What is Pencil used for?

Pencil is an open-source, cross-platform application for creating 2D hand-drawn animations, supporting raster and vector workflows. It is a good fit for creating 2D hand-drawn animations.

Is Pencil open source?

Yes. Pencil is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at pencil2d/pencil and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. Pencil is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Pencil?

Yes. Pencil can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Pencil an alternative to?

Pencil is an open-source alternative to Adobe After Effects, Clip Studio Paint and Apple Motion. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe After Effects include Synfig Studio, Krita and Blender.

Is Pencil actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Pencil was on 12 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.7.2, published on 13 March 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.

Pencil (pencil2d/pencil): open-source software

About Pencil

Pencil2D is a lightweight animation tool designed for 2D hand-drawn work. It emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, allowing users to focus on animating rather than navigating complex interfaces.

The software supports both raster and vector workflows, enabling sketching, inking, and painting. It is cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, and is free to use, including for commercial purposes.

Key features

Minimal design for easy use
Raster and vector workflow switching
Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD
Open source and free to use commercially

Good fit for

Creating 2D hand-drawn animations

Built with: C++ tools
Tags: 2d-animation; open-source; cross-platform; raster; vector

Pencil: questions and answers

What is Pencil used for?: Pencil is an open-source, cross-platform application for creating 2D hand-drawn animations, supporting raster and vector workflows. It is a good fit for creating 2D hand-drawn animations.
Is Pencil open source?: Yes. Pencil is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at pencil2d/pencil and is written mainly in C++.
Is Pencil free?: Yes. Pencil is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Pencil?: Yes. Pencil can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Pencil an alternative to?: Pencil is an open-source alternative to Adobe After Effects, Clip Studio Paint and Apple Motion. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe After Effects include Synfig Studio, Krita and Blender.
Is Pencil actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Pencil was on 12 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.7.2, published on 13 March 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.