.0
• Camera: Webcams, 1080p and higher

Where it ranks

Boats Animator is No. 4 in our Best Stop Motion Animation Software verdict.