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Aseprite vs Toon Boom Harmony

Aseprite logo

Aseprite

Software

Animated sprite editor and pixel art tool

From
$19.99/once
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Toon Boom Harmony logo

Toon Boom Harmony

Software

Creating worlds of Animation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Aseprite a one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial; Toon Boom Harmony licensing is subscription only across Essentials, Advanced and Premium tiers, with no perpetual license option offered on the pricing page

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aseprite and Toon Boom Harmony actually diverge.

Attributes where Aseprite and Toon Boom Harmony differ
AttributeAsepriteToon Boom Harmony
Starting price$19.99/onceOn request
PlatformsWindows, Macos, LinuxWeb
Founded2001Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (one-time), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Aseprite

  • Pixel art tools
  • Animation timeline
  • Onion skinning
  • Layers
  • Tilemap editor
  • Color palettes
  • Sprite sheets
  • Scripting (Lua)

Only in Toon Boom Harmony

Nothing recorded that Aseprite does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aseprite

  • Pixel art creation for gamesnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Frame-by-frame sprite animationnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Exporting sprite sheets and GIFsnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Scripting repetitive export tasks through the command linenot Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony

No use cases recorded yet. See the Toon Boom Harmony review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Aseprite

  • A one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial
  • Deliberately narrow: a pixel art and sprite animation editor rather than a general image editor
  • The site does not state supported platforms or licence terms, which are on GitHub instead

Toon Boom Harmony

  • Licensing is subscription only across Essentials, Advanced and Premium tiers, with no perpetual license option offered on the pricing page
  • Access beyond the 14 day free trial requires purchasing a subscription through the shop

Pricing, plan by plan

Aseprite

$19.99/once
  • License$19.99/once
    • Full feature set
    • Free updates
    • Commercial use

Toon Boom Harmony

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Toon Boom Harmony review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Aseprite if

  • You need pixel art tools.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
  • You also want animation timeline.
Aseprite review

Choose Toon Boom Harmony if

Nothing in the data separates Toon Boom Harmony from Aseprite on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Toon Boom Harmony review

Questions people ask

Is Aseprite or Toon Boom Harmony better?
Neither clearly leads. Aseprite starts at $19.99/once and Toon Boom Harmony at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aseprite or Toon Boom Harmony?
Aseprite starts at $19.99/once and Toon Boom Harmony at On request.
Does Aseprite or Toon Boom Harmony run on more platforms?
Aseprite runs on Windows, Macos, Linux. Toon Boom Harmony runs on Web.
What is Aseprite best used for?
Aseprite is most often used for pixel art creation for games, frame-by-frame sprite animation, exporting sprite sheets and gifs, scripting repetitive export tasks through the command line. Of those, pixel art creation for games and frame-by-frame sprite animation are not what Toon Boom Harmony is typically brought in for.
What can Aseprite do that Toon Boom Harmony cannot?
Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, Animation timeline, Onion skinning, Layers.
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