# Best 2D Rigging Software with IK and FK in 2026 > For 2D rigging with IK and FK, Moho Pro is the best value for character animation in video, with Smart Bones and a one-time price. Spine Professional is the standard for game characters, but IK is not in Spine Essential. Toon Boom Harmony Premium is the studio choice for TV cut-out rigs. Duik is the free rigging toolkit if you already use After Effects. Rive is the pick when the rig must react to user input inside an app. *We make ExodeUI, which is on this list for rigged characters that run inside apps. The other tools are made by other companies, and for video and games several of them are the better choice.* Updated November 2026. Source: https://www.exodeui.com/best-2d-rigging-software-ik-fk/ The best 2D rigging software lets you pose a character with forward kinematics (rotate each bone down the chain) and inverse kinematics (drag a hand or foot and let the arm or leg follow). Every tool here has a bone system with IK. They differ in where the animation ends up: a TV episode, a game engine, an app, or a video. ## Quick picks - Best value for character animation in video: **Moho Pro** - Game characters in Unity, Unreal or Godot: **Spine Professional** - Studio cut-out animation for TV: **Toon Boom Harmony Premium** - Free rigging inside After Effects: **Duik** - Rigs that react to users in apps and websites: **Rive** - Rigged mascots in app UI, with open JSON files and AI tools: **ExodeUI** - Free and open source: **Blender Grease Pencil or OpenToonz** ## The 9 best 2D rigging tools with IK and FK ### Moho Pro Best for: Independent animators and small studios rigging characters for video Platforms: Windows, macOS Price: Moho Pro 14 $399.99 one-time; Moho Debut 14 $59.99 Output: Rendered video and image sequences Moho is built around bones. Its features page describes forward and inverse kinematics, target bones, and Smart Bones, which drive corrective shapes so joints bend cleanly and can also act as control levers for faces and hands. Moho 14 adds Bone Dynamics on rotation, scale and translation for follow-through. For many solo animators it is the fastest way to a professional cut-out rig. Pros: FK and IK with target bones; Smart Bones for clean joints and facial controls; One-time price, with a low-cost Debut edition Cons: Rendered output, no game or app runtime; Interface takes time to learn; Debut is limited compared with Pro ### Spine (Esoteric Software) Best for: Game studios that need skeletal characters in a game engine Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux Price: Essential and Professional one-time licences; Enterprise yearly for businesses with $500,000+ revenue Output: Animation data and atlases for Spine runtimes in game engines Spine is the most widely used 2D skeletal tool in games. Its IK constraints rotate one or two bones so the tip reaches a target, which is how most limbs are controlled. Note the tiers: Spine's user guide says IK constraints are not available in Spine Essential, so you need Professional for IK. Businesses with $500,000 or more in annual revenue must buy Enterprise. Pros: Mature runtimes for major game engines; One- and two-bone IK, plus meshes and weights in Professional; Large community and examples Cons: IK requires Professional, not Essential; Enterprise licence required above $500,000 revenue; Aimed at games, not video or UI More: [Best Spine alternatives](https://www.exodeui.com/best-spine-alternatives) ### Toon Boom Harmony Premium Best for: Studios producing cut-out animation for TV and film Platforms: Windows, macOS Price: Subscription; Advanced and Premium tiers Output: Rendered video for production pipelines Harmony is the industry tool for 2D production. Toon Boom positions Premium for sophisticated cut-out rigs, and its Premium documentation covers inverse kinematics alongside deformers. The Skeleton Controller lets one animation cycle drive characters that share a skeleton. It is the strongest choice for teams, and more than a solo animator usually needs. Pros: Production-proven for TV; IK, deformers and node-based rigging in Premium; Reuse cycles across characters with the Skeleton Controller Cons: Subscription pricing; Steep learning curve; Rigging features vary by tier ### Adobe After Effects + Duik Best for: Motion designers who already animate in After Effects Platforms: Windows, macOS (inside After Effects) Price: Duik is free and open source; After Effects is a subscription Output: Rendered video; simple rigs can export to Lottie Duik is the rigging and animation toolkit most After Effects animators use. It adds bones, IK controllers and automations such as walk cycles, blinks and springs. If you already pay for After Effects, it is the cheapest route to IK character rigs for explainer videos and ads. Pros: Free and open source; Works in a tool many designers already know; Automations speed up walks and secondary motion Cons: Needs an After Effects subscription; Rigs built on expressions can be slow and rarely survive Lottie export; Not for games or interactive apps ### Cartoon Animator (Reallusion) Best for: Fast character animation from PSD or vector artwork Platforms: Windows, macOS Price: Paid; free trial available Output: Rendered video; pipelines to After Effects Cartoon Animator turns layered artwork into rigged characters quickly and offers IK/FK motion editing, plus libraries of motions you can apply. It suits explainer video teams who want results quickly more than full manual control. Pros: Very