Pivot Animator review

Pivot Animator is the program most stickman animations start from, and it is still the simplest way to learn the idea of keyframes. You place a stick figure on the canvas, drag the red handles to bend its joints, then add the next frame and nudge the pose again. Pivot 5 adds the tools that used to need workarounds: frame inbetweening for smoother motion, bendy segments, a virtual camera, gradient backgrounds, a text tool and multiple colors per figure. Finished work exports as an animated GIF, animated PNG or MP4 and WEBM video, and the site hosts an STK Library of figures to download. The FAQ states that anyone can use Pivot for free, for personal or commercial work, and that schools need no permission. The limits are real, though. It runs only on Windows, it has no sound support, and the installer includes optional software offers that parents should decline during setup. Pivot 5 also needs a GPU, so very old PCs should use Pivot 4.

Who it is for

Kids and beginners on a Windows PC who want to animate stick figures for free

Price

Free for personal and commercial use; no paid plan.

Everyone has permission to use Pivot for free for personal or commercial use.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Pose stick figures by dragging red and orange handles on each joint
• Frame inbetweening in Pivot 5 to smooth movement between poses
• Figure builder plus a free STK Library of downloadable figures
• Virtual camera for zoom and pan effects, and a text tool for dialog
• Export to animated GIF, animated PNG, or WMV, WEBM, MP4 and FFV1 video

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free for personal and commercial use, and schools can use it without asking permission
• Strength: Pivot 4 runs on any version of Windows from 98 onward
• Strength: Pivot 5 raises the limit to 30,000 segments per figure for detailed characters
• Weakness: Windows only; Mac and Linux need Boot Camp, a virtual machine or WINE
• Weakness: No sound support, so audio has to be added afterward in a video editor
• Weakness: The installer contains optional offers that antivirus tools may flag as adware

Key facts

• Price: Free, including commercial use
• Platforms: Windows only
• Current version: Pivot Animator 5.2.11, updated May 13, 2025
• Pivot 5 requirements: Windows 7 SP1 or later, a GPU, DirectX 11, 4 GB RAM recommended

Where it ranks

Pivot Animator is No. 1 in our Best Stick Figure Animation Software verdict.