Explainer videos engage audiences, simplify complex ideas, and directly drive conversions. But the success of your video depends entirely on the tool you use to create it.
Many video platforms limit you to simple animated illustrations, offering little versatility for real-world photos and clips or screen recordings. If you're ready to create professional, high-impact explainer videos without the steep learning curve, you need a tool that balances power, simplicity, and flexibility.
In this guide, we dive into the top 7 explainer video makers available today. Read on to find the perfect maker that will transform your ideas into polished, compelling visual explainers.
TLDR: Many explainer video makers only give you the option of using animated illustrations. But if you’re looking for a more versatile and powerful video editor that’s still easy to use, Animoto is the best choice. It uses a simple drag-and-drop interface and speeds up the process with pro video templates that you can customize in minutes.
| Animoto | This beginner-friendly, template-driven tool excels at quick creation using a built-in screen and webcam recorder for demos, explainers, and more. | Free plan available; paid plans start at $8/month. |
| Animaker | The cloud-based platform offers five distinct illustration styles and features an advanced character builder for extensive animations. | Free plan available; paid plans start at $25/month. |
| Biteable | It is a streamlined, template-based maker prioritizing speed by relying on a large library of pre-made video scenes and stock footage. | Free plan available; paid plans start at $15/month. |
| Synthesia | This AI-powered generator instantly turns scripts into videos using realistic AI Avatars, removing the need for human actors. | Free plan available; paid plans start at $18/month. |
| Vyond | It is designed specifically for professional, character-driven 2D animation, offering extensive control for corporate training and e-learning content. | No free plan mentioned; paid plans start at $58/month. |
| Powtoon | This versatile tool balances animated video creation with presentation formats and supports multiple visual styles, including the popular whiteboard doodle effect. | Free plan available; paid plans start at $15/month. |
| VideoScrib | It specializes entirely in whiteboard animation, simulating a hand drawing images onto a screen. | Free trial available; paid plans start at $12.50/month. |
1. Animoto
Animoto is a beginner-friendly, online video maker that excels at quickly creating marketing, internal comms, and social media videos. It uses a template-driven approach and drag-and-drop tools to quickly create pro videos from your photos and video clips. When it comes to explainers, you have access to all the tools you need to describe your product or service and bring your footage to life.
Here’s an example of an explainer that was made in Animoto:
Pros:
- The interface is clean and highly intuitive, requiring virtually no video editing experience.
- Built-in screen and webcam recorder for software demos and explainers.
- Includes a large library of licensed music tracks, stock media, and illustrations for commercial use.
- Dozens of templates to create explainer videos in hours, not days.
Cons:
- Some features are only available with a paid plan.
Pricing:
Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $8/month.
2. Animaker
Animaker is a cloud-based platform offering five distinct video illustration styles: 2D, 2.5D, Whiteboard, Infographics, Handcraft. It features an advanced character builder that allows for extensive customization, making it suitable for users who need varied, high-quality animation.
Pros:
- Offers extreme control over animated characters' facial features, clothing, and expressions, including auto lip-sync.
- Users can create 2D, 2.5D, Whiteboard, Infographics, and Handcraft videos from one tool.
- Offers very high-resolution video exports for premium plans.
Cons:
- It takes more time to master than simpler template-based tools.
- Some users report that the cloud editor can experience long load times or lag with complex projects.
- Can be limiting for explainers made from real footage rather than illustrations.
Pricing:
Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $25/month.
3. Biteable
Biteable is a streamlined video maker that prioritizes speed and ease of use. It relies on a library of professional, pre-made video scenes and stock footage to help users assemble polished videos quickly with minimal editing experience.
Pros:
- It is primarily template-based, allowing for rapid assembly of a professional-looking video in minutes.
- Large library of live-action stock footage, animations, and photos.
Cons:
- You are mostly limited to editing the text, colors, and sequence of the pre-built clips, not the animations or footage itself.
- Since many users rely on the same core template scenes, videos can start to look similar across different brands.
Pricing:
Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $15/month.
4. Synthesia
Synthesia is an AI-powered generator that transforms scripts into videos featuring realistic AI Avatars. This tool is ideal for creating tutorials, localized training, and corporate communications efficiently without the need for actors.
Pros:
- Instantly transforms scripts into voiced video using AI avatars.
- Offers powerful text-to-speech in dozens of languages with corresponding human avatars.
- Ensures a consistent, professional presenter for all your videos without the hassle of reshoots.
Cons:
- Better for presentations and tutorials with human hosts than for traditional 2D animated storytelling.
- Some viewers think using AI avatar can erode trust.
- Creative freedom is confined to the template and avatar structure, which can feel somewhat unnatural.
Pricing:
Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $18/month.
5. Vyond (formerly GoAnimate)
Vyond is a tool designed specifically for professional, character-driven 2D animation, often used by corporations for training, e-learning, and internal communications. It offers extensive control over character creation, actions, and scene building.
Pros:
- Known for its high-quality, professional-looking animated characters and business-friendly visual styles.
- Offers a huge library of character actions, lip-syncing, and scene templates tailored for corporate and training videos.
