Last Updated on October 16, 2022 by Shane

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In this honest and unbiased review Doodly, you will find out whether you should use this software or not. You will get to know everything you should know before using it, such as its features, benefits, pros and cons, pricing, etc.

At the end of this article, you’ll find out what Doodly can and can’t create and what all this software can do. You will be able to decide if this is the right software for you or not.

Is this software worth buying, or is it just a waste of money? Is this the best whiteboard animation software in the market? Well, let’s dive a little deeper and find out.

Overall rating
Price	$39 – $69 (monthly) and $20 – $40 (annually)
Subscription	Monthly and Annually
Free trial	No
2D	Yes
3D	No
Best for	Whiteboard animated explainer videos, educational videos, etc.
Compatibility	Windows & MAC
Refund	30-days money back gaurantee
Recommended	Yes, only if you don’t care about the price
Website	www.doodly.com

One of my friends wanted me to suggest some good whiteboard animation software to make videos for his YouTube channel. He wanted easy-to-use software where he can create the videos in the least possible time.

I suggested a few options where Doodly is one of them. He liked everything about it except its price. He ended up using VideoScribe, which is also my favorite. To me, Doodly is not the best in the market, but it’s among the top whiteboard animation software.

How Important is Whiteboard Animation for You?

You should ask yourself if you really need a whiteboard animation software before spending money on it. How essential is this software to you?

You can hire a freelancer from those freelancing platforms like Fiverr and Upwork if you plan to make only one video for your project. Doing that will save you some money and time.

However, if you plan to create multiple videos for your project or your business, you should get a whiteboard animation software. If you have decided to buy a tool, keep reading this review until the end.

What is Doodly?

I’m sure you have seen those explainer videos where a hand with a pen/pencil draws cartoons and narrates a story. You can create those animated videos in just a few minutes by using easy animation making softwares like Doodly.

Doodly is a popular easy whiteboard animation making software by Bryxen, who created Toonly, an easy animation making software. Its easy-to-use and straightforward interface makes this software a beginner-friendly animation tool.

However, it is not a tool for professional animators. Yes, you cannot create high-quality animated videos like those premium animated movies with this software.

Things You Should Know About Doodly Before You Buy it

• It’s an easy-to-use software, and you can create whiteboard animation in a few minutes
• You can import your own design, doodles, fonts, music, and voiceover, which make Doodly flexible and customizable
• The price of the monthly payment plan is twice the annual payment plan. For example, you’ll have to pay $39 a month if you pay it monthly; however, you’ll be paying $20 a month if you pay annually
• It’s a cloud-based software. You’ll love it if you like cloud-based softwares like me, but the only drawback is that you can’t use it where there’s no internet
• The basic plan (Standard Plan) comes with 803 character images, 1,157 prop images, 84 scene templates, 100 royalty-free music tracks, five different board styles, and 13 different hands
• It looks a lot, but you will feel like the assets you get from the standard plan will not be enough to make every video you want
• Another thing you should know is that it has a not good music library and limited audio features
• They don’t have a proper YouTube channel where you can check out for tutorials when you need
• You won’t get colored images from the standard plan. You need to upgrade to the enterprise plan if you want it

Our Doodly Review

Doodly has been around in the market for quite a while. It is the most popular one among the whiteboard animation software.

So, is it the best, or is it just the hype? You’ll get to know in this unbiased review.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I have tried Doodly and few other competitors for a while for this review. It is neither the worst nor the best software.

Why You Should Use Doodly?

• It’s one of the most easy-to-use animation making softwares in the market
• You can create animated videos quickly and save time
• You can make the videos yourself, and you don’t have to hire expensive animators for it
• If you want to make the video unique and different, you can import your designs or images
• If you don’t like the music or fonts which are in their library, you can import your music, voiceover, and fonts
• They don’t have a free trial, but you can try it for a month by paying $39 before committing to it for a year or longer
• It’s a cloud-based software, which means you don’t have to download any software to use it

Why You Should Not Use Doodly?

• Doodly’s standard plan has minimal access
• It has a limited and audio library
• It is more expensive than its competitors
• It takes about 40 minutes to export just 5 minutes of video
• Its user experience doesn’t look premium, and it’s not very user friendly

How to Create a Whiteboard Animation Using Doodly?

Doodly claimed that it is a user-friendly and easy-to-use software; however, it takes some time to get used to it. The review and tutorial below by Jenn Jager below will show you the detailed steps to use the software and its looks.

What People Think About Doodly

I did some research on what people are saying and thinking about this software. Some users are pleased with it; however, some of them are not very happy.

Here are some of the screenshots of what Doodly’s users are saying about it on Trustpilot.

Doodly’s Pricing

It has Standard Plan and Enterprise Plan, which costs $39 and $69, respectively, if you pay monthly. It has a 49% discount if you pay it annually. The Standard Plan becomes $20 and the Enterprise Plan becomes $40.

