By ShortFast Editorial Team ·
The best stick figure animation tool depends on whether you want to draw the video or have it drawn for you. ShortFast, Atlabs and Hooked generate a stick figure video from a topic or script with AI, and ShortFast and Hooked can post it to TikTok, Reels and Shorts for you; VideoScribe, Doodly, Animaker, Powtoon and Vyond are whiteboard and animation tools where you build each scene by hand.
Stick figure explainers became one of the most recognisable faceless formats on YouTube: simple drawings, a confident narrator and an idea a minute. Making them used to mean hours in a whiteboard app per video. AI tools changed that for short-form channels, while the hand-built tools still give the most control over a single polished explainer.
How we compared
We read each tool's pricing and feature pages on October 22, 2026, with the monthly-billing toggle selected, and checked how the video is made (generated from a script, or built by hand), the free plan or trial, export and length limits, commercial rights, and whether it posts to social accounts. Many of these tools advertise their yearly price; monthly billing is often two to three times higher, so we show both where it matters. ShortFast is our product and is listed in the same format.
The tools at a glance
Stick figure and whiteboard animation tools
Prices from each vendor's pricing page, checked
| Tool | Monthly (billed monthly) | How the video is made | Free plan or trial | Posts for you | Limit to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShortFast | $19 (1,000 credits) | AI: draws each scene from a topic or script, recurring characters | $1 three-day trial | Yes: TikTok, Reels, Shorts | Vertical shorts first; animated scenes cost far more credits |
| Atlabs | Pro $39 ($29 yearly) | AI: Stick Style workflow with cast, screenplay, motion and lip-sync | One free full video | No | About 36–48 minutes of video a year on Pro |
| Hooked | Pro $29 | AI: Stickman preset with narration and captions | None stated | Yes: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube | Commercial-use terms not confirmed |
| VideoScribe | Lite $35 ($12.50 yearly) | Hand-built whiteboard animation, AI helpers | 7-day trial, watermarked | No | Lite: 5 downloads a month, 5-minute max |
| Doodly | $49 (Voomly Cloud) | Hand-built doodles, desktop app | 14-day trial | No | No AI generation; rights not stated |
| Animaker | Starter $45 ($25 yearly) | Hand-built, whiteboard templates, AI credits | Free plan, watermarked | No | Commercial rights listed on Pro only |
| Powtoon | Lite $49 ($15 yearly) | Hand-built templates, AI features | Free plan, watermarked, 720p | No | Lite: watermark off on 5 exports a month |
| Vyond | Starter $99 ($58 yearly) | Hand-built business animation, AI script-to-video | Free trial | No | Built for corporate training |
Monthly prices billed monthly; yearly per-month prices in brackets where they differ a lot. Launch and promotional prices are not shown.
Sources: ShortFast stick figure style · Atlabs · Hooked · VideoScribe · Doodly · Animaker · Powtoon · Vyond
Tools that draw the video for you
ShortFast writes the narration from a topic, or keeps your script word for word, splits it into scenes and draws a new stick figure image for each beat in the same doodle style, with recurring characters. Captions are burned in, the default pace is fast with no music, and the video downloads or posts itself to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts on a schedule. A typical AI still-image video uses about 25 credits, about 40 a month on the $19 Starter plan; the Animate images option turns each drawing into a short moving clip on videos up to two minutes, at a much higher credit cost.
Atlabs has a dedicated Stick Style workflow: paste or write a script, define the cast, review a scene-by-scene screenplay, then render a storyboard, a 25-second preview or the full video with motion and lip-sync. Pro is $39 a month billed monthly ($29 billed yearly), and its credits cover about 36 to 48 minutes of video a year. It has one free full video and does not post for you.
Hooked has a Stickman preset that makes minimalist stick figure videos with narration and captions and can publish to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube on its $29 Pro plan, which includes an API. It also sells a one-time lifetime licence where you supply your own AI provider keys. We could not confirm its commercial-use terms.
Tools where you build the scenes
VideoScribe is the classic whiteboard animator: drawing hands, a large image library, and AI help for images, scripts and voiceover. Lite is $35 a month billed monthly ($12.50 billed yearly), but allows only 5 downloads a month and videos up to 5 minutes. Commercial rights are on every paid plan; reseller rights, needed if you make videos for clients, only on Max.
Doodly is a desktop app for whiteboard, blackboard and glassboard doodles with 200 characters in 20 poses; drag an image onto the canvas and it draws it. It is now sold inside Voomly Cloud at $49 a month, with a 14-day trial. It has no AI generation, and we could not find its commercial-use terms on its own pages.
Animaker includes whiteboard animation with AI video credits. Starter is $45 a month billed monthly ($25 yearly) and Pro $79 ($43 yearly); its pricing page lists commercial rights only on Pro. The free plan exports with a watermark.
Powtoon makes template-based animated explainers with AI features, from $49 a month billed monthly for Lite ($15 yearly), which removes the watermark on only 5 exports a month. Paid plans include commercial rights; reseller rights are on Advanced.
Vyond is a business animation suite with AI script-to-video and avatars, from $99 a month billed monthly ($58 yearly). It suits corporate training more than social channels.
The commercial-rights trap
If the channel is monetized or the videos are for a client, check the licence before the price. Animaker lists commercial rights only on its Pro plan, VideoScribe and Powtoon keep reseller rights for their top plans, and Doodly's and Hooked's commercial terms were not stated on the pages we could read. Free plans almost always add a watermark. ShortFast's paid plans export without a watermark, and its terms say you retain ownership of what you generate.
Which one to pick
A stick figure channel that posts every day: ShortFast, from $19, or Hooked if you want its Stickman preset and lifetime option.
One carefully directed stick figure video with motion and lip-sync: Atlabs.
Full control over a hand-drawn whiteboard explainer: VideoScribe, or Doodly if you prefer a desktop app.
Training and business explainers with characters: Vyond or Powtoon.
Keep the channel original whichever tool you use. YouTube treats mass-produced, repetitive uploads as inauthentic content, and a stick figure channel lives on its writing: give every video a real idea, not just new drawings.
FAQ
Common questions
- What is the best AI stick figure video generator?
- For a channel that posts every day, ShortFast generates stick figure videos from a topic or script with recurring characters and posts them to TikTok, Reels and Shorts, from $19 a month. Atlabs' Stick Style is stronger for a single directed video with motion and lip-sync, and Hooked has a Stickman preset with auto-posting.
- Is there a free stick figure animation tool?
- Animaker and Powtoon have free plans that export with a watermark, Atlabs gives one free full video, and VideoScribe and Doodly have trials. Free plans usually limit length or downloads and add a watermark, which rules them out for a monetized channel.
- Can I monetize stick figure videos?
- Yes, stick figure explainers are a common monetized format, as long as the content is original. Check the tool's commercial rights first: some plans exclude them or keep reseller rights for higher tiers. YouTube does not pay for mass-produced, repetitive uploads, whatever they are drawn with.
- How long does it take to make a stick figure video?
- With an AI generator, minutes: you write or approve the script and the tool draws and voices every scene. With a hand-built whiteboard tool, a polished minute of animation can take hours, which buys you full control over every drawing and movement.