fast setup from PSD and vector files; IK/FK motion editing; Motion libraries and templates Cons: Less control than Moho or Harmony; Video output only; Paid add-ons for some content ### Rive Best for: Characters and mascots that react to users in apps, websites and games Platforms: Browser, desktop Price: Free plan (exports show a Rive splash screen); paid from $9 per seat per month Output: .riv files for open-source runtimes on web, iOS, Android, Flutter and more Rive has bones and an IK constraint, and pairs them with state machines, so a rigged character can look at the cursor, react to taps or follow app data at runtime. That is the key difference from video tools: the rig ships inside the product. Pros: Bones, IK constraint and meshes; State machines drive the rig at runtime; Runtimes for many platforms Cons: Free exports show a splash screen; Not built for long-form video; Learning curve for state machines More: [Is Rive worth learning?](https://www.exodeui.com/questions/is-rive-worth-learning) ### ExodeUI Best for: Rigged characters and mascots that run inside apps and websites Platforms: Browser, desktop Price: Free Community plan; Professional $5/month billed yearly Output: One open .exode JSON file played by runtimes for React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Solid, React Native, SwiftUI and Flutter ExodeUI has a Bone tool, bone binding with weight painting and numeric weights, skinning on paths and meshes, and an IK constraint with per-bone angle limits, damping and stretch limits. Bone chains can run in FK or IK mode, and presets add walk, run and breathing cycles. Rigs sit next to state machines and spring physics, so a character can react to app state at runtime, and the MCP server lets AI coding tools build and adjust rigs too. Pros: Bones, weights, meshes and an IK constraint with angle and stretch limits; State machines and springs drive the rig at runtime; Open JSON file that developers and AI agents can edit; Free plan Cons: Newer than Spine or Moho, with fewer rigging tutorials; Not a video production tool; Test bone playback on each runtime you target ### Blender (Grease Pencil) Best for: Free 2D character animation with 3D-grade rigging Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux Price: Free and open source Output: Rendered video Grease Pencil objects can be bound to armatures, and Blender's IK constraint works on them, so you get proper FK and IK rigging for 2D drawings at no cost. The trade-off is Blender's complexity: it is a full 3D suite. Pros: Completely free; Powerful armatures, constraints and drivers; Mix 2D and 3D in one scene Cons: Steep learning curve; Rigging workflow comes from 3D; Video output only ### OpenToonz Best for: Free cut-out and traditional animation Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux Price: Free and open source Output: Rendered video OpenToonz's Skeleton tool has three modes: Build Skeleton, Animate (FK) and Inverse Kinematics. It is a capable free option for cut-out characters, with the interface quirks of a studio tool. Pros: Free and open source; Skeleton tool with an IK mode; Also strong for traditional animation Cons: Dated, complex interface; Fewer tutorials than Blender; No game or app runtime ## FK vs IK in 2D rigging Forward kinematics (FK) rotates a chain from the root out: shoulder, then elbow, then wrist. It gives natural arcs and is best for swinging arms and overlapping motion. Inverse kinematics (IK) works from the end: you place the hand or foot and the tool solves the joints. It is best for feet that must stay planted and hands that hold things. Good rigs let you use both, and switch between them. ## How to choose Choose by output first, then by budget. - Video and TV: Moho, Toon Boom Harmony, Cartoon Animator, or After Effects with Duik - Games: Spine Professional, or a game engine's own 2D tools - Apps and websites that react to users: Rive or ExodeUI - No budget: Blender Grease Pencil or OpenToonz ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best 2D rigging software? For video, Moho Pro is the best value and Toon Boom Harmony Premium is the studio standard. For games, Spine Professional. For interactive apps, Rive. ### Does Spine Essential have IK? No. Spine's user guide says IK constraints are not available in Spine Essential. You need Spine Professional. ### Is there free 2D rigging software with IK? Yes. Blender (Grease Pencil with armatures and the IK constraint) and OpenToonz (Skeleton tool IK mode) are free and open source. Duik is free but needs After Effects. ### Is Moho better than Toon Boom Harmony? Moho is cheaper and faster for solo animators. Harmony is stronger for large productions and team pipelines. ### Can I rig a 2D character for a website? Yes. Rive rigs with bones and IK play in the browser and react to input through state machines. ### Does ExodeUI support IK rigging? Yes. ExodeUI has bones, weights, mesh skinning and an IK constraint with angle and stretch limits, and bone chains can run in FK or IK mode. We make ExodeUI. ## Related - [What is FK and IK in animation?](https://www.exodeui.com/questions/what-is-fk-and-ik-in-animation) - [FK vs IK: when to use each](https://www.exodeui.com/questions/fk-vs-ik-when-to-use-each) - [Best Spine alternatives](https://www.exodeui.com/best-spine-alternatives) - [Best 2D skeletal animation software](https://www.exodeui.com/best-2d-skeletal-animation-software) - [Top 2D character animation tools](https://www.exodeui.com/top-2d-character-animation-tools)