You can create unlimited animated videos in both plans, however Standard Plan has very limited features.

Standard Plan had 803 character images, 1,157 prop images, 84 scene templates, and 100 royalty-free music tracks. You’ll get 3,596 character images in the Enterprise Plan, 3000+ prop images, 84 scene templates, and 150 music tracks.

You’ll have access to Doodly Club – Monthly Membership in Enterprise Plan, where you get new characters and images every month.

Who All Can Use Doodly?

1. Business Owners

If you’re a business owner and want to make promotional videos, explainer videos, etc. for your brand or business, you can use Doodly to create those videos. You can also create animated videos for internal training and more for your employee.

2. Social Media Agencies

If you run a social media agency, you can create whiteboard animated videos with Doodly to get clients. You can also create video posts for your clients in case you don’t want to outsource it.

3. Video or Animation Production Studios

Doodly can be handy if you need short and simple videos like social media posts for your clients. Its ability to create videos fast can help you save some time. You can also create explainer videos to show your clients what you do by using this software.

4. Freelancers

Doodly can be used for making explainer whiteboard animated videos for your clients if you are a freelancer. You can also use it to create videos for the works you get from freelancing websites like Fiverr, Upwork, etc.

5. Marketing Consultants

If you are a marketing consultant, you can use this software to create explainer videos to explain your services and offers. As you know the power of videos on marketing, you can create videos with it for your clients as well.

6. YouTubers

You can create animated explainer videos and more for your YouTube channel. If you want to start an animated educational or informatic YouTube channel with videos like Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson, Coca-Cola Content 2020, Charles Duhigg Asks: What Makes a Great Team?, etc., you can this software create the videos. You don’t have to outsource or hire an expert to make the videos for you.

8. Teachers

Using good animated videos to catch the attention of your students can improve their learning ability. If you want to create that kind of animated whiteboard videos to teach them, you can use Doodly to do it.

Recommended Alternative Softwares

i. CreateStudio

CreateStudio is a complete easy animation software. You can create both whiteboard animation as well as the regular animated explainer videos. One of the best things about this software is that you can animate both 2D and 3D objects in it. I recommend this software because of its beautiful premium character designs and other elements.

It’s my favorite easy animation software because it is easy to use, and it’s the most flexible software among its competitors.

My favorite thing about this software is that you don’t have to pay every month to use it. It’s one-time payment software. However, it is little expensive than other whiteboard animation softwares.

Pricing: CreateStudio costs $197 (one-time payment) for its Commercial Use License and $247 (one-time payment) for Commercial Use License With Pro Media. They offer 30 days money-back guarantee.

Website: CreateStudio.com

ii. VideoScribe

Another alternative whiteboard animation software VideoScribe is my next recommendation. I like VideoScribe because of its user-friendly interface and the price. Its simple interface makes the process of animation easy and straightforward.

I like VidioScribe more than Doodly because of its high-quality designs and flexibility. It allows you to make a wide range of videos, including promotional, slideshow, presentation, birthday video, marriage, etc. I recommend it because of its high-quality design, customization, and competitive price.

Pricing: It ranges from $8 to $35 a month. They have three different plans. The first and second plans cost $8 & $17.50 a month respectively which bills annually. The third one is a quarterly plan which costs $35 and it’s 3 monthly payments.

Website: VideoScribe.co

iii. Explaindio

This cloud-based whiteboard animation making software is a new one in the market. It is made for non-professional video makers and has more than 35,000 users worldwide. Explaindio has 200 ready­-to-­use animated scenes, 100 full HD background videos, 500 doodle sketch images, audio and music, more than 300 fonts, 6 animated characters, and more.

It has almost the same quality and features as Doodly. I find Explaindio better than Doodly because of its price. I have some UI/UX design skills, and bad design turns me off. Its user interface design is not very good; otherwise, it’s a good software.

Pricing: Explaindio’s Creator Monthly Plan costs $37 a month and the Creator Annual Plan costs $67 a year. There’s another plan called Creator One-Time Plan. This plan costs $497 where you pay only once.

They offer a 14-day money back guarantee, which means you can try it for 14 days and if you don’t like it. You can cancel the plan before 14 days and you’ll get the full money back.

Website: Explaindio.com

Check out my list of 6 Best Animation Making Softwares That Anyone Can Use (2020)

Conclusion

Doodly is a useful and good software overall; however, its price and aggressive upselling are making it a bad one. Many users are not happy with their aggressive upselling. If you want a decent software at a reasonable price, you should look for another one. To me, this software is overpriced. The price and the quality of the product don’t match.

I will not recommend it because there are other softwares in the market which offer better features at a better price. For example, VideoScribe offers 7 days free trial and its plan starts at $8 per month, and Explaindio has a plan where you pay $67 a year. 

Happy Creating!