- Strong features for teams to work together on projects.
Cons:
- Typically more expensive than other drag-and-drop tools.
- Creating complex scenes requires more time and effort than purely template-driven platforms.
Pricing:
Paid plans starting at $58/month.
6. Powtoon
Powtoon is a versatile tool that lets users create engaging animated presentations and explainer videos, balancing between a traditional presentation and a fully animated video. It offers both animated characters/props and the ability to use live-action footage.
Pros:
- Excellent for creating engaging presentations that can be easily converted into animated videos.
- Provides a vast selection of characters, props, templates, and animated objects.
- Supports multiple visual styles, including the popular whiteboard doodle effect.
Cons:
- Basic video editing tools are not as intuitive.
- Can feel cluttered and less intuitive than competitors.
- Users find the jump from the free to the paid tiers quite significant.
Pricing:
Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $15/month.
7. VideoScribe
VideoScribe specializes entirely in whiteboard animation (or "doodle" videos), simulating a hand drawing images and text onto a screen. This distinct style is highly engaging and proven effective for explaining complex topics in a step-by-step tutorial format.
Pros:
- Highly specialized and the industry leader for "drawing hand" or "scribing" style videos.
- Very easy to use if the whiteboard style is your goal, with drag-and-drop elements and automatic drawing paths.
- Supports easy integration and synchronization of a recorded voiceover track.
Cons:
- Limited almost entirely to the whiteboard/doodle style, lacking other animation options.
- Videos can look similar if you only use the built-in, common assets.
Pricing:
Free trial available, with paid plans starting at $12.50/month.
How to use Animoto’s explainer video maker
Animoto is the ideal tool for anyone looking to create professional explainer videos quickly and without a steep learning curve. It eliminates the complexity of traditional video software by providing a guided, intuitive, and block-based workflow, perfect for tutorials, product demos, and educational content.
Creating and editing explainer videos is quick and easy! Just follow these simple steps to transform your script and media into a polished, informative video.
Step 1: Start with an explainer template (or AI script)
Forget the daunting task of setting up a video timeline from scratch. Animoto lets you jump right into creating by offering a wide array of professionally designed templates. Here’s one of our most popular explainer templates:
Pro tip: Use the AI Script Generator to generate a clear, structured script based on your product, topic, and target audience. This script is instantly converted into the video's timeline blocks.
Step 2: Add your content
Explainer videos often require showing a process or walking through a concept. Animoto provides the tools to capture this media directly:
- Screen and webcam recording: Record your screen and camera simultaneously to demonstrate software features or present a tutorial, just as you would in a webinar.
- Voice-over: Instead of solely relying on music, record and edit a custom voice-over within Animoto to deliver your explanation clearly and personally, block-by-block.
Or, if you have your own media, you can upload your own product demo clips, photos, or screen recordings from your device. If you’re running low, pull high-quality stock photos, videos, and animations from the integrated Getty Images library.
Step 3: Structure your message with blocks and text
While your media forms the foundation, the text drives the explanation. Animoto’s block-based editor makes structuring the narrative simple:
- Customize text: Easily add and edit text to clarify key points, include calls-to-action (CTAs), or present step-by-step instructions in a variety of colors, fonts, and styles.
- Control timing: Adjust the duration of each block to perfectly sync with your voice-over or the speed required for the viewer to read the on-screen text.
- Enhance visuals: Choose from animated graphic elements like frames, circles, or underlines to draw the viewer’s eye to crucial information (e.g., highlighting a button on a screen recording).
Step 4: Customize the look and feel
Personalizing your video takes mere seconds to ensure your explainer is consistent with your brand identity.
- Brand kit: For businesses, you can create Saved Brands that allow you to apply your brand colors, custom font, and logo with a single click.
- Apply themes: Instantly apply a new Theme to change the entire video's aesthetic, which automatically updates colors, animations, and matching fonts with a single click. Or, get granular and choose your own combination of colors, fonts, and animation styles.
- Watermark: Add your logo as a subtle corner watermark to keep your brand visible throughout the entire explanation.
Step 5: Finalize and share
After setting your voice-over, you can still add a background track.
If you didn't record a voice-over, browse the extensive licensed music library and filter by genre and tempo until you find the perfect track to set the mood for your explanation.
With the final click of the Export button, your professional explainer video is instantly prepared for download in HD (1080p) and ready to be shared anywhere, including a custom, ad-free landing page.
Bonus: Make a video landing page
If you want to track your success and boost conversions for your explainer videos, create a custom video landing page!
These ad-free pages (available with Professional plans) are distraction-free and let you fully brand the viewing experience to direct viewers toward a specific next step.
To customize your page:
- Locate the custom landing page editor on your video's share page.
- Apply your brand colors (background/text) and logo.
- Toggle on and customize a CTA button. Paste your destination link.
- Write compelling CTA button text (e.g., "Learn More").
- Add a concise and punchy Title and Description for the explainer video.
- Upload a new, high-contrast, branded thumbnail to maximize click-through rates.
- Save, copy the link, and share to start turning viewers into clients!
