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Game Development · head to head

Pico-8 vs Toon Boom Harmony

Pico-8 logo

Pico-8

Game Development

A fantasy console for making, sharing and playing tiny games

From
$14.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Toon Boom Harmony logo

Toon Boom Harmony

Animation

Creating worlds of Animation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pico-8 extremely limited display resolution of 128x128 pixels with 16-colour palette; 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 Pico-8 and Toon Boom Harmony actually diverge.

Attributes where Pico-8 and Toon Boom Harmony differ
AttributePico-8Toon Boom Harmony
Starting price$14.99/one-timeOn request
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry PiWeb
CategoryGame DevelopmentAnimation
Founded2005Unknown

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

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 Pico-8

  • Pixel art editor
  • Music composer
  • Lua scripting
  • Built-in palette
  • Sprite system
  • Map editor
  • Code editor
  • Game cartridges

Only in Toon Boom Harmony

Nothing recorded that Pico-8 does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Pico-8

  • Retro-style indie game developmentnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Educational game programmingnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Game jam participationnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Pixel art game creation with strict creative constraintsnot 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.

Pico-8

  • Extremely limited display resolution of 128x128 pixels with 16-colour palette
  • Cart size capped at 32 kilobytes
  • Only 256 sprites of 8x8 pixels available
  • Map limited to 128x32 tiles
  • Monophonic sound synthesis with 4-channel chip synthesis only
  • Lua programming language exclusively; no other language support

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

Pico-8

$14.99/one-time

No published plan breakdown. See the Pico-8 review.

Toon Boom Harmony

On request

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Pico-8 if

  • You need pixel art editor.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi.
  • You also want music composer.
Pico-8 review

Choose Toon Boom Harmony if

Nothing in the data separates Toon Boom Harmony from Pico-8 on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Toon Boom Harmony review

Questions people ask

Is Pico-8 or Toon Boom Harmony better?
Neither clearly leads. Pico-8 starts at $14.99/one-time 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, Pico-8 or Toon Boom Harmony?
Pico-8 starts at $14.99/one-time and Toon Boom Harmony at On request.
Does Pico-8 or Toon Boom Harmony run on more platforms?
Pico-8 runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi. Toon Boom Harmony runs on Web.
What is Pico-8 best used for?
Pico-8 is most often used for retro-style indie game development, educational game programming, game jam participation, pixel art game creation with strict creative constraints. Of those, retro-style indie game development and educational game programming are not what Toon Boom Harmony is typically brought in for.
What can Pico-8 do that Toon Boom Harmony cannot?
Pico-8 covers Pixel art editor, Music composer, Lua scripting, Built-in palette.
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