Animaker is a feature-packed, browser-based animation studio with an enormous library of characters, props and templates, plus built-in text-to-speech. It can absolutely produce whiteboard-style videos — among many other styles — which is why it appears on so many 'best whiteboard maker' lists.
The trade-offs are complexity and price. Whiteboard is one option in a sprawling editor, so you're navigating a lot of tools you don't need, assembling each scene by hand on a timeline. The free plan watermarks your videos, and unlocking HD, longer exports and the full library climbs from around $10/month up to roughly $39/month for Pro.
Whiteboard Video does one thing and automates it end to end. You describe the video or paste a document; the AI writes the script, draws an original illustration per scene, animates it and adds a voiceover. No timeline, no watermark on your first video, and plans that start below Animaker Pro.
What Animaker really costs for a whiteboard video
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Watermarked; limited exports and library |
| Basic | ~$10/mo | Billed annually; some limits remain |
| Starter | ~$19/mo | More assets and exports |
| Pro | ~$39/mo | Full library, HD, longer videos |
Pricing shown is indicative, gathered from public sources in July 2026; always check Animaker's site for the latest.
Whiteboard Video pricing — and where the savings come from
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 free video, no watermark |
| Starter | $9.99/mo | 15 videos / month · up to 5 min |
| Pro | $19.99/mo | 35 videos / month · up to 10 min |
| Business | $60/mo | 100 videos / month · commercial licence |
Whiteboard Video's paid plans start below Animaker's Starter and Pro tiers, your first video is free with no watermark, and there's no sprawling editor to learn — you describe the video and it's built for you.
Animaker vs Whiteboard Video: feature by feature
| Whiteboard Video | Animaker | |
|---|---|---|
| AI writes the script | Yes — AI writes it | Limited |
| Illustrations | AI-generated per scene | Huge library |
| Voiceover | Yes, built-in AI voices | TTS built-in |
| No manual timeline | Yes — fully automatic | No — drag & drop |
| Import PDF / URL / Word | Prompt, URL, PDF, Word | Limited |
| Free, no watermark | Yes — watermark-free | Watermarked |
| Time to first video | Minutes | Hours |
| Starting price | Free, then $9.99/mo | from $10/mo |
Based on publicly available features at time of writing; competitor features change over time.
Animaker: the honest pros and cons
What Animaker does well
- Enormous library of characters, props and templates
- Many animation styles in one tool
- Built-in text-to-speech voices
- Actively updated, browser-based
Where it falls short
- Overwhelming for a simple whiteboard video
- Manual scene-by-scene assembly on a timeline
- Free plan is watermarked with export limits
- Whiteboard is one style among many, not the focus
Why Whiteboard Video is the cheaper, faster choice
Animaker's power is also its cost: a giant editor means a real learning curve and manual assembly of every scene, so each whiteboard video takes hours even once you know the tool. The subscription is only part of the bill; your time is the rest.
Whiteboard Video is purpose-built and automated. Because it generates the script, original art and narration for you, a finished whiteboard video takes minutes — and the per-scene illustrations are generated fresh, so your videos don't reuse the same library clips as everyone else on Animaker's free tier.
The free plan is also honestly usable: a complete, watermark-free video, rather than Animaker's watermarked free exports. For whiteboard and explainer videos specifically, that's cheaper, faster and cleaner-looking.
How to get whiteboard videos cheaper — step by step
- Sign up free at Whiteboard Video — one complete, watermark-free video included.
- Enter a prompt or paste a URL, PDF or Word file as your source material.
- Pick a voice and length and hit generate — no timeline to learn.
- The AI writes, draws and narrates your whiteboard video in minutes.
- Adjust and re-render free, then export in HD without a watermark.