Stickman: draw animation maker

Review by eFreeware

Animation has a reputation for being expensive and complicated, but the basic idea behind it is simple enough to fit in your pocket. You draw a character, change it slightly, draw it again, and repeat until the drawings move. Stickman: draw animation maker is built around exactly that loop, and it comes from Appache apps and games ltd.

The app is listed in the Entertainment category rather than as a game, and it is free to download. It has been on Google Play since November 2016 and has picked up more than 10 million installs along the way, with a 4.4 average across 265,691 ratings. Those numbers suggest a lot of people have tried their hand at frame-by-frame doodling, and the app has been kept current, with an update in July 2026 described simply as many small improvements.

What the developer describes is not a professional animation suite. It is a flipbook maker for phones: you sketch a stickman, decide on a plot, and animate the character across a handful of frames until it moves the way you want. The appeal is that the whole process stays small and approachable, closer to doodling in a notebook than to producing a finished film.

The doodlers and daydreamers this fits

The clearest audience here is anyone who likes to doodle and has ever wondered how a cartoon is put together. You do not need drawing skill beyond being able to sketch a stick figure, which is the whole point of the character style. If you can draw a circle with lines for limbs, you can start building frames.

It also suits people who want to tell a small story rather than learn animation theory. The developer talks about choosing a plot and creating a hero, so the app is set up around the idea that you arrive with a rough idea and work it out frame by frame. A short gag, an epic little fight scene, or a running joke about a stickman character all fit the format.

I would also expect it to work well for younger users and for families looking for a creative activity that does not require a desktop computer or a drawing tablet. The content rating is Everyone, and the premise is simple enough that a child who enjoys drawing can make something move without much instruction.

Where I would set expectations is on polish. This is a phone flipbook tool, not a studio pipeline, and the developer's own framing is about fun and doodling rather than broadcast-quality output. If you want to make a short, personal cartoon and enjoy the process of drawing each frame, that is the right reason to install it.

Drawing and animating a stickman frame by frame

The core of the app is the flipbook workflow. You draw your stickman character, then draw it again on the next frame with small changes, and keep going until the sequence plays back as movement. It is the same principle as a paper flipbook, translated to a touchscreen, and it means the quality of the result depends on how much patience you bring to each frame.

The developer describes the process as drawing like a real animator, and the app leans into that comparison with references to anime films and movies. That is marketing language more than a technical claim, but it captures the intent: you are the one making every drawing, and the app provides the frame-by-frame structure that turns those drawings into motion.

Because the character is a stickman, the drawing itself stays quick. You are not rendering faces, clothing, or backgrounds unless you choose to add details frame by frame. That keeps the time per frame low, which matters when a smooth sequence needs many drawings, and it makes the format forgiving for beginners who are still finding their rhythm.

The flipbook approach also means the app is about short pieces. The developer refers to making a few frames for a short movie, so the natural output is a brief animated scene rather than a long narrative. Planning a small plot that can be told in a handful of frames is the best way to get something finished.

Characters, plots and cartoon storytelling

Beyond the mechanics of drawing, the app is framed as a story creator. The developer encourages you to think about a plot, imagine a character, and then animate that character through a sequence of frames. In practice that means the app gives you the space to invent a stickman hero and put them through a short scenario of your own design.

The app centers on making cartoons and anime-style stories on your phone, with the stickman as the hero. That framing is useful because it sets a creative goal beyond simply moving a figure around. You are nudged toward giving your character a purpose, a joke, or a small adventure, which is what makes a flipbook feel like a cartoon rather than a technical exercise.

Character creation is treated as part of the fun, not a separate chore. You decide what your stickman looks like, what happens to them, and how the action unfolds across the frames. The developer pitches this as making a character from films, which is aspirational, but the underlying activity is straightforward: design a simple figure and give it something to do.

This is where the app's limits also show. A stickman is expressive in motion but limited in detail, so storytelling happens through pose and timing rather than facial expression or elaborate art. If your idea depends on subtle acting, the format will fight you. If it depends on clear, big movements, the stickman is a perfect fit.

What it costs and how it is funded

The app is free to download, and it contains ads. It also offers in-app purchases. You can install and use the app without paying up front, but you should expect advertising and the option to spend money inside it.

Ads and purchases are present, which is common for creative tools with a large casual audience.

For anyone deciding whether to install it, the practical question is whether you are comfortable with a free app that shows ads. If you are, the barrier to entry is essentially zero, and you can judge the drawing experience for yourself before deciding whether the paid options matter to you. If advertising in a creative app bothers you, that is a factor to weigh before you start.

The app remains free to download. The rest is a matter of personal tolerance for ads in a tool you might use in short bursts while sketching out a few frames.

How it compares with other ways to animate

The obvious alternative is a general-purpose drawing app. Those tend to offer more tools, and some include frame-by-frame animation as well. They are more capable, but they also ask more of you: more menus, more decisions, and a steeper climb before your first moving drawing. The stickman format strips that away and gets you animating almost immediately.

A dedicated animation program on a computer is the other comparison. Desktop tools can produce polished work, but they require a computer, a learning curve, and a sitting-at-a-desk workflow. This app is for the opposite situation: a few spare minutes, a phone, and an idea small enough to draw in a handful of frames.

There is also the paper flipbook, which remains the cheapest and most tactile option. What a phone app adds is the ability to carry your work around without losing loose pages. It is not a replacement for drawing on real paper, but it removes some of the friction that makes people abandon a flipbook halfway through.

None of these alternatives is strictly better. The choice comes down to how much control you want versus how quickly you want to see something move. This app sits firmly at the quick-and-simple end of that range, and it is honest about being there.

Who gets the most from a stickman flipbook

I would suggest this app to anyone who wants to try animation without committing to a complex tool. The frame-by-frame approach is the real thing, just simplified, and the stickman format keeps the drawing burden low enough that finishing a short sequence feels achievable. That combination is what makes it worth installing for a curious beginner.

It is also a reasonable choice for casual doodlers who want their drawings to do something. If you already fill margins with little figures, giving those figures motion is a natural next step, and the app is built around exactly that impulse. The developer's emphasis on plots and heroes suggests the app rewards a bit of imagination more than technical skill.

The app has been around since 2016, so it is not a forgotten experiment. With more than 10 million installs and a 4.4 average, it has clearly found an audience that keeps coming back to draw. That track record does not guarantee it will suit you, but it does suggest it has found a lasting audience.

My recommendation is straightforward: install it if you want a free, low-pressure way to make a stickman move, and go in expecting a simple flipbook rather than a full animation studio. Bring a small idea, draw a few frames, and see whether the process of making a cartoon frame by frame is something you enjoy.

What's new in version 6.2.5s

Many small improvements