Clip Studio Paint EX review

Clip Studio Paint is best known for illustration and comics, and the EX edition turns it into a frame-by-frame animation tool with the same drawing feel. The animation features include a light table and onion skin, a timeline palette for rearranging cels and changing their timing, audio import in WAV, MP3 and Ogg with export complete with sound, and camerawork that combines zoom, rotation and moves along a curve. Vector layers let you change line thickness and shape after drawing, and the fill tool closes small gaps in line art, which saves time on flat colors across many frames. Finished work can go out as a GIF, a video or an image sequence in PNG, BMP, JPEG, Targa or TIFF. EX plans start at US$2.49 per month, and Windows and macOS users can buy a perpetual EX license for US$277. The catch is that full animation sits in EX rather than PRO, and there is no bone rigging.

Who it is for

Illustrators who animate on PC, Mac or tablet

Price

EX plans from US$2.49 per month; EX perpetual license US$277 one time for Windows and macOS.

Annual / Monthly Plans From US$2.49/month Windows/macOS only Perpetual License US$277.00
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Light table and onion skin to view adjacent frames
• Timeline palette for rearranging cels and changing their speed
• Import of WAV, MP3 and Ogg audio and export with sound
• Camerawork with zoom, rotation and camera moves along a curve
• Vector layers that let you adjust line thickness and shape after drawing

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Runs on Windows, macOS, iPad, Android and iPhone
• Strength: Perpetual license option for Windows and macOS at US$277
• Strength: Fill tool that closes small gaps in line art speeds up flat coloring
• Weakness: Full-length animation tools are in EX, not the cheaper PRO edition
• Weakness: No bone rigging for cut-out characters
• Weakness: Perpetual license owners pay separately for feature updates through the Update Pass

Key facts

• Edition for animation: Clip Studio Paint EX
• Perpetual license: US$277, Windows and macOS only
• Image sequence formats: PNG, BMP, JPEG, Targa, TIFF

Where it ranks

Clip Studio Paint EX is No. 2 in our Best 2D Animation Software verdict and No. 4 in Best Animation Software for Mac.